Arguably the tonearm cable is one of the most critical and sensitive cables in any vinyl-sourced Hifi system. The delicate signals generated by pick-up cartridges in these systems demand purpose-built, low-capacitance cables, in order to protect from signal loss and image smearing.

However, in order to get the most from a tonearm cable, proper attention must be paid not only to cable construction, but to grounding as well.

Valhalla 2 Tonearm Cable +

Nordost said they had taken all of these factors into consideration when releasing the new Valhalla 2 Tonearm Cable + at High End in Munich 2019. Now, Nordost has introduced the same advances from the V2 into the rest of their tonearm line, by integrating the Tonearm Cable + into their Blue Heaven, Heimdall 2, Frey 2, and Tyr 2 ranges.

Bond Ground Wire

Each new Tonearm Cable + uses four, silver-plated, solid-core OFC conductors, arranged in a twisted pair design to create a left and right channel. The tonearm cables in the Norse range are wrapped in Nordost’s patented Micro or Dual Mono-Filament before both channels are individually wrapped in a silver, braided shield, to eliminate inter-channelcross-talk. A separately shielded, silver-plated Bond Ground Wire, wrapped in Micro Mono-Filament, is then incorporated into the construction in order to enhance performance and minimise the noise level.

Detachable Ground Wires

To further eliminate noise, Nordost provides two Detachable Ground Wires with every Tonearm Cable +. These silver-plated ground wires, complete with Micro Mono-Filament technology, connect to the shield of the cable, serving as additional ground loop prevention when needed.

Each Tonearm Cable + is available with straight or 90° low-mass MoonGlo® 5-pin Din, RCA, or XLR terminations. All ground whips and bond wires are terminated with gold-plated 5mm spades. Like all Nordost cables, the Blue Heaven, Heimdall 2, Frey 2, and Tyr 2 Tonearm Cable + are handmade in the USA.

Prices

Tonearm Cable + models have the following suggested retail prices:

The Blue Heaven Tonearm Cable + is set at $599.99 USD for a 1.25 meter length. Additional half meter increments are $90.00 USD.

The Heimdall 2 Tonearm Cable + is set at $799.99 USD for a 1.25 meter length. Additional half meter increments are $110.00 USD.

The Frey 2 Tonearm Cable + is set at $1,399.99 USD for a 1.25 meter length. Additional half meter increments are $150.00 USD.

The Tyr 2 Tonearm Cable + is set at $2,749.99 USD for a 1.25 meter length. Additional half meter increments are $300.00 USD.

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