Superline....Using film caps instead of the standard ones supplied, in the same way as Z-Cap Airplugs sound so much better than the originals......

I like 470pF on my superline but these days it’s out of preference not necessity; I haven’t tried different cap types, just the ones Naim put in their Airplug.

You didn’t get to the bottom of your turntable problem then?

Happy with my Z foil plugs as supplied by Naim. I also have the same cap value. I’ve always been so pleased with the sound from my Kandid via the Superline ive never thought of experimenting.

yeti42 posted:

I like 470pF on my superline but these days it’s out of preference not necessity; I haven’t tried different cap types, just the ones Naim put in their Airplug.

You didn’t get to the bottom of your turntable problem then?

Yeah the motor boating sound occurs if I don't have a 1nF cap in the back of the Superline. I do know what piece of equipment is linked with the problem, but it's not Naim, so rather than identifying fit here, I'm going to contact the manufacturer and ask for his comments, or, when I have time, try again to track down any earthing problem which might also be causing it. So right now I am experimenting with all different types of 1nF caps in my Superline.

Has nobody else tried different capacitors for the load then?

Most don’t use cap plugs unless there’s a problem like you have or radio breakthrough as I did. I found the 1nF plug that came with the SL helped reduce it to an ignorable level but dulled the music a little, Steve Hopkins (If I remember correctly) suggested the 470pF as a compromise and I found that I prefered the sound with 470pF to either no cap plug or 1nF using a 17D3 in an Aro with 470R, I also prefered this combination to the 453R and no cap plug as suggested for other dynavector cartridges so I ordered airplug 470R and 470pF. The radio pickup disappeared whin I got Fraim lite but I kept using the two plugs by preference. Later I bought a Transfiguration Proteus which in the Aro optimised at 100R and no cap plug but when I replaced the Aro with a Schröder Reference the 470pF plug improved things again. I’ve felt no urge to substitute the caps in that plug.

You have the suggested setting for a Linn cartridge with your current plugs, Is your 1nF an airplug?

I added a pair of earth ground grids when I had RFI on the tube amps.    Now the Naim rig is plugged into the ground grid.   No capacitance plug needed with this setup.

It is an airplay. I will check out other earthing methods, I think....

Cheers, David

Hi,

when I had a Superline for a home demo, one of the capacitance plugs was necessary to keep Radio Moscow out. I still wonder if it was the added capacity or simply the fact that the input was no longer open that was beneficiary. Have you or anybody else tried a 0 pf plug, otherwise known as a piece of wire instead of a capacitor? Or would that harm either the Superline or its performance?

I tried all the supplied cap plugs, the 10 was slightly more effective against Radio Moscow then the 1 and the additional 0.47nF plug only slightly worse than the 1 and the most musically enjoyable. A piece of wire is a short.

Out of interest what rack were you using for turntable, superline and the rest of the system, changing the rack was the key to curing the problem altogether.

Unplugging my turntable power supply from the mains clears my Superline problems for me.....but then of course.....I can't play vinyl!!!!!

Crikey!  What is the turntable?  Have you tried putting ferrites on the input or supply cable?

I haven't tried ferrites, Richard.  It's an LP12 with Mober DC motor and power supply. But it's the motor boating problem, not Radio Station interference.

yeti42 posted:

[...] A piece of wire is a short.

Out of interest what rack were you using for turntable, superline and the rest of the system, changing the rack was the key to curing the problem altogether.

My understanding was that the capacitance plugged into the back of the Superline was parallel to one inside If this is true, a piece of wire should work. But I surely don’t know and am in no mood to damage a very fine product. I may get it for another demo, as my current phonostage doesn’t provide enough gain for my (and in this case our) cartridge.

The rack is a Bauer (dps) design and made of wood, stainless steel and granite. If you search the terms “lowbeats, Bauer, ls” you should end up at a German webzine. On page two of the review you can see how it looks like.

You can use the cap socket for a second resistor plug which parallels the resistors. Very handy for finding the best value with a limited range of plugs, It’s 100Ω for a proteus though you probably know that and experiment with no cap, 470pF and 1nF. I don’t think your rack is going to be a factor. My old steel framed MDF one was acting like a focusing element of a aerial I’d guess, though earthing it made only a slight difference, a change to was a complete cure.

Thanks for sharing the loading values for the Proteus. My current stage has a fixed 47k load, a little like the Lyra preamp. Great for Lyra cartridges and good enough for my old Temper V. 

The value is specific to the superline, it won’t necessarily transfer to other phono stages. I forget who told me that but it’s a reasonable starting position until put to the test.

vintageaxeman posted:

I haven't tried ferrites, Richard.  It's an LP12 with Mober DC motor and power supply. But it's the motor boating problem, not Radio Station interference.

I'd look at getting this problem sorted first - given that it goes away when you disconnect the mains plug on the TT it does sound like there is an earthing problem somewhere. It may save the messing around with the capacitance loading on the Superline.

James

I have to say I agree with James.  t would seem that there is  a problem with the DC motor installation or PSU and I would be looking at getting that fixed first.