Cable full loom vs wonky

No thoughts?

I have not exactly tried the cable combos you mention but have tried something close.

I started with a Witch Hat DIN/XLR (nice improvement over stock cable) then later added SL IC (significant upgrade) then finally added SL speaker cables (again, a significant upgrade). When I home demoed the SL speaker cables, I also tried a Chord Sarum Super Aray DIX/XLR (in place of the Witch Hat). The sound was just plain weird. Not sure if this was a clash between SL and Chord cables or that the Chord cable was not properly run in or both. Anyway I couldn't afford both the SL speaker cables and the Chord DIN/XLR so obviously (based on my home demo) chose the SLs.

I do sense some real synergy as you add to the SL loom and suspect the SL DIN/XLR would be superb (and would complete my loom) but I am not going there yet.

Good luck.

Lars hi,

I can't really advise with regard to SL as outside of my price range.  However, I have a mix of standard Naim wires and some Chord stuff and it all works well enough particularly the Chord Oydessy on my speakers.  However, I aprreciate this is going to be difficult but I would just not commit to that level of expenditure on anything let alone cables without a full demo. 

Good luck.  

Lindsay

Lars,

 I run a following mix in my main 'rig'

NDS > 252 (SuperLumina DIN-DIN)
SCDR > NAP 250DR (Chord Signature Tuned Aray)
NAP250 > Ovators S-400 (NACA5)

Also tried SuperLumina speaker cable for the set up - works very well. But for now I'm enjoying NACA5 too much And SuperLuminas are needed for the second system where they bring more benefits.

So given the amplification level you have I would strongly recommend that you try SuperLumina DIN-XLR or Chord Sarum DIN-XLR. Only once you sort this one out, start thinking about spekaer cables.

Adam

Lars, my suggestion is that if you like the way your system sounds, leave it.. at least for the time being and enjoy your music. Sure if you hear another system and hear something you would like on yours then focus on that.

S

Very helpful, so no rules, but clearly need to ab homedemo starting with the xlr! I hope i can organize that. Maybe I will become naca die-hard or a full loom guy :-)

simon you are right, but I just look at that those shoestring xlrs and they are my weak link. I should forgot, but they are just bugging me :-) 

if cannot get sl xlr from dealer maybe find sh somewhere.... 

Lars,

the final piece of my full loom was the xlr. I ran with the SL Din and speaker cable with standard xlr for several months. Both IC and speaker cable were, for me, really impressive. The xlr was, more subtle. As the xlr is also very expensive compared to the other part of the loom, unless you have long speaker runs, I would change your Naca  first. 

Dave

Lars, I have same system as you except 500 in place of your 300.

I'm 100% sold on SL interconnect that you have. Unequivocal, huge improvement in my rig over previous Hiline.

recently I've been trying WitchHat and SL DIN/XLR's. My findings were WitchHat is good, but I preferred standard cable. WitchHat gives smooth, warm, very well ordered presentation, but to me, lost some of the edge and excitement., and made everything sound a bit the same. I sent it back.

Then I tried SL. I think overall an improvement. Full detail, subtle shades of the playing illuminated, but not black and white differences like the interconnect change and overall very slightly soft sounding to my ears. Standard cable rougher and more of a rollercoaster, but somehow more goosebumps, so I'm not sure. I will soon service and DR my 500, so will try SL again after this. I certainly heard enough to tell me SL does more, but right now, not worth £3k for me.

Thanks Bodger, implication for me is then still to find a way to demo SL full loom. Will bring up again w dealer. Seems in genenral like more end  up with SL than Chord full loom. 

kevin, so the standard xlr could actually be your end-Game in 500 system? Did you try any of the chord cables eg as xlr?

br Lars

Follow Lindsay's advice and somehow get that home dem. 

I've compared SL and Sarum Super DIN/XLRs with the standard cables on several occasions and, whilst the SLs offer more than the standards, they are soundly thrashed by the Sarums, particularly when there have been other Sarum cables in the mix. Recent comparisons of SL v Sarum speaker cables, in an otherwise all Naim cabled system, also favoured the Sarums and by no small margin.  Everyone else who attended these sessions agreed, however there are clearly people here whose opinions differ.

So, you absolutely have to hear both for you to decide which are best without simply spending a huge amount on something which would otherwise be what others advocate.

The alternative  is to do as Simon suggests and stay put and just enjoy your system as it is.

