Nordost Blue Heaven AC Cord Review

[AndreaT]

Yeah, it's not just made up jargon. There are standards that have to be followed when spec'ing and installing medical grade wiring.

NFPA 99
Access the latest knowledge and information on safeguarding lives and property in health care facilities with NFPA 99, 2021 edition.

It is critical to take appropriate measures to protect patients, staff, and visitors from dangers and ensure health care safety. NFPA 99, Health Care Facilities Code, provides state-of-the-art performance criteria for health care facilities, materials, and appliances, including medical gas and vacuum systems, electrical systems, gas equipment, and features of fire protection.


NEC Article 517
Part II of Article 517 applies to all patient care spaces within health care facilities. Part II is required to apply to areas where patients are intended to be placed on life support systems or subjected to invasive procedures and connected to line-operated electromedical devices within these limited care facilities.

It does not apply to business offices, corridors, waiting rooms, and the like in clinics, medical and dental offices, outpatient facilities, or areas used exclusively for immunizations, psychiatry and psychotherapy, alternative medicine or optometry.

Wiring methods for health care facilities are required to comply with the applicable provisions of Chapters 1 through 4 except as modified, supplemented, or amended by Article 517. See also 90.3, Code Arrangement.

90.3 Application Example

In Article 517, the equipment grounding conductor requirements for branch circuits serving patient care locations is amended to be more restrictive. Two equipment grounding (protective bonding) paths are the goal and rule.

Section 517.13(A) modifies the general requirements in Article 250 by requiring an insulated, copper equipment grounding conductor and installing this conductor in a metal raceway that qualifies as an equipment grounding return path in accordance with Section 250.118.

The amendments/modifications are as follows:

• Insulated, copper equipment grounding conductors
• Installed in metal raceways that are identified equipment grounding conductor return paths.

These are two more restrictive requirements than what is normally acceptable in Section 250.118.

Hospital grade receptacles and plugs are specifically designed to be tolerant to repeated cycles of plug and unplug. A hospital bed moves to the operating room and undergoes at least four cycles of plug-unplug, often by different operators. Over one year this adds up to well over one thousand cycles. This hardly happens to to average “audiophile” except the most obsessed one for rapid rotation of his equipment.

 

[Blahzot]

I'd love to see:-

1. One of these fakes measured to see if there's any difference compared with the "genuine" article;

2. Both to be disassembled to see if there's any difference in construction.

I have to say, I'm tempted to buy one of these fake Odin cables...

I had a friend who was into these cables, we did do #1 with genuine Audioquest Sky cables against a pair bought on Aliexpress. It wasn't a double-blind test, but we couldn't hear any difference. I couldn't convince him to cut open his genuine cable though, lol.

 

[misureaudio]

I have read it. The most reliable finding is: flatwire(s) on top of each other like plates of a capacitor have a high…capacitance (!), while flatwires side by side (along their shortest dimension) have a low capacitance (but the highest inductance). The values are in micro-H and pico-F…How a difference of speed of conduction, variable in different cables between 50 and 98% of c, translates into more (or less) desirable performance is not explained.

True, conclusions are clearly inadequate, further citing a preceding paper about a possible correlation with a listening test, which was criticized as arbitrary at the time.

As I told before, my scope was much more limited in presenting the Audio Review's paper. Propagation speed had been cited directly from Nordost's advertising. I was just recording the fact that in Audio Review's Lab some experiments were made to obtain estimates of propagation speed with different speaker cables. At the time Nordost had just entered the audio cables market. Just to say that one can find uncertain conclusions from lab experiments lately translated to asserted 'solid' facts in advertising.

 

[pickyAudiophile]

It's sad. It's sad because people who would defend products like this are same you're sometimes involved with when buying speakers (if you're trying to avoid the risk of speaker blind purchases).

 

[Ron Texas]

There's nothing like the truth. Thank you @amirm

 

[totti1965]

As an aside, the owner was sold on this cable by an audio salesman that made it sound like his gear would not be complete without it. He couldn't hear a difference so sent it to me for testing.

Ha, ha, ha! In German, Sky and Heaven are the same word: "Himmel". There is an expression that goes like this: "Du lügst das Blaue vom Himmel" - which means: "You lie the blue of the sky - you are a damned cheat!" Blue Heaven - a really well thought-out choice of name by NORDOST!!! Proven by Amir´s test results.

