Mains Block vs Hydra

Option 1.

quote:

Originally posted by Adam Meredith:
Option 1.

What if the Naim mains leads were Power-Lines?

Good question ROTF, I'm interested too . . . what if?

quote:

What if the Naim mains leads were Power-Lines?

I guess it won't be long 'til we see a Naim Powerblock with decoupled sockets and an IEC socket for yet another Powerline.....

.[/QUOTE]What if the Naim mains leads were Power-Lines?[/QUOTE]

Out of my budget for now ROTF!

Does anyone know if Naim are bringing out a mains distribution block in the near future? It would be a natural progression from the Powerline cable.

I'm sure many of us would be interested in such a product if it builds on the gains made from the Powerline.

Is there a considered opinion on what distribution block currently available works well the Naim equipment?

Ghettoyout.

When I had my "big" system I used a mains block for a while and then got a Hydra. The Hydra gave a very worthwhile improvement over my (reasonable quality) mains block. I had intended to buy some Powerlines and so I started doing some serious research into mains blocks, as obviously one would be required for use with these. I firstly ruled out all the so called "audiophile" blocks as these usually incorporated some form of filtering or exotic cabling, both of which I reasoned would be a bad thing with Naim gear. I ruled out the blocks easily available in the shops as these usually incorporate a neon, are sometimes fused and sometimes switched, all of which are bad from a hi-fi point of view. The internal connections in these blocks are also usually riveted together rather than welded - again a bad thing. I then started to look at specialist electrical suppliers. I found that RS stock some very good blocks which more closely match the requirements for hi-fi use. They are more expensive (around £50) than run-of-the-mill blocks but considerably cheaper than many "audiophile blocks" which IMO are outrageously expensive for what they offer, and are unsuitable for use with Naim stuff anyway. So that's what I've ended up with - mine are unfused, unswitched and have no neons (after a bit of very minor modification). One sounded fine on my big system - no apparent drop in quality from my Hydra. Having now downsized I use the mains block for my A/V set-up and my CD5i-2, Nait5i-2 are wired into a single MK plug. All this is plugged into a double unswitched Crabtree socket on a dedicated 10mm sq fused spur - no MCB or RCD. Sounds great!

Peter

quote:

Originally posted by Ghettoyout:
Does anyone know if Naim are bringing out a mains distribution block in the near future? It would be a natural progression from the Powerline cable.

I'm sure many of us would be interested in such a product if it builds on the gains made from the Powerline.

Is there a considered opinion on what distribution block currently available works well the Naim equipment?

Ghettoyout.

i would also be very interested in a power block that leverages on powerline mechanical principles.
i am currently using a grahams 4 way block and a very simple home made crabtree 4 way block and this arrangement is working very well indeed with powerlines.

enjoy
ken

enjoy
ken

Thanks for the info pjl. Much appreciated.

When Naim do these show things from hotel rooms, do they use distribution blocks in these circumstances? If so, I wonder which model they use. It would be very nice if someone from Naim could enlighten us.

I'm hoping they'll bring out their own model. They know it makes sense.

'yout.

They use a home made affair using 13A unswitched surface mount sockets - you can make your own quite easily.

I currently have my NAC, NAP & SCap wired into one mains plug (so same principle as a hydra)fed by a single socket on the end of a dedicated spur.

If were to convert this to 3 * PowerLines rather than using a power strip and introducing another set of plugs/leads and sockets I would contemplate replacing the single unswitched mains socket with a 3 way unswitched one such that my system still remains fed by a single spur and all three PowerLines share the same earth.

Any comments?

Richard

quote:

They use a home made affair using 13A unswitched surface mount sockets - you can make your own quite easily.

Quite so but series or parallel(star) wired?

I would expect it to be star wired or therr is very liitle difference to using a standard extension lead with the light and switch bypassed.

quote:

Originally posted by BigH47:

quote:

They use a home made affair using 13A unswitched surface mount sockets - you can make your own quite easily.

Quite so but series or parallel(star) wired?

Can someone draw a picture of what a 'series' wired connection and a 'parallel (star)' wiredconnection would look like please?

Richard

Series: Each socket on the block is connected to the next one along.

Parallel: Each socket is connected back to the input cables directly.

If some has different versions a phot would help.

At the moment I am using a Grahams 6 Way Hydra but received a Powerline with my 555PS and don't quite know how to incorporate it!! I was going to connect it from the 555PS back to the second wall socket but this would bypass the star earthing of the Hydra.

Any ideas?

My Grahams 5 to 1 Hydra outperforms an expensive Russ andrews mains Block.

I use something very similar to what Munch uses.

It came from Stand's Unique. I believe that my dealer uses them as well.

It made a significant improvement over the standard mains block I was using prior to this.

regards,

Schizo

Any update on a mains block suitable for Power-Lines?

ROTF may be a solution:- there was a picture (not if it was this thread), maybe it's been Adammed. 3 double sockets on a board star wired from a circular terminal block, instead of the input wire being normal mains lead , fit an IEC female socket and connect the PL to it that way.

If you can bear to do it (and can only/want only to buy one PL), why not cut the 'tail' of the Graham Hydra short, and fit an in-line IEC socket, and then plug the Powerline straight into that?

(If nervous about doing the snip, you could always experiment first by fitting the in-line IEC soicket to the full length tail...)

James

Alternatively you can always recreate what was being used at the show. Just buy an extra PL or two and butcher it to get the wire for the sockets.

Is anyone aware of an EU version of the Hydra mains plug ?