Naim mono Sub lead Vs others ?

May I partially hijack your thread, Steve, by asking what IS the optimal cable connection from a Naim amp to the n-Sub? My son has just acquired one of those wonderful gloss black n-Subs to plug into his Uniti. It seems that power to the n-Sub can either be from a 4-pin DIN preamp out socket, or a pair of orange phono out sockets. I assume that, being Naim, the DIN out is preferable (and, if that be so, Steve, why not just get Chord to reterminate the relevant end of your cable with a 4-pin DIN?).

Then back to your question of whether the wildly expensive Naim cable reaches parts that other cables don't reach?

Graham

Graham: If you search, there are a stack of threads regarding that very question as to which is the better method....I read through a few of them, but there does seem to be varying opinions....For stereo listening, there is also of course the high-level speaker connection option, again which has alternative opinions on preference (even amongst Naim: I believe Richard has stated his preference for the DIN connection via a PSU, whereas I think Adam - and others - prefer the high level)....Obviously, the beauty of the n-Sub (and similar others) is that you can have both connections and flick between them, although it's potential a wasted expense on a cable should the high-level win out....

Only the 'newer' Naim boxes have the dedicated sub out phono connections I believe, but whether this is any different and/or better to picking up the signal via Din on a PSU I really don't know...??

As I say, there are quite a few older threads on the subject but I posted my question in relation to a straight comparison between the Naim single phono lead against other cables, particularly for LFE use....(As for re-terminating the Cobra, I don't have it anymore, hence the consideration of buying a new one vs the Naim option)

Steve.

p.s. Black sub with the Uniti hey - Sexy !

Hi Steve, sorry, only just spotted this thread.

Coincidentally I've just relocated one of my n-Subs to our holiday home for use with a pair of n-Sats and Yamaha Soundbar surround thingy. It's connected up using the two phono outputs from a 122X preamp with a 5-metre anonymous (but good quality)stereo lead, and a 7-metre anonymous single phono lead to the .1 output from the Soundbar.

I know that theoretically it's best to use the high-level speaker inputs on the n-Sub but given the positioning of the sub & speakers this was going to be very difficult. However, after giving both methods a try I really couldn't hear a difference in sound quality so settled on the line-level stereo.

If you're using a connection from a preamplifier power supply and you require a long lead, the Naim cable's got some resistance built in to counteract the high capacitance of a long lead - I guess anything under 5 Metres should be OK but perhaps someone from Naim can confirm?

In my main system the line-level sub feed from the preamp power supply's only a couple of metres or so long & it's just a standard din to 2-phono job, then there was a long single phono of approx. 10 metres to the other sub for daisy-chaining.

Incidentally, I suspect I'll end up retrieving the n-Sub from it's new quarters & reinstalling it. Turning the remaining one up doesn't quite compensate!

Regarding the single RCA LFE feed (as used from an AV processor), I have tried a few different cables and the Naim lead gave just a bit more bite to the bass compared to the others (QED and Chord).

If you are using a pre-out connection from the power supply (for music - 4pin DIN - 2 RCA) then it's important to use the Naim lead. This is because the PSU pre-out cannot drive long leads effectively and therefore choice of cable becomes critical if overall performance isn't to suffer. The Naim lead is "slugged" to ensure this is issue is avoided.

I'm not sure whether the dedicated sub outputs on later Naim pre-amps get around this. Probably worthwhile asking Naim.

quote:

Originally posted by Richard Dane: The Naim lead is "slugged" to ensure this is issue is avoided.

I'm not sure whether the dedicated sub outputs on later Naim pre-amps get around this. Probably worthwhile asking Naim.

There's no mention of a special lead in the 122X manual Richard, and as far as I can tell on a couple of casual listens the long phono lead I'm currently using doesn't cause any obvious degradation of sound quality.