Neil Gader has been a long-time supporter of our cables, so he was very interested in delving into the world of QRT with one of our new AC power distributors. In the most recent issue of The Absolute Sound, Neil Gader focused his attention on the QBASE Mark III. Throughout his listening sessions, he found the sonic results of the QBASE to be “immediate and consistent” when it comes to its revealing and resolving nature and was especially impressed by the timbral details and low-level information the QBASE provided.
Neil dubbed the QBASE Mark III an easy recommendation, calling it “restorative, bringing to light low-level details and micro-dynamic shifts that have been obscured”.
Today we want to share an incredibly strong review of our QNET Network Switch in StereoNET, penned by Mark Gusew. In his review, Mark not only praised the QNET, remarking that he heard improvements in almost every area, but also made the argument that digital upgrades are an unquestionable necessity – a fact that needs more attention in the hifi world!
Mark was incredibly impressed with our network switch, saying it was “the best product of its type that I’ve heard by a large margin”. So it’s no surprise that following his review, the QNET was awarded the StereoNET Applause Award!
“With Nordost’s new QNET in place, everything sounds smoother and more fluid; it’s better balanced with less harshness…giving the system greater dynamic expression.” – Mark Gusew, StereoNET
We are thrilled to share our first, official QBASE Reference review. As an auspicious bonus, this review can be found in the highly valued 25th Anniversary issue of hi-fi+!
Unsurprisingly for all who have heard the QBASE Reference in their own systems since its launch, editor and reviewer, Alan Sircom was enthusiastically positive about our QBASE Reference, saying that the Audio Gods smiled favorably on Nordost with a device that “helps the system get out of the way of the music”. Alan has always been an advocate of our products, especially those that help with the all-important foundation of one’s system, and the QBASE Reference is a “cornerstone” of that concept.
“For those already in audio’s First-Class lounge… this could be your first upgrade. Nordost’s QBASE Reference is that important to the sound of your system.” – Alan Sircom, hi-fi+
We are excited to share a great new review that focuses on our QBASE Mark IIIand Heimdall 2 cables, published in VuMetre and written in both English and French, by reviewer Vincent Guillemin. In it, Guillemin talks about the direct benefits that both Nordost’s power supply and cabling have had on his set-up, calling it, in a word, “impressive”.
Guillemin says it’s “as if the speakers had changed color, in addition to having modified their drivers to better color the timbres.”
We are happy to share a great review of our much-loved Blue Heaven cables. In his article, Mark Blackmore explores the concept of cable looms and highlights what can be gained from using audio cables from the same manufacturer throughout a sound system. With our Blue Heaven cables in his system, Mark was inspired to lengthen his listening sessions, commenting “Blue Heaven’s clear, clean sound is a joy.”
Since the launch of our new QBASE Mark III AC Distribution Unit, we have been inundated with positive feedback from our retailers and customers; so we are excited to share the first official QB8 MK III review. After using the QBASE Mark III at the High End show in Munich, Roy Gregory was excited to take it home to experiment further in his home system. He has since determined that the newest iteration of the QB8 remains “in the front rank of audiophile distribution blocks”, so I think it’s safe to say he was pleased with the results as well.
In the listening comparisons that Roy conducted with both the new and old QBASE units, he found several “clear musical and sonic advantages” to the Mark III, including “increased presence from a crisper and more clearly defined sound-stage” and an ability for the music to breathe and really express emotion.
“The latest QB8 should open the window on your recordings wider than ever before, not least because its benefits spread across every component in your system, allowing every single one to work better.” – Roy Gregory, Gy8
We’ve received some fantastic reviews and awards over the years for our products. When we get new reviews, we do our best to make sure that everyone knows. We spread the word through social media, blogs, emails, and tell anyone willing to listen! However, once the press starts piling up, and new products start to get their time in the spotlight, these amazing reviews can tend to be forgotten.
