Quick cry for HELP! .. My Loaner SuperLumina Interconnect is not labelled for directionality....

The grey 'bung' at each end of the connector is in fact slightly light grey and slightly dark grey - put the lighter one at the source end.

I can only tell when holding both plugs side by side.

DB.

https://forums.naimaudio.com/to...83#47323794526893983

Thanks DB an Tony. I just got out into the fading Devon sunlight and I think I have it now. One is Greenish like the cable, the other dark grey, more like the casing. You'd a thunk Naim would make it a bit ( or a lot) clearer.

anyhow, thanks to you, listening can begin!

Have to say the HiLined system I'm listening to ad I type is sounding magnificent so this will be interesting!

Btw, I'm planning to put the SL in the tuner input and leave the HL in the CD input so that I only have to swap the NDS end each time. Anyone see any issue with a 'level playing field' in my doing that?

The demo between SL IC and HL should be rather obvious - it is not a subtle difference.
You will only prefer the HL if the SL is not run-in a lot; I went through that phase where for a few days I was not sure.

The SL IC cables (but not the SL speaker leads) all seem to begin sounding rather thin and a bit too detailed - they do take a long while running-in and open out and give a fuller richer sound as the months pass.
Mine are still improving after a year.

Have fun!

DB.

kevin J Carden posted:

Btw, I'm planning to put the SL in the tuner input and leave the HL in the CD input so that I only have to swap the NDS end each time. Anyone see any issue with a 'level playing field' in my doing that?

That worked for me when comparing S/L with Super Array last week.  Don't forget to press mute or select a third input whilst plugging & unplugging at the NDS or...

I suspect the grim truth is that it never did matter which way round any of these interconnects were connected and that Naim never did find out how to change the laws of physics.

best

David

David Hendon posted:

I suspect the grim truth is that it never did matter which way round any of these interconnects were connected and that Naim never did find out how to change the laws of physics.

best

David

When in doubt, I make sure the source is higher than the preamp... that way I can be sure the electrons will run down hill, even if some of them get caught in the bottom of the interconnect loop.  Judging by the feel of the S/L it must be so slippery inside that most of the electrons make it right through the interconnect without hindrance which explains why it sounds so good.  (I did get an A level in physics - but the bit on electrons and conductors is a bit hazy these days.)

rjstaines posted:

David Hendon posted:

I suspect the grim truth is that it never did matter which way round any of these interconnects were connected and that Naim never did find out how to change the laws of physics.

best

David

When in doubt, I make sure the source is higher than the preamp... that way I can be sure the electrons will run down hill, even if some of them get caught in the bottom of the interconnect loop.  Judging by the feel of the S/L it must be so slippery inside that most of the electrons make it right through the interconnect without hindrance which explains why it sounds so good.  (I did get an A level in physics - but the bit on electrons and conductors is a bit hazy these days.)

Now that's the sort of reasoning that I can relate to!

best

David

Hey - I have a degree in Physics, but I can still hear that one way around sounds better - empirical results always trump soothing theories.

DB.

Electrons won't get caught at the bottom because it's like water in a syphon. 

DB wrote:

"The demo between SL IC and HL should be rather obvious - it is not a subtle difference.
You will only prefer the HL if the SL is not run-in a lot; I went through that phase where for a few days I was not sure."

Alas (for my wallet) it seems well run in! Still listening, but fairly chalky/cheesy so far..

Unlike the hiline, the metal bodied SL plugs don't fall apart if a gnat alights on them. As a 272 owner I cannot use the interconnect, but have a din to xlr, with which the correct direction is easy to spot....

kevin J Carden posted:

Btw, I'm planning to put the SL in the tuner input and leave the HL in the CD input so that I only have to swap the NDS end each time. Anyone see any issue with a 'level playing field' in my doing that?

I have just compared the SL IC with my Sarum Tuned Aray and in the process managed to convince myself that I preferred the CD input (compared to Aux1 the NDS seems to default to) on my 252 so used this same input for the comparison. But I will admit right here and now there was very little difference and it may well been mind over matter. It would indeed be easier to do closer A/B comparisons if you use two different inputs on the pre and just swap over on the NDS as I took the precautions of shutting down and powering up both the NDS and the 252 at each changeover.

Would be interested to know your thoughts on the SL.

RJS, thanks for that and also for the (may I say broad minded?) thought that Chord SA should also be considered - I will..

still only listened to classical so far ( apart from a few Knopfler tracks to start) and SL is making my system sound like different rig. Timing, space, imaging, sonority, emotion, artistry all better presented and yet the overriding characteristic is control. Far less hysterics..

just winding to the end of my cave Brahms Piano1 by Israella Margolit, LSO, Brydem Thomsom on Chandos. Beautiful.

Highlight so far has been this:

I defy anyone who says they don't like Classical to listen to this on a great system and not love it!

I don't like classical. Least on my system, car, anywhere. I tried to get it but failed.

Dave

rjstaines posted:

David Hendon posted:

I suspect the grim truth is that it never did matter which way round any of these interconnects were connected and that Naim never did find out how to change the laws of physics.

best

David

When in doubt, I make sure the source is higher than the preamp... that way I can be sure the electrons will run down hill, even if some of them get caught in the bottom of the interconnect loop.  Judging by the feel of the S/L it must be so slippery inside that most of the electrons make it right through the interconnect without hindrance which explains why it sounds so good.  (I did get an A level in physics - but the bit on electrons and conductors is a bit hazy these days.)

Not sure about that - as the electrons have to move through all components and with the speaker cables ultimately to the voice coils and back to source,  it would be better to have all cables absolutely horizontal, with source, pre and  power amp all on a level with each other and with the speaker terminals, otherwise there will be distortion caused by the unequal feed and return paths because unless the cables are perfect conductors (superconductors) the extra energy required to go uphill is more than the energy of going downhill (analogy: a ball doesn't bounce as high as starting point when dropped). For the same reason it would be best to lie the speakers  their sides (if drivers are vertically aligned when standing, otherwise flat on their backs), so all voice coils can be aligned on the same horizontal plane as the cables and amp.

Makes me wonder how long it will be before cables come with fat heavily insulated tubes surrounding the conductors, and a cryogenic store to contain the liquid helium, so that we can benefit from superconductors...

make sure your cables point in the direction opposite to earths rotation, so that they dont have to accelerate even harder to get to the next stage

And ensure you don't operate or critically listen to your system when the solar flux (Kp) index is high as your cables, electronics and voice calls will be affected.. will effect those users who live closer to the earth's poles the most.

Sorry guys, but the electrons don't in fact flow in an AC system. If you look really closely (you might have to squint a bit) you'll see that they jostle each other, transmitting energy as a wave. In an AC system the net movement of an electron is zero. What moves (or flows) is the electric and magnetic field.

Are electrons even smaller than the direction markers on my Super Lumina speaker cables? I've tried looking for them with my varifocals. 

Yes they are. So small in fact that I've lost mine ; I'm quite positive.

I know my eyes are getting bad, but no matter how much I squint, I just can't see these wretched electrons people keep banging on about, be they flowing or jostling. They really must be tiny! Mind you I can't see logo on my SL speaker cables either. Are these electron thingies really smaller than the SL Naim logo?

Photo : Graham Clarke

OK, I can see the Naim logo but where are the electrons in the photo? Got my specs on and can't see any of the little blighters.