Author Archives: Jim Lee

Nordost's Sort Fut

What is a Sort Fut?

Yesterday I had the pleasure of helping a good friend and customer upgrade the sound of a beautiful pair of Focal Sopra 3 tower speakers.

We installed these speakers a couple of weeks ago using the supplied floor spikes provided by Focal. My customer decided to buy a set of Nordost’s Sort Fut.

These devices are used to sense cabinet vibrations generated while playing music. They then extract these vibrations creating a path of least resistance to the surface they are sitting on. An added benefit is they also allow for perfect leveling of the speakers.

I just received these texts from my customer:

“I played a familiar track, (Ernest Raglin’s Ball Of Fire). It has horns and a guitar popping across the sound stage. The instruments are precise as I have ever heard them and I’ve heard them a lot over the years. I am glad I had to wait 2 weeks for the feet. I never would’ve known what they are doing. SImply amazing!”

Eight Hours to Perfection: Calibrating a Vinyl Masterpiece

Yesterday, Justyn and I had the pleasure of upgrading a high-end listening system for a long-time friend and customer in Bellevue.

Martin is a true music lover, and we have collaborated on his system for over 15 years. He recently decided to return to vinyl, so we provided a reference VPI turntable paired with the iconic Aesthetix IO phono preamp.

During the installation, Martin also chose to trade up his Nordost power cables, upgrade his cartridge to a Clearaudio Jubilee, and add a Nordost Odin tonearm cable.

To ensure the best possible performance, I reached out to my mentor, Garth Leerer, who put us in contact with industry-leading vinyl setup expert Ken Bowers. While Justyn and I handled the rack rebuild and remounted the Samsung Frame TV to accommodate the new equipment height, Ken meticulously mounted the cartridge and calibrated the turntable.

Eight hours later, we all gathered to listen. From the moment the needle hit the groove, it was clear that this was one of the finest vinyl presentations I have ever experienced. Even though the gear still needs time to break in, the sound is already spectacular and left everyone with a huge smile. We at Nuts About Hi-Fi are so grateful to be part of Martin’s musical journey.

Caution: High-Quality Music May Cause Uncontrollable Smiling

We recently commissioned Cory, our favorite local artist, to create a cautionary sign for our listening room.

Cory specializes in acoustically friendly artwork for home entertainment rooms and often works with our clients. If you are interested in a piece featuring your favorite musical performer or actor, Cory is highly recommended.

You can contact him directly at his website:
https://artbycbennett.com

From Great Room to Dedicated Music Room – A Hi-Fi Evolution

Justyn, Erik, and I successfully completed the installation of Dan and Cindy’s new stereo system in Gig Harbor yesterday.

This project was the culmination of Dan’s passion for high-quality stereo sound, which began two years ago when we upgraded his great room with Focal speakers and a JL Audio subwoofer. That initial project led him to design and build a dedicated music room.

Due to permit restrictions, Dan and his wife, Cindy, utilizing her background in commercial construction, meticulously reconfigured a bay in their existing garage to create a room dimensionally engineered for optimal sound.

The System Components

Speakers:
Focal Sopra 3s and JL Audio’s flagship Gotham subwoofer, ensuring full-spectrum coverage.

Amplification/Pre-amplification:
All Aesthetix components, including the Calypso Eclipse preamp and a pair of Atlas amplifiers.

Source:
Tidal music via a Roon Nucleus, feeding into a Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC.

Cabling/Noise Reduction:
Nordost products, including their Network Switch, power supply, shielded Ethernet cabling, and Sort Kones on every audio component.

The final stage will be acoustic treatment. Cindy has chosen beautifully made quilts to manage mid- and high-frequency reflections. Their listening love seat should arrive in the next few weeks.

This system already sounds incredible. I will update you once the final touches are complete.

Thank you two so much for becoming a part of our Nuts About Hi-Fi family.

A Special Visitor: Jazz Pianist Francesco Crosara

This week, we had a very special visitor grace our showroom: Mr. Francesco Crosara. My wife, Angela, and I first met Francesco a few weeks ago at a fundraiser for the Music Discovery Center. He and I talked music and I invited him into our showroom to listen to his most recent CD release. Francesco was so taken by the sound in our listening room he ended up buying a beautiful pair of Focal speakers and Marantz turntable for his listening room.

I was was pretty taken myself. I was surprised by not only the technical quality of the recording, but the music is incredible. Francesco, if you haven’t heard him, is one of the best jazz pianists/composers of our time and just happens to live in our area.

We will soon have this recording available in our store for sale. All proceeds from its sale will be generously donated to the Music Discovery Center, which is dedicated to helping kids who lack the means to acquire musical instruments, providing them with essential support in learning to play and compose.

This foundation is a great group of folks who donate their time and energy to this cause and we at Nuts About Hi-Fi are honored to help.