Capital Audiofest 2019 Recap

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We were thrilled to join our friends and business partners, VPI, in their reference rooms at the Capital Audiofest. This was an important show for VPI, thanks to the launch of their new flagship turntable, the Vanquish. A full loom of Odin 2 cables outfitted one of the “Vanquish” rooms, including components by Krell and an impressive pair of KEF Muon loudspeakers. The second vanquish room was supported by our V2 and O2 cables, Genesis loudspeakers, and Merrill Audio Components. Nordost could also be seen in the Gershman Acoustic room, where our Odin 2 Cables were sounding fantastic, as always.

Nordost Playlist – November 2019

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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 November.

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

  1. Kanskje—Kari Bremnes—Det vi har
  2. Slide—James Bay—Electric Light
  3. Paint It, Black—Ciara—Paint It, Black
  4. The Girl From Ipanema—Nat King Cole, Gregory Porter—Ultimate Nat King Cole
  5. Main Girl—Charlotte Cardin—Main Girl EP
  6. Grey—Ani DiFranco—Canon
  7. Iron—Gundelach—Baltus
  8. I Feel It Like You—Malia, Boris Blank—Convergence
  9. Hurricanes—Dido—Still on My Mind
  10. Burn the Witch—Radiohead—A Moon Shaped Pool

 

Questions and Answers: QSOURCE

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We thought that we would take the opportunity to share some of our most recent and frequently asked questions about the QSOURCE Linear Power Supply here, so that everyone can get the answers they are looking for!

I have seen the QSOURCE used with the new QPOINT Resonance Synchronizer in reviews, but can it be used with other components too?

The QSOURCE serves as an upgraded power supply for Nordost’s QPOINT Resonance Synchronizers, and is constructed with four, 5V outputs designated specifically for QPOINTS. However, it was also designed as a replacement for the noise-inducing, inconsistent switch mode power supplies that feed music servers, network switches, routers, NAS drives, DC phono stages, DC DACs etc. To accommodate these devices, the QSOURCE provides two outlets that can supply “9V, 12V, or 19V” and “12V, 19V, or 24V” respectively, which can be chosen to match the requirements of your electronics.

Where should I place the QSOURCE in my system? Do I have to plug it into my distribution bar, or can it be plugged directly into the wall?

While you can certainly plug the QSOURCE into your distribution bar, if you don’t have any space available on your QB4, QB8, or whatever product you use in your system, you can plug the QSOURCE directly into the wall. In terms of placement, the QSOURCE can be positioned anywhere on or around your audio rack in a well-ventilated space. Just make sure that the vents both on the top and bottom of the unit are unobstructed at all times.

Is there a difference between the QSOURE DC Cables that you use to power the QPOINT and the QSOURCE DC Cables you use to power other components?

While the cable itself is the same, Nordost offers three termination options for the QSOURCE DC Cable: LEMO to LEMO, LEMO to 5mm x 2.1mm barrel connector, and LEMO to 5mm x 2.5mm barrel connector. The LEMO to LEMO connectors are intended for use with Nordost’s QPOINT Resonance Synchronizers. When connecting any other device to the QSOURCE, you have to verify the required termination for your device from its manufacturer.

Do you need to own a QSOURCE in order to use your QPOINT?

No, when you purchase a QPOINT it comes with a switch-mode power supply so that you can use it immediately, without any additional purchases. However, if you want to get the most out of the QPOINT, we suggest that you introduce a QSOURCE Linear Power Supply into your system for a significant upgrade.

Toronto Auidofest 2019 Recap

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Nordost was proud to be represented by so many stellar systems at this year’s Toronto Audiofest. Our cabling, power products, and audio enhancers could be found in over eight rooms—all of them a sonic treat! We would like to say a special thank you to our partners in the Gershman Acoustic/Krell/VPI, Audio Eden, Woo Audio, Electronic Depot, Hegel, Goerner/Grandinote, Audio by Marc Jones, and Executive Audio rooms who all featured our cables in their set-ups. In the Nordost room, we had wonderful results demoing our new QPOINT Resonance Synchronizers and QSOURCE Linear Power Supplies in their Canadian debut. These award-winning new products were highlighted in an all Odin 2 system supported by the Gershman Acoustic POSH loudspeakers and Moon by SimAudio components. For those of you who couldn’t make it to Toronto this year, here are a few of our favorite images from the event.

