Nordost Qkore
Grounding System
by Marc Mickelson, July 5, 2017
© www.theaudiobeat.com

Even with the breakneck pace of advancementin the consumer-electronics industry, high-end
audio has remained rather staid, the nottoo-recent rise of high-resolution file playback
notwithstanding. Playing records, the most ancientof recording media, is as hot now as it has ever been
since the advent of digital. The majority of speakers
still use dynamic drivers, tubes remain popular,
and traditional solid state has mostly withstood thechallenge of class-D
amplification.
Interconnects stillcarry line-levelsignals, speaker
cables still send along
the amplified signal
and power cords still
provide the AC powerfor it all. Audio advancements do occur, although
at a pace more glacial than galactic.

very important functions, alleviating the possibility ofelectrocution among them. In audio circuits, the groundis also a path for noise. Because each circuit is designed
and implemented differently, ground noise can be asmall or large issue, depending on how well the ACsystem is shielded and how well the power supply has
been designed.
Qkore levels the playing field, offering both a method
for taking ground noise out of the audio chain
and sequestering it. Noise has been an eternal
adversary for audiophiles, and Qkore is aneffective, and nearly unique,ally in this battle. I say“nearly unique”
because a

Even so, Nordost’s Qkore grounding system really
does represent something new, if not an absolute firstfor the audiophile market. It addresses an aspect of
the electrical chain that will have you hitting yourforehead with your palm, wondering why you didn’t
think of it. The ground leg of the AC system has some1theauom

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d io b e a t. ccouple of other companies (CAD and Entreq) have comeup with their own solutions for addressing this sameproblem. But Nordost, with its manufacturing prowess
and worldwide retail might, may represent the mostserious attempt to address the issue of ground noise forthe audiophile market.

entire system -- provided that there are no more than
three AC-consuming components. For larger systems, you
simply add an additional Qkore 3 or use a single Qkore
6, which features connection points for both the AC
distributor and up to five audio components.
With each unit, Nordost includes one (Qkore 1 and3) or two (Qkore 6) Qkore Wires, which connect eachelectronic component to the Qkore system. These havebanana connectors on both ends for the primary ground(between the Qkore 1 or 6 and the system’s power
distributor) or a banana on one end and an RCA on theother for the secondary ground (between the Qkore 3
and the preamp, amp, sources, etc.). Extras are available
with different connectors on the component end: spade,
XLR (male and female), BNC, USB A, USB B or RJ45 (forCat 6/Cat 6a network).

The Qkore line includes three different physical units.
Each is fully passive, requiring no AC. They are all about
the size of a large textbook, and they look ostensibly
like each other, the differences occurring in the function-- and shown on their rear panels. The Qkore 1 addresses
the primary or AC side of the power system, connecting
directly, and exclusively, to an audio system’s power
distributor or conditioner. Only power products, like thosefrom Nordost’s own Quantum line, that have a separate
ground lug (or facility to add one) can be used, as thatlug is the connection point. The Qkore 3 addresses thesecondary or signal side of the power supply. It connects
to as many as three separate components, analog anddigital. With a Qkore 1 and Qkore 3, you can treat anThe Qkore system employs both electrical and mechanicalmeans in its battle against ground noise. Inside each unit
are what Nordost calls LVAPs -- Low-Voltage Attractor2DPRODUCERE FROMthomPlates -- which are made of a special alloy andand discovering which connection point
include a passive electrical circuit. These draw
maximized Qkore’s sonic impact (in noau
d io b e a t. caway stray high-frequency noise and magnetic
instance was the effect minimal or nonexistent).
fields from the ground leg of connected equipment.
It was easy to hear the effect of the Qkore
All of the Qkore units use Nordost’s Mono-Filament
system, even with a single component connected,
technology, a cornerstone of the company’s cable designs,
although, as suggested above, what I heard wasn’t
and each unit’s housing is mechanically tuned, a particular
universal in magnitude from product to product. I offer
area of emphasis for Nordost. Removing each unit’s rubber
this in the spirit of experimenting -- exactly what you
feet reveals recesses into which Nordost Sort Kones fit
should do if you audition one or more of the Qkore
perfectly, further enhancing Qkore’s mechanical tuning andproducts. What you hear will be positive, and deadsonic effectiveness.
obvious, with every recording, but it won’t be static
across all preamps, for instance, or even all connection
or initial setup, Nordost sent me one of eachpoints for a single preamp. Furthermore, Qkore
Qkore unit along with extra Qkore Wires.
challenged some preconceived notions about the sonic
Jon Baker and Michael Taylor of Nordost arrived
importance of each component, baseda couple of weeks later and did the setup while I sat
on the component’s place
and listened, noting the differences as they connected
within the system.
components to the Qkore boxes one at a time.
eF

