Montréal Audio Fest 2018 Recap

The Salon Audio Montréal Audio Fest was a huge success!  This year, in the Nordost room, show-goers were able to sit through several demonstrations, including Sort Kone, QRT, USB and Power Cord comparisons. Thank you to all of our friends in the industry who decided to wire their systems with Nordost cables, and represented us so well! If you weren’t able to make the show, here are a few images of Nordost cables in action throughout the weekend. À la prochaine!


 

Nordost’s room with Valhalla 2, QKORE, and much more!

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The Gramophone‘s room with Norse 2 cables

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At the Nordost booth we were answering questions, selling cables, and introducing show-goers to our collaboration with Newvelle Records

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Audio d’Occasion used cables from our Leif and Norse 2 series, as well as our QKORE, in their multiple systems.

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Audio by Mark Jones‘s room with Valhalla 2, Frey 2, and QRT

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Monitor Audio‘s room with Frey 2 Loudspeaker Cables

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Nordost is headed to AXPONA this April!

 

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Nordost is excited to be a part of Axpona this year, held at the Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel & Convention Center just outside Chicago, IL on April 13–15th. Visit us in rooms 434, 566 and 574 to experience Nordost’s live demonstrations and cable comparisons, featuring Nordost’s extensive range of products. While at the show, make sure to stop by our sales booth in the Market Place to check out our special show offers on select Nordost products. We look forward to seeing you there!

NOVO Reviews the Blue Heaven Power Cord

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This month, NOVO released the first part of a 3-part series, The Journey to Higher Quality Audio With Nordost Leif Cables, looking at the improvements in sound quality that result from upgrading audio cables step-by-step! Using Nordost’s Blue Heaven cables, Suave Kajko aims to show readers how to get the most out of their system for a relatively small investment. In the first installment, Suave focuses on Power Cords:

“With the Nordost Blue Heaven power cord connected to the amplifier, I was immediately rewarded with a lower noise floor and an improved sonic experience…The soundstage also expanded a little in both width and depth. This painted a sonic landscape where the instruments and vocals were further apart from each other, closer to how you would hear them in real life.”

Suave’s review is now available to read here: The Journey to Higher Quality Audio With Nordost Leif Cables

You can find this review and more great Nordost reviews on our Reviews Page.

 

Upcoming Dealer Events (Spring 2018)

Keep your calendar opened and your eyes peeled for these great upcoming Nordost events!


OHC_VP2018_forsideMarch 16th-18th
10am-7pm (11am-5pm on Sunday)
Oslo HiFi Centre
Spring Pulse
Dronning Mauds gt 1-3
0250 Oslo
Norway
+4722010430
 
 

 
March 18th
2pm-5pm
Upscale Audio
2058 Wright Avenue
La Verne, CA 91750
USA
(909) 931-9686
 

 

 
spinnersApril 17th
Spinners Sound Center
3107 30th Avenue
Vernon, British Columbia V1T 2C4
Canada
(778) 475-3180
  

 

 
aviApril 19th
4pm-7pm
Audio Video Integration
Magic of Music
647 Francisco Blvd E
San Rafael, CA 94901
USA
(415) 526-0070
 

 

 
liquidsoundApril 19th
Liquid Sound Vancouver
4320 West 10th Ave
Vancouver, British Columbia V6R 2H7
Canada
(778) 891-7750
  

 

 
hometheaterApril 26th
Private Auditions 10am-4pm
Open House 4pm-8pm
Home Theater Technologies
6100 Colleyville Blvd
Colleyville, TX  76034
USA
(817) 381-7262
  

 

 
stereopassionMay 5th
10am-3:30pm
Stereo Passion Ottawa
The Vikings Are Here
1010 Polyteck Street #35, 2nd Floor
Ottawa, Ontario K1J 9J2
Canada
(613) 761-9710

Dealer Spotlight: Soundquest

By Alex Brady

soundquestlogoSoundquest was founded by Gabby Amram, a music enthusiast and audiophile, who has been involved in the High End Audio business for over 20 years. However, Gabby’s journey in the audio industry is unusually varied. Back in 2002, Soundquest became the first Israeli importer of leading high end brands such as dCS and Audio Physic. However, in 2005, Soundquest relocated to New York, where Gabby became the exclusive Distributor for Burmester and Audio Physic for the USA and Canada. He helped grow these brands by way of establishing a dealer network for them, along with an enviable catalogue of great reviews from key US audio magazines.