NORDOST ROOM

GOERNER / GRANDINOTE ROOM

“Was I in a hotel room? Couldn’t tell, because the sound coming from a pair of Grandinote Mach 9 speakers with carbon fiber enclosures, a Grandinote 37Wpc Shinai integrated amp , and a Grandinote Volta music server, with cabling by Nordost, completely obliterated the walls around me. I was somewhere else… The sound was so spacious, with such luscious tone.” – Robert Schryer, Stereophile

AUDIO BY MARK JONES ROOM

GERSHMAN / KRELL / VPI ROOM

“This Gershman/Krell/VPI system hit all the right buttons for me: velvety flow, bloom, beauty, layered soundstage, natural sound, detail, and even ribcage-rattling bass. (I felt it!)” – Robert Schryer, Stereophile

HEGEL ROOM

AUDIO EDEN

“warm, rich, and highly engaging sound.” — Robert Schryer, Stereophile

AUDIO EXCELLENCE ROOM

ELECTRONIC DEPOT ROOM

EXECUTIVE AUDIO ROOM

“…the music that filled the room sounded rich and full, even at very low volume, with wonderful color and tactility.” — Robert Schryer, Stereophile

WOO AUDIO ROOM

Hi-Fi+ Reviews the QPOINT and QSOURCE

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When the QPOINT Resonance Synchronizer and the QSOURCE Linear Power Supply were introduced to the public in Spring of this year, there was already a line of people waiting to get their hands on these innovative new products. The first in line was Alan Sircom. In his review, freshly published in Hi-Fi+, Alan describes his experience integrating both the QPOINT and the QSOURCE into his system. Sircom likens our new QRT products to the “cherry on top” of your system.

“The music sounds more ‘right’ and musicians sound more like they are playing together with QPoints in place…you tend to notice an increased sense of dynamic freedom to the sound.”  – Alan Sircom, Hi-Fi+

Alan’s QPOINT and QSOURCE review is now available to read here:  Nordost QPOINT harmonisers and QSOURCE power supply 

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

Trade Shows — Fall 2019

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Nordost’s Fall show season is in full-swing! Music lovers and audiophiles alike will have the opportunity to hear Nordost’s wide range of cable offerings, as well as our power products, and resonance control devices on world-class systems. These demonstrations are the best way to understand the dramatic upgrade that introducing a proper foundation can have on your sound system. This season, we will be focusing our presentations on some of the newest products in the Nordost arsenal, our critically acclaimed QPOINT Resonance Synchronizer and QSOURCE Linear Power Supply. We hope to see you at one of these great events around the world!

Autumn Pulse Show – Oslo

Join us at HøstPULS 2019 in Oslo, Norway, where Nordost product specialist Dennis Bonotto will be showcasing our new QPOINT Resonance Synchronizer and QSOURCE Linear Power Supply!

October 11th – 13th

Toronto Audio Fest 2019

Come and see Nordost at the Toronto Audio Fest! Please join us, October 18th – 20th, at The Westin Toronto Airport Hotel. Throughout the show, our sales representatives and product specialists, Bruno de Lorimier and Michael Taylor, will be performing live demonstrations and product comparisons, in the Balmoral room. The Toronto 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.  Admission is free to the public, so we hope to see you there!

Stereonet Hi-Fi Show 2019

“Australia’s greatest exhibition of Hi-Fi, Home Cinema, Headphones and Home Entertainment will take place in Melbourne, October 18th – 20th, 2019, showcasing both Australian and international hi-fi and home cinema brands in one place, across three great days.”

Join us to hear some great music with our new QPOINT Resonance Synchronizer and QSOURCE Linear Power Supply!

Paris Audio Video Show

Join us at the Paris Audio Video Show, alongside our tremendous French distributor, PPL!

October 19th–20th at the New Cap Event Center / Novotel Paris Tour Eiffel

UK Hi-Fi Show Live

Nordost will be at the UK hi-fi Show Live, supported by our UK Distributor, Renaissance Audio!  We’ll be alongside VPI and MOON in rooms 308-310 at the Ascot Racecourse Grandstand.  Join us October 26th and 27th.

Capital AudioFest

We will be joining our friends and partners at VPI to take Capital AudioFest by storm! You have never heard vinyl sound so good. If you are in the DC area, November 1-3, there is no better place to discover the latest in hifi and enjoy some fantastic sounding music.

Audio Video Show 2019 – Warsaw

Join us in Warsaw, Poland for the Audio Video Show, November 8th-10th! You can find us alongside our distributor Audio Center at the National Stadium (Stadium Narodowy) in Skybox 212, along with Moon and Monitor Audio.  Hope to see you there!

