Dealer Spotlight: BEK HI FI

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Nordost

By Steve Greene

Very few small to mid-size cities are fortunate enough to have both a nationally renowned record shop and a fantastic high-end audio boutique. Allentown, Pennsylvania is one of those very lucky cities. The two stores are located adjacent to each other, so it is easy to visit both in one trip! I’m talking about Nordost dealer, BEK Hi Fi, which shares a building with Double Decker Records, rated one of the top five pre-owned records shops in the US!

BEK Hi Fi started out several years ago as a home-based audio boutique business. However, in 2013, after manager Erik Konigsberg graduated from college, a decision was made to open a brick-and-mortar store with Erik running the day-to-day operations of this business. What a great decision that turned out to be! Erik’s approach has been to establish a comfortable and accommodating venue in which his customers can audition audio gear at their leisure with a “no pressure” sales approach. Potential customers travel from both the surrounding Lehigh Valley and Philadelphia, about an hour away, for the opportunity to audition BEK’s fine lines in this very comfortable setting. His customers are very appreciative of both his expertise and accommodating demeanor, which many have related to me on my visits to this audio oasis. Erik also possesses the advantage of having well-tuned, youthful ears, which means he is quite adept at auditioning any gear he considers for display in their store. In order for any new gear to make it to the show floor it must first pass his critical audition for great sound quality and great value!

Erik and his father, Barry, have just completed a renovation of the store, including the addition of a second, nicely appointed sound room. This has greatly expanded their demo capabilities. Erik has utilized comforting earth tones along with some cool art to the walls and has added some tasteful mid-century modern furnishings. The rooms have very comfortable seating so that you can audition speakers and gear in a relaxed, home-like setting. Erik has a very wide selection of music available for you to use during auditions, and you can, of course, bring your own. Over the past seven years BEK Hi Fi has expanded their audio mix to include a wonderful assortment of premier audio gear. This expansive list includes, among several others, Devore Fidelity, Harbeth, Sonner Audio, Oswalds Mill Speakers, Luxman, Line Magnetic, Audio Hungary, Chord Electronics, Moon by Simaudio, Brinkmann Audio, Rega, Dynavector, Kiseki, Ortofon, Innuos, and of course, Nordost! BEK is authorized for our Leif Series, Norse 2 Series, Valhalla 2, our QRT products, and our great accessories. Make sure to ask for a demo (particularly of our new QPoints)! Please note, visiting this shop is a great opportunity to audition — and buy! — many different brands of gear. Then you can walk next door and peruse the vast selection of pre-owned vinyl that Double Decker Records has to offer! I purchased two LPs myself on my most recent visit to call on Erik. Visit BEK Hi Fi’s website to find all their contact information, especially so you can set up a convenient audition time. The store is open Tuesday through Saturday, so please make sure the next time you are in eastern PA, you drop by to visit Erik and his wonderful store!

BEK HiFi

808 St. John Street

Allentown, PA 18103

610-351-0764

www.bekhifi.com

Pictures from Nordost Nation! March 2020

Posted on March 12, 2020 by Nordost

Nordost is lucky to have such incredibly loyal and enthusiastic customers! One great way that our fans let us know that they are happy with the work that we do is by sending us pictures of their Nordost products in action. Here are a few photos that have been shared with us recently. Feel free to send us pictures of Nordost in your system, via Facebook, info@nordost.com, or #nordostcables on Instagram, so that we can continue to share them with the whole Nordost family!

“No better way to get the most out of a 20 year old pair of mint B&W 805 Nautilus than to commit to Nordost Heimdall 2 Speaker and Jumper Cables!” – @jimmy_hifi

@andrea151275 Shared this pic unboxing a Tyr 2 Power Cord and Blue Heaven Interconnects

@phillipwangusa shared this cool black and white shot of his OPPO headphones and Heimdall 2 Headphone Cable

“New Odin 1 power cord in the system. Excited to get this warmed up and playing.” – @sl1800hifi

“Raw Power! The Heimdall 2 power cable from Nordost is built just like the mythological man himself, rugged, solid while seeing and hearing all. An enjoyable cable.” – @venothnair

“Bryson 4B Cubed feeding Nordost Tyr 2 cables. UN-fussy, clean, pure signal path.” – @jayteerides

@paolo_troilo shared some great images of his beautiful listening room

@fredriklubbe_ has his system wired with Valhalla 2, Heimdall 2, Purple Flare, and Blue Heaven!