Unknown-2However, by 2010, Gabby relocated Soundquest back to its original roots in Tel Aviv, Israel. He has very carefully selected a portfolio of complimentary high performance products from the likes of Spendor, Hegel, PMC, AVM, Piega, Creek, Epos and Nordost. In the ensuing eight years, Gabby’s shop has carved out a reputation as a haven for audiophiles in Israel. This is, in no small part, a result of his well-informed knowledge, and the charming way that he imparts it to customers, but also the very inviting and comfortable surroundings that he has created for Soundquest.

Unknown-4Like Nordost, Soundquest believes that it is imperative that customers get the chance to experience the products that they import. One of the ways that they do this is by hosting regular musical evenings for their customers in the store. Indeed, in the last 6 months, Soundquest has held two events which were supported by representatives from Hegel and Nordost respectively. The reputation that these events have is such that it is not uncommon for audio reviewers to also attend them. It is easy to see why they are so popular — Gabby has a natural warmth which often means his customers also turn into his friends. Not to mention, he has an uncanny knack for knowing (and remembering) each of his customer’s audio systems inside out. This attention to detail is ideal, as he recommends the most suitable Nordost upgrade for each of their respective systems.

Unknown-52018 has already gotten off to a wonderful start for Soundquest and Nordost — it has just been announced that Nordost has won product of the year for our Sort Kone in Dtown Magazine. We are looking forward to many more years of working closely with Soundquest!

Nordost Playlist – March 2018


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.

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


  1. The Fog—Overcoats—YOUNG
  2. Don’t Make Me Wait (with Shaggy)—Sting, Shaggy—Don’t Make Me Wait
  3. Fallin’-Remix—Madison McFerrin—Finding Foundation, Vol. 1
  4. Money—Caroline Rose—LONER
  5. Broken Record—Alex Ebert—Broken Record
  6. For the Hungry Boy—Jonny Greenwood—Phantom Thread
  7. Make Me Feel—Janelle Monáe—Make Me Feel
  8. One—Gene Evaro Jr.—Too Good to Believe
  9. Left It With The Moon—The Shacks—The Shacks EP
  10. Spirited Away – One Summer’s Day—Joe Hisaishi—Hisaishi Meets Miyazaki Films

 

 

 

Introducing the Blue Heaven Subwoofer Cable

Blue Heaven Subwoofer Cable_Straight_blogNordost is happy to announce the expansion of our acclaimed Blue Heaven Range with the introduction of the Blue Heaven Subwoofer Cable. The Blue Heaven Subwoofer Cable makes it possible for music lovers to completely integrate subwoofers with their loudspeakers, creating a truly well-rounded experience, highlighting even the lowest frequency extensions on the spectrum.

The Blue Heaven Subwoofer Cable consists of four, 22 AWG, solid core, silver-plated, 99.9999% OFC signal conductors. Its dielectric strength is improved by an innovative precision FEP extrusion process, which further increases signal speeds and accuracy in signal transfer. The conductors are then covered in a braided shield, addressing any EMI and RFI. Additionally, the Blue Heaven Subwoofer Cable utilizes a unique flat, parallel construction.

In order to accommodate all its possible uses, the Blue Heaven Subwoofer Cable is offered in three configurations: Straight, Y, and Y-to-Y. All three configurations are available terminated with specially designed, gold-plated MoonGlo RCA or XLR connectors.

Designed, manufactured, and hand-terminated entirely in the USA, the Blue Heaven Subwoofer Cable guarantees the accurate construction required to produce integrated low level frequencies, while preserving the precision and speed necessary to enjoy well rounded, seamless, and all-encompassing sound from music, movies, and television.

The Blue Heaven Subwoofer Cable is now available for purchase at select Nordost dealers, worldwide. To find the Nordost dealer nearest you, visit our “Where to Buy” page.

Blue Heaven Subwoofer Cable_Ys blog

 

Nordost will be back at the Montréal Audio Fest!

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Come and see Nordost at the Salon Audio, Montréal Audio Fest! Please join us, March 23rd – 25th, in Montreal at the Hôtel Hilton Bonaventure. Throughout the show, our sales representatives and product specialists, Bruno de Lorimier and Michael Taylor, will be performing live demonstrations and product comparisons, available in both French and English, in Salon St-Michel. The Montréal Audio Fest is a perfect opportunity to hear the effect that quality cables can have on a hifi system, and to determine how the caliber of performance is improved as enhancements are made to cable design. While there, come and visit us at our sales booth, where you can take advantage of our special show prices on select products! Admission is free to the public, so we hope to see you there!

Questions and Answers (February 2018)

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!


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Q: I recently bought a pair of Nordost interconnects, and I noticed arrows on the heat-shrink. Is there are reason that these cables are directional? If so, which way should I install them?

