Deconstructing the QRT Qx2/Qx4 for the masses -by Jon Baker

Posted on October 1, 2015 by Nordost

Deconstructing the QRT Qx2/Qx4 for the masses

by Jon Baker

Perhaps the most troublesome component of any audio system is the power grid. It’s a problem not easily understood, and as a matter of fact, the problems seem to be getting much worse. Why? With new technologies such as wireless and cellular, the electrical grid has become polluted and distorted, rearing its ugly-head at the most sensitive point, your home. It’s frequently hard to recognize these issues – think of it like pollution in our urban cities. It’s usually difficult to comprehend the problem until a storm rolls through and either washes or blows the muck away. The QRT technology has a similar effect riding your audio solution’s pollution.

Historically, the provided solutions have been to use filters. However, these solutions can choke a system and add some unwanted, nasty side-effects, such as decreased dynamics or a picture quality which is flat and two-dimensional. Nordost’s power management solutions employ three fundamental concepts to cure power inconsistencies from the outlets in your home, one mechanical and the others using the power of field generators to influence the power coming out of your wall receptacles. The initial R&D was developed for the celebrated, award-winning Thor, and over the years the technology has been refined and expanded upon.

I’ll begin with the chassis – all QRT power solutions (Qx4 and Qx2) use simple mechanics. The chassis for the QRT products are mechanically tuned, meaning the Qx2/Qx4 are designed and tooled to specific dimensions with the end caps being made from high quality billet aluminum. The tuning and shear weight of the Qx2 and Qx4 create a mechanically grounded environment which is extremely important for the QRT system to work properly.

The foundation of the Qx4 technology employs the use of field generators— two for the Qx2 and four for the Qx4. The QRT field generators don’t impede the power line, and therefore, unlike many other currently available solutions, the Qx2 and Qx4 don’t limit either the source impedance or peak current. Rather, the field generators act at the source of the problem, reducing negative EMF and RFI effects, as well as improving the consistency and regularity of the AC waveform. The QRT system does all this without limiting the voltage swing or altering the impedance of the AC supply. QRT allows energy to change from one state to the next in a more orderly and coherent manner. The result is a reduction in the total error of a little over 5%, or in other words, a reduction of 50% in the error value!

Another Way To Think About It: Think of these solutions as being similar to a common water filter (perhaps in an extreme scenario) you might use in your kitchen. Those filters certainly filter harmful metals, however they can also filter out other salts and minerals, which are extremely beneficial and necessary. But what if you had a field generator around your faucet pulling those unwanted metals away from your precious water, but not taking away the so-called nutrition – this would be the QRT method and advantage!!!

The last of the primary benefits the QRT system offers is related to an element of the chassis design. Remember those billet end-caps I mentioned a bit ago? Well, they contribute beyond mechanical tuning and resonance control. Because of their heft, they act as a “book end” for the QRT field generators, limiting the directionality of the field generators vertically. This is why QRT placement in your entertainment system is extremely important. When placed in the center of the rack system (meaning- middle of the rack) the Qx2 or Qx4 field generators also influence the components around the system in the same way they do the AC waveform. The components’ power supplies are cleared of undesirable, EMF and RFI. You could consider this a QRT “ecosystem” so to speak, and when using multiple QRT products in your entertainment system, a multiplying effect is created.

Pictures from Nordost Nation!

Posted on September 23, 2015 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 so that we can continue to share them with the whole Nordost family!

Thanks to Robert Paulsrud for this great shot of the BC Sort Kone!

“Amazing sound!!!” says Roberto Facchinetti of his Nordost cable collection

Thank you to Oslo Hi-Fi Center for this picture of the new Odin 2 Analog Interconnects!

Oliver Stoessel took these shots of his Red Dawn and Blue Heaven Speaker Cables. – “Amazing !!!!”

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“That moment you know things are about to get seriously better smile emoticon.” – Hanson Audio Video LLC

“Trying out the new Nordost Cables Heimdall2 upgrade cable for OPPO PM-1 #headphones on the AURALiC Taurus amp.”- HiFiGuy 528

“Our best solution!”- Da Pieve Hi-Fi Srl

Nordost cables complete with QRT power products, from Mikael Nordström!

“The QX4 has made an unbelievable difference to the sound on my system. Quite extraordinary !” – Nav Garayal

Nordost’s Heimdall 2 Headphone Cable was an integral part of Woo Audio’s presentation at CanJamSoCal2015!

