Chord Sarum T

I've tried the Sarum-T ethernet cable between the final network switch and the streamer in my own system.  Both cables well used. Compared to Anthem it seems to do much of what people have said above about the interconnects - it seems to be a more natural sound - an unforced flow to the music.  

Followed this up with the Music version which brings even more of the same. Often when moving between different Chord ranges there is a clear difference in the presentation. However, between Sarum-T and Music in this cable format they deliver very obviously in the same way. Music just refines it that bit more. Sarum-T offers most of the joy for less money. Its on order.

Every time I compare ethernet cables I'm determined not to hear a difference, but my expectation bias keeps letting me down.

sunbeamgls posted:

I've tried the Sarum-T ethernet cable between the final network switch and the streamer in my own system.  Both cables well used. Compared to Anthem it seems to do much of what people have said above about the interconnects - it seems to be a more natural sound - an unforced flow to the music.  

Followed this up with the Music version which brings even more of the same. Often when moving between different Chord ranges there is a clear difference in the presentation. However, between Sarum-T and Music in this cable format they deliver very obviously in the same way. Music just refines it that bit more. Sarum-T offers most of the joy for less money. Its on order.

Every time I compare ethernet cables I'm determined not to hear a difference, but my expectation bias keeps letting me down.

Exactly my experience - between the Melco and KDSM. I'm about to have my "old" Sarum TAs upgraded to T status with the aim of getting more from Tidal. 

sunbeamgls posted:

I've tried the Sarum-T ethernet cable between the final network switch and the streamer in my own system.  Both cables well used. Compared to Anthem it seems to do much of what people have said above about the interconnects - it seems to be a more natural sound - an unforced flow to the music.  

Followed this up with the Music version which brings even more of the same. Often when moving between different Chord ranges there is a clear difference in the presentation. However, between Sarum-T and Music in this cable format they deliver very obviously in the same way. Music just refines it that bit more. Sarum-T offers most of the joy for less money. Its on order.

Every time I compare ethernet cables I'm determined not to hear a difference, but my expectation bias keeps letting me down.

I finally upgraded from Audioquest Vodka Ethernet to Chord Indigo Aray Ethernet! I told myself I would not spend the money to do that, then I did, and it was a big difference! Much more musical detail. I can't imagine how much better Sarum T Ethernet cable is, but I bet it is very noticeable. Now I have to figure out how to buy a Sarum T interconnect and a Ethernet cable. I know it would really improve the musical experience with my Naim NDS/555DR. But it will hurt the bank account and it will be hard to convince my wife after I told her it would stop after Indigo Aray Ethernet and Sarum Super Aray interconnect! Ha! Why do I promise this is the last upgrade! Silly me! 

analogmusic posted:

I suppose it is great to be able to upgrade both IC and DIN/XLR to Sarum T, but according to some old forum posts, it seems one should upgrade the DIN-XLR first?

It doesn't seem logical though, as how could the DIN-XLR make up for information loss between the Source and Preamp?

No hands on experience, but I'm with you this one Analog.

Mr. TM CEO @ Vertere, the weakest link Guy!

Once one has secured his End Game System, it only seems logical, that the weakest link would involve the loss or, contamination of the Signal derived from the source.

With that being said, IF, I decide to pursue the Loom, I would address the Speaker Cabling next, hoping for a knockout, Completing the final link with the XLR IC.

JMHO!

Just on the side line, learning!

Thanks!

Allante93!

Hi Chris any update on Sarum T vs SL?

We're so keen to read your report on this showdown.

Spent the last few days comparing Sarum Tuned Array (STA) IC & DIN-XLR, Sarum T (ST) IC & DIN-XLR, AVoptions Deep-Cryo Lavender IC (AVO), Naim Super Lumina IC (SL) and the Naim DIN-XLR supplied with my NAP500 15 years ago. Many thanks to my friend Brooks for loaning my his ST cables for this demo.

I became a fan of Chord cables back when I replaced my Hi-Line, 4-5 DIN and DIN-XLR's with Sarum Tuned Array. This upgrade represented a big jump in resolution.  I was content with the sound until I heard the Naim SL interconnect.  This represented a HUGE jump in sound quality, especially in the bass region.  I did all number of comparisons this weekend and it was very interesting. Both my 552 and 500 were recapped and DR'd earlier this year and only in the past couple of weeks did they start to truly sound good.  Amazing how long the 552 took to bloom and I'm guessing there is more to come.  Bottom line is I prefered the sound of the Naim SL by a wide margin.  It was dynamic, explosive, had better resolution and offered the most engaging experience.  The Chord ST was very good and I would describe the sound as smooth and even tempered.  I could hear the evolution between the ST and STA, the newer cable showing Chord's maturity of design.  I broke out a Deep-Cryo'd lavender IC from AVoptions and was surprised how musical it sounded.  It did not have the dynamics of the Super Lumina nor the resolution of Chord's but it held its own.  Same can be said for the 15 year old DIN-XLR cable supplied with my NAP500.  It had an "old school" Naim sound I knew well and could not fault. 

My conclusion is the Super Lumina won due to the advanced Air-PLUG.  I have become all too aware how sensitive cables are to vibrations and Naim has engineered a complex (expensive) solution.  It's also a double edged sword as the cable is merciless if the system is not properly sorted out.  I think if Chord could design a decoupled DIN connector their cable would perform even better.  

That's my 2 cents... your milage may vary.   

Chris Bell posted:

 

Neat 

Thank you very much for the report Chris, this was very useful.

Chris Bell posted:

Spent the last few days comparing Sarum Tuned Array (STA) IC & DIN-XLR, Sarum T (ST) IC & DIN-XLR, AVoptions Deep-Cryo Lavender IC (AVO), Naim Super Lumina IC (SL) and the Naim DIN-XLR supplied with my NAP500 15 years ago. Many thanks to my friend Brooks for loaning my his ST cables for this demo.

I became a fan of Chord cables back when I replaced my Hi-Line, 4-5 DIN and DIN-XLR's with Sarum Tuned Array. This upgrade represented a big jump in resolution.  I was content with the sound until I heard the Naim SL interconnect.  This represented a HUGE jump in sound quality, especially in the bass region.  I did all number of comparisons this weekend and it was very interesting. Both my 552 and 500 were recapped and DR'd earlier this year and only in the past couple of weeks did they start to truly sound good.  Amazing how long the 552 took to bloom and I'm guessing there is more to come.  Bottom line is I prefered the sound of the Naim SL by a wide margin.  It was dynamic, explosive, had better resolution and offered the most engaging experience.  The Chord ST was very good and I would describe the sound as smooth and even tempered.  I could hear the evolution between the ST and STA, the newer cable showing Chord's maturity of design.  I broke out a Deep-Cryo'd lavender IC from AVoptions and was surprised how musical it sounded.  It did not have the dynamics of the Super Lumina nor the resolution of Chord's but it held its own.  Same can be said for the 15 year old DIN-XLR cable supplied with my NAP500.  It had an "old school" Naim sound I knew well and could not fault. 

My conclusion is the Super Lumina won due to the advanced Air-PLUG.  I have become all too aware how sensitive cables are to vibrations and Naim has engineered a complex (expensive) solution.  It's also a double edged sword as the cable is merciless if the system is not properly sorted out.  I think if Chord could design a decoupled DIN connector their cable would perform even better.  

That's my 2 cents... your milage may vary.   

Is there anyway to get a hold of Chord Music cable to hear that too? I heard the Chord Music at my dealer, it blew me away!  I heard it is noticeably better than Chord Sarum T. Thank you for doing the experiment and posting the findings ! 

Chris Bell posted:

Bottom line is I prefered the sound of the Naim SL by a wide margin.  It was dynamic, explosive, had better resolution and offered the most engaging experience.  The Chord ST was very good and I would describe the sound as smooth and even tempered.  

Weirdly that is the exact polar opposite of how I hear them - the SL being the one that sounds constrained and smooth and lacking spark. Oh well, à chacun son goût 

Chris Dolan posted:

Chris Bell posted:

Bottom line is I prefered the sound of the Naim SL by a wide margin.  It was dynamic, explosive, had better resolution and offered the most engaging experience.  The Chord ST was very good and I would describe the sound as smooth and even tempered.  

Weirdly that is the exact polar opposite of how I hear them - the SL being the one that sounds constrained and smooth and lacking spark. Oh well, à chacun son goût 

Me too - SL wasn't even close - but really interesting to hear different views.

What intrigues me is that there appears to be a different focus on what the cable does. For me, SL follows the route of concentrating on what element(s) of the frequency spectrum sound better, whereas Sarum T and Music simply focus on the intent and emotion of the performance. I can understand why some will lean towards the former but the latter is what I seek from my music.

Based on folks' experiences with SL vs. Chord Sarum, it did seem to me that those with a more positive experience with SL were using it in a completely Naim system and those of us with kit from other manufacturers in the chain tended to prefer Chord. For my part, a (run in) SL phono to DIN interconnect came a very poor second best to a Chord Super Sarum. It would be interesting to learn if others have formed the same view.

tonym posted:

Based on folks' experiences with SL vs. Chord Sarum, it did seem to me that those with a more positive experience with SL were using it in a completely Naim system and those of us with kit from other manufacturers in the chain tended to prefer Chord. For my part, a (run in) SL phono to DIN interconnect came a very poor second best to a Chord Super Sarum. It would be interesting to learn if others have formed the same view.

There might be something in that observation Tony. I also notice that a lot of Chord users are also LP12 devotees. When I tried SSA IC I thought there was much 'LP12ness' to the sonic presentation and made digital sources sound more analogue and very ordered, whilst SL could sometimes get a bit raucous. In many ways I prefered the SSA, BUT I just found that come the end of every track I tried I simply hadn't got the same emotional shot that I got from SL.

My experience chimes well with Chris Bell's description: 

"Bottom line is I prefered the sound of the Naim SL by a wide margin. It was dynamic, explosive, had better resolution and offered the most engaging experience. The Chord ST was very good and I would describe the sound as smooth and even tempered.  "

"Vertere has continued to demonstrate conclusively that for almost any system, the weakest link is the connecting cables. The next weakest link is the tonearm, followed by the turntable. In that order Vertere has set out to produce the absolute utmost highest quality analog audio components. Each weakness systematically eliminated so that, just when you thought things couldn't get better, they did."

I like the Weakest Link Guy, I'm surprised I don't hear that much about his Cables on the Forum. 

Anyway, his logical, and methodical approach to hi- fi, had me contemplating until I seen the price list!

Just as economical as Chord & Naim. LOL!

Allante93!

i compared SL to Chord Sarum Aray IC in an all Naim system and had a clear preference of the SL. This was in the days before the Super Aray. The Chord gave what I called a rather beautiful presentation but lacked a little excitement and the SL was more incisive and gave a more engaging listening experience. 

It might be that all-Naim effect that has been suggested. Who knows.

The high level of resolution produced by a 552/500 system can really show a cable's "personality". At this level, the room also imparts significant influence in how the overall presentation is perceived . Chris preferred the SL by "a wide margin"- there you go, SL works best in his room. All of these cables are expensive and warrant a home demo..you may find that in your system the SL sounds rolled off and dull compared to the Chord. One thing is for sure though, there are cables available to improve on standard Naim offerings - choice and options are a good thing .

ATB,

Mark

Good point Mark.  There are so many variables which shape the sound.  The SL worked great in my room... it could sound completely different in another space.  

Chris has hear the cables in his system and written a balanced report for fellow Naim fans and owners, thank you Chris, it takes a lot of effort to change the cables ! 

The Tuned Array technology was invented to solve reflections going back and forth in digital coax RCA cables. And it is audible in analog cables too, I hear this and the Sarum does clean up the sound, particularly the starting and ending of notes. All Chord cables are primarily about maintaining Pace Rhythm and Timing, that is where the musical magic lies. Sound familiar? It's important to note that Chord started by making RCA to DIN cables for Naim, and Naim helped design the very first Chord Chrysalis. This is on the Chord Website.

The SL cables, do seem to have some relationship with Vertere, and well vertere is all about 2 things mainly : the preservation of musical energy (sound familiar?) and also about doing the least possible damage to the signal, not trying to change or modify it in the process. According to Vertere (and Chord) the best cable is the measured not in terms of what it does (that is the job of the source), but in terms of what a cable "does not do"

I appreciate a lot that the Chord Made the Sarum T more price accessible, previously one had to buy the Chord Music, so there is trickle down (as Chord did with Tuned Aray all the way down to 100 GBP/meter), but it would be nice if Naim trickled down some of the SL technology to make it more price accessible.

One has the Hi-line, but what about Din-XLR and speaker cables?

Chris Bell posted:

Good point Mark.  There are so many variables which shape the sound.  The SL worked great in my room... it could sound completely different in another space.  

The first point was also a dandy, especially to those who have decided to address the weakest link within their Systems, with something less than a 552!

Let's not forget, the Birth of the SL technologies were designed to Complement the STATEMENT! 

As I recall, the 500 Club was rocking well with Standard Naim ICs & Nac A5 before the Statement.

So yes Mark, good point:

[The high level of resolution produced by a 552/500 system can really show a cable's "personality".]

Going out on a limb here, I doubt that little wire incorporated within Naim Amps, which allowed Nac A5 to work fine, wasn't incorporated in The Statement Mono Blocks.

Hence, SL Speaker Cable, to Complete the Loom.

Good point Mark!

S1 ~ 90K USD no PS needed

552 ~ 30K - including PS

252 ~ 14K - including PS

282 ~ 12K - including SCDR

The weakest Link ~ the IC

Lost or Contamination of Source Signal.

Allante93!

