Another happy NACA5 conversion

Posted by: Will_Dias on 18 March 2002

I have at last changed my K400 cable for 'F' terminated NACA5.

What an improvement. It has (fortunately) damped my urges in the "lets investigate replacing the Keilidhs" chapter of my hi-fi life,
I say fortunately because having a w&2*k, such a purchase would be difficult to fund and probably impossible to justify.

Many of the things that I felt that the keilidhs didn't do so well have been removed, and what I liked about them seems to have been enhanced.

I wish that I'd done this ages ago. On the other hand, it may be better that it happened this way round, as I can now fully appreciate just what NACA5 does.

I now face the dilemma that is presented to all who have experienced this upgrade.
Having heard just what the 'lowly' naim cable can do and having never really investigated other cables ('though I have heard Chord Rumour in a dealer's dem room), do I now immerse myself in a protracted research exercise to discover if a cable exists that can better it, or should I just say thanks to Naim for doing the hard work for me, sit back and listen to loads of music?
On second thoughts, there's no dilemma at all, is there?

One final note, I'd like to thank Derek at New Audio Frontiers for making the cables up for me (you should see the mess I make with a soldering iron), for making the hour or so while he did this most agreeable by letting me loose on a CDS2/52/250/SBL system, and for giving me a lift to the station after he had finished.

Will (legal at last).

P.S. Steve (aka Kan Man), you can once again admit to knowing me in public.

Posted on: 18 March 2002 by kan man

Is this short for wife and two kids or are you doubling up on your other hobby?
PS just mailed you re stands.

Cheers
Steve

Posted on: 18 March 2002 by Mick P

Will

It is good to hear from someone who gives a full endorsement to NACA5 cable.

Why people try other, more expensive stuff is beyond me, espescially after Naims warning on warranty etc.

I am always amazed that these people cannot realise, that if a better cable did exist, Naim would recommend it and probably collect a fee for doing so.

That in itself must be a good indication that the cable is the best and that you will get more enjoyment from buying CDs rather than wasting your money on cables of dubious origin.

Regards

Mick

Posted on: 18 March 2002 by Andrew Randle

Will,

It sounds like your NAP180 is breathing a sigh of relief and running at optimum operating conditions. I wouldn't go researching into millions of different cables, Naim have already done that one for you, and optimised the amplifier output stage to suit.

Andrew

Andrew Randle
Currently in the "Linn Binn"

Posted on: 18 March 2002 by ken c

quote:
Originally posted by Will_Dias:
I have at last changed my K400 cable for 'F' terminated NACA5.
What an improvement. It has (fortunately) damped my urges in the "lets investigate replacing the Keilidhs" chapter of my hi-fi life,
I say fortunately because having a w&2*k, such a purchase would be difficult to fund and probably impossible to justify.

did you notice the difference st away, or after some "burn-in"?? i assume the NACA5 is new... it really does make a difference if the cable is terminated properly -- and Audio Frontiers are one of those dealers who would know these things...

enjoy

ken

Posted on: 18 March 2002 by Will_Dias

Ken,

The cable was new, bought on Friday.

I noticed the difference straight away.

Will.

Posted on: 18 March 2002 by Frank Abela

The cable still has to run in. It'll get a bit richer in the bass and a bit sweeter in the mid and treble. It'll take at least a week.

Regards,
Frank.
All opinions are my own and do not reflect the opinion of any organisations I work for, except where this is stated explicitly.

Posted on: 19 March 2002 by kan man

I popped round for a listen last night....

I know Will's system fairly well and have seen (heard)it evolving over the years. There have been some major upgrades like Nait3 -> 102/180 and CD3 -> CDX which brought obvious improvement but it had never been a system that appealed to me. I put this down to the speakers which I viewed as bloaty, slow and polite. Last night was a bit of a revelation...

Adding A5 has transformed the system. It is by far the biggest single improvement that I have heard. The Keilidhs now rock. They have opened out, speeded up, tightnened up and have much better timing, attack and punch. In short, a major injection of Kan-ness. You can now tell that they are made by the same manufacturer as Kans.