“just picked up some wonderful heimdall2 speaker wire. added such a degree of smoothness and warmth that i thought was not possible.” – Colleen Connelly Christner

Nordost Playlist – September 2015

Posted on September 8, 2015 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 September.

playlist_september_2015

All The Pretty Girls – Kaleo –All The Pretty Girls
Hide and Seek — Imogen Heap —Speak For Yourself
You Had Quit Me — Wild Child Butler — Sho’ ‘Nuf
Don’t—Ed Sheeran—X (Deluxe Edition)
Leave A Trace — CHVRCHES — Every Open Eye
Say Goodbye— Beck — Morning Phase
Satisfied Mind—Ben Harper, The Blind Boys Of Alabama—There Will Be A Light
Isfahan — Sophisticated Lady — Sophisticated Lady
Ultraviolet — FKA twigs — EP2
Queen Of Peace — Florence + The Machine — How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful

The Well Grounded System (or How I Learned to Improve My Sound and Love the Earth)

Posted on September 3, 2015 by Nordost

The Well Grounded System

How I Learned to Improve My Sound and Love the Earth.

Significant sound system upgrades often cost thousands, if not tens of thousands, of dollars. The upgrade I am about to describe costs a fraction of that and delivers a performance improvement that you never thought you could get from your existing components.

It was one of those rare things that happens when you don’t see it coming but floors you when it occurs. It all started when Nordost introduced a new cable product: The QLINE Ground Wire. The QLINE is designed to work with the company’s QBASE power strip and take maximum advantage of the focused star grounding feature of this power and ground distribution system by creating a secondary ground for your hifi system. But what real difference could adding a secondary ground make? If you are familiar with Nordost’s foundation theory, you will see that this product perfectly reinforces the importance of a system’s foundational elements and how crucial it is to get this right. This got me wondering just how well my system was grounded.

The QLINE utilizes Micro Mono-Filament technology, and a 10 AWG, silver-plated 99.9999% OFC stranded conductor, with FEP insulation. It comes fitted as standard with a spade lug for the inside connection to the QB8 and a type of termination that fits into a standard ground rod connector fitting.

After a quick inspection, I found it would be easy to use an existing intrusion into the house from an incoming cable line that was right behind my Nordost QB8 power strip. My house is a ranch on a slab foundation, so it was pretty simple to install a ground rod just behind my wall outside.

I went to my local big box hardware store and spent a total of only $15.00 on a copper clad, 8’ ground rod and connector. After some precarious moments pounding it in from atop a ladder, I was ready. I was able to use a 2 meter QLINE ground wire to connect my QBASE to the ground rod.

Let’s back up just a moment first, and explore some of the long-held axioms of a properly grounded system:

“Connect a clean ground to your system and you’ll hear an obvious drop in the noise floor with blacker backgrounds, less grain and more vibrant instrumental and tonal colors.”

“A simple and cost-effective addition to any Hi-Fi installation which leads to a significant reduction in sonic pollution.”

Or maybe:

“The purpose of a good ground is to provide a safe path for the dissipation of static charges, EMI and RFI signals and interference.”

Knowing that all of these things are true did not prepare me for what I heard. After warming up the system for a few hours, my wife and I were ready to do an A B comparison; both with and without the ground wire connected (I often evaluate new equipment with my wife Stephanie). After listening to some selections for a time without the ground wire connected I then attached it to the QB8.

Some of our comments from my notes after hooking up the ground wire:

Steph – “Well, that sounds different”

Me – “Better bass”

Steph – “More like live music, less like HiFi”

Steph – “You can hear her singing more easily, understand words better”

Me – “No doubt about it. Larger soundstage, more depth to the image”

Me – Definitely better stereo separation and dynamics, especially with micro-dynamics in the bass”

Never in my life as an audiophile have I experienced such a profound improvement in system performance – in ways that I did not expect – for so few dollars!

If installing a separate ground rod isn’t practical in your situation, a copper cold water pipe (if it’s copper all the way to the meter) makes an excellent ground as well. Just make sure you bypass the meter if you are connecting it to the house side.

The use of a dedicated, clean, low impedance connection to ground fits perfectly with the Nordost multi-outlet power distribution units, the QB8 and QB4. The external ground post tied into the focused star ground topology with the QLINE creates a solid earth connection and minimizes noise and general sonic pollution. It’s an easy solution to achieve solid ground, and it sounds fantastic!

lg-QRT-QLINE Ground Wire

Questions and Answers (September 2015)

Posted on September 1, 2015 by Nordost

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!

