Nordost is always thrilled to receive and share glowing reviews from journalists and experts in the industry. However, when we get testimonials from our devoted and satisfied customers, it means that much more!
Thank you to Shawn from Fort Mill SC or sharing his stellar system, which was recently souped up with Nordost products purchased from his dealer, Liquid Hi-Fi.
“This may sound cliché, but I’ll never forget the first time I heard an audio system fully optimized with Nordost products. It was my first visit to Liquid Hifi. I was auditioning a few integrated amplifiers and the owner, Ron, queued up the first track of the recent Mark Knopfler release, Tracker. Music poured out of the speakers from complete silence. The space between notes stood out and added to the timing of the music. The bass was more powerful and controlled than I was expecting. Mark’s vocal was natural and saturated. I was intrigued.
Ron explained to me that the Nordost cables and accessories were a major contributor to what I was hearing. Shortly after, Ron came to my house and let me hear what Nordost products could do for my system. I was pretty blown away and purchased a full Nordost Frey 2 loom with power and grounding products. Now every time I listen to music in my own home I get that same quiet background and natural sound that caught me off guard in Ron’s showroom. That’s what pulls me into my stereo room to enjoy music every day. To me, Nordost made THE difference.”
Do your loudspeakers have multiple sets of terminals on their rear panels? If they do, they have been configured with a bi-wire (or possibly tri-wire) crossover. This generally means that they were designed so that one pair of terminals are designated for the high frequencies and the other pair for the low frequencies. Great news—bi-wirable crossovers could mean wonderful audible enhancements for your system! But you have to make sure you’re using this design feature to your advantage, or risk tanking your system’s performance.
When using Bi-Wired Loudspeakers, there are three main
cabling options for your set-up: supported shotgun, bi-wire, and bi-wire
jumpers. This blog will take you through each option and let you know how they
can help (or hinder) your system’s performance level.
“Supported” Shotgun:
Typically, you would use a cable configured in a “shotgun” termination with standard loudspeakers which don’t require bi-wiring. You may ask, “With a bi-wired loudspeaker, how could you possibly support both the tweeters (which support the high frequencies), and the woofer (which supports the low frequencies) with a single run of loudspeaker cables? The answer: you can’t. That’s where the word “supported” comes in.
Many bi-wired loudspeakers are supplied with metal links, which connect the tweeters with the woofer (or vice-versa depending on which pair of terminals you have connected to your amps via your loudspeaker cable). To be clear, at Nordost we do NOT recommend this method. By using these standard, metal links, you are effectively throwing away all the good you’ve done (not to mention the investment you’ve made) with your carefully integrated high-quality audio cables in the last inch of cabling. Naturally, your second question would be, “If metal links are detrimental to the sound, why would a loudspeaker manufacturer provide them with their product?”. Unfortunately, that is a cost issue. In many cases those manufacturers don’t want their design to be prohibitive, so to allow you to use their loudspeakers as soon as they’re purchased, they may include these plates (much like is done with the cheap power cords that are often supplied with electrical components). However, when asked, loudspeaker manufacturers would rarely suggest those plates be used as a permanent solution.
Bi-Wire Cables:
A bi-wire cable is a single run of loudspeaker cable that is terminated with four connectors on the loudspeaker-end instead of two (as is done with shotgun speaker cables). This solution allows you to connect all terminals of a bi-wired loudspeaker without having to buy two pairs of loudspeaker cables, or using standard metal links. In theory, this seems like a good solution, and at Nordost we believe it is a better option than a “supported” shotgun configuration. However, when you bi-wire a loudspeaker cable, you are effectively splitting the cable in fourths in order to serve all terminals. As a result, each terminal is benefitting from less conductors, increasing resistance, and compromising the performance of the loudspeakers.
