Nordost Playlist – February 2016

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 February.

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  1. Armor—Sister Crayon—Devoted
  2. Go Slow—Tei Shi—Verde
  3. I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)—Sleeping At Last—Covers, Vol. 1
  4. Maracatu—Kodo—Mondo Head
  5. Words You Said—Deru—Trying To Remember
  6. Overcome—Laura Mvula, Nile Rodgers—Overcome
  7. Take It All—Ruelle—Take It All
  8. The American—Marin Sexton—The American
  9. Master Blaster (Jammin’)—Jen Chapin—Revisions: The Songs of Stevie Wonder
  10. Soap Box Preacher—Robbie Robertson—Storyville

Introducing the Ax Angel Microphone Cable and Loudspeaker Cable

AX ANGEL MICROPHONE CABLE

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In order to produce a high quality reproduction of sound, both for stage as well as in recording scenarios, it is extremely critical that the microphone cable being used can accurately and effortlessly convey the range in frequency, dynamics, and emotion of the music and vocals being performed. The Ax Angel Microphone Cable guarantees the bandwidth and transfer speeds necessary to generate that much coveted, authentic sound. The Ax Angel Microphone cable is constructed using 4 x 24 AWG stranded, OFC conductors, which have been wrapped in Nordost’s proprietary Micro Mono-Filament technology. They are then enclosed in a layer of extruded, high performance FEP and protected with a braided shield. As an added precaution against the strain microphone cables are subjected to from constant plugging and unplugging, Nordost has added an Aramid Fiber Strength Member to its cable design. This strength member not only ruggedizes the cable by increasing its mechanical integrity, but the resonating properties of Aramid fibers also enhance sound quality.

The standard option for the Ax Angel Microphone Cable is female XLR to male XLR. However Nordost’s microphone cable is also available in specialized terminations including 1/4 inch mono phono, 1/4 inch stereo phono and RCA terminations.

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AX ANGEL LOUDSPEAKER CABLE

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The Ax Angel Loudspeaker Cable is comprised of two, stranded, 16 gauge OFC conductors. What sets this speaker cable apart from any other in the Pro Audio market? The Ax Angel Speaker Cable is improved exponentially thanks to Nordost’s proprietary Micro Mono-Filament technology. First developed for Nordost’s reference-level hifi audio cables, Mono-Filament technology has revolutionized sonic transmission.

In an ideal world, conductors would be completely suspended in air (the best known dielectric). In a real-world application, however, this is an unrealistic possibility. Nordost’s Mono- Filament technology is the only solution that combines the fast transmission speed of an air dielectric with the flexibility needed in an audio cable. By winding a mono-filament strand of FEP around each conductor before enclosing both in an FEP extrusion, only a small portion of the conductor is making

contact with the FEP insulation, suspending it in a virtual air- dielectric. This air gap reduces the insulation contact by 80% and guarantees the low capacitance, resistance and inductance needed in order to transmit audio signals with virtually no loss in information.

The Ax Angel Speaker Cable is available with both 1/4 inch phono and Speakon connectors to accommodate the most common terminations needed in a Pro Audio application.

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Pictures from Nordost Nation!

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!

 

Ljudmakarn's system is outfitted with Nordost cables and QRT power products

Ljudmakarn’s system is outfitted with Nordost cables and QRT power products

Tom Shope shared these great pictures of his Sort Füt and Heimdall 2 Speaker Cables!

Tom Shope shared these great pictures of his Sort Füt and Heimdall 2 Speaker Cables!

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Padood ltd shared this system with Heimdall 2 Speaker Cables!

Padood ltd shared this system with Heimdall 2 Speaker Cables!

System Reference GmbH shared YG Acoustics Carmel 2 with Nordost Heimdall 2 cables

System Reference GmbH shared YG Acoustics Carmel 2 with Nordost Heimdall 2 cables

Av Excellence shared this great shot of our Norse Bi-Wire Jumpers

Av Excellence shared this great shot of our Norse Bi-Wire Jumpers

Michel gives a demonstration on our QBASE Power Distribution unit at Hifi Bordeaux!

