The Sound
Contents
We listened carefully to all four speaker cables on our reference system. We naturally – consciously and unconsciously – made a comparison with the for us very well known (and well matching) Van den Hul The Nova.
Nordost Leif 3 – White Lightning
This entry level of the leif 3 series costs 729 Euro for 2 x 3 meters. That’s still a serious amount of money of course. The step above will cost you 240 Euro more…. but is that worth the investment; we are not very impressed with this White Lightning. Let’s explain.
The first impression is that it all comes across as somewhat restricted and cool; the sound-palette is clearly less rounded and complete than with the Nova. Of course, this cable costs a lot less, but the Purple Flare already brings much more color and roundness. And because the bass and mid-bass feels a bit thin, the midrange comes out a bit prominent; it feels a bit out of balance.
However, this cable – like all Nordost cables – does feel very rhythmic and fast. But still… we couldn’t really enjoy listening with the White Lightning between the Pass and the TADs.
Nordost Leif 3 – Purple Flare
The Nordost Purple Flare speaker cable costs 969 Euro for 2 x 3m. Perhaps a bit of a gulp. But what we notice immediately is that everything feels much more balanced. The treble gets more open and the bass gets space. This ensures that this cable not only sounds rounder, but also brings more air. And that draws the whole thing more into balance.
Because the bass gets more energy and feels more round, we also notice that the space in the stereo image increases. Whereas with the White Lightning it pulls a bit toward the speakers, here we get more depth.
Fortunately, the rhythmic character remains. Even more… it is somewhat better! We get more insight into the layers and also hear that the power in the dynamics increases a bit. Nice!
Nordost Leif 3 – Blue Heaven
This is a big jump in price as well as quality: for a Blue Heaven you will spend 1549 Euro for two times 3m. Almost 600 Euro on top. But what a leap in sound this is! This is – as with the interlinks – the sweet spot. At least: we think so. The Blue Heaven is simply a Red Dawn Lite Edition. The Purple Flare is more like a White Lightning Deluxe. Nothing wrong with that, of course!
We hear some more roundness, body and layering with the Blue Heaven. The openness also increases. However, we also hear here that the flow in the reproduction has increased a bit. The White Lightning in particular felt a bit rough (restricted?); that’s completely gone with the Blue Heaven. And that gives a natural flow in the reproduction.
Rhythmically we again hear a strong performer; we happily tap our feet! It seems to once again top its predecessor in terms of dynamics and layering.
Nordost Leif 3 – Red Dawn
The ‘big boss’ in the Leif 3 series: the Nordost Red Dawn. This speaker cable will cost you 2179 Euro for 2 x 3m. That’s serious money of course; again just over 600 Euro on top of the Blue Heaven.
What the Red Dawn brings a little more than the Blue Heaven is calmness. This is because there is a bit more roundness and openness audible; this draws the whole a bit more into balance. Also, the control in the bass seems a bit better; that brings calmness, flow and scale.
And yes: rhythmically this is another step: a little more dynamics, flow and power. Still impressive from Nordost (and also explainable: higher conduction, lower impedance…).
Is this the best in the series? Yes: without a doubt. However, the extra price is a bit of a stretch. Our advice is: definitely try the Blue Heaven and see if you think it is worth the extra investment…
