Markus Installs Dedicated Circuit; Bores Others With Constant Raving About Benefit
Posted by: Markus on 04 July 2006
“I’m gobsmacked”, pronounced the sometimes doubtful music-lover. “I thought there would be some kind of noticeable improvement, but I had no idea it would be this big.”
Dateline St. Louis
St. Louis music lover, record collector and Naim Audio equipment owner Markus the Naimnut recently installed a dedicated 20amp circuit to his listening room. While the erewhile benefits of such an installation are well known and widely publicized, in typical fashion, Markus immediately began behaving as if his experience were a unique breakthrough, remarkable, and something which the rest of the music-loving world should be informed about. “I want everyone to know about this”, Markus said. “There are many people out there who, while they know that these dedicated circuits can produce sonic improvements, are hanging back and spending their money on things like upgraded power amplifiers, power supplies and power cords.” When asked why it had taken him four years to get around to installing the dedicated circuit in his own home listening room, Markus merely shrugged. “I guess I’m sometimes slow to get it, you know. For years, every since moving to St. Louis, my main focus has been on buying up lots of used vinyl. You can get jazz here, soul, almost all of it is available. My only regret is that we don’t have any local store along the lines of Amoeba Records (Berkeley and San Francisco) where you can get the cutting edge stuff, you know, a decent selection of post-rock, downtempo and obscure so-called underground hip-hop.”
Naim Audio, a Salisbury, England company, manufactures a range of hi-fi equipment often noted for its sonic quality. Naim owners often become somewhat fanatical about their devotion to the brand. “It’s a lifestyle choice”, explained Markus. “You give up tone controls, tubes, those cool little meter windows that they used to have on power amplifiers back in the seventies, the whole bit. There aren’t even any of those cool walnut sleeves we used to get on our audio equipment back in the day. Even so, I like my Naim equipment and I’m sticking with it, at least for a good while longer.” When asked how long he’d owned his current setup, Markus explained its history. “I bought the preamp back around 1989 or 1990. Added the hicap a year or two later, and since then I’ve been gradually upgrading the amplifiers. I’ve owned a 140 (One of Naim’s well-regarded, lower-power amplifiers), a couple of 250s of various vintages. Now I’ve got my 135s. With the dedicated circuit, last night I was thinking “I can’t imagine that this sound could get any better.” Of course, I know it can,” Markus added. “There’s the whole new Classic range, which a lot of people rave on about, and I know there are better preamps out there than the 72. After all, it dates from the late nineteen-eighties.”
But over and over during our conversation Markus kept coming back to the tremendous sonic transformation wrought to his system through installation of the dedicated circuit. “With Naim equipment, the upgrade path is really pretty straightforward. And you can easily hear the benefit of any upgrade you are thinking about whenever you “do the dem”. “Doing the dem” is what we call it when we go to a Naim Audio dealer and have them insert whatever piece of equipment it is you are thinking about into the system. The classic dem used to involve Naim’s lowly, but highly regarded Nait preamp. After listening the Nait, which sounded pretty good in its own right, the dealer would make the switch to a 62 or 72 preamp and 140 power amp. This brought about an upgrade in sound quality that was not subtle. Adding a hicap power supply to the preamp took the system to another level and brought further refinement to the sound. After that, substituting a 250 power amplifier or a preamp from higher in the range simply continued to prove that Naim had clearly created a systems approach to music making which greatly simplified the process of puttng together a satisfying system.”
“But this dedicated circuit is a lot like doing the dem, and having the dealer either add in a power supply to the preamp or switch from, say a Hicap power supply to a Supercap. I’m amazed at the wide-ranging improvements to the sound. A layer of distortion has been removed from the system”, commented Markus. “Bass is smoother, more powerful and better controlled. But it is also amazing how much better the treble is—it’s more extended and natural. There’s more music there, more notes. You can hear more notes, believe it or not.”
Reaction on the audio forum boards Markus regularly posts on has been mixed. “He’s got to stop”, said one individual also known to frequent the Naim Audio Forum and also Pink Fish Media. “He seems to think that just because he’s heard the benefits to his system from installing the dedicated line, that gives him the right to go on-and-on about it here on the internet.” “That’s right,” chimed in another frequent poster. “He’s gotten to be a bit of a bore, you see. The rest of us, well, we’ve either already installed one of these dedicated circuits in our system, or we’re in a position where we can’t really afford it.” “I live in an apartment,” added a third. “There’s no way I’m going to spend that kind of dosh on an upgrade I can’t take with me when I move. Markus has really got to get off it, if he knows what’s good for him.”
Back in his listening room, Markus remains unrepentant. “I’ve simply got to get the word out,” he said. “I keep thinking of all these poor souls who keep upgrading their boxes. Upgrading boxes is good, so far as it goes. But with a dedicated circuit you can hear what the equipment you own is really capable of. And if you’re like me, you might just decide that you can happily live with the sound you’ve already got for a long, long time.”