While you always have access to these great reviews, thanks to the Reviews Page on the Nordost website, we want to make sure that if you are considering an upgrade, or just want to learn more about a specific product, you can do so easily. This is especially true with a product like the QPOINT. Nordost QPOINT is a Resonance Synchronizers that emits a subtle field which manipulates all electromechanical resonances within its immediate proximity so that they resonate in unison with each other. By syncing these resonances, the QPOINT eliminates internal electrical noise, enhancing the coherency and timing that is typically lacking in even the most high-end audio systems.
There is A LOT to learn about our QPOINT units, and the in-depth reviews that these products have received are a great starting point in understanding how they work, and what their benefits are!
This blog puts together some of our favorite QPOINT reviews so that you can access all of these informative articles at once!
“With the introduction of the QPOINTS, the orchestra really snapped into place. It was like a photo that went from blurry to sharp in the blink of an eye. It was a sheer pleasure to hear . . . What a revelation!” – Jacob Heilbrunn, The Absolute Sound
“The music sounds more ‘right’ and musicians sound more like they are playing together…you tend to notice an increased sense of dynamic freedom to the sound…” – Alan Sircom, Hi-Fi+
“…the QPOINT locks down the map of the stage and increases the grip, adding body mass and boosting low frequency response. The sound is more pure and becomes easier to read, as if the signal has been cleaned up and extraneous stuff removed.” – Marshall Nack, Positive Feedback
“These are not “additions”, but as important elements of the audio system as any other ones…I have got used to it and to what it does to the sound of my player so fast and so strongly that I experienced physical pain when I was putting the device back into the box . . .” – Wojciech Pacuta, High Fidelity
We are happy to share that Nordost’s Odin 2 Tonearm Cable + has been awarded with the Hi-Fi+ Analogue Award!
First introduced in 2021, the Odin 2 Tonearm Cable + is the perfect solution for audiophiles who want the absolute best from their high-resolution, vinyl-sourced systems. Alan Sircom was absolutely blown away by our Supreme Reference tonearm cable, due to its unmatched performance and comprehensive grounding solution. As he said when he first reviewed this product:
“This is the best damn cable to hook a turntable to a phono stage. Ever.” – Hi-Fi+
We’re not sure that you can get any higher praise than that!
We’ve received some fantastic reviews and awards over the years for our products. When we get new reviews, we do our best to make sure that everyone knows. We spread the word through social media, blogs, emails, and tell anyone willing to listen! However, once the press starts piling up, and new products start to get their time in the spotlight, these amazing reviews can tend to be forgotten.
While you always have access to these great reviews, thanks to the Reviews Page on the Nordost website, we want to make sure that if you are considering an upgrade, or just want to learn more about a specific product, you can do so easily. This is especially true with a product like the QKORE. Nordost QKORE Units are parallel grounding devices, which provide an artificial, “clean” earth for hifi audio systems by drawing stray high-frequency noise and voltage-generated magnetic fields to a manufactured earth point through using both an electrical and mechanical approach. There is A LOT to learn about our QKORE units, and the in-depth reviews that these products have received are a great starting point to understanding how they work, and what their benefits are!
This blog puts together some of our favorite QKORE and QKORE Wire reviews, so that you can access all of these informative articles at once!
