NORDOST SYSTEM SET-UP & TUNING DISC

Label: Nordost

Nr. NOR TD1

Producer: Nordost Corporation

Mastering: no credits

LEDR tests - Doug Jones, EASI, trademark of Northwestern University, USA

A very elaborate toolkit to set up loudspeakers, optimize their placement in the listening environment, tackle the room modes and test the dynamic capabilities of your audio system. As a bonus this CD contains demagnetizing de-gauss tones and system burn-in signals.

Recommended listening

Unlike many other audophile test discs this one contains no 'music' but it will reward you with many useful warbles, beeps, clicks, thumps and noises to fine tune the audio system with a laser sharp accuracy. My favorite tracks are:

1. LEDR (Listening Environment DIagnostic Recording) tests that are a series of computer generated tones to asses speaker positioning and room interaction. Just sit down in your listening chair and follow the tones travelling in 3D space to asses their spatial accuracy and do the necessary adjustments afterwards. It is a great tool to identify first reflections from walls or the ceiling or listening environment assymetry-linked issues. if you get the tests right then you will enjoy stellar soundstaging with real music programme.

2. Drum patterns: there are 8 short looped drum patterns featuring hi-hats, cymbals, toms, kick drums and big kodo drums - all in their full dynamics that will test the transient speed, depth and tonal accuracy.

3. Timed low frequency sweep 20Hz to 130Hz: a unique and exact method of identifying bass room modes without any lab equipment with a 3dB accuracy. The time clock of a CD player are synchronized with the frequency that is played back (e.g. 00:45 means 45Hz or 01:11 means 71Hz (60+11). Cleverly designed.

Tracklist:

Basic System Setup

1. Channel Check 0:39
2. Phase Check 0:34
3. Pink Noise – Stereo 1:05
4. Pink Noise – Left 1:05
5. Pink Noise – Right 1:05
6. Pink Noise – Alternating 2:04
7. White Noise – Stereo 1:05
8. White Noise – Left 1:05
9. White Noise – Right 1:05
10. White Noise – Alternating 2:04

LEDR Tests (For Speaker Placement)

11. Tone 1. Up
12. Tone 2. Over
13. Tone 3. Lateral

14. System Degauss 03:34
15. Bass Drum 1:00
16. Snare Drum 1:00
17. Hi-Hats 1:00
18. Drum Pattern 1 1:00
19. Drum Pattern 2 1:00
20. Drum Pattern 3 1:00
21. Drum Pattern 4 1:00
22. Drum Pattern 5 1:00

Test Tones

23. Reference Level Sweep at -10dBFS 0:30
24. Frequency Sweep 20Hz – 7kHz 2:08
25. Low Frequency Sweep (Timed) 1:50

Low Frequency Tones

26. 18Hz
27. 21Hz
28. 24Hz
29. 27Hz
30. 30Hz
31. 33Hz
32. 36Hz
33. 39Hz
34. 42Hz
35. 45Hz
36. 48Hz
37. 51Hz
38. 54Hz
39. 57Hz
40. 60Hz
41. 65Hz
42. 70Hz
43. 75Hz
44. 80Hz
45. 85Hz
46. 90Hz

System Burn-in