QandA2

Q: Is it okay to have multiple Nordost ranges in one line, or is it important to pick one range and stick with it throughout your system? For example, can I have Blue Heaven interconnects with Red Dawn Speaker Cable?

A: You can easily switch between several lines within one system. Our products are designed to be linear and use the same basic cable philosophy, so that you can go up and down the ranges, and even the cable families. So of course you can have Blue Heaven Interconnects with Red Dawn Speaker Cables (which are both in the same Leif family), or even Frey 2 Speaker Cables (which are in the Norse 2 family) with no issues (although, we would recommend upgrading you interconnects before your speaker cables).

QandA3

Q: Is there a significant difference between your Heimdall 1 and Heimdall 2 XLR interconnects?

A: Yes, there is a huge difference between Heimdall series 1 and Heimdall series 2. While both models are constructed with 4 conductors, the gauge on the conductors went from 26 to 24, giving Heimdall 2 more body and resolution. We also enhanced the performance of the Heimdall 2 by using Dual Mono-Filament, where Heimdall 1 used Micro Mono-Filament. Lastly, we implemented asymmetrical ground in Heimdall 2 with new connectors in order to lower the noise floor. This gives series 2 more body and resolution.

Q: Please tell me how the cables change the signal from the amplifier to the speakers in order to improve the sound quality.

A: The typical properties of a cable are resistance, inductance, and capacitance. A cable will never add anything to a system, but it can take away from the end result since it has a tendency to act like a filter. Bad cables can take what your amplifier is sending to the speakers and distort it. Better cables send the signal faster and have less influence on the signal, resulting in better qualities. They allow more of the unaltered signal to pass. Take impedance for example: the lower the impedance of a cable, the less frequency roll off it causes.

QandA4

Q: Do I need to connect the external ground to my QBASE?

A: No, it is not necessary to connect the external ground to have the QBASE work effectively in your system. However, if it is possible to run a ground wire, like Nordost’s QLINE, to an external ground rod, you will experience a noticeably lower noise floor as a result. You should consult a local electrician to ensure that the improvements you make on your sound system remain to code.

Nordost’s new QLINE Ground Wire

Posted on August 28, 2015 by Nordost

Nordost is proud to introduce the newest addition to the QRT range of power products: the QLINE Ground Wire. Nordost’s QLINE is the most effective method to achieve a solid secondary ground for your hifi audio system. This unique and effective ground wire will not only increase the size and depth of your soundstage, but will reduce the sonic pollution being fed to your audio system, and eliminate the noise generated by the overlapping of multiple circuits or ground loops that are created within electrical circuits.

The QLINE is constructed with a 231 strand, 10 AWG, plated conductor and uses Nordost’s patented Micro Mono-Filament technology, combined with extruded FEP insulation. The QRT Ground Wire serves as the missing link needed to complete the circuit — whether grounding from device to device or connecting the QBASE ground post to a designated, external ground rod or grounding box through its unique, low resistance path.

As is true with all of Nordost’s QRT power products, the QLINE is designed to alleviate the impact of poor quality AC power on your sensitive electronics. By limiting RFI and timing errors associated with the AC line, it brings AC power closer to the desired “distortion-less condition”. Nordost’s QLINE is best used in conjunction with the rest of the QRT range, and will result in a more discernable soundstage, greater dynamic range and a lower noise floor for your system.

Nordost’s QRT Ground Wire is available in multiple lengths with air-tight, waterproof terminations in order to accommodate your specific needs. Installing a designated ground for your hifi system is the most efficient and direct approach to eliminate ground loops and AC hum. However, it is important to consult a local electrician to ensure that the improvements you make to your sound system remain to code.

NORDOST QLINE GROUND WIRE

Meet Nordost Brand Ambassador, Eleanor McEvoy

Posted on August 25, 2015 by Nordost

Meet Nordost Brand Ambassador, Eleanor McEvoy. Eleanor has been an avid user of Nordost cables throughout her career— in her home, in her performances, and in the recording studio.

“McEvoy has the skills of a first rate songwriter. She gives her songs full fledged melodies, not just a repeated phrase or two”

— New York Times

Eleanor McEvoy achieved star status in Ireland in 1992 when her song “A Woman’s Heart” inspired the title for, and appeared on, the A Woman’s Heart anthology album. A Woman’s Heart has since gone on to become the best-selling album in Irish history. Its 20^th anniversary in 2012 saw twelve sold-out “Woman’s Heart” shows at the Olympia Theatre.