I suspect one reason for the gobsmacking jump in performance is because we never heard the true benefit of previous upgrades since it was masked by K400 mushiness.

Simon - based on this, yes - night and day. If you like your current sound you might be in for a bit of a shock though.

Will - your next upgrade has to be on the vinyl side of things. Good as the P3 is, it's now shown up by that new fangled CD thingy.

Regards
Steve

Posted on: 19 March 2002 by Will_Dias

Steve,
You beat me to it and posted while I was writing. I’ll post this anyway…

Simon,
I've never heard a CD5/Nait5/Keilidh combination , so I couldn't predict accurately what would happen with your system (but I used to own a CD3.5/nait3/Keilidh combination, this with the K400 cable). I would assume that the differences that I have noticed in my system should also be apparent in any Naim system.

You must forgive my descriptions below. I'm not particularly good at explaining these things. I'd never get a job reporting for a hi-fi mag.
The first difference is in the PRaT. It's all just sort of sped up and come a bit more into focus. The definition & organisation of the music has improved.
The second thing is what I would call energy. The system appears to have much more life, and it ‘rocks’ much more. I suppose that Andrew used the best metaphor really, it’s breathing. more easily (please excuse the appalling ‘tunes’ pun).

The NACA5 seems to have brought out some of the attributes of the older Linn speakers (like the Kans) without compromising the intrinsic qualities that first got me to buy Keilidhs in the first place.
All the usual clichés apply, the neighbours popping over from across the road to enquire what had changed and how much better it sounded from their house. The lifting of curtains, veils, blinds (Austrian & Venetian) & shrouds to reveal the actual musicians playing their hearts out. That sort of guff.

The 2 sets of terminals at the speaker end is what I’ve got (I used the term ‘F’ configuration, attributable to Tony Lonorgan, if I’m not mistaken).

Ken & Frank,
Hmmm, burn-in. Last night there was a definite improvement in the music that was coming out. I'm no electronics engineer, physicist, or psychologist, so I won't begin to claim to understand what's going on. But something has changed, and for the better.

… end of disproportionately long description of what cables do. I’ll get me coat.

Will.

Posted on: 19 March 2002 by ken c

if you search the archives for naca5, you will come across postings that report extreme disappointment with naca5 speaker cable. hot or cold.

just goes to show...

enjoy

ken

Posted on: 19 March 2002 by Dr. Exotica

quote:
if you search the archives for naca5, you will come across postings that report extreme disappointment with naca5 speaker cable. hot or cold.

I just took delivery of some NACA5 from Gene Rubin in Ventura (the consumate Naim dealer) and have been quite pleased with the results. Listening to a little Maria Callas raised the hairs on my neck - the energy was completely unexpected. I ended up playing the music over and over, louder and louder.

I like the NACA5; truely an incredible bargain.

Erik

Posted on: 20 March 2002 by ken c

I just took delivery of some NACA5 from Gene Rubin in Ventura (the consumate Naim dealer) and have been quite pleased with the results. Listening to a little Maria Callas raised the hairs on my neck - the energy was completely unexpected. I ended up playing the music over and over, louder and louder.
I like the NACA5; truely an incredible bargain.

erik, so do i. as i said, i suspect some of the disappoitments are due to the cable not being done properly, or some other problem in the system... i would never pay the sort of silly money that some speaker cables go for.

have u got any cecilia bartloli recordings?

enjoy

ken

Posted on: 27 March 2002 by Edo Engel

quote:
Originally posted by Frank Abela:
The cable still has to run in. It'll get a bit richer in the bass and a bit sweeter in the mid and treble. It'll take at least a week.

Frank,

I converted to NACA5 as well yesterday, and noticed the changes you describe taking place first after some five hours of playing. Also, the sound has become more open. Having read your thoughts, I'm left wondering where this will end... :-)

Cheers,

Edo