As I
learned,when it comesto ground noise,
all components arenot created equal. Some
reject it better than others, and each will have a certain
connection point that maximizes the sonic effect of theQkore system. That might mean using either an RCA orXLR connection, so it’s worthwhile to try both and evento try different connection points of the same type. Jon
and Michael began with the AC distribution block, aNordost Quantum QB8 Mk II, and proceeded throughdigital components, amps and preamps. Because myturntable was disconnected for cartridge realignment,
they didn’t connect either the turntable or phono stage,leaving me to experiment with both.

For instance, the AC
distributor literally connects to every electroniccomponent, so I had predetermined that its use
with the Qkore 1, a unit dedicated to it, would
have far and away the greatest sonic impact. And thatwas the case, until my CEC TL1 CD transport wasconnected to the Qkore 3 and the effect was evengreater. I would have bet the deed to my house thatthe order of magnitude would be just the opposite ofwhat I was hearing, with the CEC transport displaying
more subtle improvement. But that wasn’t the case.
Then Jon and Michael connected the Genesis DigitalLens data buffer, used between the CEC transport andTimbre TT-1 DAC, to the Qkore 3 and threw anotherwrench in the process.
What exactly did I hear? There are generalities -- thesort of across-the-board improvements for which power
conditioning is often credited -- along with specifics

After Jon and Michael left, I went a step or two further,connecting and disconnecting each of my electronics

3DPRODUCERE FROM

thom

at the same time, had better leading-edge
tethered to certain products. In the former
definition. This underscored what I wrote
was an opening up of the soundstage similarauc.
tdio b e aearlier: experimentation with not only the typeto what happens with a very good subwoofer,of connection but also its location can reap
along with a more airy presentation and stronger
great benefits. It can also be a bit tedious with aimage outlines. You can surmise that these areproduct like the TL-7.5 III, which has a plethora of inputs
all tied to a reduction in noise -- that with the absence
and outputs, both RCA and XLR. Jon and Michael hadof noise, the signal was more prominent. Much of myalso mentioned that double connection -- to more thanearly listening was to recordings and cuts I know very
one Qkore unit -- reaps noticeable benefits, but I waswell, because I’ve heard them on various collections
unable to test this. It does make sense, however, given thatof equipment in my own listening room and on many,different connection points certainly produced different
many show systems. Among these, the half-dozen tracks
sonic results.
from Suzanne Vega’s Close-Up Series [Amanuensis 2507]
that I’ve burned to CD-Rs were especially illustrative.
Along with all of the obvious sonic benefits of the Qkore
These purist recordings of small ensembles, such assystem, there are a couple of practical matters that are“Bad Wisdom” and “Headshots,” made plain Qkore’s
worth pondering. The first is specific to audiophiles
contributions, as the recording venue sounded bigger
living in apartments or in houses like mine, whereand the musicians more in-the-room present, noadding a separate ground line connected to a ground“maybe” about it. This occurred across recordings androd sunk in the yard isn’t feasible. (In my case, it wouldcomponents, Qkore expanding musical horizons andbe impossible to add the wiring to the outlets in mymaking everything in them sound more vivid -- morelistening room, or add new dedicated lines.) Qkore
grounded, you could say.
esettles the issue, providing a clean separate ground whenno other option exists.