 

Dealer Spotlight: Quebec Acoustique

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 By Bruno de Lorimier

Quebec Acoustique’s history goes back to 2001 when the owner, Richard Desjardins, an audio enthusiast with a computer programming background, asked himself, ‘’Why not turn my main hobby into my everyday job?’’ So, with that in mind, out of his own home in Blainville (just north of Montreal), Quebec Acoustique was founded. At the beginning, Richard’s business focus was mainly on Home Theater. He was one of the first to develop an online business selling projectors, AV receivers, speakers, and projector screens across Canada. With its growing success, office space and warehouse capacity became an issue, so the company moved to a larger location with a bigger warehouse in an industrial area.  As a result, shipping logistics and efficiency were greatly improved. Furthermore, there was now room for a small showroom as well!  Richard would now need some help. Luckily for him, he met Martin Pelletier, who had a strong background in Home Automation— a welcomed attribute in filling the new position. Not long after, William, Richard’s son, having a strong interest in Hi-Fi audio as well, joined the company. With his addition to the team, Quebec Acoustique’s fields of expertise now covered Home Theater, Home Automation, and Hi-Fi stereo systems!

A couple of years later, Quebec Acoustique’s team moved again into another new space, still in Blainville, with a much larger warehouse for stocking a large quantity of home automation gear.  Thanks to this move, Quebec Acoustique is now able to offer multiple sound rooms that can offer more diverse demo possibilities.  Today, Quebec Acoustique is composed of a team of seven awesome guys and consummate sales and installation professionals, whose dedication is to offer the best possible personal experience, customer service, and satisfaction.

Over the past 3 to 4 years, Quebec Acoustique has brought in many well-known audio and video brands including Nordost, Naim, Rega, Dynaudio, NAD Master, Monitor Audio, SVS and many more, offering a wide price range for their customers to choose from. The staff is conscious that every home theater, home automation, and hi-fi system requires good cabling. Before adding Nordost to their offerings, I was told that everyone on the Quebec Acoustique team was familiar with Nordost’s great reputation around the world, and was excited at the prospect of carrying such a prestigious brand of cables and accessories.

Here’s what Richard, the owner said: ‘’We believe that great business comes from both the dealer and the manufacturer, and with Nordost’s incredible professionalism and knowledge, we can’t wait to introduce their products to our beloved customers! We’re looking forward on having a great relationship with Nordost!’’ … And the feeling is mutual!

The whole team at Nordost is very pleased to welcome Quebec Acoustique to the family, and we look forward to a long-lasting relationship.

High Fidelity Reviews the QPOINT

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Some reviews stand above the rest. That is exactly the case with Wojciech Pacuta’s article on the QPOINT in this month’s edition of High Fidelity magazine. In his review, he says that the QPOINT may be “one of the most valuable improvements to [a] system”. In reading this piece, you’ll get a detailed description of just what our Resonance Synchronizers bring to a system— including a deeper and more nuanced sound, and a treble that becomes fluid and better articulated.

“I treat the QPoint as a fully fledged device, as valuable as anti-vibration feet, a power strip, platforms, etc. These are not ‘additions’, but as important elements of the audio system as any other ones… it will appear that life is not possible without it. 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

It’s no wonder that Wojciech awarded the QPOINT the REDFingerprint Award!

You can now read Wojciech’s full review here: Nordost QPOINT — Resonance Synchronizer

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

 

Nordost Playlist – October 2019

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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 October.

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

  1. Stay High—Brittany Howard—Jaime
  2. Lean On Me—José James—Lean On Me
  3. Nameless—Dominique Fils-Aimé—Nameless
  4. I Used to Be Somebody—June Carter Cash—Press On
  5. Holy Terrain—FKA twigs, Future—Holy Terrain
  6. Walking in Memphis—Marc Cohn—Marc Cohn
  7. New Favorite—Alison Krauss & Union Station—New Favorite
  8. Honey and Smoke—Neko Case, k.d. lang, Laura Veirs—case/lang/veirs
  9. Crazy—Bill Frisell—East/West
  10. The Pure and the Damned—Oneohtrix Point Never, Iggy Pop—Good Time

Upcoming Dealer Events – Fall 2019

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Nordost has a busy Fall ahead of us!  We hope to see you at some of these great events.

Holm Audio Event

Holm Audio, just outside of Chicago, is the perfect place to spend an evening learning about your favorite hifi components and listening to great music. Don’t miss this special event at the Holm Audio showroom in Woodridge, October 3rd from 4 to 9pm. Nordost will be there all night, performing demonstrations of our fantastic products, including the NEW QPOINT Resonance Synchronizer and QSOURCE Linear Power Supply.

Holm Audio

October 3rd

4pm to 9pm

2050 West 75th St Woodridge, IL

RSVP: (630) 663-1298 / info@holmaudio.com

JS Audio Event

Come and join us for a night of demonstrations, comparisons, and great music! JS Audio, in Bethesda, MD, is hosting an event Thursday, October 10th, from 5 to 9pm. Nordost will be there to present some amazing products and perform demonstrations of our new QPOINT and QSOURCE. These demos were recognized as the best demonstrations at this year’s Rocky Mountain Audio Fest by The Absolute Sound!  We hope that everyone in the DC area will be there to join in for this fantastic opportunity to hear these products at their best!