I don't know if it's my end game or not, but having had an itch to discover if it was a weak point in the system I'm now of the view that it isn't really. Certainly, other fish to fry first.

I tried the Chord Super Arum Aray interconnect alongside SL in April before opting for the latter. LOTS of good things to be said about SSA, but at the time, into a 52 pre ( i.e. before getting 552)  the SL won out for me, again on 'goosebump factor' and connection to the music.

I may check out some Chord cables again in the future perhaps, but I feel no urgency.

btw, I also very briefly heard SL speaker cable in my system recently and it didn't inspire me at the time or strike me as an improvement over my Mogami cables. However, I should ( and will) reserve judgement on that as there was a lot of change and settling in going on in my system at the time. I will try again at a later date after 500DR has played itself in I'm sure.

And there you have it, Lars. Kevin was "goose bumped" by SL I/c whereas I was left distinctly "goose bump-less" by  the rest of the SL range....

You need to hear them for yourself, oh and make sure that both are fully run-in, too.

Cheers

Dave

I wouldn't buy anything I couldn't test at home unless the dealer was willing to give a 100% refund.

Your system will always be capable of more. It might be more good stuff, it might not. You will be taking a leap into the unknown no matter how many people say SL has transformed *their* systems.  Including mine, which benefitted from SL in all the places where SL could be used. But I don't have your system in your room and I don't listen with your ears.

Thanks guys! Its clear I need to home demo sl vs chord ssa to work this out. If not possible, eg only possible to hear chord, then will keep what have and focus on the music - its great anyway. So many factors at play and we all hear differently. Thx for reminding, Lars

My kind dealer got me a pair of sl speaker cables. First impressions are not good after first hours

they open up, but its bells and whistles detail rather than more of the core music. Its a bit removed/distant to the swing/beat/groove based on what i heard. Even fatiquing. naca5 way better.

i will let them settle a few days, but if things stay like this, i much better understand the chord super sarum/music narrative posted by many of opening up while being warmer etc. Maybe will be naca5 die-hard as so on beat.

at least a first step in the demoing

lars

They will get better.

Treble details that rung and seemed to resonate with NACA5 and just downright grated with new SL speaker cables are now clear, unforced, not attention grabbing for the wrong reasons and full of layers of detail. 

Somewhat unfocused bass edges that just got replaced with a lack of bass or one note bass with new SL cable are now clear, taunt and ooze texture and timbre.

It is to be hoped that the dealer will let you keep them long enough to be sure you like/don't like them. If my dealer had wanted them back after five days, they would have gone back.

Lars, it might be worth asking the dealer how many hours the SLs have been running. They really take some running in. Give them a chance, particularly if they are new out of the box.

I had a similar thing with my din to XLR, which sounded most odd for quite a while. Over time they sort themselves out, leaving a lovely natural and involving sound, where the speakers just get out of the way and let the music flow. I'm delighted with my SL cables with the relatively humble 272/250, which is more than worthy of them. 

Thanks for your experiences - dealer said they are runin, but also that takes a few days to settle in. Was just surpriced about the very negative first impression - normally things are good out of the box and get better. Will be patient :-)

LARSDK. When I had a pair of SL speaker cables on demo even though they were a fully run in set they sounded like a bag of nails first off settling down after a couple of days but took well over a week to finally settle just give them time.

Hi Lars,

An interesting thread. How many hours do you have on your new ART speakers now?  I found the bass character & performance of mine kept evolving over several months to an extent that was surprising. Unless you have several hundred hours run time on yours, you may be experiencing cables settling in at the same time as the bass drivers loosen up.

Whatever the final outcome of your auditioning, thank you for sharing.

Best regards, FT

If run int hey'll probably be in a place where you can make a decision in 2-4 days. Ideally, the longer you can keep them the better. But FT raises a big point over speaker run in. If yours are still bedding in and changing, the SL findings will probably need to be revisited down the line.

Lars - have a look at this thread

https://forums.naimaudio.com/to...back-to-naca5?page=1

Poor Lars, he has Adam pulling on one arm and the rest of us pulling on the other. 

And the beauty of it is that I use SL speaker cables in my second system, with those beautiful Monitor Audio 300s and fantastic Vertere links.

But with Ovators S-400 NACA5 just sounds 'right'. Perhaps because when Ovators were developed NAIM only had NACA5....