Renaissance: Inside Loud & Clear with Nordost and Future Shop

FutureShop has been a reference dealer for Nordost cables since 2009. This visit was conducted at Loud & Clear in Leith, Edinburgh, hosted by John Carroll. The listening session used the Moon 340i integrated amplifier and streamer.

 

Renaissance is Future Shop's portal into the mythical realm of Nordost cables. But they also have a shop in Leith.

It is in this shop, 'Loud & Clear', where John Carroll welcomed us to something of a renaissance in experiencing audio. 'Renaissance' comes from the French word for rebirth, reflecting the renewed interest in classical values and learning.

Before a single sound could be heard, John gave us our first lesson - the starting point for any good high-fidelity sound system - and simply closed the door. The silence was ... almost intimidating; like holding one's breath. We all talk about 'lowering the noise floor', but this little show was fundamental.

 

You're back in the room

In fairness, the meticulous degree of attention John has personally built into this feat in room acoustics is unlikely to exist in most living spaces.

It's a floating room with uneven dimensions - physically decoupled from the outer walls, floor, and ceiling. The floor is suspended on concrete columns, the walls are skinned with five different materials that attenuate sound energy, and the ceiling inclines at precisely 12°. The sides are decked with hand-cut wood beams – some rough-sawn, some smooth-finished in a deliberately random distribution and empty space between them and the wall – a 'diffraction wall'. Shamanistically-placed acoustic panels adorn each face. The back wall is lined with more records than John will ever play. There is a magic carpet (we think).

Everything in the room, including Coco the Pointer, is there to get the music to your ears with less reflection. John reminds us that 85% of the sound we hear is reflected; so, removing it all, à la anechoic chambers, is unnaturally weird. John's room is perfectly imperfect.

Very ear-opening, John. Now let's hear what the cables can do.

 

The power of knowledge, the Nordost way

Nordost is an American cable manufacturer founded in Holliston, Massachusetts, specialising in high-performance audio and video cables. Their designs are informed by aerospace and military signal transmission research, and the range is structured in tiers from the entry-level Leif 3 series through to the flagship Odin 2.

Nordost considers the power cord the most important link in a well-connected audio system. It's where noise first enters, and once it's there, the best you can do is not add any more. So, it's best to stop noise at the source.

Red Dawn 3 is top of Nordost's 'entry-level' Leif 3 range and possibly the 'sweet-spot' in their entire range. We've tested them thoroughly before (see our previous Leif 3 review).

What we were curious about today is comparing it to the higher range – the Norse 2 range.

	Red Dawn 3 (Leif 3)	Heimdall 2 (Norse 2)	Tyr 2 (Norse 2)
Range tier	Entry-level	Mid-range	Mid-range
Current handling	High-current capable (higher gauge)	Superior low-current cable	High-current capable
Build finish	Newer, printed ID blocks	Norse 2 construction	Superior Norse 2 construction
Best suited to	Power amplifiers and demanding loads	Sources, preamps, low-draw components	Power amplifiers requiring Norse 2 quality
Sound character	Smoother, clearer, less harsh	Grander, wider soundstage	Rich, uncluttered, live-scale depth

Interestingly, the Heimdall 2, although a better cable than the Red Dawn 3, has a lower gauge. If you want a demanding power amplifier to get the best feed, you should go with the cheaper Red Dawn; Heimdall is a superior low-current cable. If you desire high current in the Norse 2 range, consider the Tyr 2, which has superior construction. But bear in mind that the entire Leif 3 range is built with newer, more consistent fit & finish, including printed ID blocks instead of heat-shrink material.

 

Listening tests: a full Loom of Leif 3 Red Dawn

It was fun hearing the Leif 3 range again, this time, in John's lovingly optimised listening room. As expected, things got smoother, clearer, less harsh as noise was filtered away with better power cords. An upgrade from RCA to XLR made everything broader and layered such that we craved more tunes. John left us in the room with Coco, who had no problem with our choice of music.

Left by ourselves, we indulged in ACDC's live version of Jailbreak at high volume. Not exactly reference music, but that's not the point - it's the experience we craved - and this was the room to have it in.

ACDC's 1991 gig was big and bad. Angus's menacing three-minute treat of Gibson licks paraded across the Donnington stage until Malcolm let his rocking riff rip. We nearly got through all 15 magnificent minutes before John came back in, as if we'd been listening to something more sophisticated. Like Coco, John had no problem with our choice of music.

If you want to understand more about why power cables make such a difference in systems like this, our guide Do Hi-Fi Mains Power Cables Really Make a Difference? explores the question in detail.

 

By all the Gods, Norse 2

Before John upgraded the power cords to Tyr 2 and Heimdall 2 on the Moon 340i amplifier and streamer, he chose a more sophisticated track: The Cinematic Orchestra's Caged Bird featuring Roots Manuva.

Swapping out the Red Dawns was another level entirely. Suddenly, the piano came in grander with the clap/tambourine rhythm placed accurately in the soundstage and the busy section was rich and uncluttered. The huge scale and depth turned the recording into a live performance, there in front of us.

 

Entering the kingdom of Valhalla

We didn't know what, but John switched something and played the track again.

What we heard was refinement. The clap and tambourine separated, the decay on the piano extended. The beats of the kettle drum were no longer a kettle drum but revealed as a TR-808 kick with an expensive reverb. Vocals were crisp and integrated.

It was a 2-metre Valhalla 2 Ethernet cable that did it. John stipulated that this upgrade is only relevant when all else is addressed – it's a finishing touch.

So, what justifies the price (this is a £4k network cable)? The eight cores are arranged into four consistent twisted pairs. The cores are spaced precisely within dual, micro mono filament air-core dielectric. This cable emphasises accuracy, and it's worth noting that a 2-metre cable actually outperforms a 1- or 3-metre one.

John inflicted Crooked by Smilk on us, confident the cabling was now able to make sense from the chaos of sound (it felt like sounds were firing directly at us).

For anyone considering Nordost ethernet cables, the Valhalla 2 represents the top of that range. Those earlier in their system journey may find the lower-tier Nordost ethernet offerings a more appropriate starting point.

 

Loud & Clear

Preparing to leave the Loud & Clear premises, we took a gander around the shop's harmonious interior.

Turns out, every brick, board, pole and paint was laid, cut, bent and applied by John Carroll himself. He made it loud and clear the attention to detail; for example, the various paints are colour-matched with the hues of the bricks, the cables neatly running along the ceiling are colour-matched with the Loud & Clear logo colours (orange and black). Paintings by local artist, Kyle Blain, of everyone's favourite musicians follow you wherever you wander. There's even a vintage '60s valve tester. It's not just for show – they use it.

It took a while to leave. Once John directed us to Leith's best Tapas restaurant, we bid John and Coco away, heading off along the cobbles.

 

The Nordost Red Dawn 3, Heimdall 2, Tyr 2, and Valhalla 2 Ethernet are all available now at FutureShop, backed by our 60-day money-back guarantee on cables. Not sure which is right for your system? Get in touch with our team. As a Nordost reference dealer since 2009, we are happy to help.