JS Audio

October 10th

5pm to 9om

4919 St. Elmo Ave Bethesda, MD 20814

RSVP: (301) 656-7020

Excel Audio Event

Excel Audio welcomes everyone in the Newport Beach area to a special hifi event, at their showroom on October 13th from 2-5pm. Join us for an afternoon of cable comparisons and product demonstrations, as Nordost’s Mike Marko, takes you through Nordost’s product line. Event attendees may even walk away with a free giveaway! 

Excel Audio

October 13th

2pm to 5pm  

4678 Campus Drive, Newport Beach, CA 92660

RSVP: (949) 933-1599 / mrose@excelaudio.us

Trek or Treat

Get into the holiday spirit with AV Therapy! We will be celebrating the best way we know how: great sounding music! Come and join us for a night of demonstrations, cable comparisons, and costumes at the AV Therapy showroom in Nashua, NH on October 25th from 6:30 to 9:30pm. Since it’s Halloween, if you come to the event dressed to impress, Star Trek-themed or otherwise, you get a prize!

AV Therapy

October 25th

6:30 to 9:30

216 Daniel Webster Highway Nashua, NH 03060

RSVP: (508) 888-9777

 

Absolute AV Fall Open House

We can’t wait to see you at Absolute AV’s Fall Open House, November 1st and 2nd in Calgary! This fantastic event will feature B&W’s Formation suite of products as well as Nordost’s new QRT products, the QPOINT Resonance Synchronizer and QSOURCE Linear Power Supply. Representatives from both B&W and Nordost will be in attendance throughout both days of the event, from 2pm to 8pm, to demonstrate this amazing gear for you. If you are in the Calgary area, make sure you take advantage of this exciting hifi event!

Absolute AV

November 1st-2nd

2 to 8pm

Unit #100 6303 Bowness Rd NW Calgary, AB T3B 0E6

Holm Audio Fall Event

Holm Audio is putting on another fabulous event at their showroom in Woodridge, IL. Come and join us on Tuesday, November 5th to hear how a first-rate system can transform the music you love! You don’t want to miss out on this opportunity to learn what our products have to offer your home audio system. A Nordost representative and product specialist will be on hand, performing demonstrations and answering questions throughout the night!

Holm Audio

November 5th

4pm to 9pm

2050 West 75th St Woodridge, IL

RSVP: (630) 663-1298 / info@holmaudio.com

3mA Presents Nordost, Audio Research, and Bowers & Wilkins

Get ready for a musical evening featuring your favorite brands! 3mA Audio is inviting you to an excellent event featuring components from Audio Research, Bowers & Wilkins, and, of course, Nordost. Join us for a night filled with new products, informative demonstrations, and music played at its best! If you are a hifi-enthusiast in the Houston area, this is an event you won’t want to miss.

3mA Audio

November 14th

5pm to 9pm

1431 W. Alabama St. Houston, TX 77007

RSVP: (832) 530-4716 / sales@3maaudio.com

Soundings Event

Come and join us for a night of demonstrations, comparisons and great music! Soundings, in Denver, CO, is hosting a Nordost event November 14th, from 5-8pm. Nordost sales representative, Mike Marko, will be in attendance, giving guests an introduction to our line of hifi audio cables and power products, including our new QPOINT Resonance Synchronizer and QSOURCE Linear Power Supply. 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

November 14th

5pm to 8pm

8101 E. Belleview Ave Suite X-1 Denver, CO

RSVP: (303) 759-5505 / jess@soundingshifi.com

The Sound Environment Grand Opening – Kansas City

We are honored to join The Sound Environment at the Grand Opening of their new store in Kansas City! Come and see music done right in their incredible new showroom. To help celebrate, Nordost sales representative, Mike Marko, will be in attendance, giving guests an opportunity to see how our products can transform an audio system. Stop by on November 21st between 11am and 8pm, for what is sure to be an exciting day!

The Sound Environment

November 21st

11am to 8 pm

1611 Oak St. Kansas City, Mo

RSVP (402) 391-3842 / dane@soundenvironment.com

JS Audio Event

If you’re in the DC area, be sure to stop by JS Audio, Saturday, December 7th, for what is sure to be an amazing evening! Nordost’s representative and product specialist, Steve Greene, will be on hand performing demonstrations and answering questions. Take advantage of this opportunity to hear, first-hand, what providing a proper foundation to your sound system can do!

JS Audio

December 7th

5pm to 9pm

4919 St. Elmo Ave. Bethesda, MD 20814

RSVP: (301) 656-7020