Pace, Timing and Rhythm

The less interference the better. All cables are filters in a way - Naim cables seem to be more transparent.

Adam

PS Beautiful dog in your profile!

Recently sorted out my powercables - just the stock ones - ensured that they do not touch anything - suddenly high piano tones were good whilst they were 'ringing' before.

Static can build up very quickly around a system sometimes. Just the act of moving things out, giving things a dusting and plugging in again can do wonders.

Surely that should be Pace, Rythm and Timing ?

AlanJ posted:

Surely that should be Pace, Rythm and Timing ?

AlanJ, you are absolutely right! But only Naim creates proper PRAT, thats why I wrote it incorrect order. Far fetched I know!

Adam Zielinski posted:

The less interference the better. All cables are filters in a way - Naim cables seem to be more transparent.

Adam

PS Beautiful dog in your profile!

Thank you very much Adam Zielinski, my late best friend.

I know.... was just a light hearted comment... Just my way of getting through the day  ;-)

AlanJ posted:

I know.... was just a light hearted comment... Just my way of getting through the day  ;-)

I appreciate the comment. 

A proper mains cable should have a power factor of 100%, and ideally low impedance, but beyond that...

BB

Any variance to power factor via a mains cable is going be truly minimal... as such any inductance or capacitance in the cable will  be relatively minute so I really can’t see that being relevant... so low impedance at mains frequency  yes, but the biggest element of the impedance will be the real resistance.... I suggest the connectors and sockets are more relsponsiblefor any SQ change, and conductors arranged in a braid to provide high impedance to RF could positively affect the sound as well.

Strangely I had the same experience with a Powerline Lite, on Linn equipment. 

I don't know how this works, but yes the Linn active speakers sounded a lot more engaging with the Naim power line Lites.

Adam Zielinski posted:

All cables are filters in a way

I fully agree with this.

Adam Zielinski posted:

Naim cables seem to be more transparent.

I'm less inclined to agree with this based on my experience using Powerlines versus far less expensive non-Naim mains cables on my Naim gear. But hey, it's a totally subjective hobby and we can rely on generalizations or objectively investigate what actually works best in our own listening room. Investigations are tough given the hundreds of mains cables on the market. The tact I've taken is to demo cables only from manufacturers that offer home trials with a 30-60 day money-back guarantee. I found the Zu Audio Event mains cable works great in my room with Naim gear and they are available in various lengths making cable dressing more manageable. That said, we all have different sockets, power strips, mains quality, and ears, so I wouldn't expect anyone else to arrive at the same end.

Very true [@mention:13533848859433010].

A friendof mine recently tried PowerLines on his Naim boxes (versus standard Naim power cords). And he disliked what he heard - in his room, with his system bass was overblown. So he's happy and content not upgrading....

Adam Zielinski posted:

Very true [@mention:13533848859433010].

A friendof mine recently tried PowerLines on his Naim boxes (versus standard Naim power cords). And he disliked what he heard - in his room, with his system bass was overblown. So he's happy and content not upgrading....

It would be interesting to repeat the trial at a different time, say six months later. I guess that's the benefit of longer term trials; I suspect it might even be better to have an interval between trials as I am sure we hear things differently at different times.

a quick update..I’ve been comparing different mains cables. Nordost, Chord, Oyaide and just for fun some different "generic power cables".
For me, hands down,  Naim standard cable wins every time..Hard to explain.. but it just sounds right! I’ve not yet tried Naim Powerline.. no local dealers that offer a demo..
So my question.. for true PRAT, is Powerline the way to go?

Silver plated copper mains cable is recomended by the manufacturer of my turntable.

Anybody know if such cable is available. (at a reasonable price)

M37 posted:

a quick update..I’ve been comparing different mains cables. Nordost, Chord, Oyaide and just for fun some different "generic power cables".
For me, hands down,  Naim standard cable wins every time..Hard to explain.. but it just sounds right! I’ve not yet tried Naim Powerline.. no local dealers that offer a demo..
So my question.. for true PRAT, is Powerline the way to go?

Might not all be down to the cable, the plug can also influence sound quality.

My turntable mains lead uses a Crabtree, and it sounds very good.

It’s all rf related I suspect. 

I've found standard Naim leads hard to beat for the fantastic bogie factor that they seem to impart. In fact the only other format I've heard that sounds better is when they are used in a Hydra.

Powerlines do offfer a degree of refinement and realism. However, they are slightly equipment dependant. I could never get a powerline to work well on my CDX2 as it tended to overblow the bass a little too much. I'd definitely reccomend auditioning on Olive equipment as I've found results can also be a little variable - it kind of takes away some of the Olive character for me.

It's a different story on a 555PS feeding a 555CDP, replacing a powerline with a standard lead and images get a little less coherent , edges are lost on the start of instruments, bass comes up half an octave and voices lose their internation. Not by much but enough to understand why you'd spend the money and consider what else would do the same thing?

It's sort of interesting, without sparking a huge cable debate, I do believe they make a difference.  IRO the OP's findings, recently a customer brought over his LP12 for our attention, on testing he produced a RA mains cable for his Lingo, after a couple of tracks I quietly substituted it for a stock Naim mains cable, he noticed the jump in performance immediately but didn't know what I had done!!  More clear, open and dynamic sound was the result.

Regards,

Mark