Fine tune music with cables

I have a SL IC on the way. I'll hear it for myself but can someone explain what the SL IC will bring to my system? I'm using NACA5 SC for now. 

you have a SL speaker cable or interconnect on the way?

analogmusic posted:

you have a SL speaker cable or interconnect on the way?

 

Interconnect

spurrier sucks posted:

I have a SL IC on the way. I'll hear it for myself but can someone explain what the SL IC will bring to my system? I'm using NACA5 SC for now. 

I love these questions. It's like me saying 'I'm going to have couscous for dinner - what will it be like?' 

Hungryhalibut posted:

spurrier sucks posted:

I have a SL IC on the way. I'll hear it for myself but can someone explain what the SL IC will bring to my system? I'm using NACA5 SC for now. 

I love these questions. It's like me saying 'I'm going to have couscous for dinner - what will it be like?' 

It's simply asking what you heard when you installed yours. If you can't or won't answer then don't. Like I said I'll hear it for myself. No since in always posting a smart ass reply but if that's all you have that's fine. 

spurrier sucks posted:

Hungryhalibut posted:

spurrier sucks posted:

I have a SL IC on the way. I'll hear it for myself but can someone explain what the SL IC will bring to my system? I'm using NACA5 SC for now. 

I love these questions. It's like me saying 'I'm going to have couscous for dinner - what will it be like?' 

It's simply asking what you heard when you installed yours. If you can't or won't answer then don't. Like I said I'll hear it for myself. No since in always posting a smart ass reply but if that's all you have that's fine. 

Finally someone said it

If someone told me I would start a cable thread  I would say it was a joke. Sorry for doing that.

Based on your advices ( I appreciate them all), first of all I will let my speakers fully run in through the spring/ summer. Then I will audition those cables available and hopefully they are run in at first. I will include SL, Chord, Tellurium. I may also solder a pair DIN/ XLR Mogami just to get the experience.

I will give Chord a new chance Ryder, I may see them in another perspective now. From the Iast two years experience I have learned a lot about what I like or do not like from my music system. Another thing is that system balance and room have changed since the last Epic.

I have no rush doing this, but in the end I want to find if there`s more to get within reasonable prices ...and if I need to step up to SL, are they really worth the expense. I have the funds, this is more about thinking that at some point I have to stop and current system seems to be my level of joy and satisfaction. So it should be with cables.

S

As you know, Steinar, I have the same electronics as you. A few years ago, if someone had said I'd be buying 3m speaker cables for £1,800 and a din to XLR for £1,500 I'd have thought they were bonkers. In the end I bought the cables and they are really super. They go with the DR and Powerlines beautifully and really take you closer to the music. The speakers disappear and the music emerges from a silent background. Very nice indeed. 

I know Nigel  I will give them a chance before final decision. Who knows where it will end, they may well be the one. 

I don't doubt there are better out there, probably at an even higher price, but I didn't bother trying alternatives. That's probably foolish, but I'm pleased with the outcome. 

Nigel - remind me, which Din to XLR did you go for? 

Do you have your mains sorted too Stover?

If you're considering cables in the SL price-range, I think it's a good route avoid/eliminate/reduce any limitations or bottlenecks 'upstream' before making such investments further 'downstream'. 

A well sorted mains supply can change and (usually) improves the performance of a system considerably. The outcome from auditioning cables'n such can be very different after the mains is sorted compared to 'just plugged into the nearest standard wall outlet in the room'. The mains is where it all starts so in a way it's in line with the 'source first' approach.

A preferrence for cable A over B might not (and often is not) be the same before or after this imo essential step in the setup of any high-end system.

Richard

I'm very much of the view that a dedicated radial spur is of far greater benefit than any cable change. and indeed component change.  Reduced the noise floor and improved clarity very considerably.  And assuming too much building work isn't required is relatively cost effective.

The Strat (Fender) posted:

I'm very much of the view that a dedicated radial spur is of far greater benefit than any cable change. and indeed component change.  Reduced the noise floor and improved clarity very considerably.  And assuming too much building work isn't required is relatively cost effective.

That is likely to depend very much on the building and how it is wired, what electrical equipment is in use in various places in the building, and most likely the mains supply itself.

As for greater than any component change, really? Or is there a baseline starting point?

Innocent Bystander posted:

The Strat (Fender) posted:

I'm very much of the view that a dedicated radial spur is of far greater benefit than any cable change. and indeed component change.  Reduced the noise floor and improved clarity very considerably.  And assuming too much building work isn't required is relatively cost effective.

That is likely to depend very much on the building and how it is wired, what electrical equipment is in use in various places in the building, and most likely the mains supply itself.

As for greater than any component change, really? Or is there a baseline starting point?

Couldn't agree more. As I posted a year or more ago, I was fortunate, my youngest son being a fully qualified 'sparks', to have him run me a temporary dedicated radial spur, using all the 'best' recommended components (10mm cable, MK unswitched etc. etc.). A/B testing vs the dedicated ring installed for the lounge (he'd just finished rewiring my entire house).

