American Made Audio Cables – Innovation and Commitment

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Nordost

By Joe Reynolds

Nordost is an internationally recognized brand. We conduct business in over 60 countries around the world. But what I really take pride in, is the fact that since its inception in 1991, Nordost’s products have been designed, manufactured and assembled exclusively in the United States.

The New England area has a long tradition of manufacturing and innovation, and when it comes to research and development this region is renowned. Distinguished universities and state-of-the-art research facilities attract some of the best and brightest designers and engineers from around the world. I am confident that this company was truly shaped by the environment in which it was created. With such a wealth of resources in our own backyard, we have been able to build our reputation on innovative products and meticulous attention to detail and nuance throughout the production process.

From our unique process of precision FEP extrusion, to Micro Mono-Filament and Dual Mono-Filament technologies, to breakthroughs in vibration control and finally to creating our own patent pending connector– the new HOLO:PLUG, all of Nordost’s processes, technologies and products are developed and constructed right here in Massachusetts.

We are committed to making all of our products in the US for many reasons. Nordost has a wonderful network of local partners who can deliver merchandise such as packaging and machined parts quickly and efficiently. We can control our quality more scrupulously because it is produced nearby. We design all of our products in-house so that new models can be built and tweaked at a moment’s notice with our internal engineering team. But mostly, Nordost has a solid, dependable workforce that takes pride in the products they create, and we feel that as a privately held company we have a social responsibility to our local community and our employees that support us. Not only does this mean creating a pleasant working environment for our staff, but it also means making the decision to stay local even if the alternative may seem more cost effective.

In my opinion, a reason for the decline in manufacturing in North America is a rampant spread of short term thinking. Some publically traded companies are so preoccupied in their stock prices at the end of every quarter that they are forced to make rash decisions. While these decisions, such as outsourcing, may help the bottom line, they ultimately hurt their workforce as well as their local economy. Nordost is faced with the same decisions as these larger companies. Of course, we could source our cables (such as our HDMI cables) in Asia; however, we see the benefits of staying in America. Making our own cables means that we develop valuable knowledge and skills within our own company. As a result of this knowledge, we can produce high quality products today and will be able to continue to expand and push boundaries in the consumer electronics market in the future.

Introducing the QK1!

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Nordost

The QKOIL is a load resonating coil (LRC) which generates a passive electronic field that provides a vital solution to the issues of AC quality in audio/video performance. The QK1 uses Nordost’s proprietary Micro Mono-Filament technology in a loading application to prevent time delay and distortion of the transmitted signal, making the AC current as close as possible to the desired “distortionless condition”. In addtion to improving the overtones and pacing of music, the QKOIL opens up midrange frequencies and improves the attack of transient details in the music. Visually, the QK1 increases clarity of imaging by adding depth and focus.

The QK1 is housed in a mechanically tuned carbon-fiber body and equipped with either a US (NEMA) or EU (Schuko) connector. It is compatible with voltages from 110V to 240V, and can be used with an AUS or UK adaptor if required. The QKOIL is now available at select Nordost dealers, worldwide. To find the Nordost dealer nearest you, visit the “Where to Buy” page on www.nordost.com.

Like all QRT products, the benefits are cumulative and the QK1s are even more impressive when applied collectively. It can be used as a “stand alone” product or to complement a full QRT system with a QBASE, QX2, QX4 and especially the QV2. Plug the QKOIL into any spare socket on your system’s AC line and experience first-hand the surprising yet indisputable effect it will have on your A/V components.

QKOIL: QK1

Origin of the name: TYR

Posted on April 7, 2014 by Nordost

Tyr, the bravest of all gods, is called the ancient god of war and is the lawgiver of the gods. Men ready for war invoke Tyr since he has power over victory in battle. In fact, due to his courage, tenacity and knowledge, the people who share these attributes are known as “Tyr-wise” and “Tyr-valiant”. In a display of his fearlessness, Tyr offered to stick his hand in the mouth of the great wolf, Fenrir, in order to show the wolf that the gods would set him free. When Fenrir saw he would never be set loose, he bit off Tyr’s hand. This is why Tyr is usually depicted as a one-handed god.

Tyr 2 Loudspeaker Cable

Tyr 2 Interconnect

Nordost Playlist – April 2014

Posted on April 3, 2014 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 April.

Swing Low – Bobby McFerrin, Esperanza Spalding – spirityouall
Chegada — Naná Vasconcelos — Chegada
Dream On — Depeche Mode — Exciter
human — Christina Perri — human
Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg-Prelude — Iván Fischer, Budapest Festival Orchestra — Wagner
Digital Witness — St. Vincent — Self titled
Loved Me Back to Life — Céline Dion — Loved Me Back to Life
Bonnie and Clyde — Brigitte Bardot, Serge Gainsbourg — Initials BB
Nightcall — London Grammar — If You Wait
3 Intermezzos, Op.117:No. 1 in E-Flat Major — Johannes Brahms, Géza Anda — Géza Anda plays Bartók & Tchaikovsky

What songs have made it onto your playlist this month?

Salon Son & Image, Montreal Audio Show Recap

Gallery

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Nordost

This gallery contains 15 photos.

Salon Son & Image was a huge success! Seeing the reaction to our products never gets old, and with the new additions we brought to Montreal this year, Nordost did not disappoint. Demonstrations, performed by Bruno de Lorimier, of the … Continue reading →

Nordost is going to AXPONA!

