By Bjorn Bengtsson

Ljudmakarn, or “Sound Maker” in English, has a long history of supplying the people of Sweden’s capitol with the highest quality products available on the hifi market. Since this Stockholm staple was founded in 1973, it has gone through several different phases, changing as the industry changes. In 1999, when mass-market mall audio shops started to invade the hifi scene, the owner, Mr. Kaj Lundberg, decided to move away from low-priced, entry-level products, and began to invest in high-performance devices.

In order to sell these exclusive hifi products, you need to be able to provide passionate, compelling demonstrations and a friendly, knowledgeable staff. Ljudmakarn boasts several demo-ready systems (wired with Nordost cables) in their two-story shop. However, visitors are encouraged to book a demonstration in advance, so that the staff can customize a system tailored to their needs. Kaj and his staff believe that whether the perspective customer is interested in speakers, components, or cables, it is important that they feel confident that the demo system they are listening to has been carefully put together to highlight the product in question. If you would prefer an at-home audition, the Ljudmakarn staff is more than happy to accommodate that as well. 

At Nordost, we are very grateful for the nearly two decade long partnership that we have enjoyed with this loyal retailer. Over the years, Nordost has been invited to present at several organized events at Ljudmakarn, both dedicated to Nordost products alone, as well as events that are in conjunction with other high performance audio manufacturers. We’re looking forward to 20 more years working together!

By Michael Taylor

The High End industry in the Dominican Republic has a special shop available to them: AudioNirvana. Audiophiles there know that AudioNirvana is a place where they can get together to share their hobby and purchase the best products in the market, made by the best brands in the world. All of this is possible because of the efforts of AudioNirvana’s owner, Nelson Gomez.

Music has always been a part of Nelson’s life. Ever since he was a child he would sit in front of his father’s TUNER for hours, listening to all types of music. Even as a child, Nelson could appreciate that each genre of music created something special.

He entered into the world of high end audio in 1997 as an end-user, and ever since then, he’s made a point to attend industry shows around the world, creating and fostering relationships with key players in the hifi community. However, it wasn’t until five years ago that a friend suggested he turn his passion into his career, as an agent and representative for the brands that he loves.

For Nelson, it is of the utmost importance that he identifies with the brands he represents. Nordost is one of those brands. He says, “Nordost permits me to demonstrate to my clients what their technology is capable of, with no limitations or anything that would change the characteristics of its sound”.

AudioNirvana has a unique business model.  Nelson often invites the companies that he represents to the Dominican Republic to engage in presentations and/or discussions about their products. This gives his clients the rare opportunity to have a direct interaction with the manufacturers of the products they love. Apart from these periodic discussions, Nelson also gives product presentations, teaches classes on technology, and entertains his clients in his shop, so that his customers have the chance to observe, and have a better understanding of, the products they are interested in purchasing.

In the Dominican Republic, the high end audio market has been growing consistently. That’s due, in great part, to the relationships that Nelson has cultivated with his clients, which are, according to him, his greatest investment.

By Bruno de Lorimier

Just north of Toronto, in a charming old house in Yonge Street’s commercial district, resides one of Greater Toronto’s finest HiFi shops. Welcome to Audio Eden Ltd. in Aurora.

Audio Eden is the perfect spot to see and hear some of high-end audio’s most sought-after brands, including Bryston, Linn, Naim, Totem, Acoustic, Kef, LFD and of course, Nordost. In fact, in addition to representing Nordost’s Leif, Norse 2, and Valhalla 2 cabling, Audio Eden is the only retailer in Ontario where you can experience the Odin 2 range. A full loom of Nordost’s Supreme Reference range is on display, connecting big names like Nagra, Kharma, JBL, and Mark Levinson.

Storeowners, Robert and Mike, have been passionate audiophiles and music lovers since their teens. The years they have spent as hobbyists and retailers, listening to and setting up a vast array of gear, have helped them curate their current lineup of world class audio goodies. Their experience, and their commitment to customer satisfaction, coupled with the multiple sound rooms in their facility set up to mimic real world listening environments, help ensure that fellow audiophiles and music lovers will find the right path on their journey to HiFi nirvana.

Let the boys at Audio Eden show you how the right cabling can “breathe” life into your system’s performance, no matter how accomplished or modest your rig.

Stop by for a listen, a look, or just to say hello. The pursuit of high fidelity is alive and well at Audio Eden.

