As you advance through each of Nordost’s cable ranges, what you find is a progressive build upon the fundamental elements of great cabling. The Norse 2 family is the second tier in Nordost’s line, delivering the depth, precision and nuance previously only found in live performances.
Like Leif cables, the Norse 2 family uses silver-plated, OFC solid core conductors, extruded FEP insulation and a mechanically tuned construction. However, Norse 2 employs even further technological advances, unlocking the full potential a hifi audio system has to offer.
After years of extensive research and development, Nordost has perfected a proprietary technique called Mono-Filament technology that creates a virtual air dielectric by winding an FEP filament in a precise spiral around each individual conductor before extruding an outer FEP “sleeve” around it. By minimizing contact with the conductor, Mono-Filament technology lessens dielectric absorption while enhancing mechanical damping and geometrical precision.
In addition, Norse 2 family cables are the first to use asymmetrical grounding across the board, lowering the noise floor by increasing the ground quality. Nordost has also taken a step beyond its original mechanically tuned construction and introduced mechanically tuned lengths, reducing internal microphony and high-frequency impedance resonance.
Norse cables feature:
- Refinements to conductor dimensions, spacing, arrangement, and quantity.
- Mechanical characteristics fully match the already superior electrical performance.
- Incorporates genuinely state of the art AC and signal transmission technology into any audio system.
- Combines high technology, precision conductors and precision construction with the best, low-mass and mechanically optimized terminations.
- Use with today’s high-quality integrated CD players and amplifiers – or HD sources, high-performance processors and multichannel amps and you’ll be astonished by the musical performances that result.
Norse 2 Analog Interconnects:
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Nordost’s revolutionary asymmetrical cable topology is so simple yet so effective that it fits squarely in the “Why didn’t someone do that before?” category. Once you hear the results, you’ll wonder too… Great conductor technology lies at the heart of great cable design – but it’s not the whole story. How you use those conductors is just as important.
- Ultra-fast, low-loss conductors
- Optimized connector dimensions
- Shielded against RF interference
- Minimized microphonic susceptibility
- Solid signal grounds maintain signal to noise ratio
Micro Mono-Filament Technology:
- Superior electrical characteristics and musical performance
- Minimizes the impact of shielding on capacitance and dielectric absorption
- Effectively disperses undesirable energy generated from vibrating equipment
Tyr 2 | Frey 2 | Heimdall 2
Norse 2 Digital Interconnects:
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Norse 2 Speaker Cables:
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When it comes to speaker cables, Nordost’s flat construction doesn’t just look pretty; the parallel, multiple solid-core conductors used for each channel are the only construction that guarantees the combination of low capacitance, resistance and inductance that makes your amplifier’s job as easy as possible – and removes the “sound” of your cables as far from the music as possible.
So why doesn’t everyone do it this way? They would if they could, but… It’s only Nordost’s proprietary extruded FEP technology that allows these cables to be produced, creating flat wires that are thinner than a credit card, yet air-tight, geometrically incredibly precise and also tough; tough enough to live laid on the floor, under a carpet or even built into a wall. That’s why all the Norse Series speaker wires use our flat cable construction. When so many cable companies dress up anonymous conductors in woven nylon stockings or thick PVC outers, in a forlorn attempt to make them seem “sexy”, it’s reassuring to know that Nordost cables look distinctly different for a reason.
They sound different too; a lot different and a lot better! That might seem like a bold claim until you appreciate the fundamental electrical principals that make it fact.
Heimdall 2 Ethernet Cable:
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With the Heimdall 2 Ethernet Cable, hifi enthusiasts will not only be able to fully integrate Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices and music streaming into their systems, they will simultaneously be improving upon their sonic performance.
In order to achieve the improvements that it boasts, Nordost has developed a unique design that allows its cable to surpass industry standards. The Heimdall 2 Ethernet Cable consists of eight 23 AWG polymer insulated conductors, arranged in four individually shielded, twisted pairs, which are then wrapped in braided, silver-plated copper shielding, and encased within a high-density polymer insulation. This fully shielded cable construction virtually eliminates the crosstalk and electromagnetic interference (EMI) that has always afflicted previous network cables.