A: Typically, when cables are manufactured they do not have any directionality—they acquire directionality as they break in. However, Nordost single ended (RCA) interconnects are built as directional cables, since the shield is only connected at the source, or output, end. When installing the cables into your system, the arrows should always point away from the source. For example, from a CD player to an amplifier, the arrows should point towards the preamplifier or power amplifier.


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Q: My new Apple laptop only has USB C inputs.  Do you make a USB C to USB B, to connect to my DAC?

A: Nordost has just released two new USB cables with C connectors for this very reason: the Red Dawn USB Cable and the Frey 2 USB Cable (the Frey 2 cable can even come terminated with USB 3.0 connectors).  If you already have a hifi audio USB cable with a type-A USB connector and aren’t ready to upgrade to a new cable , we now offer the Frey 2 USB C adapter.


Screen-Shot-2017-07-25-at-1.15.19-PMQ: Are Nordost speaker cables available in a bi-wire configuration (ie. 2 banana connectors at the source end and 4 at the speaker end)?

A: No, they are not.  When the Norse 2 series was developed, we decided to do away with bi-wired cabling. When you bi-wire a pair of speakers, you cause a frequency phase shift (especially in the mid and upper frequencies).  The better way to go about it is to use bi-wire jumpers, or to opt for a bi-amp set-up.


Sort Systems

Q: After buying and liking the result of the Sort Füt for my speakers, I was thinking about buying another set for my audio rack, but I’m worried that with the weight of the rack, plus the weight of the components, it will be too heavy for the Sort Füt to hold. How much weight can a set of Sort Füt support?

A: One Sort Füt will support 200 lbs or 90.9 kilos per piece. This means that the four Sort Füt units you would use for your audio rack could handle a total weight of 800 lbs or 363 kilos.


 

Introducing the Frey 2 USB Cable and Frey 2 USB C Adapter

Nordost is proud to introduce the new Frey 2 USB Cable and Frey 2 USB C Adapter. The Frey 2 USB Cable is the first of Nordost’s USB offerings to provide both USB C and 3.0 compatibility. The Frey 2 USB C Adapter pairs with cables using Standard-A USB connectors (both 2.0 and 3.0 compatible), allowing them to be used with components that require a USB C termination. Both of these exciting products allow customers to continue to enjoy the benefits of Nordost as they upgrade their components. Nordost’s Frey 2 USB Cable and C Adapter are the perfect solutions for hifi audio enthusiasts integrating computer audio into their sound systems when using components that require USB C connectors, whether they are interested in a new, upgraded USB cable, or would rather extend the life of a previous investment.

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The Frey 2 USB Cable uses solid core, silver-plated 99.99999% OFC signal conductors. Implementing a solid core design is essential when working with a cable of this caliber, completely eliminating the negative effects of strand interaction and skin effect. Each conductor is precision wound to correspond accurately with USB’s unique, hybrid twisted pair/non twisted pair geometry. The new Frey 2 cable utilizes Nordost’s proprietary FEP Micro Mono-Filament technology, which lowers the capacitance of the cable, both increasing signal speed and bandwidth. The conductors are shielded with a dual layer of braid and foil shielding in order to eliminate EMI and RFI and even comply with 3.0 standards. Finally, before being terminated with C to Standard B (2.0), Standard B (3.0), or Micro B (3.0) plugs, the Frey 2 USB is cut to mechanically tuned lengths, which reduce internal microphonics and high-frequency impedance resonance.

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The Frey 2 USB C Adapter utilizes the exact same cable construction as the Frey 2 USB Cable. From conductors to Micro Mono-Filament technology, shielding to mechanically tuned lengths, the Frey 2 USB C Adapter has all the makings of a high quality, hifi USB cable, creating an extension of your existing USB cable to ensure an identical sonic signature and performance level throughout your system. Terminated with a male USB C connector on one end, and a female Standard-A connector (both 2.0 and 3.0 compatible) on the other, the Frey 2 USB C Adapter will extend the life of your current USB cables while maintaining the hi-fidelity performance of your home sound system. Designed, manufactured, and hand-terminated entirely in the USA, both the Frey 2 USB Cable and Frey 2 USB C Adapter guarantee the accurate construction required to produce the best possible performance from computer audio equipment.

The Frey 2 USB Cable is available in lengths from 0.6 Meters to 2 Meters while the Frey 2 USB C Adapter is 17cm. Both the Frey 2 USB Cable and C Adapter will be available for purchase at select Nordost dealers, worldwide. To find the Nordost dealer nearest you, visit the “Where to Buy” page on www.nordost.com.