Full Fat Powerline on a Core

Posted by: yeti42 on 28 August 2017

Rather that continuing in the drifting super lumina thread I'll start a new one on this.

When I bought my Core I did a trail of a couple of DACs with the intention of using the one along side the Core on my Fraim while I ripped my CDs, the long term aim being an NDS. The DACs I tried were the Rega r and the Chord 2qute. Neither was that convincing with Chord Shawline cabling. I considered waiting for the Hugo 2 to come out but that was getting too expensive for a temporary DAC so I bought the Rega. A Belden 4974R cable livened the Rega up significantly compared to the Shawline and it sounded pretty good even in a 500 system. 

That's the background, now to the point. I had a spare powerline from putting a new 552 into an already powerlined system so tried it on the DAC, absolutely horrible, thin an uninvolving sound resulted and I don't mean a subtle difference either. I replaced the standard Rega cable and after a requaintence with the sound moved the Powerline to the Core, now that was more like it. When I got my first powerline I found its best home in my then system was on the CD5x despite the latter being powered from a flatcap so I wasn't completely surprised that one would improve the Core but it was a much bigger improvement than I'd expected. The NDS can wait, maybe until a mk2 comes out, I can live with this as a second source for a couple of years.

I can recommend trying a proper powerline to anyone using a Core to feed a DAC but what of Powerlining a Core used as a server?

Posted on: 28 August 2017 by Gazza

Interesting, not sure why you would get such a big improvement. Huge/Simon is there any rationale or logic you can throw at this, it's all still in the digital domain, even Naim do not offer up Powerline as a suggested upgrade?

Posted on: 29 August 2017 by Huge

Off hand I can't explain that! 

But interesting; - I'll have to have a think about it! 

N.B.  I'm not guaranteeing that I'll come up with any ideas though.

Posted on: 29 August 2017 by Gazza

Thanks Huge, lost on me as well

Posted on: 29 August 2017 by jon h

Better to spend the money on a pair of nas boxes. 

Posted on: 29 August 2017 by analogmusic

How much usage did the shawline get?

These Tuned Aray cables need hundreds of hours to come on song.

I am using a CHord Clearway in my car, and it took months and months to fully run in.

Very annoying, it wasn't worth it for me, I wish I had bought Vertere which is musical and works out of the box, no running in required.

Posted on: 29 August 2017 by No quarter

I tried a Hugo 1 between my Core and 272,and like you,I was not convinced it was any better than the Core directly into my 272 using a Nordost Heimdall 2 digital cable I have.I want to investigate a full power line on the Core though.As i wrote in the Superlumina thread,I wonder if a SL cable between the Core and pre would help.I know Naim makes RCA to RCA Superlumina cables,but are they only analog?,or do they make a digital 75 ohm cable too.I have a Hugo 2 coming soon for a home demo,I plan on trying it between the Core and 272.