Alternatively,
you could also use two pairs of
loudspeaker cables running from your amp to the tweeters and woofer of each
loudspeaker, respectively. While this may be the ideal solution, it can become
costly, which is where the third option comes in…
Bi-Wire Jumpers:
Bi-Wire Jumpers allow you to use one run of loudspeaker cables to connect your amplifier with your loudspeaker without hindering the performance-level of your system, like you do with standard metal links. At Nordost, our Bi-Wire Jumpers are made using the same technology as our loudspeaker cables, essentially offering an extension of the speaker cable itself. This ensures that an identical sonic signature can be used throughout your entire system, without interruption. Bi-Wire Jumpers are a great way to affordably and immediately integrate bi-wire loudspeakers into your system. This can be either a great long-term solution, or a means to tide you over while you save up for that second pair of quality loudspeaker cables.
When we last looked in on Liquid Hi-Fi, down on the edge of the Charlotte NC market, Ron was humming right along. He had some of the best brands on the market— brands like Hegel, KEF, NAD, Dynaudio, Rogue Audio, Moon, and of course, Nordost cabling to connect it all. In the past few years the owner, Ron Buffington, has followed a path similar to a few other top dealers in the country by upping the game.
When Covid-19 hit and we were all semi-forced into home quarantine, we all got bit by the audio bug again too. The more everyone sat at home and listened, the more they wanted to make some system improvements! Ron started getting calls from his clients asking for even more performance and advice on products which could make that possible.
Fast forward to today and when you walk into Ron’s place to see what treasures reside there, you will still see all the well-known and trusted brands he had before, but also some new stuff that reaches the very top end of the market. These products are game changers in performance (and honestly price) — brands like YG Acoustics, Wadax, CH Precision, Boulder, and even more.
A new location for Ron also brought even more listening space, as well as improved acoustics for his clients to hear this new level of performance. Of course, there is also plenty of Nordost Valhalla 2 and Odin 2 being used to pull those fantastic systems together!
An accurately aligned cartridge will keep the needle in the groove, minimize tracking errors, and achieve the most accurate sound from your turntable. Correctly mounting and aligning your cartridge, is a multi-step process that involves several tools, and some patience…but the results are well worth it! To give you a better idea of how to get started in this task we have simplified the process in 6 easy steps:
1. Insert the screws and nuts through the tonearm headshell in order to hold the cartridge in place. (Do NOT initially tighten the screws all the way down!)
2. Once loosely attached, use tweezers to connect the four tiny wires that come from the tonearm to the cartridge’s color-coded ends.
3. Before tightening the mounting screws to the arm’s headshell, the cartridge’s alignment must be set correctly. Use an alignment tool to align the cartridge. We recommend tools offered by Acoustic Solid, Acoustical Systems, Baerwald, Feikert, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, and VPI.
4. Use a “pivot spindle” measuring tool to set the distance between the tonearm pivot and the spindle. This distance should be specified by the manufacturer of your turntable.
4. Align the cartridge stylus using a mounting template.
5. Now that all adjustments have been made, tighten the mounting screws. (Make sure not to over tighten them!)
Real music lovers can find the melody in everything. From the park to the concert hall, our friend Nelson Brill is always on the hunt for great sound. In this blog, Nelson reviews and recommends a few new, bluesy CD recordings for you to enjoy this spring!
SPRING FLING LISTENING SESSION WITH THE BLUES RUNNING THROUGH
By Nelson Brill May 26, 2021
“If you’ll be my Dixie Chicken, I’ll be your Tennessee Lamb And we can walk together down in Dixieland.. Down in Dixieland” – Little Feat
Paul Barrere and Lowell George – New York Times
Taking a Spring Fling clue from the rollicking Lowell George and his legendary boogie band, Little Feat, (soaking up their medley of “Dixie Chicken” into “Tripe Face Boogie” from their matchless 1978 live album, Waiting For Columbus (heard best -still with some thin highs- on Stan Ricker’s half-speed mastering on Mobile Fidelity LP #2013], here are some recommended new CD recordings that shimmy with joyful spring grooves for your listening pleasure:
First up, a barn-burning new archival recording from 2007 in which the Dickinson Brothers (guitarist Luther and drummer Cody, along with their late father, pianist and producer Jim Dickinson), dig deep into the blues in a casual “potluck” session, jamming with studio guests Charlie Musselwhite, Alvin Youngblood Hart and Jimbo Mathus. The camaraderie of this hot session, captured on two separate CD releases, New Moon Jelly Roll Freedom Rockers Volume I and II [Stony Plain Music; www.stonyplainrecords.com] invites us in to hear all the rich musical dialogue shared by these razor-sharp musicians in their jovial company. My favorites, from the stunning Volume I session, are the Musselwhite-driven beauties driven by Musselwhite’s gritty vocals and sharp harp careens.
