Some insights into the Nordost products with the the new Questions and Answers November 2014 session:
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!
Is it safe to run my Nordost speaker cables under carpets?
Nordost’s loudspeaker cables are made with extruded FEP, and as a result they are extremely durable. They were designed with installation in mind. Not only will you have no problem running your cables under carpets and rugs, but they can also be folded or bent to get around corners without delaminating or damaging the insulation
I have read several reviews in different magazines about your Sort Kones. I have read enough positive reports to believe that they work well, but I would like to understand HOW they work.
Sort Kones work like diodes by channeling mechanical energy to ground. The ball bearing within the device acts like any sphere would, moving energy away from the upper pivot point. This energy is then moved down into the lower plate, where the ball bearing makes contact, where it is then dispersed.
I have recently purchased a new pair of Nordost speaker cables, and I have heard that the more they are used, the better they will sound. How long will it take for my new speaker cables to sound their best?
Yes, what you have heard is true, cables do sound better after extended use. It is a process that we like to call “burn-in”. The very best way to burn-in a set of cables is to have them burned-in by your Nordost dealer on the VIDAR burn-in machine for about 100hrs. They will burn-in on your system over time, but the VIDAR really makes a huge difference. The VIDAR is designed to put a very wide band signal of varying amplitude through the cables connected to it. In the normal course of use, cables such as tonearm and analog interconnects never get a high level of signal. This means it can take a long time for them to burn-in fully. The VIDAR speeds up this process by the combination of frequencies it puts through the cables. The results from the VIDAR will always be better than any other burn-in method used.
I would like to buy some short runs of cabling, but before I make my purchase, are there any minimum cable lengths that Nordost recommends using?
Nordost cables can run over longer distances with less signal loss than those of other brands due to the use of extruded FEP insulation and Micro Mono-Filament technology. However, on the other end of the spectrum, the shortest lengths of Nordost cables that we recommend for optimum performance are as follows:
Power Cords – 2 meters
Analog Interconnects – 1 meter
Digital Interconnects – 1.5 meters
Tonearm Cables – 1.25 meters
Loudspeaker Cables – 2 meters