Michel gives a demonstration on our QBASE Power Distribution unit at Hifi Bordeaux!

System Reference GmbH shared this picture of some Valhalla 2 Speaker Cables

System Reference GmbH shared this picture of some Valhalla 2 Speaker Cables

Michael Mercer shared this shot and said, "GOTTA have Nordost Cables Quantum makin' sure my power arrives CLEAN and with the gusto I need so my music just FLOWS :) "

Michael Mercer shared this shot and said, “GOTTA have Nordost Cables Quantum makin’ sure my power arrives CLEAN and with the gusto I need so my music just FLOWS 🙂 “

Inner Ear Magazine's Ernie Fisher enjoying the Nordost room at TAVES

Inner Ear Magazine’s Ernie Fisher enjoying the Nordost room at TAVES

Dealer Spotlight: Nuts About HiFi

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Nuts About HiFi has been primarily serving the Olympic Peninsula and Seattle communities packaging carefully crafted home entertainment systems. Founded in 1985, Nuts About HiFi has thirty years of vast experience in all types and configurations; two channel, multi channel or fully automated distributed systems.

Nuts about HiFi is more than just a small shop, it’s a culture of music enthusiasts whom care about their customer’s needs and the systems in which they craft. They’re extremely focused on the brands they support, having filleted and sifted through products in all categories and through this distilling process they’ve ended up with just ten brands which they call “the best of the best”. Nordost is proud to be a partner and a part of Nuts About HiFi’s offerings.

We encourage you to pick up the phone and make an appointment or just swing by.

Jim Lee

Here, Jim, Nuts About HiFi’s owner, recounts the “totally true” story of how he was drawn to HiFi:

Jim Lee’s story began in a small Inuit village just outside of Nome, Alaska. Born to a prominent Inuit spiritual chief and a Korean mother. Jim recalls his first experience with live performance, “Dad used to bless the elders when they would go out to sea to harvest walrus blubber during the winter ice freeze. He used to bang on our families six hundred year old ceremonial drum, in this case a caribou skin. I was just six years old at the time, but it was at this point which I was hooked – since then, I’ve been on a never-ending quest to recreate the authentic sound of those ancient indigenous instruments. This has been my driving force and it’s brought to where I am today, trying to find the best audio products conceivable and connect with the great Inuit elders from my past. I love you, Dad!”

Introducing the Blue Heaven Headphone Cable

lg-Blue Heaven Headphone Cable_With HeadphonesDue to all the success that our Heimdall 2 Headphone Cable has received, Nordost is answering consumer demands by providing a lower-priced solution! The Blue Heaven Headphone Cable, is a profound improvement over the sub-standard, detachable wire provided with many headphones. Using our Micro Mono-Filament, Litz construction, FEP extrusion and an Aramid fiber strength member, the Blue Heaven Headphone Cable is the best interface for mid to high level headphones. Unlike the Heimdall 2 version, Nordost’s newest headphone cable is terminated with a 3.5mm stereo mini plug and is provided with a threaded, 3.5mm to 6.3mm (1/4in) stereo phono adapter that easily and securely screws onto the original termination. The Blue Heaven Headphone Cable is compatible with many popular headphones on the market, and is available in 1.25m and 2m lengths.

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Learn More About The Blue Heaven Headphone Cable Here

 

Nordost at CES 2016 Recap

Nordost started the year once again at CES. As always, CES is a great time to catch up with dealers from all over the US, and our international distributors. It is also a wonderful opportunity to introduce new products. This year we introduced our Tyr 2 Digital 75 and 110 Ohm cables, our first two Ethernet cables in our Heimdall 2 and Blue Heaven ranges, and our Blue Heaven Headphone Cable. In addition to the new products that were featured in our room, CES attendees were able to see several Nordost products in systems throughout the show.