On top of this, specific components displayed newfoundcapabilities once connected to the Qkore system. Thebass of the CEC TL1 has never been a bona fide strength,
but once this CD transport was connected to a Qkore 3,
the bottom end firmed up and sounded more powerful,the bass on “Headshots” taking on a growl it didn’t
have before. After changing from an RCA connection
to an XLR and then back to a different RCA, the VTL
TL-7.5 III preamp sounded noticeably more liquid and,The second consideration is trickier to sort out but
potentially more beneficial. System upgrading is almost
as important a part of being an audiophile as listening
to music. Given that treating the ground plane as a vital
part of an audio system is just now becoming a serious
endeavor, Qkore represents an important consideration:

4DPRODUCERE FROMthom

do you upgrade a part of your existing system
goes into each box and never leaves, making
or add a Qkore box or two? For systems likefor an utterly clean ground. You won’t haveaud io b e a t. cmine, with top-flight (and expensive) sources,to struggle to hear what it does -- no picking
electronics and speakers, I don’t know ofparticular recordings to highlight this or that.
an upgrade that would be more profound andEvery recording will sound more realistic, and ineconomical than adding a Qkore system, as doing
obvious ways. While the Qkore system I reviewed isn’t
so lifted the performance of the entire audio system,
cheap, coming in at over $10,000, it treated my entire
because it affected the entire audio system. Buying aextensive audio conglomeration and provided something
new amp or speaker may scratch an itch, but in sonicgreater than a component-level upgrade. A single
terms, adding a clean ground where none existed before
Qkore 6 would cost half that and be all you’d need formakes a great deal more sense.
a less complicated system. Either way, a pair of new
interconnects or speaker cables can cost you more andfter the Qkore system was fully installed and I
not deliver half as much.
had done some listening, I used a line from Star
Trek to sum it up, calling it “The final frontier.”
While Qkore isn’t necessary for your audio system to
But Jon Baker of Nordost one-upped me, likening thefunction, it is essential for hearing it at its absolute best. ItQkore units to the devices used for trapping paranormal
doesn’t take much insight to predict that this “final frontier”
goblins in Ghostbusters. Both fit, because the AC groundwill become commonplace in audiophile systems, so
has been largely ignored, and with Qkore, ground noise
obvious and profound is the improvement it brings.
eAPrice: Qkore 1, $2499.99; Qkore 3, $3499.99;
Qkore 6, $4999.99; Qkore Wires, $360 for one meterplus $150 per additional meter.
Warranty: Five years parts and labor.

Amplifiers: Kenwood L-07M and Lamm M1.2
Reference monoblocks.

Nordost Corporation
93 Bartzak Drive
Holliston, MA 01746(508) 893-0100
www.nordost.com

Interconnects: Nordost Odin 2.

Loudspeakers: Wilson Audio Alexx.

Speaker cables: Nordost Odin 2.
Digital cables: AudioQuest Diamond USB cable;
Nordost Valhalla 2 S/PDIF, AES/EBU and USB cables.
Ethernet cable: Nordost Heimdall 2.

Associated Equipment
Analog: TW-Acustic Raven AC turntables; Graham
B-44 Phantom Series II Supreme and Tri-Planar
Ultimate U12 tonearms; Denon DL-103R andDynavector XV-1s (stereo and mono) cartridges;
Nordost Odin 2 and Valhalla 2 phono cables;
Lamm Industries LP2.1 phono stages.

Power conditioners: Essential Sound Products
The Essence Reference, Quantum QB4 andQB8 Mk II, Quantum Qx4, Shunyata Research
Denali 6000/T and 2000/T.
Power cords: Essential Sound Products
The Essence Reference and MusicCord-Pro ES,
Nordost Odin 2 and Valhalla 2, Shunyata
Research Zi-Tron Cobra.

Digital: Ayre Acoustics DX-5 DSD “A/V Engine”;
CEC TL1 CD transport; Timbre Technology TT-1
digital-to-analog converter; Genesis Digital Lens;
Toshiba Satellite laptop.

Equipment rack and platforms: Silent RunningAudio Craz3 8 equipment rack and Virginia Class
Reference platforms (under Lamm M1.2 amps),
Harmonic Resolution Systems M3 isolation bases.

Preamplifiers: Audio Research Reference 6,
Convergent Audio Technology SL1 Legend,
VTL TL-7.5 Series III Reference.

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