Charlie Musselwhite -San Diego.org
Other highlights include Jim Dickinson’s stomping version of “Come On Down To My House” and his swinging version of the classic feel-good rocker, “Let’s Work Together”. Alvin Youngblood Hart’s cranking hot version of Hendrix’s “Stone Free” and Jimbo Mathius’s steamy “Night Time” are also knockouts. These two Volumes rock from start to finish, hunkering down with roughhousing grooves and startling musicianship wrapped up in a layered and spacious acoustic. For all their verve and gleeful sound, I voted these two Volumes “Best Blues Albums” in the recent DownBeat Annual Critics Poll (www.downbeat.com).
Blues also spark the rollicking singing, songwriting and guitar playing of William Apostal, aka Billy Strings, on his terrific 2019 CD, Home [Rounder Records; www.rounder.com]. Home is another great studio recording delivering palpable ambient heat, natural images and a soundstage layered with plucky dynamic delights (if your quality audio system is up to the task!).
The musicianship on this recording is boundless and irresistible. Strings’ assembled a stellar band for this recording, including Billy Failing on banjo, Jarrod Walker on mandolin, Royal Masat on bass and John Mailander on violin. They are joined by a glowing string section and the great Jerry Douglas adding his expressive dobro to the acoustic delight.
Billy Strings -Emily Butler photo
Strings’ songs are smart, swinging and fresh. His skill on acoustic and electric guitars is a marvel with his frenetic fingering and the clarity and expressiveness of his note and chord selections. The opening “Taking Water” is a twinkling swinger with political fervor. “Must Be Seven” is a striking narrative with optimistic leaps while “Hollow Heart and “Everything’s The Same” are joyful romps of kinetic heat. Strings’ guitar explorations can also teem with soulful play, such as on the atmospheric title cut where his electric guitar rises and falls in company with his magnetic string and percussive partners. Strings’ voice is a confident vessel: strong, expressive and hardscrabble. It fills his bracing songs with sweet rapport, such as on the light swing of “Watch It Fall”, and can be gracious and glowing, as on his “Enough To Leave” or “Love Like Me,” (with Douglas’ dobro blossoming in the layered soundstage). The band careens away on “Highway Hyphosis,” a heavy pedal on bluegrass sway and soar. Each player is set in their airy individual space on this superb studio recording that ensnares this shining band’s down-home roots, freeform and gleeful.
Billy Strings and his band’s charm and potency inspires a listen to a new recording from a favorite blues dynamo: vocalist and guitarist, Janiva Magness. On her latest album, Magness creates her own barn burning concoction by mining the rich vein of songs penned by the great singer/songwriter, John Fogerty, on her superb CD, Change In The Weather [Blue Elan Records; www.blueelanrecords.com]. The recording quality here is excellent, offering layered warmth, air, natural image dimensionality and an up-front, crackling presence.