Her career as of one of Ireland’s most popular songwriters started at age four when she performed in an Irish music competition as part of her sister’s band. She later took up the violin, and began playing the guitar in her teens. She graduated from Trinity College Dublin with an honors degree in music and was accepted to the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland as a violinist. She worked with the symphony orchestra and also as a session musician playing for many acts including U2 and Sinead O’Connor before she finally left that world behind to concentrate on her real passion—songwriting.

She released her eponymous debut on Geffen records followed with tours in the USA, Europe and East Asia. She moved to Columbia Records in New York for her second album “What’s Following Me?”. “Precious Little”, the first single, was a top ten radio hit in the US.

Since then, Eleanor has gone on to become an artist and performer known throughout the world. Her critically acclaimed canon of work spans eleven albums, forty singles, and appearances on numerous compilation albums. She is today recognized as Ireland’s most successful female singer-songwriter, having enjoyed personal chart success and numerous cover versions of her songs by performers Emmylou Harris, Mary Black, Phil Coulter, Mary Coughlan, Bella Hardy, Eliza Carthy and Jack L, among others. Her song “All I Have” was featured in the HBO cult series “Six Feet Under.”

Her latest album “STUFF” described as “a standout” by the Irish Times also received rave reviews around the world. John Shand of The Sydney Morning Herald exclaims, “Sass and vulnerability are a rare combination that Eleanor McEvoy is capable of absolutely nailing”.

Steve Guttenberg and Danny Kaey review the Heimdall 2 Headphone Cable

Posted on August 21, 2015 by Nordost

The Nordost Heimdall 2 Headphone Cable has been making a tremendous impact in the personal audio world since it was first introduced in 2014. Reviewers, manufacturers and hifi thought-leaders have been very candid about their impressions of this transformative aftermarket headphone cable. Simply put, it is an outstanding upgrade.

In the past month, Nordost’s Heimdall 2 Headphone Cable has been featured in two fantastic reviews. The first review, authored by CNET’s Steve Guttenberg, was intended to focus on the Red Dawn Speaker Cable (which he was also taken with). However, when he auditioned Nordost’s headphone cable, he had to expand his original review! The second review, written by Danny Kaey, was a recent highlight in Positive Feedback. In his article, Danny details the dramatic improvements he experienced while using our Heimdall 2 Headphone cable with his Audeze LCD-X cans.

“…the Heimdall 2 worked their magic on the sound. The sound was less bright, more full-bodied and natural. I feel like I’m just now hearing the HE6 for the first time.”

—Steve Guttenberg, CNET

“…upgrading to Heimdall 2 is nearly a revelation in heightened awareness…It’s not merely better resolved—attack, sustain, decay—it simply carries far more weight and heft making the entire presentation that much more impactful.”

—Danny Kaey, Positive Feedback

Read the full reviews here!

AUDITIONING NORDOST CABLES: DO SPEAKER CABLES HAVE A ‘SOUND’? – Steve Guttenberg

NORDOST HEIMDALL HEADPHONE CABLE – Danny Kaey

Nordost at TAVES 2015

Posted on August 19, 2015 by Nordost

nordost is at taves_1

Nordost is excited to be taking part in The Toronto Audio Video Entertainment Show this year being held at the Sheraton Parkway Hotel in Richmond Hill, Ontario October 30- November 1. Come and see us in the Victoria Square Room on the main show floor where we will be featuring our flagship Odin 2 Supreme Reference Cables. Nordost product trainers and sales representatives will be performing product demonstrations and cable comparisons throughout the. This is the perfect opportunity to listen to hifi’s preeminent components, enjoy great music like you’ve never heard before, and learn the impact that quality audio cables can have on your sound system first hand. While you are there, don’t forget to visit our booth in Nordost’s lobby location to take advantage of some exclusive show specials!

Hong Kong High-End Audio Visual Show 2015 Recap

Posted on August 13, 2015 by Nordost

The Hong Kong High End Audio Visual Show was a resounding success! The Asian debut of Nordost’s groundbreaking, new Supreme Reference Series, Odin 2, could not have been better. With over 15,000 people in attendance on only the first day of the event, it is clear that Hong Kong’s hifi following has never been stronger. With thanks to our wonderful distributers and friends at Radar Audio Company, Nordost had an excellent presence at the show!

Here are a few pictures of Nordost at the Hong Kong High End Audio Visual Show for those who missed it.