“Nordost Tyr 2 speaker cable up close and personal. There’s a whole world inside.” – @jayteerides

“Today i have received my Nordost Sort Lift (4 sets) and they are outstanding” “It sounds really good, thanks to Nordost cables/products too. I really love the whole sinergy of system” – Rocco Ianni

“2020 Resolution
More of this” – @jrgwin

“Sunday Listening Session in my Yamaha/B&W Room.” – @jimmy_hifi

@great___sound’s Odin 2 Power Cable is looking good behind his system!

“The amp has been isolated by Nordost!” – @savvaskozi

@cultoffonza is always spinning records with his Heimdall 2 cables

Soundings HiFi – Nordost Event

Posted on March 5, 2020 by Nordost

Come and join us for a night of demonstrations, comparisons, and great music! Soundings HiFi, in Denver, CO, is hosting a Nordost event March 19th, from 6–9 PM. Nordost sales representative, Mike Marko, will be in attendance, giving guests an introduction to our line of hifi audio cables. We hope that everyone in the area will be able to visit us to hear, firsthand, what our transformative products have to offer your home audio system.

Soundings HiFi

March 19, 2020

6-9 PM

8101 E Belleview Ave. Denver, CO 80237

RSVP: jess@soundingshifi.com

www.soundingshifi.com

(303) 759-5505

Nordost Playlist – March 2020

Posted on March 3, 2020 by Nordost

Nordost is lucky to have a wonderful team of representatives and product trainers who travel around the world educating and demonstrating the effects of Nordost’s products. As part of these demonstrations, it is our job to find an interesting and diverse selection of music to showcase our cables, power devices, sort system and accessories. Whether at shows, visiting our dealers and distributors or even in our own listening room in our headquarters in Holliston, we are constantly getting asked what music we are playing (or if our audience is not so bold to ask, we can see their Shazams working overtime). So we thought this would be a perfect opportunity to share our favorite songs of the moment. Some may be classics, some may be brand new, some may not even be to your taste, but one thing is for sure …it’s all great music.

Here are some of the songs that we will have on rotation this March.

You can now listen to our monthly playlist here: TIDAL | SPOTIFY | QOBUZ

Iron—Gundelach—Baltus
Your Smile—Rufus, Chaka Khan—Rufusized
Dirty Old Town—The Pogues—Rum Sodomy & The Lash
Garden Song—Phoebe Bridgers—Garden Song
Lilac Wine—Nina Simone—Wild Is The Wind
After Hours—The Weeknd—After Hours
There Is a Light That Never Goes Out—The Smiths—The Queen Is Dead
Where Do You Go to (My Lovely)—Peter Sarstedt—Where Do You Go to (My Lovely)
Harlem Shuffle—The Rolling Stones—Honk
All I Need—Radiohead—In Rainbows

Nordost is headed to the Montréal Audiofest!

Posted on February 27, 2020 by Nordost

Come and see Nordost at the Salon Audio Montréal Audio Fest. Please join us March 27th – 29th in Montréal at the Hôtel Bonaventure. Throughout the show, our sales representative and product specialist, Bruno de Lorimier, will be performing live demonstrations and product comparisons, available in both French and English, in Westmount 4.

The Montréal Audio Fest is a perfect opportunity to hear the effect that quality cables have on a hifi system, and to witness how enhancements to cable design improve the caliber of a system’s performance.

There will be plenty of opportunities to hear Nordost this year! Make sure to check us out in the following rooms: Audio d’Occasion in Outremont 4, Kevro in Westmount 3, Gershman Acoustics in St-Laurent 8, Goerner Audio in room 2326, Québec Acoustique in Westmount WK2, and of course in our own room in Westmount 4. Admission is free to the public, so we hope to see you there!

Questions and Answers: Tonearm Cables

Posted on February 25, 2020 by Nordost

With the expansion of the Tonearm Cable + to our Blue Heaven, Heimdall 2, Frey 2, and Tyr 2 ranges, we thought that we would take the opportunity to share some of our most recent and frequently asked questions about tonearm cables!

So many turntables come with a fixed tonearm cable. Will an aftermarket tonearm cable really make a difference?

