Naim & Power conditioner

Probably not I know Linn doesn't and I guess that goes for Naim too.

Power conditioners usually have a bad effect on Naim systems and are best avoided -if you have some Naim kit then you can upgrade it by adding a Naim PSU. Other worthwhile upgrades are a Hydra or Powerigel for connecting to a dedicated mains spur. No mains blocks and no conditioners required.

I heard about serious problems with a power conditioner and Naim due to a regulation loop. As soon as there is a regulated power supply this PSU
and the power conditioner work against each other.

In one case I heard about a destroyed pre amp, fortunately not Naim.

Basically I agree completely with ROTF. But as always, there are exceptions to the rule.

At the end of my dedicated spur I use a powerstrip from KE Electronics. This shielded and star wired mains block has - shock horror - a shunt noise suppressor in it. It took me a long time to get used to this idea and even longer to 'trust' it in my mains supply. The trick here is that it's used parallel to the mains in not IN it (serial). This prevents time delays, phase shifts and compression of dynamics. I practically wore down the plugs on the power cords from swapping it in and out not willing to accept this 'thing'. But the improvement is undeniable. A darker background, better dynamics, tighter bass and cleaner treble. Not a night & day improvement but certainly worthwhile.



BTW, this parallel passive noise suppressor is something else as an active power conditioner.

Richard.

Power conditioners on Naim usually suck BIG TIME.

Naim spend a lot of time working on their power supplies so sticking a non Naim power supply isn't going to help matters - anywhere from mild changes to just plain awful.

As has been suggested, get a spur. I have heard this several times and it really works well.

sorry, it might sound silly, but i just have to ask:

what is meant by a deicdated spur, does it mean a run of power cable for the hifi system only directly from the MCB (main ciurit breaker)?

Yes, exactly. To be done with a high quality (shielded) cable and, if possible, with an old fashioned ceramic fuse holder. Not with the modern switching MCBs 'cos these don't do any favors for the sound quality.

I won't say a dedicated spur is a must but highly recommended.

Well, I not sure about using a shielded cable for a seperate spur. If the shielding acts like it does on the equipment mains cable then I would definitely go for unshielded cables.

now , that sounds make senese, to have a dedicated direct , quality assured connection from MCB to the equipment and not shared with any other equipment in the household.

But i mean the quality of the electricty on arrival having travelled miles from the power station should have already been degraded to very 'domestic' level, so my question is will a bit of not so good power cable really will do much harm or in other words, will a good cable really save the power and hence sound quality.

oh here we are. the padded cell

sir, sir, they're talking about mains again.

Here we go again.

For the umpteenth time, I and several other forum members have used the latest Isotek conditioners with Naim gear to very beneficial effect. I have a Minisub II, others have Sigmas. They do not damage the sound and I wouldn't take it out of my system. This is in contrast to the last generation of Isotek conditioners, such as the cube, which did damage the sound. Seems conditioners are now saddled with this reputation because they've only recently come good and because Naim and others don't encourage their use.

In one of his last interviews, Julian Vereker said, in answer to the question 'what's changed in the last 30 years', that 'the mains has become more problematic'. Certainly if we had the quality of mains juice we had in 1977, we wouldn't need conditioners, spurs, etc. But we haven't, so we do, and Naim should recognise this.

Now I must turn off my PC to reduce the strain on the national grid.

Power conditioners isn't anything new and has been in use for decades when it comes to computers. Both in running them and in the manufacturing of chips.

How they alters the sound of HiFi in this or that way I don't know.

JohanR

A dedicated spur is an excellent start, because it decreases noise which is created inside the own house, but it doesn´t decrease extrnal noise. Ideally, the incoming mains is a perfectly shaped 50/60Hz sinus wave. Connect an oscilloscope yourself and you´ll notice that we are not living in an ideal world.

The reason for a filter is to prevent noise to reach the audio device and also to prevent that noise created by the audio device is disturbing other equipment. The more complex the setup (DVB, AV, PC...), the more noise is generated. Depending on the local situation, a switched on CDP can decrease the quality of record playback quite dramatically.

Especially big transformers can react very touchy on DC offset, which is caused e.g. by energy saving lights. If the offset gets to big, the transformer even starts to hum.

Basicly there are three types of power filers/conditioners.

Passive serial can filter spikes and noise causing harshness. Unfortunately it also can slow down current rise times and hence calm down dynamics as well.

Passive parallel doesn´t limit the current but isn´t able to provide the same level of filtering either.

Only an active solution can be a major improvement. In principle this is an amplifier, which totally regenerates the mains sinus wave. In small this is something a Heed Orbit does as well for a Rega Planar. If the active power conditioner is not overloaded, thers is no way it can harm your amp.

If a product works, is hardly predictable, because of the totally different local circumstances. The statement "product A will definitively improve your sound" is rubbish, but the statement "All power conditioners decrease the sound of a Naim system" is even more rubbish.

Especially if you are living near an industrial area and notice big sound differencs between working hours and weekends, a home demo of a properly made power conditioner is always worth a try.

brgds...TC

quote:

now , that sounds make senese, to have a dedicated direct , quality assured connection from MCB to the equipment and not shared with any other equipment in the household.

If you ignore the fact that your house shares the supply with hundreds of other houses!

quote:

Originally posted by Basil:

quote:

now , that sounds make senese, to have a dedicated direct , quality assured connection from MCB to the equipment and not shared with any other equipment in the household.

If you ignore the fact that your house shares the supply with hundreds of other houses!

so , will it be more down to the qulaity of the transformer inside the equipment? coz the AC will be altered anyway.

just a thought, I konw nothing about electronics.

My £500 odd power contitioner had a negative effect on my Naim system but a dedicated sput and £60 hydra has a marked improvement.
David

Ahh Yes - the old dedicated sput

See what happens when you aren't able to spell check or go back and edit. (unless it's in the first 30 seconds or whatever time is graciously allowed).

Lucky you didn't hit the r and t together...