Super Lumina chapter three.

Are you powerline as well when doing full-loom? Or just stockcables?

Chris Dolan posted:

I stupidly forgot to mention the realism and sense of performance and being there that the SL brings.

 

all sounds very 'familiar' to me... interesting report Chris. not sure i understood precisely what changes in your system led you to prefer SL vs Chord STA, but no real need to dwell on that -- you are happy and thats all that matters... i still have my SL IC between NDS and 552, plus SL snaxo -- and very happy with them after run in...

enjoy

ken

ken c posted:

Chris. not sure i understood precisely what changes in your system led you to prefer SL vs Chord STA ..........

Actually Ken I did say that I really didn't think it was as simple as that - what I was alluding to was the overall system and room effect / synergy.

In my view, back when I tried it before the STA did not quite work with the 282 and my aging SBLs in the room set up that I had at the time. Even now the differences / preferences will of course be system dependent but very much so on the speakers and room - and taste to an extent.

So with a system (still CDS3/XPS2 but now with 552/300/Kudos S20s) that works with the HiLine to my tastes  I am not surprised that the Super Lumina interconnect is clearly preferable to the HiLine 

Super Lumina vs Chord SSA din-din IC used between NDS and NAC52:
6 days in and my experience of using these 2 cables in my system has many echoes of NigelB and Eagle333’s in the main, but a slightly different conclusion for me.
SSA I'm finding beautifully controlled and well ordered. Nothing phases it and in terms of recreating an accurate representation of the sound of instruments I’d say it is overall superior to SL. Solo piano in particular is exemplary with every click of the keys and the hammers hitting the strings presented beguilingly. Sonically superb. This cable presents music in a way that makes my NDS sound more like an LP12 (interesting that many of the SSA advocates on the forum have top notch LP12 sources - I think theres a lot of synergy there). Where I’m finding issue in my system fed by the NDS is that the emotional connection and conveyance of the intent and feel behind what the musicians are playing is not so LP12 like. It’s less easy and obvious to hear the difference between guitarists or drummers styles and techniques and there’s just a slight feeling that every track on an album sounds similar to the last, at least by comparison with the hot and fast ride given by SL.
By comparison, SL is a real fireball, an adrenaline junkie. I strongly suspect that Naim/Vertere have deliberately designed and developed it to be so as that on-edge character heightens the emotional connection. With Statement amps in charge I’m fairly sure it wouldn’t sound that way, but in my system that comes at the expense of a frequent loss of control in comparison to SSA which can sometimes bite at my eardrums.

BUT, if I had to choose right now I’d have to go with the SL because I know that I couldn’t live without that joy, excitement and emotion that SL brings. I would miss it every time I wound towards the end of a favourite track rendered perfectly well by SSA, but that I haven’t fully gotten into.

I mostly avoided quick A/B comparisons, preferring to listen to each on its own terms for extended periods, but one example I’ll cite: A fave of mine is the Stones ‘Can’t you hear me knocking’ particularly the incredible second section with soulful Sax solo, Mick Taylors dreamy Les Paul on the left and Keefs funky, spike Tele on the right. This 5 minute sequence is totally unlike anything the band did before or since and a real trip for me. On SL it was just a string of goosebumps moments and impossible for me to keep still. On SSA it was still perfectly nice, but that euphoria was mostly absent. It was like my system was saying to me (cue Marvin the Paranoid Android voice) “ Here’s the music you requested. I believe you’ll find it all present and correct and in the right order. Just don’t expect me to dance along”.

NOW, having said all that... My observations of SSA’s talents are far more than a sop, a damning with faint praise or a plucky runner-up kind of a comment. I would SERIOUSLY miss what it brings to the table. A big part of me doesn’t want to accept that compromise if I reject it. So this has all got me wondering again if Im barking up the wrong tree in auditioning these cables at this stage!
The obvious bottle neck in my system is the 52 and I think this experience has stiffened my resolve to find a way to get a 552 in my system by hook or by crook. Perhaps then I should repeat this exercise and see whether the 552 can tame the SL’s excesses without losing the thrills, or whether it can improve the emotional quota of SSA whilst retaining (or even improving!) its sonic skills.
I fear a difficult conversation or two coming on with She Who Must Be Outmanoeuvred...

The thing about testing any of these cables is that they take ages to run in. My din to xlr took about four months to sort itself out.

kevin J Carden posted:

...
I fear a difficult conversation or two coming on with She Who Must Be Outmanoeuvred...

Sociopath! 

I'm following this thread with great interest. Just bought NDS and wonder why this expensive streamer is delivered with the old snaic ic.

I suppose Naim are suggesting that we shall use it?

I use the hiline, but are looking for other ic because it often sounds "off". I'll give the old snaic a try tomorrow.

i really doubt sounding "off" is a cable issue. the NDS should still sound fantastic with ordinary lavender IC. it only gets better with better cables -- but shouldnt sound 'off' without them...

enjoy

ken

Hungryhalibut posted:

The thing about testing any of these cables is that they take ages to run in. My din to xlr took about four months to sort itself out.

I'm in week four with the interconnect and speaker cables and something magical has happened in the last couple days. I never really believed in this roller coaster run in malarkey, preferring to think that stuff burns in a gradual linear way, but perhaps not. Yesterday my 16 year old son actually said "it's like I'm hearing this track for the first time"!

Keith

Burn in on the SL has been a factor I think. I've had it playing for most of a month and my dealer says it only had around 10 hours on it before that so maybe it's not there yet. I've definitely had a few odd periods of performance with it, but mostly it's been good. The SSA is Chords dem pair for my region (I have no idea how many demo sets there may be nationwide) and I assume it's well run in. Certainly, it's sound has not changed during my time with it. Debs warned that it needs a few days connected and playing even when run in, so it stayed connected for 4 full days before I did any A/B's and it should have been happy.

Oddly enough tonight's listening session was a total whitewash for SL. Comprehensively more involving and musical on every track* tried and also well behaved,  more so than any other listening session in the past week. Maybe SL just hit an 'up' on its run in cycle...

* tracks played tonight:

Allman Bros : Stormy Monday

Van Morrison : Enlightenment

Delbert McClinton : Sending me Angels

Fleetwood Mac : Need your love so bad

Vince Gill : Working on big chill

Sam Brown : It makes me wonder

Terry Evans & Hans Theesink : Don't let the green grass fool you