Yes! While many entry-level turntables come with a fixed tonearm cable, that is not the case with most mid-fi and hi-fi turntables, and there is good reason for that! The tonearm cable is the most critical and sensitive cable in a vinyl-sourced hifi system! The delicate signals generated by pick-up cartridges in these systems demand low-capacitance cables in order to protect from signal loss and image smearing. The signals carried by these cables are also very susceptible to EMI and RFI, so shielding and grounding must be a priority. Bottom line: If you are looking for proper performance from your analog system, invest in a purpose-built tonearm cable.

I bought a Heimdall 2 tonearm cable a few years ago. Will I be getting anything different if I upgrade to the new Tonearm + Cable?

The new Tonearm Cable + is a complete redesign from our original tonearm cable offerings. The new cables incorporate a twisted pair design, a construction which naturally helps minimize noise. Additionally, we have taken even more steps to eliminate EMI and RFI by individually shielding the left and right channels with silver, braided shielding before wrapping them in an additional layer of braided shielding. The Tonearm Cable + also includes a completely isolated, shielded, silver-plated bond wire which uses our Micro Mono-Filament technology. Lastly, each Tonearm Cable + comes with two, detachable, silver-plated bond whips (again using MMF), which connect to the cable’s shielding in order to totally eliminate any additional noise that could be introduced during signal transfer, no matter the unique construction of the components used in your sound system.

How will I know which of the new grounding options to use in my home system?

The grounding needs of your tonearm cable are directly affected by the components in your system, how the manufacturers of those components chose to address grounding, and how those components work together. Because of that, there is unfortunately no easy answer to this question, and some experimenting will be required on your end. To help you through that we have provided you with a step-by-step process in our Tonearm Cable + Instruction Manual.

Dealer Spotlight: Audio21

Posted on February 20, 2020 by Nordost

By Alex Brady

This month’s Dealer Spotlight focuses on one of the Netherlands’ leading audio stores, Audio21, and their new location, which, it’s safe to say, does not look like your typical hifi shop!

Mark van Braam opened his high end store, Audio21, in 2012, and until six months ago, it was based in the woods of the nature park, The Veluwe. Mark’s speciality is in advising his customers on how they compose their audio systems. He has been passionate about music for his entire life. He owned a turntable from an early age, and when he turned 16 he did not ask for what the typical 16 year old Dutch boy asked for – a moped. No, Mark simply asked for a bigger audio system! Unlike his friends, Mark continued using his bicycle for the school commute!

Whilst Audio21’s original location was in a beautiful setting, the continued success of the business meant that space was at a premium. This issue was exacerbated by the size of some of the components and speakers that Mark had on demonstration. As a result, Mark started to look for larger premises that had that sense of individuality for which Audio21 was synonymous – he was not interested in Audio 21 moving into ‘a typical shop front! Happily and surprisingly, it did not take Mark long to find the perfect location for Audio 21’s new home. An original City Hall located only a few villages away became available – Mark’s dream location! As the pictures illustrate, the building was full of character, charm, history and charisma. Crucially it also had the necessary space that Audio21 required for demonstration purposes. When Mark first viewed the property, it only took him a matter of seconds to say ‘YESSS!’ to the property. Mark has since spoken with a wry smile about ‘Audio21 Mk2’.

The new location has high ceilings and comes with old ornaments, antiques, chandeliers and exudes old fashioned but tasteful ‘chic’. The building was built in 1884 and was the first City Hall of the town of Heerde. The beautiful and large entrance area is perfect for showcasing Audio21’s audio collection. There are two listening rooms (35m2 and 48m2), the larger of which was the Council Chamber of the city council from 1884.

Regarding the audio brands that are showcased in this beautiful location, Mark and Audio21have always dared to think ‘outside the box’. You will find many well known brands but also some less well known brands, which can’t easily be found in other Dutch, Belgian, and German stores. Almost all the systems are connected with Nordost – yes, Mark loves quality! Besides Nordost, brands on demonstration include Davone, Trenner & Friedl, Gold Note, Jadis, Estelon, MasterSound, Termporal Coherence, Kuzma, Pathos, and Transroter. Mark was both proud and excited in 2019 to become an exclusive retailer for Gryphon.