Result - not a blind bit of difference! Conclusion - if your wiring is already up to snuff, you really don't need these dedicated supplies. Yes, I'm sure they are an improvement when installed in houses where the existing wiring is less than satisfactory, but this blanket endorsement trotted out formulaically by many buffs? 

It could be that the SuperUniti system wasn't sensitive enough to show the difference - possibly. As you say, a newly rewired house should be pretty good. Our house was built in 1983 and the spur was installed around 2005, if memory serves. Before it was done, switching on lights made clicks over the speakers, as did the fridge cutting in and out. All that was banished by the spur, which also made the system sound more dynamic, and with a lower noise floor. It just seems a sensible thing to do, to give the system the best chance of working to its best. The idea of adding a £500 Powerline, or expensive speaker wires, and just plugging it into a ropey old ring main seems a bit daft. 

Do you still have the spur? If not, it would be interesting to see if it makes a difference when your new stuff arrives. Remember of course that a separate consumer unit is part of the dedicated mains, and if you don't have that the benefit will very likely be less. 

I enquired regarding the price of a 3.5m pair of super lumina speaker cables and the dealer was informed by Naim that they do not provide custom lengths and I would have to order either a 3m or 5m pair. Well 3m is not long enough and I don't require either the cost or trailing wire mess of 5m

If the case then this pretty much rules out SL from my list.

Hungryhalibut posted:

It could be that the SuperUniti system wasn't sensitive enough to show the difference - possibly. As you say, a newly rewired house should be pretty good. Our house was built in 1983 and the spur was installed around 2005, if memory serves. Before it was done, switching on lights made clicks over the speakers, as did the fridge cutting in and out. All that was banished by the spur, which also made the system sound more dynamic, and with a lower noise floor. It just seems a sensible thing to do, to give the system the best chance of working to its best. The idea of adding a £500 Powerline, or expensive speaker wires, and just plugging it into a ropey old ring main seems a bit daft. 

Do you still have the spur? If not, it would be interesting to see if it makes a difference when your new stuff arrives. Remember of course that a separate consumer unit is part of the dedicated mains, and if you don't have that the benefit will very likely be less. 

Possibly, but I would still have expected some difference - there was none. We went the whole hog, split tails, seperate CU etc. Had there been any noticeable improvement I would have bitten the bullet and made it permanent. I'm not saying don't do it, Nigel, just don't assume it's a given improvement in every household. I'm extremely wary of advice given by those purely based on their own individual experiences, especially when it can do involve not inconsiderable expense (I'm not including you, as you tend to hold back from the blanket recommendations to which I refer). Perhaps all our posts ought to come with a health (or idiot) warning!!

Tim

alanbass1 posted:

I enquired regarding the price of a 3.5m pair of super lumina speaker cables and the dealer was informed by Naim that they do not provide custom lengths and I would have to order either a 3m or 5m pair. Well 3m is not long enough and I don't require either the cost or trailing wire mess of 5m

If the case then this pretty much rules out SL from my list.

As I understand it you could get (say) a 4m pair but would have to pay for 5m. Luckily for me, 3m is just sufficient.

Hungryhalibut posted:

alanbass1 posted:

I enquired regarding the price of a 3.5m pair of super lumina speaker cables and the dealer was informed by Naim that they do not provide custom lengths and I would have to order either a 3m or 5m pair. Well 3m is not long enough and I don't require either the cost or trailing wire mess of 5m

If the case then this pretty much rules out SL from my list.

As I understand it you could get (say) a 4m pair but would have to pay for 5m. Luckily for me, 3m is just sufficient.

That is not a very customer oriented policy considering the cost of these cables and pretty much puts a bad mark on my opinion of Naim as a company. Good thing is that there are plenty of alternatives to be had

alanbass1 posted:

I enquired regarding the price of a 3.5m pair of super lumina speaker cables and the dealer was informed by Naim that they do not provide custom lengths and I would have to order either a 3m or 5m pair. Well 3m is not long enough and I don't require either the cost or trailing wire mess of 5m

If the case then this pretty much rules out SL from my list.

At least one dealer has a drop-down menu on their site with different prices per length, offering 3,4,5,6,7,9m lengths, I'm not sure if I can name them here. It seems to clash with the description on the product site "Each Super Lumina cable is hand-assembled at Naim Audio in Salisbury to the customer’s specification of length and termination."

I would go for a 4m pair that was priced as such

alanbass1 posted:

I would go for a 4m pair that was priced as such

I can't guarantee they can get them. I happened to be on their website looking at some speaker prices when I saw your post, so had a quick look. I've just tried googling "naim super lumina 4m cable for sale" and they were the 1st hit I got, it might be worth giving them a bell.

My speaker cables have to be min. of 5.5 metres. When demoing SLs and Epic Reference, my dealer informed me that Chòrd make to order, any length in multiples of 10cm, priced per metre. Naim, on the other hand, will only make in predetermined lengths, in my case 5m or 7m!! So I would have to pay an extra £1,304 for a redundant 1.5m x 2. Not a great incentive, particularly if all SLs are made to order, why can't they emulate Chord instead of ripping customers off?