Sorry I am late to the party - Super Lumina

Posted by: RICHYH on 25 February 2017

I have been a naim amplifier owner since 1984 and speaker since 1999. I have been a keen follower of the naim sound, I feel it is one of the very few hi end brands that do not sound clinical but keep music at the fore front of the reproduction. I think their equipment is the closest to live music I have ever heard. I have stuck with Lavender and naca5 througout this period because every time I try hi end cables (which has been many, including the super exotic)I have left underwhelmed, sure you may hear more detail but it becomes clinical and uninvolving. I think also it a difficult task for a product and cables to make simple acoustic music (say Simon and Garfunkel) work along with other types that that have strong rhythm and drive (say The Doors or the Who). I have taken to sorting many of my friends systems but swapping them to standard naim cables and suddenly they enjoy the music once more, instead of being impressed by bass or symbols.

So reading on the forum many times over the past 2 years about the vertues of Super Lumina from people I respect like Darke Bear, I reluctantly thought I would give it a go. I have a very similar system to darke bear and instead of being cynical and thinking it was a money making exercise on the part of naim, I thought with the help of Audio T I would have an open mind.

Well to cut a long story short I now have a full active loom, the sound keeps all the characteristics but it is just better in every way, really fantastic. Thanks forum, Naim and Audio T, although my wallet is a lot lighter.

Posted on: 25 February 2017 by MDS

Better late than never, Richyh. An SL full loom is pretty special, and I like the thought that this is what Naim feels is best combination for their kit as it much reduces that temptation to tinker in the belief that there might be something better waiting to be discovered.

Posted on: 25 February 2017 by ChrisH

Congrats on your SL upgrade RichyH, I'm sure with your level of system it must bring a big amount to the party!

like you MDS, I feel very comfortable with the decision to go SL all the way, knowing that Naim designed it for their kit (albeit at a lot higher level than mine!). Could have tinkered and tested lots of different makes until the cows came home but once I had had the extended home trial from my dealer, I found it to be such an improvement to my ears that the decision made itself. Job done.

enjoy anyway, RichyH.

Posted on: 25 February 2017 by Harry

Congratulations. I think it can be difficult to increase insight as opposed to just changing the emphasis at different frequencies. So often something that might be perceived as an increase in clarity is just a frequency spike. SL seems to increase detail, insight and realism across the board without drawing attention to itself. Although I did think it was a bastard to run in and it wasn't an easy month with the interconnect or the speaker cables. The DIN-XLR however, just did it from day one. Have fun with your new music collection.

Posted on: 25 February 2017 by Darke Bear

Good you had the demo and liked the result in your system - well done!

I respect the different cables have different qualities but the SL cables 'worked' for me in musical terms too.
Also they portray dynamic information very naturally with little time-smearing compared to other cables I have tried.

They run-in to their best over many months, so more to come.

DB.

Posted on: 26 February 2017 by Adam Zielinski

Well done - I too think that a full loom of SL cables has two amazing qualities: improving the sound in an amazing way and empting ones wallet in an amazing way

Posted on: 26 February 2017 by Bert Schurink

Well done. It was immediately clear to me that I needed super lumina, when I heard it at Naim Hq.

Posted on: 26 February 2017 by Jonas Olofsson

Super Lumina is great if you aim for the second (or maybe the third) best.

But don't foul yourself into something else.

Sorry kids but it is as it is. Now, going back to my cave...be careful ...

//Jonas

Posted on: 26 February 2017 by hungryhalibut

Been on the 'how to be patronising' course, have we?

Posted on: 26 February 2017 by Jonas Olofsson

No, just the "Tell it as it is" course. Of course it will upset some guys, especially those who haven't tried anything above SL but still needs to have an opinion about it.

Not a big thing if you don't make it become one.

//Jonas

Posted on: 26 February 2017 by RICHYH

Very interesting Jonas, what kit do you have?

As I said, I have tried many exotic cables and just lost the music and it became clinical. So I would be very interested in what you are talking about and what experience of SL you have.

Posted on: 26 February 2017 by Adam Zielinski

Jonas Olofsson posted:
Super Lumina is great if you aim for the second (or maybe the third) best.
But don't foul yourself into something else.
Sorry kids but it is as it is. Now, going back to my cave...be careful ...
//Jonas

With a post like that I wish there were two buttons: LIKE and DISLIKE. The second one would come very handy here.

Posted on: 26 February 2017 by Cat_1965

Having a modest system, which all of my friends think is lunacy, I couldn't justify paying the price of SL, it's up there on price with source components. Is this just an accessory if you have a system that costs the price of a house? I demoed the SL in my system and was devastated to hear that the sound was no different to using Witchhat N2 speaker cables and S3 interconnects. Maybe a lottery win would make me hear things differently!

Posted on: 26 February 2017 by hungryhalibut

Is a £25,000 system 'modest'?

Posted on: 26 February 2017 by sjbabbey

Oh cr@p, I'm also using SL cables. Looks like I've fouled myself (I was wondering what that funny smell was).

Posted on: 26 February 2017 by Innocent Bystander

Hungryhalibut posted:
Is a £25,000 system 'modest'?

Maybe it can be, e.g compared to a £100k system, and as long as you don't brag about it (the latter is the person, though, not the system). However it would be harder to see it as modest if the price was doubled with the cables - but then there might be other ways some people would regard the system...

Posted on: 26 February 2017 by Emre

Innocent Bystander posted:
Hungryhalibut posted:
Is a £25,000 system 'modest'?
Maybe it can be, e.g compared to a £100k system, and as long as you don't brag about it (the latter is the person, though, not the system). However it would be harder to see it as modest if the price was doubled with the cables - but then there might be other ways some people would regard the system...

we lost touch with ordinary working man who is using a 10£ Alibaba bluetooth speakers i have one by the way.....

Posted on: 26 February 2017 by Emre

Jonas Olofsson posted:
Super Lumina is great if you aim for the second (or maybe the third) best.
But don't foul yourself into something else.
Sorry kids but it is as it is. Now, going back to my cave...be careful ...
//Jonas

what are the no 1 and no 2 ? A £5000 chord which makes SLs as a bargain....

İ am all for good cables but a £5000 interconnect? maybe only for statement set up or 500s at best....

There should be " balanced " way of cabling as well right? in order to get the best bang of our limited resources..

Posted on: 27 February 2017 by analogmusic

Jonas Olofsson posted:
Super Lumina is great if you aim for the second (or maybe the third) best.
But don't foul yourself into something else.
Sorry kids but it is as it is. Now, going back to my cave...be careful ...
//Jonas

Hello Jonas,

Now that you said it, I would like to clarify :

If Chord music is the best, and Superlumina is maybe the third best... erm, what is the second best?

And have you ever heard the Tara Labs Zero interconnect (15,000 + USD).

If Music is using the latest di-electric, well the Tara Labs Zero has no di-electric at all, it is the conductor suspended in a vacuum of air (the perfect di-electric)

So I wonder if now Superlumina is the 4th best and your Chord MUSIC is actually second best

Please take my post in a humour way, not trying to offend you, I would love to hear Chord Music cables in my system

Posted on: 27 February 2017 by Darke Bear

To get back to the OP - he auditioned a set of cables with the system he has and found them worthwhile.

No point trying to tell him he is somehow wrong for not auditioning something costing many times more that might be better, unless of course you are a dealer with a vested interest, which is a very low thing to be doing IMO.

But I have tried other more expensive cables - 'impressive', more bass, detail...but artificial and did not connect musically in my system, for me. Respect it may be so for others in other systems, but that is the point of having a demo - no delusion involved, is the improvement worth the money I can afford or not.

DB.