Audio21 is open Monday through Saturday, but only by appointment on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. This way, Mark can ensure that he gives is clients full and personal attention. And do not be surprised to find Mark’s Moto Guzzi parked in one of the listening rooms!

The word ‘Epicurean’ is applicable to Mark. He loves music, sings in a jazz choir, and regularly attends live concerts. He also loves motorcycling and traveling across Europe with his beloved wife in their vintage campervan.

Audio21’s new Heerde location is centrally situated in the Netherlands and is easily one of the most beautiful audio shops in the Benelux region. Find out for yourself by paying a visit to Audio21, where Mark will treat you to great music and delicious coffee!

AUDIO21
Dorpsstraat 44
8181 HS HEERDE – the Netherlands
www.audio21.eu
0031 6 260 48 506

Nordost Playlist – February 2020

Posted on February 3, 2020 by Nordost

Here are some of the songs that we will have on rotation this February.

You can now listen to our monthly playlist here: TIDAL | SPOTIFY | QOBUZ

Queen Bitch—David Bowie—Hunky Dory
Kel Tinawen—Tinariwen, Cass McCombs—Amadjar
Sometimes—H.E.R.—Sometimes
This Eve of Parting—John Hartford—The Love Album
And It’s Still Alright—Nathaniel Rateliff—And It’s Still Alright
Monday—Cécile McLorin Salvant—For One to Love
Blackness of the Night—Yusuf/Cat Stevens—The Laughing Apple
What a Wonderful World—Kat Edmonson—What a Wonderful World
Anyone—Demi Lovato—Anyone
This Time Tomorrow—The Kinks—Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Pt. One

Dealer Spotlight: Quintessence Audio Ltd.

Posted on January 28, 2020 by Nordost

Screen Shot 2018-04-19 at 11.18.38 AM By Mike Marko

Since 1977 Quintessence Audio has been widely known for honest, high quality Hi-Fi in Chicago. Their commitment to customer service, top quality products and demonstration has allowed what began as a part time home business to become Chicago’s premier hi-end audio retailer.

Led by Mick Survance, their knowledge of the audio industry has only been surpassed by the personal service and trust that they have engendered to generations of music lovers in the Midwest. Located in the northern Chicago suburb of Morton Grove, they represent some of the best, most in demand products in the Hi-Fi industry. Here you can find a full loom of Nordost Supreme Reference Series, Odin 2 as well as QRT audio enhancers in a reference system comprised of Audio Research and Sim Audio Moon amplifiers, dCS digital products, Sonus Faber and Wilson speakers and Clear Audio reference turntables. Beautiful sounding and looking sound rooms in their shop put components in their best light for evaluation and comparison.

Truly a family business, Mick’s son Patrick has been a fixture at the shop since he was a child and now helps his father serve aspiring music lovers to get the performance desired. In home set-up is crucial to giving customers the best sound and they do not disappoint. Their room tuning expertise and knowledge of setting up compatible systems based upon the customers’ taste is incomparable. They also know that sometimes hearing components in the customer’s own home system is the best way to understand if a new product or accessory is right for them. That’s why they encourage people to take new products home and audition them.

Give them a call or stop by when in the area for an experience you will not soon forget.

Quintessence Audio Ltd.

5701 Dempster Street

Morton Grove, IL 60053

847-966-4434

www.quintessenceaudio.com

Where to find Nordost – New in 2020!

Posted on January 22, 2020 by Nordost

For nearly 30 years, Nordost has been sharing transformative, high-end audio products with music lovers. In that time, we have expanded our reach throughout North America and to over 80 countries, worldwide. Today, Nordost is recognized within the hifi community as the premier manufacturer of hifi audio cables and accessories in the consumer electronics industry. However, this glowing reputation, notoriety, and global reach was not achieved alone. There is no question that the longevity and respect that we have enjoyed within this industry has been made possible, in part, by the strong partnerships that we have cultivated over the years with an exemplary group of dedicated distributors and dealers.

Now, at the beginning of 2020, we want to take the time to thank all of our partners around the world, for all that they have done for us, and for introducing Nordost products into a countless number of hifi systems over the years. We would also like to officially welcome all of the retailers that have joined the Nordost team throughout 2019. We are so happy that you have chosen to represent our brand, and we look forward to an exciting future together.

Here is our newest crop of dedicated Nordost dealers and distributors: