New to Naim (and this forum)
Posted by: Verrado on 17 August 2009
Hello - I just very recently replaced all of my gear in favor of Naim. My inspiration - I had some speakers I took the local audio shop to sell for me because I wasn't pleased with them, or so I thought. One day I dropped in and they had my speakers hooked to a Super Nait and CD5X, I couldn't believe what I was hearing, it was astounding. So, in a very roudabout way and on a limited budget, I set out on my quest. What I have now is a Nait XS and the current CD5i-2 connected with the supplied DIN to DIN cable with 4 meters of NACA5 going to Vienna Acoustics Mozart Grands. I'm awed and wish I had known of and gone with Naim a long time ago. Now, I look to you Naim experts for advice on getting the best out of what I have. I bought the NACA5 new and it came with Super Deltron banana plugs soldered to all ends so that's how I use it. Also, I use the supplied stock power cords and have them plugged into a Juice Goose AC filter/surge protector, that's it. Any advice much appreciated.
Welcome to the forum Verrado. Here are some things to help optimise:
1. If you do not live in an area which suffers many electrical storms, remove the Juice Goose. I have not heard a single system that has been improved by one of these things, and usually it's made things worse. It seems like the surge protector just holds back the music and kills the life from it a bit.
2. Ask your Naim dealer to replace the amplifier-side Super Deltron banana plugs with Naim's own SA-8 plugs which come with the amplifier. Why do Naim dealers keep fitting non-Naim speaker plugs when the amplifier comes with them as standard???
3. Ensure the Naim interconnect is plugged in the right way around. The band end should be plugged into the CD player. If you wish, do not lock the DIN plugs. This lets the music breathe a little bit better. What I do is ensure the plug is all the way into the socket, then pull out the locking ring so it hangs just on theDIN plug. Do this at both CD and amplifier ends.
4. Stock power cords are good! Stay with them. There are many after-market brands of power cord. Almost all the ones I ahve heard have made either no difference or made things worse (this includes some expensive power cords). In truth, by changing to a different brand of power cord you're buying into a non-Naim approach to music making, which is not, by your admission, what you want to do. The only genuine Naim upgrade is the Powerline and that costs money! Stay with the standard cords for now and just learn to enjoy what you have - it's an extraordinary system anyway.
5. Plug the CD player into the socket on your multiway block that is closest to the wall, then the amplifier. If you have other important sources (e.g. turntable and phono stage) go with the sources first and finish with the amplifier.
6. Do you have a rack of some description? If not, try not to place the two units on top of each other. The large transformers in the units will interact when this is done. It just makes the system a little noisier. Of course, if you don't have the space to keep them separate, then such is life. If you can invest in a rack, this would be sensible. try to avoid the welded metal and glass solutions. They have a tendency to make the system a bit brighter. Wood (or veneered mdf) with aluminium or stainless steel uprights or no metal at all are all good solutions. Look at isoblue, Hutter or Quadraspire as reasonable solutions. I have placed them in order of preference. The isoblue is my favourite of those three.
7. Try to keep the signal cables (interconnects and speaker cables) away from power cords as much as possible.
8. Never switch off your system, unless you know you're not going to listen to it for some time (say you're going away for a week).
9. Once the system has run in (this takes at least a week of repeated playing) play around with speaker positioning. With your speakers I would start with no toe-in at all and a good distance from the rear and side walls if possible (all dependant on the room obviously). If the sound is shouty and/or vague, toe them in very slightly until the image snaps into focus. You need to play with this a bit since your previous experience has obviously not been successful but also because of the different emphasis on the frequency range that different electronics brings.
Finally, try to forget that you've bought a new system and just play the music!
1. If you do not live in an area which suffers many electrical storms, remove the Juice Goose. I have not heard a single system that has been improved by one of these things, and usually it's made things worse. It seems like the surge protector just holds back the music and kills the life from it a bit.
2. Ask your Naim dealer to replace the amplifier-side Super Deltron banana plugs with Naim's own SA-8 plugs which come with the amplifier. Why do Naim dealers keep fitting non-Naim speaker plugs when the amplifier comes with them as standard???
3. Ensure the Naim interconnect is plugged in the right way around. The band end should be plugged into the CD player. If you wish, do not lock the DIN plugs. This lets the music breathe a little bit better. What I do is ensure the plug is all the way into the socket, then pull out the locking ring so it hangs just on theDIN plug. Do this at both CD and amplifier ends.
4. Stock power cords are good! Stay with them. There are many after-market brands of power cord. Almost all the ones I ahve heard have made either no difference or made things worse (this includes some expensive power cords). In truth, by changing to a different brand of power cord you're buying into a non-Naim approach to music making, which is not, by your admission, what you want to do. The only genuine Naim upgrade is the Powerline and that costs money! Stay with the standard cords for now and just learn to enjoy what you have - it's an extraordinary system anyway.
5. Plug the CD player into the socket on your multiway block that is closest to the wall, then the amplifier. If you have other important sources (e.g. turntable and phono stage) go with the sources first and finish with the amplifier.
6. Do you have a rack of some description? If not, try not to place the two units on top of each other. The large transformers in the units will interact when this is done. It just makes the system a little noisier. Of course, if you don't have the space to keep them separate, then such is life. If you can invest in a rack, this would be sensible. try to avoid the welded metal and glass solutions. They have a tendency to make the system a bit brighter. Wood (or veneered mdf) with aluminium or stainless steel uprights or no metal at all are all good solutions. Look at isoblue, Hutter or Quadraspire as reasonable solutions. I have placed them in order of preference. The isoblue is my favourite of those three.
7. Try to keep the signal cables (interconnects and speaker cables) away from power cords as much as possible.
8. Never switch off your system, unless you know you're not going to listen to it for some time (say you're going away for a week).
9. Once the system has run in (this takes at least a week of repeated playing) play around with speaker positioning. With your speakers I would start with no toe-in at all and a good distance from the rear and side walls if possible (all dependant on the room obviously). If the sound is shouty and/or vague, toe them in very slightly until the image snaps into focus. You need to play with this a bit since your previous experience has obviously not been successful but also because of the different emphasis on the frequency range that different electronics brings.
Finally, try to forget that you've bought a new system and just play the music!
quote:Originally posted by fixedwheel:
One thing to watch, a real "Gotcha", is that when you look from the front of the amp the feed to the left speaker is on the right hand side.
If the amp is positione between the speakers, then the cables will cross each other.
I got caught out at first, but the manual is your friend. You may be in for a no cost sound quality upgrade!
John
Gulp! Oh My God, this is an embarrasing one to admit, I can't believe I've been listening to my system all this time with the speakers crossed (L to R and R to L). I must of read loads of threads (oops! but not the manual) regarding speaker connections here, but have not noticed a post regarding this strange layout before.
Thank you, John. If it wasn't for your post I may have not noticed this for some time to come
I assumed like with 99.9% of other audio equipment, that the left speaker connects to the left speaker terminals when looking from the front.
This underlines for me the need to RTFM if the product has one
regards
Busta
Busta, I think you are taking it well.
John
John
...I am?
I wonder if I'd have upgraded so soon had I connected the right channels to the right speakers on my old 5i-2 system
Worse thing is I've gotta wait a week or two to hear the system/speakers connected the correct way, since I've no CDP until my new CD5XS arrives
and have packed away my TT 
for the time being, until I sort out somewhere for it to sit on.
Busta
I wonder if I'd have upgraded so soon had I connected the right channels to the right speakers on my old 5i-2 system
Worse thing is I've gotta wait a week or two to hear the system/speakers connected the correct way, since I've no CDP until my new CD5XS arrives
and have packed away my TT for the time being, until I sort out somewhere for it to sit on.Busta
quote:KLAATU, VERRADO, NIKTO
Very perceptive Mike! While it's actually the name of the community I live in, I have no idea where KLAATU and NIKTO are. Still it's comforting to know we are at least 1/3 responsible for calming earth crushing robots
Good morning to you all,
I'm just having my hifi-wake-up-call.
In the past I always was into tubes. They sound great, especially the mid-high section are wonderful. But I never found the right speakers for them with punchy bass. Always missing some punch.
So what to do?
Then I purchased the Harbeth's HL-P3ES monitors. They were a best buy for me, but with a sensitivity of 82dB not really a match for my tube amp.
Then I did something very weird. Went to a Naim dealer, ask for a demo with Naim NAC152XS and NAP155XS.
Me? As a tube addict? Yes!
Well you know what happened.
Bought the NAC152/NAP155 XS and a Hi-CAP.
I always thought that Naim would be too analytical and too clean with no warmth. But no, Naim gave me a rich, warm, detailed sound. Great high and mids, but also very punchy bass. Great voices, depths...the speakers don't exists anymore.
The set is only playing for two days, warming up. So what it will do in five days...I let you know.
Regards
Henk
I'm just having my hifi-wake-up-call.
In the past I always was into tubes. They sound great, especially the mid-high section are wonderful. But I never found the right speakers for them with punchy bass. Always missing some punch.
So what to do?
Then I purchased the Harbeth's HL-P3ES monitors. They were a best buy for me, but with a sensitivity of 82dB not really a match for my tube amp.
Then I did something very weird. Went to a Naim dealer, ask for a demo with Naim NAC152XS and NAP155XS.
Me? As a tube addict? Yes!
Well you know what happened
. Bought the NAC152/NAP155 XS and a Hi-CAP.
I always thought that Naim would be too analytical and too clean with no warmth. But no, Naim gave me a rich, warm, detailed sound. Great high and mids, but also very punchy bass. Great voices, depths...the speakers don't exists anymore.
The set is only playing for two days, warming up. So what it will do in five days...I let you know.
Regards
Henk