"Noiseless Transfer": Nordost's Odin 2 Tonearm Cable +
Handmade in the US, Nordost's new Odin 2 Tonearm Cable + ($12,999 per 1.25m length) consists of four 99.999999% OFC silver-plated, solid-core conductors wrapped in a patented Dual Mono-Filament suspension, which is said to "dramatically increase signal speed and reduce insulation contact by 85%." The conductors are individually shielded using Nordost’s Total Signal Control (TSC) technology, which provides 100% coverage and "protection from external pollution (such as RFI and EFI) and crosstalk." Improper grounding is the most obvious source of noise in analog playback. The Odin 2 Tonearm Cable + tackles this issue in two ways. First, the cable has a fully isolated bond ground throughout. Second, it includes two, detachable, silver-plated ground "whips," complete with Dual Mono-Filament technology and TSC shielding. When necessary, these ground leads connect to the shielding of the tonearm cable, "totally eliminating any noise that could be introduced during signal transfer." Finally, the Odin 2 Tonearm Cable + is terminated with
Nordost’s proprietary HOLO:PLUG straight or 90-degree low-mass DIN, RCA, or XLR
connectors, each of which has been specifically designed to accommodate the cable’s
unique design. |
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requirements of a tonearm cable are special among those for audio cables that carry analog
signals. A tonearm cable has to transfer an exceedingly tiny signal, often measured in
fractions of a millivolt, while at the same time eliminating any noise that may obscure
that signal.