High End Audio - High End Video

NORDOST QBASE AND QRX

The Qrx power purifiers and QBase power distribution system form the basis of Nordost's novel and extremely effective solution to cleaning up the grunge coming from your electrical supply.x The Qrx can be used in connection with other power conditioners to enhance your listening experience

QBASE Power Distribution

The essence of the QBASE concept is a straight-line AC distribution path, combined with a star-earthed topology for connection to a clean ground. By eliminating any form of in-line filtering or active circuitry we maintain the lowest possible AC supply impedance, while a tiny lift in the earth impedance of all but one of the output sockets routes the signal grounds directly to the centre of the star and the clean earth terminal. Clearly identified on the casework, this Primary Earth socket is at the centre of your system’s performance, literally and metaphorically. It defines both the order in which you connect your components and also, their listening priority in your musical enjoyment, allowing you to further optimize the performance of your primary sources.

The sockets themselves are mounted on a solidly constructed aluminum extrusion with machined end-caps that deliver a reassuring sense of substance. But the casework has far greater significance than that, the metal pieces and internal PCB (deliberately preferred to hard-wiring) constituting a single, mechanically tuned construction, designed specifically to enhance performance. Compare the musical performance of the QBASE to the competition and you’ll hear just how effective this is.

QBASE units are available in three different models. US and European versions are available in four and eight output configurations, while the dimensions of the UK 13A socket mean that it is only available as a six-way unit. The perfect starting point in the construction of a high-quality, modular AC supply for your system, the compact dimensions of the QBASE mean that it can be easily combined with one or more Qv or Qx power purifiers as funds allow, while its slim profile makes it ideal for tucking away behind a rack or mounting on the wall.

Qx Power Purifiers

Each QX unit contains an array of QRT field generators (two in the QX2, four in the twice as powerful QX4) that act to alleviate the impact of poor quality mains power on your sensitive electronics, limiting RFI and timing errors associated with the AC line. Place a Quantum QX unit at the heart of your system and you’ll hear a lower noise floor, greater dynamic range, more fluid musical expression and greater space and ambience. Or, to put it another way, QRT’s QX technology will move you closer, much closer, to the performances recorded on your discs. Results that you can hear, but results that can be also be measured (see www.quantumqrt.com).

Unlike other AC conditioning devices, the QRT units won’t cramp dynamics or limit peak current. They just let you hear more of your music (and less of your system). Used in conjunction with the QBASE and Qv2, the Qx units provide the basis of a highly effective answer to the insidious influence of poor AC supplies on musical reproduction. And because of QRT’s modular approach to AC treatment, you can add additional units as you go along – they never become redundant. So the Qx4 delivers twice the musical benefit you get from a Qx2, while a second Qx4 will double it up again. Once you’ve got used to the sense of life and effortless musical flow that comes from having QRT technology in your system, you will want more – which is what makes the modular nature of the QRT products so appealing.