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Nordost · QRT · Reference
$18,000
Not currently in our rooms. For a serious buyer we will often bring a piece in from the manufacturer for a private session — tell us about your system and what you are weighing it against, and we will advise.
Nordost · QRT · Reference
Nordost's reference AC distribution unit: ten outlets on a focused star ground, a dual Primary Earth design, multiple switchable QSINE and QWAVE devices and modified QPOINT technology inside a mechanically tuned chassis on Sort Füt feet. A filter-less alternative to a power conditioner.
Price is for one unit with two spare fuses, US outlets, 20 A IEC C20 inlet. Feed it with a Nordost power cord with a 20 A connector.
Authorized Nordost dealer · Delivery and installation by Pearl Audio · Trade-ins welcome
The story
The QBASE Reference, the QB10, is where Nordost's modular QRT ideas become one component. Like every QBASE it is passive: there is no filtering or current limiting in the path, so the amplifiers see the wall. What it does is organise the AC. A large-scale dual board separates every ground connection from the live and neutral traces and keeps the live and neutral topology symmetrical, all ten outlets refer to one central star earth, and a Primary Earth outlet, with a switch-selected second Primary Earth for dual-mono preamplifiers, gives the control component the lowest-impedance ground.
Built into the chassis are several QSINE and QWAVE devices, Nordost's passive AC enhancer and active line harmonizer, which can be switched in and out to taste, plus a version of the QPOINT resonance synchronizer optimized for AC. Internal wiring is solid-core Micro Mono-Filament, there is a dedicated pre-QKORE ground post, and the extruded aluminum chassis sits on four modified Sort Füt.
Alan Sircom of hi-fi+ called it a cornerstone for systems already in audio's first-class lounge, Jacob Heilbrunn of The Absolute Sound found his system sounded hot-rodded with it, and it took the hi-fi+ power conditioner award and an Editor's Choice. It is the distribution unit we specify for Valhalla 2 systems and for reference electronics from McIntosh, Burmester, Boulder and dCS; we install it with a QKORE on the ground post and plan the outlet order with you.
| Type | Passive AC distribution unit with integrated QRT technology |
| Outlets | 10 back-loading, US (EU and AUS versions exist) |
| Inlet | IEC C20, 20 A (16 A in EU form) |
| Electrical output | Equivalent to input; no filtering or current limiting |
| Grounding | Focused star ground, Primary Earth and switchable Dual Primary Earth, external ground post for QKORE |
| Internal wiring | Solid-core Nordost Micro Mono-Filament |
| Integrated technology | QSINE, QWAVE, modified QPOINT |
| Protection | Fused; two replacement fuses included |
| Chassis | Mechanically tuned extruded aluminum on four Sort Füt |
| Dimensions | 19 × 8 × 5.5 in (483 × 203 × 140 mm) |
| Weight | 25.9 lb (11.75 kg) |
| Sold as | Single unit |
| Warranty | Five-year limited |
Nordost QBASE Reference product page and specifications Specifications from nordost.com, the QBASE Reference manual and the Nordost USA price list (August 2026).
Nordost's QBASE distribution units, with the QRT products around them, by price.
Ground it with a QKORE and feed it with a Valhalla 2 or Odin 2 power cord with a 20 A IEC.
A private consultation with John Loranger
Pearl Audio is an authorized Nordost Reference and Supreme Reference dealer in Portland, Oregon, and Nordost power is the foundation we build reference systems on. John Loranger plans the distribution, grounding and power cords for your system, in the store or in your home, and we install and dress the finished installation. 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.
The QBASE Reference AC Distribution Unit is not in our rooms at present. When it is the right piece for a client we arrange a demonstration unit from the manufacturer and set it up for a private session.
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.
