NORDOST Valhalla

All the magic of the Valhalla, I dare say, is in its wires. Nordost believes that in stranded designs the signal jumps from strand to strand reducing its integrity, so the cable consists of seven solid core extruded silver over OFC conductors suspended in the famous Dual Micro Mono-Filament matrix. The silver ‘plating’ happens through a process of extrusion that, unlike standard electro-chemical methods, results into a homogenous silver layer of a pre-defined crystallic structure that perfectly adheres to the OFC core without any molecular imperfections.
The method of extrusion is used also for encapsulating each individual wire in FEP (fluorinated ethylene propylene aka Teflon) to achieve an airtight insulation. Nordost is so confident in the longevity of such a design that it does not object to using their cables in harsh marine environments.

Similarly to other Nordost’s Reference Series cables the Valhalla uses microfilament technology, here in a dual configuration. The aim is to create more air space around conductors (thus achieving the best possible dielectric values) by winding two twisted threads of FEP helically over each polished conductor. By this, the conductors are to a certain extent suspended in inert air. It is quite a clever though expensive solution as the process is very slow. Surprisingly, none of the Nordost power cables (except of the Odin) is shielded in any way, though some basic protection against interferences is achieved by the braided geometry.

In terms of flexibility the Valhalla yields no issues and easily accomodates everywhere, unless you require too tight turns. At one end the cable is terminated with Wattgate IEC connector, at the other end there is HiFi Tuning plug with gold plated pins. Though not bad for sure, it is not an exceptional solution, as the same connectors can be found on a multitude of other cables. Well, this brings me to the conclusion that the magic of the Valhalla´s sound must be in the wires.