Review Nordost Blue Heaven 3 USB:Listening
- If you're looking to significantly improve the sound quality of a digital audio source, the Blue Heaven 3 USB cable is an affordable option that's ideal for the job (Image: Nordost)
Another distinctive feature of Nordost's premium cables is their unusual lengths, which differ slightly from the standard specifications. The manufacturer refers to 'mechanically tuned lengths', which take the respective cable type and its construction into account to minimise the effects of resonance. While this does not apply to the Leif series, cable length still plays an important role. Despite the increased resistance of longer cables, the Blue Heaven 3 USB is available in lengths of up to seven metres, which should be sufficient for most purposes. Offering such a length is only possible thanks to the cable's conductivity and transmission speed – after all, the USB Implementers Forum, responsible for maintaining the USB standard, has defined a maximum length of five metres for USB 2.0. These IT requirements relate once again to the vulnerability of zeros and ones mentioned at the beginning: significant power loss results in lost data packets. However, with a length of just one metre, the tested cable raises no such concerns and thanks to its flexibility, it can be laid neatly, even in tight spaces. We connected the Blue Heaven 3 USB between a MacBook Pro with Audirvana and Tidal as the source, and a dCS Lina DAC with Lina Clock. To connect to the MacBook, we used a standard USB-A to USB-C adapter.
Listening
- The techno tracks on Charlotte de Witte's EP, The Heads That Know, will get your pulse racing
Billie Eilish's third studio album, Hit Me Hard and Soft, produced flawlessly once again by the singer and composer with her brother Finneas O'Connell in their home studio, plays at the beginning. Unlike some of her other songs, the ballad 'Wildflower' does not venture beyond the pop genre; its appeal lies in the classic combination of vocals and acoustic guitar. The Blue Heaven 3 USB captures the contours of the guitar body with razor sharpness, making it tangible as a resonating body. Compared to a standard cable, the performance is much more defined and gripping in every respect. Where contours and dynamic structures were once veiled, the guitar now stands out vividly against a pitch-black background, with an organic character, and is reproduced with authentic dynamics. The timbre also gains intensity, especially in the fundamental range, where warm, pleasant notes come into their own. The vocals sound as if they are under a spotlight, much more clearly articulated than with a standard USB connection, with a completely open top end. The Blue Heaven 3 USB clearly conveys even the finest vocal nuances and breathes life into the voice.
With the rousing track 'The Heads That Know' from the eponymous EP by techno producer Charlotte de Witte, the cable has the opportunity to demonstrate its transparency in the lowest octaves. After just a few bars, the Blue Heaven 3 proves that it can illuminate the lower frequencies as brightly as the rest of the spectrum. Powerful beats have considerable force, and abysmal bass lines sound as dark as night. It effortlessly resolves fine modulations in the synthesiser's pitch and precisely stages the interplay of beats, melodic effects and rhythmic variations – pulse-pounding!
- Saskia Giorgini and Francesca Bonaita have recorded works for piano and violin by Karol Szymanowski – special music that gets under your skin with the Blue Heaven 3 USB
Pianist Saskia Giorgini and violinist Francesca Bonaita recently recorded piano and violin works by Karol Szymanowski. This music is special not only because of its artistic merit, but also because it is performed by two renowned virtuoso instrumentalists. The Blue Heaven 3 USB is equal to this excellent production, faithfully reproducing the rich timbre of the grand piano with all its subtle nuances. It captures the instrument's body in relief and realistically reproduces its dynamic range. The cable evokes a mental image of how the hammers, strings, and body of the instrument produce sound, resolving micro-dynamic with hair-fine precision. At the beginning of the second movement of the Sonata for Piano and Violin in D minor, Op. 9 (1904), the Blue Heaven 3 USB presents the low notes of the violin with their characteristic creamy texture, unfolding its full radiance in the high notes, which are equally silky and brilliant. The accurate timing is particularly noticeable in this piece, accentuating the tempo variations and counterpoints. Yet, there is no nervousness whatsoever. In fact, the Blue Heaven 3 USB unwinds the music, revealing the subtleties of the melodic structure and enabling the pauses to make an impact – a truly brilliant performance.