Nordost NORSE 2 User manual

INSTRUCTION MANUAL
NORSE 2 — HIGH PERFORMANCE CABLES

Congratulations on your purchase of
Nordost’s Norse Series 2 cables, genuine
benchmarks in audio performance. Unlike
many hi-fi cable products, they use proprietary
technologies and construction in a purpose
built configuration optimized for audio only
applications. The benefits of this dedicated
approach are clear to hear in their musical
performance - and the musical performances
they deliver. These cables exist for one reason
and one reason alone: to bring recorded music
to life. You are now in a position to enjoy
your music more than ever before and we are
confident that these cables will put a smile
on your face. After all - that’s exactly why we
designed them...
INTRODUCTION
To obtain the optimum performance from your
Norse Series 2 cables you should proceed as
follows:
INSTRUCTIONS
Make sure that all components in your system
are switched off before disconnecting your
old cables or connecting your new ones. Next,
identify the connections on the cable. The red
or purple heatshrink designates the positive
connector and should be connected to the
red, or positive connection on the rear of the
component. The connector with the black or
negative heatshrink should be connected to
the black, or negative connection on the rear
of the component. Install the cables so the
ends marked with the directional arrows are
connected to the receiving components.
Example: From a CD player to an amplifier the
arrows would be connected to the amplifier,
and from an amplifier to a speaker, the arrows
would be connected to the speaker. Once all
your connections have been restored, you can
turn the system back on, starting from the
source components and finishing with power
amps, active speakers or subwoofers.
For signal cables –
See the supplemental “Tonearm Cable +
Instruction Manual” for detailed information
on installing your cable. Note: When inserting
IEJ type 5-pin connectors into tonearm bases,
establish the socket orientation before installing
For tonearm leads –
the cable. Once you have determined the
correct orientation, ensure that the plug is
pushed firmly home and then, if necessary,
dress the cable correctly using the facilities
provided on the turntable plinth.
Norse Series 2 offers dedicated 75 Ohm and
110 Ohm digital designs. The S/PDIF 75 Ohm
lead uses the same directional coding as the
other cables in the range and it is important
to follow this protocol. The connector is a
combined BNC/RCA plug. In general, BNC will
offer a superior performance and if the option
exists this is the preferred connection.
For digital leads –
The Norse Series 2 Power Cords are straight
replacements for all 15 Amp and 20 Amp IEC
type stock cords. You should ensure that the
termination matches the male socket on your
equipment and that the plug is of the correct
US, Schuko, AUS or UK 13 Amp type. Before
installing the Norse Series 2 power cord, ensure
that your equipment is switched off. Then
simply remove the stock AC cord and install the
Nordost lead in its place.
For power cables –
We strongly recommend treating your
cables with Nordost Eco3X CD and cable
treatment for even better performance.
Having obtained the musical benefits of Norse
Series 2 cables, with their superior construction
and technology, you can maximize those
benefits by extending that technology across
the whole system. The more Micro Mono-
Filament cable you employ, the more obvious
its performance attributes become - and the
more musically communicative and natural
your system sounds. This coherence to your
system’s cabling is the most underestimated
and important factor in optimizing the
performance of your electronics, and includes
AC, interconnects and speaker cabling.
GOING THAT EXTRA STEP
In order to obtain the best performance from
your new cables we recommend thoroughly
cleaning the contacts on your components,
amplifier and cables with a good quality
electrical contact cleaner, such as Deoxit.
GOOD HOUSEKEEPING

Then, as noted earlier, we recommend treating
the outside of your cables with Nordost Eco3X
static dispersant for even better performance.
In addition, a little care in installation will reap
further performance dividends:
Keep signal cables away from power cords,
and where they do cross, try to space them
as much as possible and cross them at right
angles. Avoid running signal cables alongside
power cords.
Try to let interconnects hang free of contact
with walls. Lifting speaker cables off of the
floor does improve their performance, but
may not always be practical. If you do lift your
cables, always use the minimum number of
risers possible.
Do not coil spare lengths of speaker cable; you
will increase its inductance and affect your
speaker’s bass performance. If speakers are
bi- or tri-wirable, replace the supplied jumpers
with Nordost’s dedicated Norse Series Micro
Mono-Filament designs.
You can find additional details on how to
optimize system cabling and performance in
the Downloads directory at www.nordost.com.
Considerable changes take place in a cable or
component when it is first used. When your
new cable is first installed in your system the
sonic benefits will be very apparent. However,
the musical performance will significantly
improve as the cable is used, the greatest
change coming in the first 100 hours,
with smaller improvements continuing to
accumulate thereafter. In order to accelerate
this process, Nordost has developed the Vidar, a
dedicated cable burn-in machine. This puts an
extremely wideband and complex signal directly
through the cable, significantly accelerating the
conditioning process.
This essential service is available through your
local Nordost dealer or distributor.
For logistical reasons this service is not
available from Nordost’s factory.
A WORD ABOUT BURNING IN
Most Norse Series 2 cables employ the
breakthrough combination of Micro Mono-
Filament construction and silver-plated solid-
core conductors. These conductors are drawn
from high-purity, oxygen free copper, and then
heavily plated with silver. They are then highly
polished to achieve surface consistency, before
being wrapped in a thin, helical coil, the
FEP Micro Mono-Filament that supports and
spaces the extruded FEP outer jacket, reducing
dielectric contact by over 80%. These complex
processes achieve the cable designer’s Holy
Grail of excellent mechanical stability, precise
geometric accuracy and an incredibly low
dielectric constant of less than 1.38.
But in addition to its electrical sophistication,
Norse Series 2 adds significant mechanical
refinements to the mix. The dimensions,
spacing, number and topology of each cable
have been mechanically tuned to further
optimize musical performance. These new
cables are then combined with specially
modified, lightweight connectors, embodying
the same mechanical and geometrical
approach.
The result is a range of cables with
unprecedented transmission speed and phase
accuracy, wide bandwidth and remarkable
levels of musical detail. More importantly,
because that detail and dynamic information
arrives in the right order and at the right time,
the performance is much more natural and
intelligible, or – to put it another way – it’s
much easier to hear who’s playing what, which
makes your music and your system much
more enjoyable.
TECHNOLOGY

If and when your registered product is in need of service, customers must first contact
Nordost (or an authorized Nordost dealer) to obtain a Return Authorization number. Before
sending any products in for evaluation and service, the sender must mark the outside of the
package with the aforementioned RA number. All returns/repairs must be sent prepaid and
packed appropriately for safe shipment. It is recommended that the package is insured or
sent by a method that provides tracking of the package, as Nordost is not liable for any
goods before arriving at the factory.
OBTAINING WARRANTY SERVICE
To qualify, please visit www.nordost.com/
product-registration.php and fill out the
form, together with proof of purchase,
within 30 days of purchase.
Nordost warrantees its cable products (with the exception of its headphone cables, which
carry 24 month warranties) to be free from defects in workmanship and materials to the
original purchaser, under normal use and service, for the lifetime of the product from the
date of original purchase from Nordost or its authorized reseller. Nordost’s sole obligation
under this express warranty shall be, at Nordost’s option and expense: to repair the
defective product or part, deliver to customer an equivalent product or part to replace
the defective item, or if neither of the two foregoing options is reasonably available.
Nordost may, at its sole discretion, replace the defective product with a new product of
equal or superior value. All products that are replaced will become property of Nordost.
This warranty is non-transferable and is valid for products and parts from Nordost or its
authorized reseller.
NORDOST WARRANTY POLICY
Congrarr
Nordost 93 Bartzak Drive Holliston MA 01746 USA
Email: [e-mail]
Website: www.nordost.com