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Nordost · QRT · Plug-ins
$450
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 · Plug-ins
An active plug-in AC line harmonizer: the QWAVE samples the mains and inserts a precise range of pulsed frequencies back onto the line, clocked from the 50 or 60 Hz waveform, to control the harmonics and overtones that colour a system.
Price is for one QWAVE with a US plug. Designed to be used alongside the QSINE, QVIBE and QKOIL; the effect is cumulative.
Authorized Nordost dealer · Delivery and installation by Pearl Audio · Trade-ins welcome
The story
The QWAVE is the newer of Nordost's two active line harmonizers. Where the passive QSINE and QKOIL generate a field, the QWAVE and QVIBE act on the line directly: the QWAVE samples the AC and introduces a calculated range of pulsed frequencies, clocked from the original waveform, which lets it control the harmonics and overtones that otherwise reach the components.
Nordost's list of results is a lower noise floor, more imagery and dimensionality, a more present soundstage, and on video systems a deeper and more vibrant picture. The Absolute Sound reviewed the QSINE and QWAVE together in 2025 and found greater image stability and more low-level detail. The QBASE Reference, Supreme Reference and Gold carry several QWAVE devices internally and let you switch them in and out; the plug-in brings the same technology to a QBASE Mark III or any outlet on the system's circuit.
Start with one QWAVE and one QSINE in spare outlets on your distribution block; the four plug-ins are designed as a set and build on each other.
| Type | AC line harmonizer, active plug-in |
| Dimensions, US plug | 81.6 mm high × 36.75 mm diameter |
| Voltage | 115 V (230 V EU and AUS versions exist) |
| Body | Mechanically tuned carbon fiber, gold-plated connectors |
| Installation | Plugs into any spare outlet on the system's AC line, ideally a spare QBASE outlet |
| Sold as | Single unit |
| Warranty | Two-year limited |
Nordost QRT plug-ins page and specifications Specifications from nordost.com and the Nordost USA price list (August 2026).
Nordost's QRT plug-ins and the power products around them, by price.
Plan your Nordost system with Pearl Audio
Pearl Audio is an authorized Nordost dealer and Nordost is the power, grounding and network foundation we recommend for high-end systems. We can plan power distribution, grounding, resonance control and the network path for your system and arrange an audition in our Portland showroom. 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 QWAVE AC Line Harmonizer 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.
