ARTICLE: ORIGINS OF NORDOST

29 November 2021

THE EARLY DAYS

Nordost was founded in Massachusetts in 1991. Nordost manufactures audio cables, power distribution systems, grounding systems and resonance control devices for the high-end market. Their original Flatline cable was the first flat loudspeaker cable to use FEP (Fluorinated Ethene Propylene). All Nordost cables use a flexible FEP insulation originally developed by DuPont. All Nordost products are manufactured at their facilities in the USA.

Nordost produces five ranges of cable products (Lifestyle, Leif, Norse 2, Valhalla 2, Odin Supreme Reference). In addition to power cables and interconnect cable, digital cable and loudspeaker the company also manufactures the QRT line of products. power purifiers and grounding systems and a line of Sort System vibration controlling devices. In 2014, Nordost introduced the first American-made HDMI cable. The Blue Heaven HDMI cable uses Nordost's proprietary Micro Mono-Filament construction and is DPL certified.

 

DEVELOPING INTO A SUPERCOMPANY FOR AUDIO CABLES

Nordost also applies a unique strategy by allowing users to test their products in comparison with products from other firms. This confidence has helped Nordost cables become famous quickly and won the hearts of the audiophiles.

The cable model that helped Nordost enter the high-end audio world is SPM, which stands for three English words: Speed, Accuracy and Musicality. SPM was debuted in 1997, combining the optimized flattened structure, silver-plated OFC conductor. Very quickly, SPM became the reference model for both the reviewer and the audiophile. Along with the introduction of new wire models, Nordost has never forgotten the task of developing technology to support its products. First is the appearance of Micro Mono-Filament technology which creating an air dielectric layer. This technology first appeared on the Quattro-fil interconnect cable. The wire still uses stranded conductors, but it applied a series of technologies that, by nature, are the result of long-term research on wire performance. In addition, it is unable not to mention other extra technologies such as anti-static surface treatment ECO 3 and the development of the CBID cable burn-in device. 

   

HIGH-END MATERIALS FOR HIGH-END INVENTION

To understand Nordost, and to understand Nordost’s products, you first have to have a clear understanding of the technology that we have developed over the years and use as the defining features of our cable ranges. To clarify those technological capstones, we have put together a brief explanation of some of Nordost’s technologies to help you better navigate our product offerings.

 

(MONO-FILAMENT)

Mono-Filament technology refers to Nordost’s patented process of separating the conductor from its FEP insulation. During production, each conductor is intricately and uniformly wrapped in either a single strand (Micro), or a twisted pair (Dual) of FEP Mono-Filament, before being encased in an extruded layer of high quality FEP. This highly precise process allows every conductor to be surrounded by its own air dielectric. This revolutionary insulation process is directly responsible for the dramatic increase of signal speeds and excellent mechanical damping found in Nordost cables.

 

(FLAT SPEAKER CABLE)

Due to the intricate extrusion process that Nordost employs, we are the only audio cable manufacturer able to achieve a flat cable geometry in our speaker cables. The flat nature of Nordost’s cables enables the following benefits: an increase in signal transfer speeds, the elimination of strand interaction, the optimization of the mechanical spacing and layout of conductors, a decrease in skin effect, and a reduction of physical surface contact.

 

(MECHANICALLY TUNED)

By analyzing the natural resonances of conductors, we have derived a proprietary formula to determine the optimal length of each cable, according to their unique geometry. By ensuring that the conductors are cut to these specific lengths, we maximize the sonic performance of our cables, eliminating timing errors.

 

(TOTAL SIGNAL CONTROL)

In utilizing TSC shielding on our Supreme Reference cables, we are able to maintain the integrity of signal transfer while protecting our cables from the electrical pollution produced by RFI and EMI. When paired with our patented HOLO:PLUG® connectors, TSC provides 100% total shield coverage without the rigidity that is associated with other shielded cables.

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