Arizona HiFi is a hotbed for music lovers, located at the always-busy corner of Camelback and Central, just north of downtown Phoenix. Arizona HiFi not only offers some of the finest brands, but they’ve also created an atmosphere where enjoyment of music and all things cool are at the forefront.

Formally known as Arizona Tube Audio, Arizona HiFi was founded by Dan Mazza, who had decided to phase away from the business in 2000. Glen Bevell, who currently serves as Arizona HiFi’s steward, took ownership because he couldn’t imagine the Phoenix community without this wonderful institution. Music has always been a central part of Glen’s life; early on, family members would gather during the holidays and sooner or later somebody would pick up an instrument and begin to perform. Sadly for Glen, musicianship wasn’t meant to be, but developing a good ear was. This, combined with Glen’s constant stream of random audio gear, which he, along with his older brother, performed Frankensteinian experimentations with, lead his never ending pursuit of the ultimate in audio performance. This culminated in Glen’s professional involvement in the specialty audio industry.

Arizona HiFi wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Glen’s second in command, Bill Goodman. Bill has been a constant fixture in the Phoenix hifi scene since 1979. Bill possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of audio gear and its history – Bill has passed this knowledge down to Glen and the next generation. Away from the shop, Bill spends a considerable amount of time devoted to Phoenix’s homegrown live music scene. Today, Bill spins tales and helps tend to the flock of Arizona Hifi followers.

Arizona Hifi has created a positive and constantly busy environment; this is without doubt due to the energy and soul that Glen and Bill bring to the store every day. Please don’t hesitate to visit their website, pick up the phone, or even better, grab some of your favorite new music and swing by the store.

By Alex Brady

It seems fitting this month to focus on one of Nordost’s longest standing distributors: Cloney Audio. They’re based in Blackrock, on the outskirts of Dublin, Ireland and began distributing Nordost back in 1991.

2016 sees Noel Cloney and his team celebrating their 50th year in business. Over that time, they’ve established an enviable reputation for providing hi-fi systems of outstanding performance for their loyal customers.

Alongside Nordost, they’ve distributed other highly regarded brands for many years, such as Arcam, B&W (including 800 Series), Linn and Naim.

Never a company to stand still, Cloney Audio has, in recent years, developed a very successful international custom install division, installing complete home automation solutions in glamorous locations such as Ibiza and Puerto Banus.

Nordost and Cloney Audio’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of performance across all areas illustrates why they have been such successful partners for a quarter of a century. The good news for customers in 2016 is that Cloney Audio is offering more Nordost solutions for audio, video and home automation than ever before.

Everyone at Nordost congratulates Cloney Audio on its 50 years in business and looks forward to many more years of partnership together.

By Steve Greene

Whether you are a visitor or a resident of metro New York City, any trip uptown or north of the city in White Plains would be incomplete without dropping by Lyric Hi Fi to see and hear the latest high-end audio gear in some of America’s best sound rooms. Lyric was founded in 1959 by the venerable Mike Kay, an icon in the audio industry for over 40 years. When it came time for Mr. Kay to retire, the New York audio community was fortunate indeed to see him sell his business to longtime and beloved key employees Lenny Bellezza and Dan Mondoro. In fact, both gentlemen have enjoyed working with Lyric’s fine clientele for over 30 years, so the transition to new ownership was incredibly smooth! Lenny can be found at the Lexington Avenue store in the city, and Dan at the White Plains, NY store. Lenny and Dan exude the very definition of professionalism and class, making sure every customer is treated like a family member, and ensuring each customer’s experience at Lyric turns them into a lifelong client. Both stores are staffed with experienced installers and very knowledgeable sales people, including Mike Deutsch, Bob Herman and Scott Trusty.

While Lyric was a leader in early remote controlled custom audio installations, they became the leader in high-end audio in both metro New York City and the US as that industry began its formation and growth, particularly in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. Lyric Hi Fi became an oasis for manufacturers to showcase their latest high end products. Music lovers, and even magazine editors and writers, flocked in to see and hear these cutting-edge hi-fi components perform in special, custom-built sound rooms— and the same remains true today! Lyric’s sound rooms are very unique for an audio store, allowing you to hear everything the selected equipment being demoed is capable of. The floors are decoupled from the walls, which are not parallel to each other, eliminating standing waves and hiding any interference from New York’s famous underground subway. The construction of all the special materials used to build these awesome sound rooms was actually done in the Lexington Avenue store’s basement level cabinet shop! In fact, some manufacturers even used these facilities to build, among other things, speaker cabinets. Industry luminaries like Rudy Bozak, Saul Marantz, Dick Sequirra, Bob Carver, Harry Pearson and so on were known to frequent Lyric Hi Fi! This continues today with the industry’s top designers and manufacturers making frequent visits.