I first heard Magness on bluesman Doug Macleod’s brilliant 2000 CD, Whose Truth Whose Lies [Audioquest; www.doug-macleod.com] where Magness joined Macleod on a stunning vocal duet on Macleod’s song, “Norfolk County Line”, one of my favorite audiophile references for its beauty and sonic splendor. Magness brings this same expressive vocal grace and powerful presence to her mining of these classic Forgerty tunes. Her version of Fogerty’s ballad, “A Hundred And Ten In The Shade”, is a powerful statement riding on Magness’ silvery fluid vocals and her gliding pitch-perfect leaps and plunges. The stirring Fogerty ballads, “Someday Never Comes”, and “Wrote A Song For Everyone” also deliver the beautiful range of Magness’ voice filled with ardor, charisma and spunk. Her playful duet with Taj Mahal, on Fogerty’s “Don’t You wish It Were True” springs forth on Taj’s crisp slide guitar and dusty vocals entwined in Magness’ fun-loving, creative calls. Guitarists Zachary Ross, Dave Darling (who also produced this bracing outing) and Zachary Rusty Young share duties sizzling away with chiming guitar lines, keeping the blues rock pulse grooving and punchy. The band is in full grooving flight on such toe-tapping Fogerty gems as “Lodi” and “Fortunate Son,” Magness’ vocals soaring high and expressive around her rocking partners.
Magness’ venturing blues, inspired by Fogerty’s indelible songs, led to a listen to a new recording from another brilliant songwriter, the late Tom Petty. In the mid-1990’s, Petty and his band worked through dozens of new songs in a series of recording sessions produced by Rick Rubin in Los Angeles, and the result was the sterling Petty album, Wildflowers. Now, with efforts from the Petty family, the original band members and superb re-mastering by Chris Bellman at legendary Bernie Grundman Mastering, we are gifted with Wildflowers & All The Rest [Warner Records; www.tompetty.com], a CD collection brimming with original cuts and alternate and unreleased takes from these legendary recording sessions. This is another studio recording gem, firing away with toe-tapping presence and tactile energy.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers perform at Wrigley Field Thursday, June 29, 2017 in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune/TNS via Getty Images)
The blues were embedded in Petty and his band’s creative arsenal in their Wildflower sessions, and this influence can be heard in the pump of “You Don’t Know How It Feels”, the fury (of guitar slashes) on both “You Wreck Me” and “Cabin Down Below” and the slow brewing punch of “Honey Bee.” The band also had an inventive way with combining blues with folk influences, such as on the soft chiming leaps of “A Higher Place” and the willowy title cut, swooping away on Petty’s tenor climbs.
Petty and Campbell – Apt613.com
The re- mastering of these classics reveals new treats, most notably the zestful interplay of Petty with his longtime sparring partner, Mike Campbell. Campbell’s spirited guitar is a marvel: angular, sweet, ferocious, funky – all in the service of Petty’s songs. Steve Ferrone’s drums are also magnetic and vital on this new recording, as is Benmont Trench’s piano and organ that sweep to and fro in the layered soundstage on “Hard On Me” or wistfully on “Crawling Back To You.” The second disc, “All The Rest”, contains alternative takes and unreleased songs that hold such treats as Petty’s sly “Something Could Happen”; his driving “Hope You Never” and two takes of “Climb That Hill” – one an acoustic blues and the other an electric rocker. The brilliance of Petty’s songwriting is revealed in the sprite and jangly sounds of his play with his sympathetic partners, captured crisp, creative and rocking.
Petty’s song, “Wildflowers” has been covered by many bands. On another new recording, it is transformed into a spry nugget of light and groove in the creative hands of guitarist Andrew Renfroe and bassist Luke Sellick, on their self-produced CD, Small Vacation [www.sellickrenfroe.bandcamp.com]. Sellick and Renfroe are both stalwarts on the New York City music scene and their keen companionship and chemistry makes for a contemplative, glowing romp on Small Vacation.
Sellick and Renfroe: somethingelsereviews.com
Their interplay teems with skittering lightness, funky soul and twinkling zeal. Neil Young’s “Tell Me Why” unspools on Sellick’s pungent bass lines and softly punctuated plucks (captured coherent and deep) plied with Renfroe’s spidery guitar twists and twirls (relishing the blend of colors in his deep strums and accentuated notes). Those colorful strums and deep pulses drive McDowell’s “Someday Baby” with swanking power while Jimmy Webb’s “Wichita Lineman” is re-envisioned as a dancing frolic, combining Reinfroe’s wistful guitar with Sellick’s buoyant bass. The blues reach deep and gravelly on a cool version of James’ “Hard Time Killin’ Floor Blues”, a slow-stirring combustion with Renfroe’s guitar shuffling with string bends and colorful accents. The sound quality is also excellent: tactile, with natural tones, textures and image dimensionality. It delivers all the glowing warmth and vividness to the drama created between these two sterling musicians at joyful, creative play.
Another beautiful CD collection that takes classic blues to venturesome new places, (where jazz and blues meld in fresh and glowing ways), is Adam Nussbaum’s Lead Belly Project, consisting of two separately released recordings: 2018’s Lead Belly Project and 2020’s Lead Belly Reimagined, both on the Sunnyside Records label [www.sunnysiderecords.com]. Nussbaum, a drummer of ebullient flow and exploration, brings new colors to these classic Lead Belly tunes by combining his frolicking drums with the sounds of two guitars, plied by virtuosi Steve Cardenas and Nate Radley, with a glowing muscular saxophone, played by Ohad Talmor. The results are fresh and delectable. The recording quality of both CD’s is stunning. Every instrument is captured in its true tonal colors with great clarity and tactile presence. Each player’s image is placed in perfect three-dimensional acuity with Nussbaum’s drum kit naturally anchored and focused in the soundstage – with no artificial, confusing lateral spread. Everything is heard crisp, tactile clear and tonally right – a sonic joy!
Nussbaum: AllAboutJazz
Focusing on the newest CD, Lead Belly Reimagined, this tight band greases these Lead Belly nuggets with cavorting fun, always keeping the blues and jazz inspiration fresh and gut-thumping. Their “Rock Island Line” train gets pumping down its tracks on a shimmer of Nussbaum’s glittering cymbals and brushes, (some of the truest tones for this percussion that you will ever hear!), gaining momentum until interwoven with Talmor’s streaking sax. The inventions of guitarists Cardenas and Radley are spicy-sweet delights to explore: Cardenas gently shape-shifting his assured notes with sharp, angular twists (coaxing surprising colors) while Radley draws more on fleshy deep patterns and colors, bluesy and pungent. On the slow-rollicking “Relax Your Mind”, each guitarist gets a chance to jostle and shine within Nussbaum’s animated percussion while on the following cut, “Laura”, the band goes into a frenetic spidery whirl, firing away on Nussbaum’s quicksilver snare/cymbal combinations and Talmor’s careening sax runs. The roguish “Governor Pat Noff” rocks away on Nussbaum’s big pulses and the band’s comic spirited runs (ending on a howl of laughter). “When I Was A Cowboy” and “If It Wasn’t For Dicky” are two incandescent ballads, softly intrepid on cymbal washes, swashes of guitar colors and Talmor’s ardent sax. This is plucky, sweet and inventive music that brings a new dimension to Lead Belly’s peerless blues: intrepid, open-minded and beautiful to explore.
From Nussbaum and his band’s funky and fresh Lead Belly spirit, lets conclude this blues-drenched listening session with a young guitarist, singer-songwriter from Boston who brings his own fiery, creative blues rock passion to every string bend and volcanic hold. This is the youthful blast of Tyler Morris, whose new CD, Living In The Shadows [Vizztone; www.tylerdmorris.com], is a molten rocker. Keep in mind that this blues recording suffers from the sonic limitations of many a modern studio manipulation. It has a constricted soundstage (with little layering or depth) and its treble is artificially ramped up so that as dynamics increase, so does the brittle nature of its upper mid-bass to its treble regions (i.e. cymbals are thin and mere splashes of sound). Even with its sonic limitations though, this is a fine rock-surging blues recording from a vivacious young talent- thus the audiophile quality exception made here. Morris is joined on Living In The Shadows by a tight power trio: Terry Dry on bass, Matthew Robert Johnson on drums and Lewis Stephens on piano and Hammond B3. Together, they make a fire-alarm commotion that speaks the language of their electric blues with rocking pulse and power.