 

The Nordost Room:

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Our Headphone Cables were also on display, including our new Blue Heaven model:

 

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Our Pro Audio Ax Angel cables were on display:

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Nordost cables were also used throughout the show in many fantastic systems!

VTL’s system used Odin 2: IMG_4782

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TAD used Tyr 2 cables:

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Nola’s system used Odin 2 and QRT:

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Hegel’s room used Heimdall 2, Blue Heaven, QRT and Sort Kones:

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Thanks to everyone who came out!  Including Graham Nash!

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Introducing Nordost Ethernet Cables!

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Nordost is further broadening its range of digital cables by introducing the Blue Heaven and Heimdall 2 Ethernet Cables to their lineup. These cables are the solution that digitally-driven hifi enthusiasts have been waiting for, allowing Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices and music streaming to be fully integrated into a hifi system while improving its sonic performance. These are fully shielded cables, terminated with high quality 8P8C/RJ45 connectors. Nordost’s new Ethernet cables meet the demands for high-speed data and increased bandwidth, achieving speeds of up to 600 MHz for the Blue Heaven, and 1000 MHz for the Heimdall 2.

Learn more here:

Blue Heaven Ethernet Cable

Heimdall 2 Ethernet Cable

 


Introducing the Tyr 2 Digital Interconnect

Digital signal transfer is one of the most delicate processes in hifi. Due to their fragile nature,digital signals rely on exacting impedance matching and precisely defined transmission standards (S/PDIF and AES/EBU) in order to achieve accurate data transfer. Without these strict transmission standards it would be impossible to yield a satisfactory performance level from today’s high-resolution digital audio servers. However, several supposedly dedicated digital cables deviate significantly from these exacting impedance characteristics, resulting in severe digital degradation—not Tyr 2.

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Tyr 2 S/PDIF and AES/EBU digital leads are produced using cutting-edge technology, adherence to standards, and precision in workmanship. This extra attention given to our cables during the production phase guarantees the tight tolerance of characteristic impedance necessary to ensure greater musical detail, virtually unimpeded by timing errors or destructive jitter. At their base, both the 75 Ohm and 110 Ohm cables are constructed using silver-plated, solid core, conductors which are suspended in Nordost’s patented Dual Mono-Filament technology, creating a virtual air dielectric. They also both benefit from the implementation of mechanically tuned lengths, which have been meticulously calculated to reduce internal microphony and high frequency impedance resonance in the cable. The combination of these technologies yields cables with the extreme bandwith necessary to accomplish zero-loss data transfer.

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The function of these two cables is dictated by their differences in design and build. Tyr 2 75 Ohm S/PDIF Digital Interconnects employ a coaxial design and are terminated with gold-plated Neutrik BNC connectors for correct impedance matching. All Tyr 2 75 Ohm Interconnects are supplied with gold-plated RCA adapters to accommodate their function. Tyr 2 110 Ohm AES/EBU Digital Interconnects use a twinaxial design and are terminated with gold-plated Neutrik XLR connectors, ensuring that they maintain constant impedance throughout the cabling, as well as across terminations.

Nordost’s Tyr 2 Digital Interconnects are designed, manufactured, and terminated in the USA. Both the S/PDIF and AES/EBU versions start at one meter lengths and are available in additional half-meter increments.

 

75 Ohm S/PDIF:

• Coaxial Design

• 1 X18 AWG Conductor

• Dual Mono-Filament

• Mechanically Tuned

• Gold-plated True 75 Ohm Neutrik BNC Connectors

• Gold-plated BNC-RCA Adapters

• Handcrafted in the USA

 

110 Ohm AES/EBU:

• Twinaxial Design

• 2 X19 AWG Conductors

• Dual Mono-Filament

• Mechanically Tuned

• Gold-plated True 110 Ohm Neutrik XLR Connectors

• Handcrafted in the USA

Nordost Playlist – January 2016

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 January.

