Although it is more than happy being used with other cables, the QB10’s natural home is an all Nordost eco-system, in which context it really should be considered as one of a pair, along with the QK6. Together they are an astonishingly powerful, versatile and musical combination. As such, the QBASE Reference QB10 AC Distribution Unit definitely lives up to its slightly clunky name, certainly in the context of the Nordost cable range. With Valhalla 2 designated as a Reference product, and Odin 2 (and Odin Gold) as the Supreme Reference, you can see exactly where the QB10 is targeted. But I’d go further than that. I’ve played with the QB8 and QB10 in Norse-level cable looms and the benefits of the Reference unit might not be quite as great as they are with O2 or V2, but they are still substantial. Substantial enough that if I was looking to cable my system at Frey 2 or Tyr 2 level (and surely, in price/performance terms, the Tyr 2 power cord has to be one of the best values in the entire Nordost line) I’d be looking to pair those power cords with the QB10.
It was Nordost that established the concept of building a firm infrastructural foundation for your system – something that every product, but especially every QRT product, they’ve made since has been working towards. The QB10 not only shows just how right they were: By combining and extending the benefits of an erstwhile modular approach into a single, carefully and comprehensively engineered unit, it’s possibly the single biggest step they’ve ever made in that direction.
The QB10 establishes an entirely new basis on which to build system performance, emphatically re-establishing the primacy of the AC supply when it comes to delivering musical potential. There might be better places to start, but they’ll be few and far between. For those running big systems with multiple boxes, the QB10 could be just the thing to realise and release that system’s performance. For those already using Odin or Valhalla power cords, the QB10 is going to be an easy decision.
Prices and availability
QBASE Reference QB10 AC Distribution Unit – $18,000 (+ local sales tax)
Available with US, Schuko (Eu) or Australian sockets
Manufacturer:
Nordost Corporation
www.nordost.com
