Only one powerline - Where should I put it?

I asked similar of my dealer and he recommended on the NAP 200. My setup is NAC202/SC/NAP200/NAPSC ND5XS/XPS-2 Superline/HiCap. I thought maybe on one of the PS', presumable the SC as that would benefit both digital and vinyl but that's wrong I'm told. Yet to try as will be getting a home demo PL shortly.

cd5xs or xps would be my first try.

Enjoy!

Thanks matpip for your suggestion.  Both of  cd5xs and xps are parts of source, do you mean the source section has larger effect?  Has any tried Dac? It is understood the Dac has xps already, but it still has own power lead.

Dac or XPS would be first choice, CD5XS wouldn't benefit from power line as much as your only using it as a transport. I would expect best results on the DAC  

You should try it  behind every piece of your kit , and leave it where its effect will please you most.

But for me so far, in a similar kit, the PL works best with the power amp.

YMMV of course. Have fun

I just try xps. The result is much more positive than on hicap. Now I have more details, more informationot and very hifi sound, but not as smooth as before.  Will stick to xps for the time being, hoping will become softer after run in. 

It is proven that transport is a key segment in the reproduction chain. It doesnt cost much to try...

Jimmy,

Two things strike me here. Firstly the Hydra is a superb way to power a Naim system, and secondly you have just spent an awful lot of money on a mains lead which you do not seem overly enthusiastic about. Did you audition the Powerline in your system before buying it?

What I'm getting at is although most people seem to find that Powerlines do bring improvements there is some dissent as to the extent of those improvements. Some people have even found that they prefer the standard mains lead on some components. As I said, the Hydra is superb, so don't automatically assume that adding a Powerline has to be better.

Just one last thing. Do make sure that both the Hydra and Powerline are plugged directly into wall sockets and not into a distribution block as this will negate much of the benefits of the Hydra in particular.

Peter

I would put the Power-Line on the Power-Amp as that was where I found it most beneficial in my system. Next one should go on the Pre and the final one of the XPS. I'm delighted with my Power-Lines - it is the connector rather than the cable that makes the most difference. I used to use a Graham's Hydra and that was nice too. 

 a mains cable should have a good quality plug top , short as possible ,1.5mm2 or 2.5mm2 csa and put to together correctly  ,a well engineered cable doesnt cost a lot spend your money on new music

Thanks all for your contribution.  One observation about powerline and xps is that the improvement brought by powerline to USB stick is bigger than cd5xs as a transport.  Now, I tend to listen more to USB stick.

I agree hydra is an excellent stuff, particularly, in terms of $. 

Soon you will dish out the idea of playing USB stick as I did. You will most probably find it very user unfriendliness and troublesome which has negated the purpose of playing digital files in the first place. Perhaps a Mac Mini or SB Touch may work wonder for a start to feed into your DAC?

Yes, actually I am wandering to replace cd5xs by nd5x. 

Hi Jimmy -

It depends.

If all your sources are digital, then I would expect the PL to have the biggest impact on your XPS.

If you have both digital and analog sources, then I would use the PL on your HiCap (so all sources could benefit).

But if all of your components are connected to a distribution block, then I would use the PL to connect it to your wall outlet (thus improving all components, albeit possibly to a lesser degree).

In my setup, all components benefitted from PL's, but my DAC and power amp seemed to benefit the least.  That's what I heard, but of course, every setup is different.  Use your ears, and let us know what you decide.

Good luck!

Hook