playlist_january_16

  1. Satellite of love—Lou Reed—Transformer
  2. Let It Be Me—Ray LaMontagne—Gossip In The Grain
  3. Open—Rhye—Woman
  4. Stairway to Heaven—Rodrigo y Gabriela—Rodrigo y Gabriela
  5. No One Wants It to Happen to You—Small Black—Best Blues
  6. Beng Beng Beng—Femi Kuti—Shoki Shoki
  7. Wishing Well—Michael Ruff—Speaking in Melodies
  8. I Can’t Tell You Why—Diana Krall—Wallflower (The Complete Sessions)
  9. La Procesión—Kevin Johansen—Sur o No Sur
  10. Ballad of Bill Hubbard—Roger Waters—Amused to Death

Questions and Answers (December 2015)

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!


Q: I saw a picture of the Nordost room at one of the trade shows that you were exhibiting at last year and noticed something on the bottom of the loudspeakers you were using. Are those similar to the Kones that you produce? Do they work under all loudspeakers?

A: The devices that you saw in our demonstration system attached to the bottom of the loudspeakers are our Sort Füt. The Sort Füt, like our Sort Kone, is a resonance control device and it is based on the same principles. The Sort Füt and Sort Kone address both internal and external vibrations. They allow the vibrations generated within audio components (and in the Sort Füt’s case, loudspeakers and audio racks) to be drained out through ceramic ball-bearings which act like mechanical diodes, without letting external vibrations in. What distinguishes the Sort Füt from the Sort Kone is that the Sort Füt is constructed with three ceramic balls to deal with the extra weight of, and vibration created by loudspeakers. The Sort Füt also includes a threaded rod to attach itself to the loudspeaker. While components simply rest on the point of the Sort Kone, it is important that loudspeakers and audio racks be attached to the Sort Füt for added stability. Nordost provides three standard thread sizes which accommodate a majority of loudspeakers and audio racks on the market. However, there is a complete list of additional threads which can be ordered if needed.  Sort Füt 1


Q: I have run out of room on my QB8 unit. I would like to purchase another one, but I want to know if there is a way that I can connect those two units?

A: Yes, we often “daisy chain” our QB8 units at trade shows so that we can take advantage of our QK1 and QV2 units. The best way to connect multiple QB8 units is to plug the first one into the wall, using the best possible power cord. Then you connect the second unit directly to the outlet labeled “Primary Earth”.

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Q: I am very pleased with the result of my new Nordost purchase, but I want to make sure that they stay in the best condition possible. What techniques should I use to maintain my Nordost cables?

A: You will be happy to know that the longer you have your cables, the better they will perform. If you follow our blog, you will already be familiar with the importance of cable burn in. Burning in your brand new cables on the Nordost Vidar machine will allow you to get the best results from your purchase. By using extremely wide bandwidth signal as well as a range of both ultra-low and high frequency sweeps, the Vidar stresses the conductors, neutralizes charges, improves the way that signals pass through metal and  ultrasonically conditions the surface of the conductors. It is these changes in both the conductor and insulation material that refine performance in audio cables. The same goes with periodical burn in maintenance. Even though you may use your cables every day, electrical equipment can experience current leakage, which gives a charge to your cables. By having your cables treated with the Vidar, you are conditioning them and allowing the charges to neutralize once again.

The second maintenance that I would recommend for your cables is using Anti-Static Treatment. Products like Nordost’s Eco 3X stop the slow build-up of static charge (which happens at an even faster rate in the winter months) that can negatively affect the performance of your audio equipment. Just use Eco 3X on your cable jacket and you will find a noticeable difference in the liveliness and clarity of your system’s performance.

eco 3x newsletter


Q: I am considering a cable upgrade for my system, but I don’t want to commit to replacing everything at once. Which cables should I start with?

A: I would recommend starting your cable upgrade with the most important cable in your system, which would be the power cord that feeds your entire system (from your wall to your distribution block).

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