Today, customers still reap the benefits of Lyric’s vast customer service experience and superior demo facilities perfected over the years. The product mix in both locations run the gamut from affordable but great sounding components, up to the very finest audio components that most can only aspire to buy. Brands like Wilson Audio, B&W, McIntosh, VPI, Rega, dCS, Audio Research, Marantz, GoldenEar, PrimaLuna, Dynavector, Audeze, Sonos, Magnepan, NAD, and, of course, Nordost, just to mention a few, are on display and available for demo. Both locations also offer a wide range of accessories to enhance your system, including a huge selection of Nordost cables, Sort Kones, and QRT products. It would be difficult to visit either store and not find something in your budget that you just can’t leave the store without! Parking is quite easy with spaces often available directly in front of the Lexington Ave location, or just around the corner on 83^rd St, which is where I usually park during my visits. A public parking lot is directly next door to the White Plains store as well as directly in front of it. So, make sure you visit either store when uptown or north of the city; you’ll be very glad you did!

The Sound Environment Omaha, NE

As one of America’s premiere Audio & Video retailers, Charlie Santmire and crew have been serving music lovers for over 46 years, right in the heart of the U.S.A.  Their state-of-the-art showrooms, as well as the professionalism and enthusiasm the entire staff that work at The Sound Environment display, are second to none.

Nordost is proud to be one of the exceptional manufacturers that The Sound Environment has chosen to work with, serving their customers with the best products that hifi has to offer. Nordost’s flagship Odin 2 cables and Reference Valhalla 2 Cables are on display and ready for auditioning, alongside other world-class brands such D’Agostino, Wilson, VTL, dCS, Rockport, Focal, Naim, HRS, and many others.

The individualized care and dedication that The Sound Environment shows is not lost on their faithful customers, as shown here in this quote given by one of their recent clients:

“[The staff of The Sound Environment] emphasize value at all price points, whether that be a mega-bucks, world-class system or simply a small, desktop system you could use at your computer. Regardless of your budget, TSE will provide you with the highest quality sound and video for your money. Period. Beyond that, they have an immensely helpful and patient staff of experts that are as passionate about what they do as anyone in any field.  I would absolutely, without hesitation or equivocation, recommend TSE to anyone who values high quality sound and video.”

So, the next time you find yourself in Omaha on your way to a meeting with Warren Buffet, stop by the friendly, professional folks at The Sound Environment.  It’s an experience you won’t soon forget!

The Sound Environment

11021 Elm Street

Omaha, NE 68144

(402) 391-3842

www.soundenvironment.com

By Michael Taylor

If you are looking for “wonderful” things, just head south to our partner in Puerto Rico, AudioVisionaries.  Wonderful beaches, wonderful cuisine, wonderful people, and wonderful music!   Harry Reynolds, the General Manager at AudioVisionairies, has been making great music for a very long time.  Born in San Juan, Harry founded the well-known Precision Audio store there back in 1981 at the tender age of 16!  Having been around Hifi most of his life, he definitely knows how to get the best sound out of the systems he sells.

With his latest venture, AudioVisionaries, Harry is changing the business model.  With his main guru, Hector, by his side, Harry has created a more personal environment for clients to understand how to get the best sound.  With products such as Nordost, Linn, NAD master series, Sonos, etc, AudioVisionaries has products for every budget and performance level.  Harry knows music doesn’t live in just one room of the house, which is why in addition to 2 channel systems, AudioVisionaries addresses every aspect of lifestyle, supplying solutions for kitchens, offices, patios…literally everywhere music can be played!

So whether you are looking to take your music listening to the next level, or just want to get the best audio to better enjoy a Chicago Bears or Boston Celtics game (two of his favorites), AudioVisionaries can help.  We can tell you from first-hand experience, Harry knows his stuff.  A few times a year we have Nordost events at his store in order to expose friends and clients to our cables and the magic they create.  The store, as well as the demonstrations, are packed!  We are proud to be affiliated with Harry and Hector down at AudioVisonaries.