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Nordost

Nordost is excited to be showing at AXPONA in Chicago next month, April 25-27. This should prove to be an excellent event. Nordost will be well represented by various local dealers. AXPONA is a great opportunity to hear a variety of Nordost products including full looms of our Supreme Reference and Reference ranges, Odin and Valhalla 2. Stay tuned to Nordost’s Facebook page for more information as the show day approaches. We hope to see you there!

Three Ways to Address Vibration Control

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Nordost

Vibration is both a blessing and a curse in the high-end audio world. While vibration is the main reason we can enjoy this hobby of ours (it is, after all, through vibrations that we can hear!), it is also one of the most notorious culprits of sound degradation. Adverse effects of vibration on an audio system include confusion of imagery, timing errors and musical distortion. There are three increasingly popular methods of dealing with harmful vibrations: isolation, coupling, and resonance control.

Isolation devices are de-coupling devices, meaning that their objective is to separate (or isolate) the component from its surface. When employing a de-coupling device, one must assume that all of the harmful vibrations are coming from the outside. These products absorb external energy before it can get into the product.

Coupling devices, on the other hand, merge the component to the surface it rests on. If you are using a coupling device, you adhere to the belief that the most powerful and damaging vibrations that occur are generated from the components themselves, which vibrate as they operate.

Resonance control addresses both the internal and external vibration at the same time. Resonance control devices act as a mechanical diode—allowing a one-way escape route for the extraneous energy produced from electronics. The construction of resonance control devices, like Nordost’s Sort Kone and Sort Füt, simultaneously prevents any external vibrations from traveling back into the component being protected.

Once the vibrations are eliminated from your audio components (amps, DACs, CD players, loudspeakers, etc), a whole new layer of tonal and textural details will be unveiled to you, as well as a transformed soundstage.

For more information on vibration control, including purchase-free tips on how to reduce harmful vibrations from your own home system, see our NEW download: The Importance of Vibration Control.

Origin of the name: ODIN

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Nordost

In Norse mythology, Odin is recognized as the father of all gods and the creator of heaven, earth and everything in between. He is the god of magic, wisdom, wit, learning and war. As the overseer of nine worlds, Odin sits on his throne in Valhalla and awaits the news received from his two ravens, Huginn (thought) and Munin (Memory), who are sent to all corners of the worlds each day to bring back what they see to their master. In pursuit of knowledge, Odin has gone hungry and has even sacrificed an eye for a drink from the well of wisdom.

What could be a more fitting name for our top tier cable range than the father of all gods: Odin

Introducing the brand new Heimdall 2 USB 2.0 Data Cable!

Posted on March 13, 2014 by Nordost

As the use of music servers, hard-drive stored music and high-resolution audio downloading grows increasingly popular, and in some cases becomes the standard choice, it is critical to use a high quality USB cable that can meet the demands of music fidelity. Improving upon Nordost’s Blue Heaven USB 2.0, the new Heimdall 2 USB 2.0 is the high-end digital cable that will deliver ones and zeroes with the efficiency and diligence necessary to maintain the correct impedance to dramatically lift your hifi system to a whole new level of performance.

Thanks to the experience acquired in the fabrication of successful products such as the Blue Heaven HDMI and USB 2.0 cables, Nordost can now further refine digital leads through its most current, proprietary technology. The Heimdall 2 USB 2.0 is constructed from 4×20 AWG stranded, silver-plated 99.99999% OFC conductors, arranged in a precise, twisted double helix in order to ensure character impedance, reduce noise and minimize cross-talk contamination. In order to increase dielectric, the conductors are suspended in Nordost’s proprietary FEP Dual Mono-Filament, which is newly optimized to increase flexibility and mechanical dampening. Add a dual layer silver foil jacket and silver braided shield and the Heimdall 2’s extreme data transmission speeds surpass the USB 2.0 standards.

To further up the ante, the new Heimdall 2 USB 2.0 is now implementing mechanically tuned lengths. This technique, used in Nordost’s Odin, Norse 2 and Valhalla 2 ranges, reduces internal microphonics and high-frequency impedance resonance, which ultimately allows you to enjoy the dynamics, coherence and balance of live music played in the comfort of your own listening room.

Steve Dickinson Reviews Heimdall 2 in Hi-Fi+ Magazine

Posted on March 11, 2014 by Nordost

If you haven’t checked it out yet, you should take a moment to read Steve Dickinson’s review, Nordost Norse cables: Heimdall 2, which was published in the December 2013 edition of Hi-Fi + magazine. Reviews like this are a great way to stay informed and they give you a firsthand account of premium products, like our cables. In this piece, Steve takes a look at our Heimdall 2 range in comparison to the first generation of the Norse family, which is impressive in its own right. We are happy that Mr. Dickenson appreciates the improvements that we have made with our Norse 2 cables.

The Heimdall gives a strong sense of scale and authority, but without adding the sort of mass and inertia which drags a system down…The added sense of impetus brought by the Heimdall brings out the extra little kick from the in-between beats which separate a 2/2 from a 4/4 time signature. Tiny inflections are also better resolved, most obviously in vocals but also noticeable elsewhere. This means performances that are carefully weighed and nuanced can be more affectingly portrayed.

Steve’s full review is now available on the Nordost website under reviews. Or, to read now, click here