“…the elegance, the poignancy, the fragility of a musical line is what conveys the emotion at the heart of music. This is what the Nordost QKORE does so well. I can’t help thinking that to achieve the most from any high-end stereo Nordost QKORE is an essential product to consider” – The Absolute Sound
“I can’t imagine that anyone who’s invested considerable time and energy and money in a high-end system would want to be without the markedly ‘blacker’ backgrounds, increased transparency and detail, more vivid colors, and greater overall veracity delivered by Nordost’s QKore Ground Units…The law of diminishing returns does not apply; the differences were cumulative, and anything but subtle.” – Stereophile
“The QKORE was like a quick lesson in ‘time coherence’, giving any sound (even speech) a more accurate sense of rhythmic beat and metre (we often just lump this together into saying it ‘times’ well). There are other benefits, too; the almost clichéd ‘darker backgrounds’ and wider soundstage with better separation of images applied here, too. The treble seemed to integrate slightly better with the midrange and bass as well, but it’s that bass and temporal correctness that wins you over. It’s like your system no longer has to apologise for itself, even if it had little to apologise for before you QKORED it!” – Hi-Fi+
“When the time came for me to remove the Nordost QKORE grounding units from the system, I noticed the difference immediately… I felt my system lost just a bit of its edge and clarity.” – Part-Time Audiophile
“In advance of installing the QKORE Ground Units, I had imagined what such a product might accomplish. Those daydreams were prophetic—the only surprise was how significant it turned out to be… it did more to improve my sound than any alternative I can think of at that price.” – Positive Feedback
“The major impact of the Premium QKORE wires is purity of the high frequencies. Secondary effects include increased image mass, a boost in dynamics, and dialing in focus. On the subjective side, there’s more drama and impact… If you’ve already invested in the Nordost QKORE solution, this one’s a no-brainer.” – Positive Feedback
“…connecting all elements in our system to the artificial ground is equivalent to replacing any of its elements with a superior one. But – and here it starts to be interesting – we get more of everything that we already have in the system, not something completely new. In other words, the sound we worked for, polished and refined, will be improved, not changed.” – High Fidelity
“[The] purist recordings of small ensembles…made plain QKORE’s contributions, as the recording venue sounded bigger and the musicians more in-the-room present, no ‘maybe’ about it. This occurred across recordings and components, QKORE expanding musical horizons and making everything in them sound more vivid—more grounded, you could say.” – The Audio Beat
“What the QKORE1 then does by giving a musical blood transfusion to each and every audio component, and to so clearly and audibly ‘AC lift’ the performance of my entire system, is genuinely astounding.” – Soundstage! Australia
“…the Nordost QRT QKORE6 and QKORE Wires provided enhanced benefits on a scale I would be hard-pressed to live without; benefits that could not be described as anything-less-than significant.” – NOVO
“With either the QKORE1 or QKORE3 unit in place, listening becomes engaging. There is better precision and fluidity along with a less veiled sound. A significant improvement of the sound and musical rendering emerges, an unexpected but very real effect. The results are immediate…Clarity improves across the board, very noticeable in instrumental harmonics. Vocal presence is improved, along with overall musicality from the audio system. Dynamic contrast is heightened, and a more natural and coherent rendering of sound and musical content permeates the listening room.” – Le Magazine Son & Image
Even though 2023 is already in full-swing, we can’t help but take a moment to celebrate some of the success that we enjoyed throughout 2022. We are very happy to share that over the past year, Nordost has been presented with awards from publications spanning the hifi industry!
As a company, Nordost strives to provide hifi enthusiasts with the means to bring life into an audio system in order to truly enjoy music as it was intended. We take a lot of pride in the audio cables, power products, and audio enhancers that we produce, so we are always honored to be recognized by reviewers, industry leaders, and prominent publications for our work. We thought that you might like to celebrate with us!
“[The Heimdall 2 Tonearm Cable +] should be top of your audition list when next shopping for an upgrade for your high-end vinyl system.” – Jay Garrett, StereoNET
“My time with all the Valhalla 2 cables was musically intensive, instructive and, at times, mind blowing from their wonderful effect on my system.” – Anthony Kershaw, Audiophilia
“…transformative. That is perhaps the ultimate thing I can say about any experience. It takes us to another place, another level of understanding—and, in this case, another level of longterm musical pleasure.” – Wayne Garcia, The Absolute Sound
“In the familiar surroundings of my own listening room it was easy to hear the difference it makes. …an affordable introduction to the benefits of improved power for your rig. ” – Rick Becker, Enjoy the Music.com
“Nordost Valhalla V2 Ethernet offered a different, clearer, and more focused imagery, sounding less like a mechanical pulsating narrative and more like a tenacious non embellished sonic momentum.” – Matej Isak, Mono & Stereo
