Naim Power Lead

The old Crabtree UK plugs are no longer made - the new ones labelled as "Crabtree" are nothing like the old ones.  If you have found NOS then good for you!  

Naim switched to MK as the next best thing, and indeed had used them nay times before when supply of the Crabtree plugs had been intermittent. Out of interest, it was some modifications made to the Crabtree plug by some at Naim that eventually led to development of the Powerline plug, albeit the latter went much, much further.  It was found that by allowing the pins a small amount of movement it let them align better with the contacts within the UK sockets, giving a larger and more secure contact and commensurately better performance.  

A similar principle holds for the Naim speaker connector pins, which is why a neat solder job (and trim) is so important, allowing the pins to move and align themselves properly for the best contact with the sockets.  

As for the plugs, further discussion is probably outside of forum AUP and I would not recommend anyone try to modify a UK mains plug themselves as it can easily make for something fatally dangerous. 

So, a Powerline makes only a suble difference, but swapping the MK plug on the standard lead for a Crabtree plug off eBay makes the sound more open and dynamic, the soundstage more transparent and the background blacker. Interesting. The avatar is clearly appropriate.

This thread just came up at the right time. FWIW I was doing A LOT of power cord swapping between components for the past few days. Finally, the Naim stock power cord went back to the Naim gear, specifically the Hicap DR. I did not bother trying aftermarket cords on the NAP 250 DR and NAPSC as my impression is these equipment will not respond well to power cords.

I do not have experience with the Powerline but have tried the Wireworld Electra 7 and Virtual Dynamics Nite II on the Hicap DR. Similarly I find the changes to be subtle. Certainly not day and night. The sound gained some punch and immediacy with the VD Nite II but lost a bit of openness. Ditto the Wireworld Electra. Finally, the Hicap DR was back with the Naim stock cord and all aftermarket cords went to the sources both transport and DAC. The final result, great sound (and music).

I am not too adventurous in rewiring the power cord with Crabtree plugs. It is good to hear that you have gained a noticeable improvement with the new cable. By the way, I noticed you have the Harbeth Super HL5plus speakers. Great speakers. I was struggling with these speakers in the first few months when I upgraded from the SHL5s but they are now sounding much better. Patience is the key.

No need to be rude HungryHalibut.  Not just my ears but ALL my friends came to the same conclusion.  I played instruments, sang in choirs and visited the greatest concert halls in the world.

Maybe I hear things you may only dream about my fishy friend.

Perhaps all that experience really has given you the ears of a bat and that I am aurally inadequate in some way. It just seems odd that swapping solely the mains plug really can make such a difference, particularly if the Crabtree is one of the current, and decidedly ropey, offerings. But if you can hear such a significant difference, and the benefits are not merely due to cleaning the contacts, which to me seems more likely, then that's great. 

I have experimented with a number of power cables. Whilst the bog standard Naim cables sound fine to me, I prefer the older MK plugs to the Crabtrees. However, before the advent of the Powerline I started experimenting with Russ Andrews powerkords. Initially the result was terrible and I sent it back. Later I realised that the cable had helped to show that the bearing on my LP12 was shot. Once the bearing was replaced I tried again, and the difference, even at the low end of the Powerkord range was palpable. Recently I have invested in some of their midrange offerings (PK100 and 300) and found that by using them with the HiCaps, they have really opened up the sound, for relatively modest outlay. With a 60 day return promise, you have nothing to lose, and can satisfy your upgraditis for a while.

Ryder: PK100 (DCT and superfuse) on the Prefix HiCap and PK300 on the 32.5 HiCap. They sounded better this way round. Both bought secondhand from the RA clearance section, so also well burned in! Stunning results. I am not even konsidering (!) SKs. The upgrade scheme is helpful too as they will buy back your old kord.

I must admit to having tried Powerline on a couple of occasions, even, an RA lead.  Result I still use the standard NAIM  mains leads. I don't claim anything but normal old hearing.

Other leads have made a difference some stay some don't. 

In the end if YOU can hear a difference then there is a difference..

Sorry HH but wrong again.  I always clean fuses and prongs even on new plugs.  Swapping the plugs back and forth and the difference is still very evident.  Nearly 50 years of listening to - really listening - and buying stacks of stuff really does help.  

alanb posted:

No need to be rude HungryHalibut.  Not just my ears but ALL my friends came to the same conclusion.  I played instruments, sang in choirs and visited the greatest concert halls in the world.

Maybe I hear things you may only dream about my fishy friend.

Odd that they *all* noted an improvement. I wonder how much of it was due to the cleaning effect of unscrewing the wire?

Might also be worth remembering that many musicians suffer hearing loss - musical instrumnets, being designed to be heard, can be LOUD - and hearing fades with age...

But if you're happy, cool beans. 

I don't think it is odd at all. Clearly not due to cleaning effect as this would only happen the first time.

If the people can still hear the difference with hearing loss it would only serve to show how big the effect was. Personally I doubt that the people concerned have damaged hearing, and I think your post is rude in the extreme! 

Dozey posted:

. Personally I doubt that the people concerned have damaged hearing, and I think your post is rude in the extreme! 

Musicians frequently have damaged hearing.  The OP said he was a musician. 

Age also has an effect, with HF sounds becoming harder to hear. Simple facts, Dozey.

If you think I'm rude in the extreme, maybe the internet isn't the place for you? <wink smiley>

Richard Dane posted:

The old Crabtree UK plugs are no longer made - the new ones labelled as "Crabtree" are nothing like the old ones.  If you have found NOS then good for you!  

 

Any way of telling NOS / old ones from the modern ones, Richard?

Dozey posted:

.......and I think your post is rude in the extreme! 

Major soh failure methinks.

The old ones look and feel like a quality plug.  

The new ones...

Could there be a made in UK/GB/England on the old ones. Weren't the later ones made abroad?

I was simply pointing out the errors in your argument, Tarquin, not the fact that some musicians and old people have impaired hearing!

sheffieldgraham posted:

Could there be a made in UK/GB/England on the old ones. Weren't the later ones made abroad?

Yes, the "good" ones were made in England.

We all have our preferences. I did some power cord swapping recently between the wall socket and my Wireworld Matrix v2 power strip and finally ended back to the stock Naim power cords all the way. I tried Powerline, Cardas, Chord, Wireworld and while they all had some effect to the sound, the stock power cord was the most balanced one. Powerline added some serious punch and strength to the sound but at the same time I felt I lost something in the airiness and openness of the sound. And my system really doesn't need any more bass at the moment. 

Dozey posted:

I was simply pointing out the errors in your argument, Tarquin, not the fact that some musicians and old people have impaired hearing!

No; you disagreed with me; not the same as pointing out errors... 

Oh dear I have started WW3.  Who needs Donald Trump.

I have been on several hifi forums and there is the occasional flare up and rudeness but I honestly didn't expect it on the venerable Naim forum.  I will refrain from posting again.  Looking after a wife with Alz. is enough hassle for anyone.  I will leave the rudeness for others to bear.

You haven't started World War 3. 

You posted some stuff and people disagreed with you. 

Thats what happens. 

ALANB, Yes, one or two members were possibly a little blunt in their challenging of your findings, but I do not believe their intention was to be rude. When you make such big claims for rather minor changes, expect to get challenged (sometimes robustly) on here. It is also worth becoming somewhat thick-skinned in the face of blunt challenges and be prepared to fight your corner if you feel you have found something that others can benefit from - surely the greatest benefit of a forum like this.

Personally I love to read about unusual, controversial and cheap upgrades. Very cheap upgrades should mean there is no reason why the doubters can't try these things for themselves. Indeed their rebuttals would be taken more seriously if they have indeed tried for themselves and could not replicate your findings. I find it is always worth asking those who disagree with your findings, if they have tried these things for themselves. It can sometimes go quiet when you ask these killer questions.

I hope you will reconsider and post again.