Dateline St. Louis
St. Louis music lover, record collector and Naim Audio equipment owner Markus the Naimnut recently installed a dedicated 20amp circuit to his listening room. While the erewhile benefits of such an installation are well known and widely publicized, in typical fashion, Markus immediately began behaving as if his experience were a unique breakthrough, remarkable, and something which the rest of the music-loving world should be informed about. “I want everyone to know about this”, Markus said. “There are many people out there who, while they know that these dedicated circuits can produce sonic improvements, are hanging back and spending their money on things like upgraded power amplifiers, power supplies and power cords.” When asked why it had taken him four years to get around to installing the dedicated circuit in his own home listening room, Markus merely shrugged. “I guess I’m sometimes slow to get it, you know. For years, every since moving to St. Louis, my main focus has been on buying up lots of used vinyl. You can get jazz here, soul, almost all of it is available. My only regret is that we don’t have any local store along the lines of Amoeba Records (Berkeley and San Francisco) where you can get the cutting edge stuff, you know, a decent selection of post-rock, downtempo and obscure so-called underground hip-hop.”
Naim Audio, a Salisbury, England company, manufactures a range of hi-fi equipment often noted for its sonic quality. Naim owners often become somewhat fanatical about their devotion to the brand. “It’s a lifestyle choice”, explained Markus. “You give up tone controls, tubes, those cool little meter windows that they used to have on power amplifiers back in the seventies, the whole bit. There aren’t even any of those cool walnut sleeves we used to get on our audio equipment back in the day. Even so, I like my Naim equipment and I’m sticking with it, at least for a good while longer.” When asked how long he’d owned his current setup, Markus explained its history. “I bought the preamp back around 1989 or 1990. Added the hicap a year or two later, and since then I’ve been gradually upgrading the amplifiers. I’ve owned a 140 (One of Naim’s well-regarded, lower-power amplifiers), a couple of 250s of various vintages. Now I’ve got my 135s. With the dedicated circuit, last night I was thinking “I can’t imagine that this sound could get any better.” Of course, I know it can,” Markus added. “There’s the whole new Classic range, which a lot of people rave on about, and I know there are better preamps out there than the 72. After all, it dates from the late nineteen-eighties.”
But over and over during our conversation Markus kept coming back to the tremendous sonic transformation wrought to his system through installation of the dedicated circuit. “With Naim equipment, the upgrade path is really pretty straightforward. And you can easily hear the benefit of any upgrade you are thinking about whenever you “do the dem”. “Doing the dem” is what we call it when we go to a Naim Audio dealer and have them insert whatever piece of equipment it is you are thinking about into the system. The classic dem used to involve Naim’s lowly, but highly regarded Nait preamp. After listening the Nait, which sounded pretty good in its own right, the dealer would make the switch to a 62 or 72 preamp and 140 power amp. This brought about an upgrade in sound quality that was not subtle. Adding a hicap power supply to the preamp took the system to another level and brought further refinement to the sound. After that, substituting a 250 power amplifier or a preamp from higher in the range simply continued to prove that Naim had clearly created a systems approach to music making which greatly simplified the process of puttng together a satisfying system.”
“But this dedicated circuit is a lot like doing the dem, and having the dealer either add in a power supply to the preamp or switch from, say a Hicap power supply to a Supercap. I’m amazed at the wide-ranging improvements to the sound. A layer of distortion has been removed from the system”, commented Markus. “Bass is smoother, more powerful and better controlled. But it is also amazing how much better the treble is—it’s more extended and natural. There’s more music there, more notes. You can hear more notes, believe it or not.”
Reaction on the audio forum boards Markus regularly posts on has been mixed. “He’s got to stop”, said one individual also known to frequent the Naim Audio Forum and also Pink Fish Media. “He seems to think that just because he’s heard the benefits to his system from installing the dedicated line, that gives him the right to go on-and-on about it here on the internet.” “That’s right,” chimed in another frequent poster. “He’s gotten to be a bit of a bore, you see. The rest of us, well, we’ve either already installed one of these dedicated circuits in our system, or we’re in a position where we can’t really afford it.” “I live in an apartment,” added a third. “There’s no way I’m going to spend that kind of dosh on an upgrade I can’t take with me when I move. Markus has really got to get off it, if he knows what’s good for him.”
Back in his listening room, Markus remains unrepentant. “I’ve simply got to get the word out,” he said. “I keep thinking of all these poor souls who keep upgrading their boxes. Upgrading boxes is good, so far as it goes. But with a dedicated circuit you can hear what the equipment you own is really capable of. And if you’re like me, you might just decide that you can happily live with the sound you’ve already got for a long, long time.”
Not such a big improvement for me but since we were being rewired it made sense. There is benefit but as you say the main thing is to get the basics done so that as you continue to build the system you are not potentially holding it back. Not practical for everyone admitted. As to the comments you redropuced above - who cares? And after being treated like that, why should you?
Enjoy
Enjoy
Ok Markus, NOW you've convinced me
Good and unconventional write up!
/Jacob
Good and unconventional write up!
/Jacob
Markus
My vote for most creative post of the year!
As a side note - how does a dedicated line work here in the States? My service from the street comes into a main panel in the detached garage. From there it then goes to three separate sub panels in the house. Would the dedicated line go to one of the subpanels in the house - or directly back to the main panel in the garage?
Gregg
My vote for most creative post of the year!
As a side note - how does a dedicated line work here in the States? My service from the street comes into a main panel in the detached garage. From there it then goes to three separate sub panels in the house. Would the dedicated line go to one of the subpanels in the house - or directly back to the main panel in the garage?
Gregg