Review Nordost Blue Heaven 3 USB:USB cable for audiophile streaming
Many hi-fi enthusiasts will be familiar with Nordost for its exclusive cables, but with the Leif series, the American specialist offers more affordable models. These include USB cables, which are becoming increasingly important. AV-Magazin ordered the Blue Heaven 3 USB cable for review.
Review by Marius DonadelloNov. 6th 2025, Images: Nordost, AV-Magazin
Discussions about the influence of cables tend to become particularly heated as soon as the digital domain is involved. After all, we are dealing with supposedly indestructible zeros and ones, rather than vulnerable analogue signals. In essence, only 'switching commands' are transported. But although digital technology has no states between 'on' and 'off', digital coding is still transported electrically. Against this background, various arguments are put forward as to why digital signal transport is far from perfect. It is understandable that electromechanical parameters with demonstrable effects in analogue cables are also relevant in digital cables, since ultimately they conduct electricity too. Losses and interference can therefore lead to timing errors, which can only be reconstructed to a certain extent by downstream electronics and reference clocks in converters. That’s why disorder in the delivery of data packets results in the notorious jitter and digital artefacts.
In addition, specially designed digital cables minimise the impact of high-frequency interference and electromechanical resonance from digital sources on the rest of the signal path. Computers are particularly guilty of this in the case of a USB connection, as, unlike hi-fi streamers and dedicated music servers, they do not contribute to reducing EM interference and vibrations. The chain concept illustrates the critical importance of the digital path when it comes to digital information and its reconstruction, as well as minimising electromechanical interference throughout the entire system: the less that is lost or interfered with at the front end, the better. Since its foundation in 1991, Nordost has been committed to ensuring signal integrity in cable paths. All cables are characterised by thin solid-core conductors and special stranding and geometry.
The company's success began with the ‘Flatline’ speaker cable in 1992, which caused a stir with its transparent sound and unusual flat design for the time. Over the decades, the team led by company founder Joe Reynolds has developed three cable series, each comprising between two and four lines. Most of these now include virtually every type of cable, from tonearm cables to subwoofer connections. The Blue Heaven 3 USB cable reviewed here belongs to the Leif series, which has offered entry into the world of Nordost cables for three decades.
Technology
- The four solid-core conductors of the double-shielded Blue Heaven 3 USB have separate FEP insulation (Image: Nordost)
The Leif range is divided into four lines: ‘White Lightning’ (which does not include a USB cable), ‘Purple Flare’, ‘Blue Heaven’ and ‘Red Dawn’. ‘White Lightning’ is the entry-level line, while ‘Red Dawn’ is the top-of-the-range model. The Blue Heaven 3 therefore ranks directly below the top USB model in the Leif range, the Red Dawn, which has a USB-C connection on the source side. Up to this point, the list of individual lines and extensive series remains reasonably clear. However, at first glance, the overall portfolio appears somewhat overwhelming. In addition to cables, Nordost offers numerous power management products and special solutions for optimising grounding and resonance control. The range includes in-house developed connectors, cable jumpers, and a lot of special cables, for example cords for external power supplies from third-party manufacturers. This extraordinary variety of products is remarkable in that it demonstrates the depth of development and know-how, which is something that should not be overlooked. After extensive basic research and development work, Nordost entered the digital cable segment two decades ago, gradually expanding its range of products in this area over several years.
The Blue Heaven 3 USB design follows the manufacturer's basic principles, including the use of thin conductors. It consists of four solid-core conductors with a cross-section of 20 AWG (American Wire Gauge), equivalent to 0.75 square millimetres. These conductors are made of high-purity copper, which is then silver-plated using a special process to ensure the surface is as even as possible. Before stranding, each conductor is insulated with a thin tube made of fluoroethylene propylene (FEP). The importance that Nordost attaches to geometric design features that strongly influence certain electromechanical properties of the cable is particularly clear at this point – this has been the manufacturer's view from the outset. Accordingly, early on in Holliston, a technology was developed that has since played a key role and been adapted for different series and cable types. Essentially, the principle is always the same: filaments made of FEP ensure a precisely defined distance between the conductor and insulation, while also serving as mechanical damping. The cables in the Leif series use patented micro mono-filament technology, in which a filament spirals around the conductor. The distance between the conductor and its insulation tube — in other words, the air space — is intended to allow air to act as a dielectric, which is theoretically considered ideal. Shielding is provided by a double layer of silver foil and textile braiding, and the coating is also made of FEP.