Nordost · Leif 3
From $1,185 per pair
Nordost · Leif 3
The top of Nordost's Leif 3 series: twenty-two silver-plated solid-core conductors in the flat geometry that defines the brand.
Price is for a pair at the shortest length shown. Choose length and terminations in the selector.
Authorized Nordost dealer · Delivery and installation by Pearl Audio · Trade-ins welcome
The story
Red Dawn 3 is the performance pinnacle of Nordost's Leif 3 series. Each cable carries twenty-two solid-core 24 AWG conductors of silver-plated 99.9999% oxygen-free copper, four more than Blue Heaven 3, arranged side by side at a mechanically tuned spacing inside extruded FEP. Nordost says the flat layout reduces capacitance, strand interaction and skin effect, and the figures bear it out: 7.7 pF/ft and 0.16 µH/ft, with signal travelling at 91% of the speed of light.
The gain over Blue Heaven 3 is in drive and dynamic realism, which is where the extra conductors and lower resistance tell. Steve Dickinson, reviewing a Red Dawn 3 system for hi-fi+ in December 2025, called it an entirely valid and sensible entry point to the Nordost ecosystem, and the magazine named Red Dawn 3 its 2026 Cable System of the Year.
Pairs are factory-terminated with gold-plated Z-plug bananas or 6.5 mm spades, chosen separately for each end. Large 8.5 mm and small 5 mm spades, and lengths beyond 7 m, are available to order. Measure along the actual path and keep both cables the same length.
| Type | Loudspeaker cable, flat geometry, shotgun configuration (single-wire), pair |
| Conductors | 22 × 24 AWG per cable |
| Conductor material | Silver-plated 99.9999% oxygen-free copper, solid core |
| Insulation | Fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) |
| Construction | Mechanically tuned spacing |
| Capacitance | 25.4 pF/m (7.7 pF/ft) |
| Inductance | 0.53 µH/m (0.16 µH/ft) |
| Velocity of propagation | 91% |
| Termination | Gold-plated Z-plug banana or gold-plated spade (6.5 mm); 8.5 mm and 5 mm spades to order |
| Lengths offered | 1 m to 7 m in the selector; other lengths to order |
| Sold as | Pair |
| Warranty | Limited lifetime warranty to the original purchaser |
Nordost Red Dawn 3 Speaker Cable product page and specifications Specifications from nordost.com and the Nordost USA price list (August 2026). Nordost quotes electrical values per foot; lengths are metric.
Nordost speaker cables, from Leif 3 to Odin Gold.
The matching interconnect is the Red Dawn 3 Interconnect, and the matching power cord is the Red Dawn 3 Power Cord.
Plan your Nordost system with Pearl Audio
Pearl Audio is an authorized Nordost dealer. We can measure your runs, recommend terminations for your amplifier and speakers, special-order lengths and connectors that are not in the selector, and let you hear Nordost cabling in our Portland showroom by appointment. Call (503) 222-2599 or email sales@pearlaudio.com.
The Pearl Audio experience
A system at this level should be heard, thoughtfully matched, and properly set up. From the first audition to long-term ownership, you work with the same people, in person.
Hear the Red Dawn 3 Speaker Cable by appointment in one of our two purpose-designed demonstration rooms, with your own music and time to compare without pressure.
We deliver and install throughout the Portland area, taking care of placement, connections, ventilation and system configuration ourselves.
We support everything we sell for as long as you own it, whether the answer comes by phone, in your home, or through factory service.
Trade-in assistance and qualifying 100% Trade-Up options give you flexibility when your listening priorities or your system change.