 

[aslan7]

The thing is bling is a criteria that many wants to be associated. Swiss watches, Hermes & Lois Vuitton bags are bling but they are also high quality. They don't advertise them on how strong their bracelets or handles are, etc.. They sell it for exclusivity and visual quality of the product. Nord Ost's cable looks good, they could have marketed on looks alone but instead they lie.

I have to comment that not so long ago Swiss watches were the height of quality and elegance, devoid of any bling. Some Patek Philippe owners enjoyed the fact that their watches were indistinguishable from a Timex viewed from a distance. The Calatrava style exemplified this. Now however, people are into bling and ostentation, which I suggest is a relatively recent phenomenon.

 

[sarumbear]

I have to comment that not so long ago Swiss watches were the height of quality and elegance, devoid of any bling. Some Patek Philippe owners enjoyed the fact that their watches were indistinguishable from a Timex viewed from a distance. The Calatrava style exemplified this. Now however, people are into bling and ostentation, which I suggest is a relatively recent phenomenon.

Blink in Swiss watches are indeed more prominent within the last few decades, however, bling had been a selling point for most Swiss watches for much longer. Why would you want to wear a watch made out of solid gold and has diamonds other than bling? Here are some examples that are 60+ years old.

Besides, brands like Lois Vuitton, Hermes and shops that sell them like Harrods, Selfridges, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue had been there for 100+ years.

 

[JSmith]

I'm surprised we don't see people wearing their expensive power cables out in public... I mean, how else to show them off like a watch or car? Apples to oranges...


JSmith

 

[BlackTalon]

I'm surprised we don't see people wearing their expensive power cables out in public... I mean, how else to show them off like a watch or car? Apples to oranges...


JSmith

You don't? Cables became the rage here right after wearing round alarm clocks and Mercedes ornaments on necklaces...

 

[Fezzo]

I believe they mean each of the wires, hot, neutral and ground are 16 gauge.

No. Conductors are 16 GA X 3.

 

[fpitas]

No. Conductors are 16 GA X 3.

They tripled each conductor?

 

[tktran303]

I’m sure you could you use an image generator using machine learning:

“Hey Bing! Create me an image of Hip Hop DJ Flavour Flav wearing diamond encrusted golden power cables”


Anyway; I blame Noel Lee and his hucksterism with Monster Cable for starting all this cable nonsense

 

[MediumRare]

By the way, before someone says the Topping A90 is too good to test with this cable, keep in mind that the A90 costs almost the same as this cable at $499!

As you know, I recommended to test these types of devices on a DAC known to have noise issues to prove the cable cannot make a difference there. Why not test on another device such as a class A or A/B amp or pre-amp that has relatively high noise and prove there’s no difference there either?

 

[DACslut]

I'm torn between this cord and GR Research's B24!

 

[fpitas]

I'm torn between this cord and GR Research's B24!

I imagine they must sound completely different.

 

[Ismapics]

As this tread proves it can be 100% of the product and be a successful business it’s a common marketing scheme in food and cosmetics and health products , wonder how much of the content of the cans and bottles are really the exact same product or tiny variations of bulk product marketed differently into different price tiers ?

I have worked in the industry and when having for example different flavors of the same product - Snapple , V8 Splash, Gatorade - these are mostly the same. they only change the flavoring part. Where it bothers me is in luxury industries. Take watches, you can have the same movement in a watch costing a reasonable $700 than in a $9,000 one. Even if the cases is completely made of precious metals, the cost does not reflect the price. But here is where functionality is surpassed by brand equity and becomes an emotional purchase. The one that is not about function but about feel. We don't want that in audio -I dont -, Yes we want to respect and pay for brand equity and quality not feelings.

 

[mhardy6647]

I imagine they must sound completely different.

Well of course -- otherwise, in a free market economy, one of them would be an erstwhile product!

 

[AudioSceptic]

You don't? Cables became the rage here right after wearing round alarm clocks and Mercedes ornaments on necklaces...

They're missing a trick, aren't they? Where's the Audioquest, Nordost, etc., branded clothing to show your allegiance (and superhuman hearing) when you're out and about?

 

[totti1965]

I'm torn between this cord and GR Research's B24!

Take both!
I'm sure the dealer you trust will give you a 10% discount.
And besides, you can then compare!
LOL