Tyler Morris- New England Blues Review
Morris’ thrashing electric guitar lays down some serious heat and raw vitality. The special thing is that his bravado and confident technical skills are all put to the service of his songs. He loves to hit frenetic trills, bending his strings and declaring some great slide guitar thunder- all in partnership with his brawny-toned vocals (tough minded in their limited range) to tell his stories. The opening “Mov’in On” is a sizzling feast with the band tight and nimble as Morris burns with athletic driving force to map out his escape down the road. The pile driving continues on “Why Is Love So Blue”, a grooving boogie number laced with Morris’ animated playing, his beefy vocals and his rhythm section’s bold foundation. Morris is joined by several kindred guests on Living In The Shadows. The legendary guitarist Ronnie Earl joins Morris for a blistering duet, “Young Man’s Blues”, in which Morris and Earl trade radiant and decisive riffs (Earl’s spidery and eloquent next to Morris’ galvanizing attack). Vocalist Amanda Fish joins Morris on a rocking “Better Than You” with sly, assured vocals that fit like a glove into Morris and his band’s tight-knit urgency and pump. “Polk Salad Annie” features virtuoso blues guitarist and vocalist Joe Louis Walker and guitarist Mike Zito joining Morris in a swanking romp that showcases Walker’s smooth-gliding vocals with fierce guitar inventions from Morris. Morris’ title cut, along with his tune “Temptation”, also offer a nice slice of his slow-blues artistry, glowing with twisting power chords, brewing invention and his incandescent guitar power. The future heart of the blues beats fierce and vital in Morris’ young hands on Living In the Shadows, taking his electric blues into animated, limb-shaking and open-hearted territory. Turn up the volume, let the blues flow and take a joyful “walk down in Dixie Land!”
Tyler Morris with legendary bluesman James Montgomery – everybodywiki.com
Nordost is happy that we can continue to make our time spent at home a little more enjoyable with the gift of great music. Our products aim to allow you to enjoy your favorite performances as they were intended to be heard. Like you, we here at Nordost are music lovers. Each one of us has our own style… we listen to a wide variety of artists and genres but, in a way, we appreciate them all. We thought that we would share a few of the songs on our own personal playlists with you each month. Some may be classics, some may be brand new, some may not even be to your tastes, but we hope that there is something here for everyone.
Here are some of the songs that we will have on rotation this June.
You can now listen to our monthly playlist here: TIDAL | SPOTIFY | QOBUZ
Eu Velejava Em Você (Ao Vivo)—Maria Bethânia— Eu Velejava Em Você (Ao Vivo)
Sharecropper’s Son—Robert Finley—Sharecropper’s Son
All the While—The Pines—Dark So Gold
Janie Runaway—Steely Dan—Two Against Nature
Tick Of The Clock—Chromatics—Tick Of The Clock
Thinking of You—Macy Gray—Thinking of you
Nashville—Béla Flech, Toumani Diabaté—Throw Down Your Heart: The Complete Africa Sessions
Like I Used To—Sharon Van Etten, Angel Olsen—Like I Used To
At Nordost, we try our best to give our customers the knowledge they need to optimize their audio systems and get them performing at their best. One way that we do that is by providing you all with a series of helpful guides ranging from loudspeaker and turntable set-up, to the importance of grounding and vibration control, all available for download on our website. The most recent of these valuable articles deals with digital cables.
Digital audio cables are arguably the most controversial component in hifi. As hifi audio cable manufacturers, when it comes to our digital cables, we are constantly asked two questions: “How do digital cables make a difference in a hifi system if all they do is send ones and zeros?” And, “How does the design of a digital cable help in the signal transfer?”. This informative download breaks down the answers to both of these questions, explains the technical challenges of digital audio data transmission, and lets you know what you should listen for when evaluating the merits of a digital audio cable so that you can upgrade with confidence.
Our product specialists receive questions on a daily basis about Nordost products, their application, and hifi in general. We thought that we would take a minute to share some of our most recent and frequently asked questions here so that everyone can get the answers they are looking for!