To additionally enhance the performance of their new Ethernet Cable, Nordost has implemented mechanical tuning. This process utilizes meticulously calculated lengths, which have been dictated by the geometry, material, and application of the cable, in order to reduce internal microphony and high frequency resonance. The precise cut of each conductor also ensures the uniform arrival of all signals, dramatically reducing timing errors. The resulting cable can support frequencies of 1000MHz and transmission speeds of up to 40Gbits/second, offering far more bandwidth than is needed for the typical data demands of today.
Norse 2 Headphone Cables:
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To take things to the next level, the Heimdall 2 Headphone Cable employs Nordost’s proprietary Micro Mono-Filament technology with extruded FEP insulation around the conductors, as well as mechanically tuned lengths, which reduce internal microphony and high-frequency impedance resonance. As a result, the Heimdall 2 Headphone Cable acts as the ideal conduit to transfer an amazingly realistic reproduction of sound from your system to your hifi headphones.
The Heimdall 2 Headphone Cable is available with a wide variety of termination options on the headphone end, and it is terminated with a 4 pin balanced XLR male connector on the source end. Each cable is 2M and includes two adaptors which are comprised of identical construction and technology as the headphone cable itself, and have also been cut to specific, mechanically tuned lengths. Both adaptors are terminated with a 4 pin balanced XLR female connector on one end and either a 3.5mm stereo mini or a 1/4in stereo phono on the opposite end. Due to the various terminations available, the Heimdall 2 Headphone Cable is compatible with all major players in the over-ear headphone market.
Heimdall 2 iKable:
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The second generation Norse series now makes it possible to deliver your digital music library with a clarity and precision not previously thought possible. The Heimdall 2 iKable combines silver-plated, OFC solid core conductors with Nordost’s proprietary Dual Mono-Filament technology, creating a virtual air dielectric for maximum mechanical dampening. Additionally, the Heimdall 2 iKable employs mechanically tuned lengths, further reducing internal microphonics and high frequency impedance resonance. The result is the ideal electrical and mechanically controlled construction for ultra-fast, low-loss signal transfer.
The Heimdall 2 iKable finally makes it possible to realize the full performance potential of portable audio devices. Whether applied in your car or home audio system, the dynamic effects that Norse 2 technology will achieve are remarkable.
Norse 2 Power Cords:
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The most musically coherent and involving performance you’ll ever have heard from your system and recordings.
- Real Instrumental Presence
- Explosive Dynamics
- Color
- Texture
- Intimacy
By employing Micro Mono-Filament construction in the Norse series power cords, we ensure an ultra-fast, low-loss and low impedance AC feed for your electronics, delivered without slowing or current limiting, allowing your system to respond to the dynamic demands of the musical signal.
By using silver plated, solid-core OFC conductors we maintain complete materials consistency with the Norse interconnects and speaker cables. Combine the Norse Series 2 power cords with a properly designed stargrounded distribution block, like the QRT Qb4 or Qb8, along with a dedicated clean ground for your audio system, and you’ll be creating the perfect power foundation to maximize system performance.
Norse 2 Tonearm Cables:
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The cable on your tonearm doesn’t just impact the signal from your pick-up; it actually affects its mechanical behavior too, making this the most critical signal cable in your system. Which makes it all the more amazing that so many tonearms are supplied with extremely basic leads. You wouldn’t pass the signal from a $4,000 CD player down a $25 lead – yet that’s exactly what many turntables do, and with a signal that’s more fragile to boot.
Both Heimdall and Frey offer electrically optimized, ultra low-loss cables, specifically designed for tonearm applications. They offer a wide range of appropriate termination options as standard, with special requirements available to order, as long as the necessary hardware is available.
Frey 2 | Heimdall 2