NORDOST QBASE REFERENCE – AC DISTRIBUTION UNIT

The Nordost QBASE Reference – AC Distribution Unit is a premium power distribution solution designed to provide the cleanest, most stable, and interference-free AC power to high-end audio and video systems. As a flagship product in Nordost’s QRT range of power management solutions, the QBASE Reference is engineered to optimize the power delivery to your equipment, ensuring that your system performs at its absolute best. This AC distribution unit serves as the foundation for achieving improved sound quality, clarity, and detail in even the most demanding high-fidelity setups.

Overview

The QBASE Reference is a power distribution unit that goes beyond merely distributing electricity; it actively improves the quality of the power reaching each connected component. It employs Nordost’s unique technologies to eliminate noise, reduce ground loops, and ensure a stable, low-impedance power supply. This results in enhanced soundstage, dynamics, and overall audio clarity. The QBASE Reference is designed to be the cornerstone of any high-end audio system, ensuring that every component is powered with the cleanest and most consistent AC supply possible.

Key Features

• Star-Earth Grounding Topology: The QBASE Reference employs a star-earth grounding design, which means each outlet has a dedicated ground path, reducing the potential for ground loops and noise. This design ensures that every connected component benefits from the cleanest possible ground reference, resulting in clearer sound with less distortion.
• Optimized Current Flow: Unlike conventional power strips, the QBASE Reference is engineered to maintain an optimal and balanced current flow across all connected devices. This prevents one device from negatively affecting the power supply to others, maintaining consistent performance throughout your system.
• Direct Connection Design: The QBASE Reference features a direct connection design that minimizes the use of internal wiring, reducing impedance and maintaining the purity of the AC signal. This results in better conductivity and a more efficient power transfer to your components.
• Passive Filtering: The QBASE Reference uses passive filtering to eliminate high-frequency noise and electromagnetic interference (EMI) from the power supply. This ensures that your audio and video components receive a clean power source, free from noise and interference that can degrade performance.
• Premium Build Quality: The unit is constructed using high-quality materials and features a robust chassis designed to minimize vibration and resonance, further contributing to its ability to provide clean power.

Benefits of the Nordost QBASE Reference AC Distribution Unit

• Improved Sound Quality: By providing a stable, low-impedance power source with reduced noise and interference, the QBASE Reference allows your audio components to deliver clearer, more detailed, and more dynamic sound.
• Enhanced System Performance: The optimized current flow and star-earth grounding topology ensure that each component receives the power it needs without being affected by the demands of other devices, resulting in more consistent performance across your entire system.
• Greater Protection for Your Equipment: The QBASE Reference not only enhances performance but also protects your equipment by providing a stable and clean power supply, reducing the risk of damage from power fluctuations or noise.

Ideal Use Cases

• High-End Audio Systems: The QBASE Reference is perfect for audiophiles with high-fidelity audio systems who want to ensure that their components receive the best possible power supply, resulting in a more immersive and detailed listening experience.
• Home Theater Systems: For home theater enthusiasts, the QBASE Reference can improve both audio and visual quality by providing clean power to all components, enhancing the overall viewing experience.
• Professional Audio/Recording Studios: The QBASE Reference is an excellent choice for professional applications where power quality is critical to maintaining the integrity of audio signals during recording or playback.

How to Integrate the QBASE Reference into Your System

Integrating the QBASE Reference into your setup is straightforward:

1. Place the QBASE Reference near your audio or home theater equipment and connect it to a high-quality wall outlet using a premium power cable.
2. Plug your audio and video components into the QBASE Reference’s outlets. Make sure to connect the most sensitive and important components (such as preamplifiers, DACs, or source components) to the outlets closest to the main power input for optimal performance.
3. Combine with other Nordost QRT products such as the QV2 AC Line Harmonizer, QK1 AC Enhancer, or QWAVE AC Line Harmonizer for even greater improvements in power quality and system performance.

Who Should Consider the Nordost QBASE Reference?

The QBASE Reference is ideal for audiophiles, home theater enthusiasts, and professionals who demand the highest level of power quality for their high-end audio and video systems. If you have invested in premium audio components, the QBASE Reference will help ensure that your equipment reaches its full potential by providing the cleanest and most stable power supply available.

Comparison with Other Nordost QBASE Models

• QBASE Reference vs. Standard QBASE Units: The QBASE Reference offers a significant upgrade over the standard QBASE units, featuring superior build quality, more advanced grounding topology, and enhanced filtering capabilities. This results in even greater improvements in sound quality and system performance.
• Compatibility with Other Nordost QRT Products: The QBASE Reference is designed to work seamlessly with other QRT power products, such as the QV2, QK1, and QWAVE, allowing you to build a comprehensive power management system that delivers unparalleled audio and video performance.

Technical Specifications

• Outlets: Multiple high-quality, grounded outlets designed for optimal current delivery to connected components
• Voltage Compatibility: Compatible with standard AC voltages worldwide (100-240V, 50/60Hz)
• Construction: Durable, anti-resonant chassis with a premium finish to minimize vibrations and enhance longevity

The Nordost QBASE Reference – AC Distribution Unit is a top-tier power distribution solution that offers significant improvements in audio and video performance by delivering clean, stable, and interference-free AC power to your equipment. Its star-earth grounding topology, optimized current flow, and passive filtering make it an essential component for anyone looking to maximize the performance of their high-end audio or home theater system.

By integrating the QBASE Reference into your setup, you’ll experience improved clarity, detail, and dynamics, allowing your equipment to perform at its absolute best. Whether used alone or in combination with other Nordost QRT products, the QBASE Reference is an investment that will elevate your entire audio/visual experience, making it a must-have for serious audiophiles and home theater enthusiasts.

The QBASE Reference is a multifaceted, reference-level AC distribution unit that operates as a filter-less alternative to power conditioners, delivering pristine power to your audio components, without imparting its own sonic characteristics on your system or limiting AC current. This 10-outlet AC distribution device unites several philosophies and technologies from Nordost’s renowned QRT line into a single, comprehensive power component.

At its core, the QBASE REFERENCE, like Nordost’s other QBASE units, is a passive distribution component that uses star-earth topology to address the noise-inducing, conflicting flow of signal and ground paths within a hifi system. It achieves this by providing ground separation for all the devices it serves, and allowing stray voltages and eddy currents to be referred to one, central ground point. However, that’s just the beginning of what the QBASE REFERENCE has to offer. The QB10 offers numerous Nordost technologies within its mechanically-tuned, extruded aluminum chassis, in order to bring a new realm of power optimization and audio refinement to your reference system.

QBASE Reference features include:

• Star Earth Topology
• Dual PCB Design, Symmetrical Live/Neutral Topology + Separate Grounding (with Voltage Directionality Technology)
• Multiple, internal QSINE and QWAVE devices
• Specifically optimized and modified QPOINT Technology
• Primary and (optional) Dual Primary Earth Design
• Internal, solid core Nordost wiring featuring Micro Mono-Filament Technology
• Pre-QKORE Ground Design
• Resonance Control Sort Supports

The QBASE Reference is designed to conquer the imperfections and unpredictability of the AC signal, making it the ultimate solution for achieving unprecedented audio purity. Introducing it into your system will allow you to hear your music as it was intended to be experienced.