Q: Can you use the new QRT Stand Mount with older versions of the QBASE?
A: The QRT Stand Mount was designed to fit the QSOURCE as well as all Mark II versions of the QBASE. Older versions of the QBASE AC Distribution Unit will not fit the QRT Stand Mount.
Q: What purpose do the detachable ground whips that come with Nordost’s Tonearm Cable + serve?
A: All ranges that include a Tonearm Cable +, from Blue Heaven to Odin 2, come with two detachable ground whips. These ground whips can be used to ground the shielding of the cables as an additional ground loop prevention when needed. In order to determine if you need to use the Detachable Ground Wires, follow these steps:
First, play some music without any of the Detachable Ground Wires attached and see how it sounds.
Then, try inserting one of the Detachable Ground Wires to your cable on the end closest to the turntable. Connect the spade of the Detachable Ground Wire to the ground post on your turntable.
Next, if you have a ground option on the phono-stage end, disconnect the Detachable Ground Wire from the turntable end of the tonearm cable, and insert it into the phono-stage end instead. Connect the spade of the Detachable Ground Wire to the phono-stage ground, and listen again.
Finally, if applicable, insert both Detachable Ground Wires to the two ends of your cable, connect them to ground on the turntable and the phono-stage, and listen one last time.
Q: Is the Valhalla 2 Ethernet cable shielded?
A: Yes the V2 Ethernet cable is constructed using individually shielded conductors, arranged in twisted pairs, which are then wrapped in braided, silver-plated copper shielding, before being encased within a high-density polymer insulation. This fully shielded cable construction virtually eliminates the crosstalk and electromagnetic interference (EMI) that has always afflicted previous network cables.
Q: When I’m auditioning Nordost’s QPOINT Resonance Synchronizer, what should I be listening for?
A: When auditioning the QPOINT, listen for the following improvements:
Greater musical organization, focus, and coherence
A controlled sense of dynamic freedom and force to the sound
Nordost’s new QRT Stand Mount is the perfect accessory for our QBASE Mark II AC Distribution Unit and QSOURCE Linear Power Supply, offering several stable new ways to place your QRT products for both sonic improvements as well as convenience! With the QRT Stand Mount, you will be able to easily support your device with Sort Kones (draining it of vibration with greater stability than ever before), mount it to the wall, or simply lift it, providing extra stability. The Stand Mount was designed with your ease in mind, and can be integrated into any system that already uses our QBASE Mark II or QSOURCE.
When “grounding” an audio system, the first thing that audiophiles do is make sure that their AC receptacles are in order. This is a great first step! It is vitally important that the AC line and load wires on all receptacles being used in your hifi system are correctly phased and properly grounded.
However, if you really want to address earth ground, the most practical and worthwhile upgrade is to install a dedicated circuit for your audio system. This step should be followed by installing a separate, external ground path to an external ground rod. Each of these solutions provides a path out for unwanted, “spurious” currents that circulate through the circuit and add noise to the system. Unfortunately, these measures ONLY address earth ground, and don’t do a thing to address signal ground.
Signal ground becomes a problem whenever currents are generated during transmissions between devices in a system as a result of the small differences of potentials in those components. In order to rectify the background noise and loss of low-level details caused by contaminants on the signal ground, you need to elicit the help of an artificial ground. An artificial ground is a sink of impedance lower than the house earth ground, so that high-frequency noise on the signal ground will drain away, leaving a clean reference behind.
Signal ground can be addressed two ways. The first option is to use an extremely low-impedance cable to connect the signal ground access point on the termination to the ground pin of an unused wall socket. However, the second option is far more versatile – a passive grounding box. Nordost’s answers to artificial ground are their QKORE Ground Units, a series of parallel grounding devices which can either separately provide an artificial “clean” earth for the primary side of the power supply (earth ground) with the QKORE1, and the secondary side (signal ground) with the QKORE3, or can address both the signal and earth ground together with the QKORE6!