Allante... you make a good point.  Super Lumina was created for Statement, electronics with a noise floor substantially lower than any other current Naim amp.   While my NAP500DR has the same 009 transistors, it's not in the same league. As a consequence the SL cable will show off any flaw in the system setup. I've spent hours weaving cables so they don't touch and using foam blocks to decouple cables from the floor.  Perhaps the actions of a crazy person, but the 552 is so sensitive I can hear the difference.  It's all about the setup... at this level every detail is critical.  

analogmusic posted:

.................The SL cables, do seem to have some relationship with Vertere, and well vertere is all about 2 things mainly : the preservation of musical energy (sound familiar?) and also about doing the least possible damage to the signal, not trying to change or modify it in the process. According to Vertere (and Chord) the best cable is the measured not in terms of what it does (that is the job of the source), but in terms of what a cable "does not do"

I appreciate a lot that the Chord Made the Sarum T more price accessible, previously one had to buy the Chord Music, so there is trickle down (as Chord did with Tuned Aray all the way down to 100 GBP/meter), but it would be nice if Naim trickled down some of the SL technology to make it more price accessible.

One has the Hi-line, but what about Din-XLR and speaker cables?

Makes sense to me, but I just read up on this Guy a couple of weeks ago, I like him.

I call him the weakest link Guy!

I don't have the hands on experience that you have analog, but I agree with you 100%.

However, Let's not for get, Focal/Naim is about Streamlining, 

Posted by HH:

"But it now means that Naim no longer make speakers, don't make arms, have ditched their best CD players, and now no longer make separate tuners. How times change. It makes me quite wistful. "

That's right, 152, 155, 172, and the XP5XS all killed off!

Is that a bad thing?

Not necessarily so, just sign of the times, a Prince Thing!

So, I doubt we will see Naim adding anything, in Fact, there hands are full this very moment.

New dac Format, Nova, etc... What ever it's called.

So perhaps it's a good thing, at least we have our Marque Separates, for now!

Allante93!

kevin J Carden posted:

tonym posted:

Based on folks' experiences with SL vs. Chord Sarum, it did seem to me that those with a more positive experience with SL were using it in a completely Naim system and those of us with kit from other manufacturers in the chain tended to prefer Chord. For my part, a (run in) SL phono to DIN interconnect came a very poor second best to a Chord Super Sarum. It would be interesting to learn if others have formed the same view.

There might be something in that observation Tony. I also notice that a lot of Chord users are also LP12 devotees. When I tried SSA IC I thought there was much 'LP12ness' to the sonic presentation and made digital sources sound more analogue and very ordered, whilst SL could sometimes get a bit raucous. In many ways I prefered the SSA, BUT I just found that come the end of every track I tried I simply hadn't got the same emotional shot that I got from SL.

My experience chimes well with Chris Bell's description: 

"Bottom line is I prefered the sound of the Naim SL by a wide margin. It was dynamic, explosive, had better resolution and offered the most engaging experience. The Chord ST was very good and I would describe the sound as smooth and even tempered.  "

However, I should add that at the time of my SSA/SL shootout my system was 52/500(nonDR) and I wondered then if 552 in particular would alter my view. I now have 552DR and 500DR and before I go any further along the SL route ( I only have the IC so far) I will borrow the ST at some point to re-compare. 

kevin J Carden posted:

kevin J Carden posted:

tonym posted:

Based on folks' experiences with SL vs. Chord Sarum, it did seem to me that those with a more positive experience with SL were using it in a completely Naim system and those of us with kit from other manufacturers in the chain tended to prefer Chord. For my part, a (run in) SL phono to DIN interconnect came a very poor second best to a Chord Super Sarum. It would be interesting to learn if others have formed the same view.

There might be something in that observation Tony. I also notice that a lot of Chord users are also LP12 devotees. When I tried SSA IC I thought there was much 'LP12ness' to the sonic presentation and made digital sources sound more analogue and very ordered, whilst SL could sometimes get a bit raucous. In many ways I prefered the SSA, BUT I just found that come the end of every track I tried I simply hadn't got the same emotional shot that I got from SL.

My experience chimes well with Chris Bell's description: 

"Bottom line is I prefered the sound of the Naim SL by a wide margin. It was dynamic, explosive, had better resolution and offered the most engaging experience. The Chord ST was very good and I would describe the sound as smooth and even tempered.  "

However, I should add that at the time of my SSA/SL shootout my system was 52/500(nonDR) and I wondered then if 552 in particular would alter my view. I now have 552DR and 500DR and before I go any further along the SL route ( I only have the IC so far) I will borrow the ST at some point to re-compare. 

I look forward to your views on this as I have heard the Sarum T (and Music) at demos and I suspect they are a bit special.

nigelb posted:

kevin J Carden posted:

kevin J Carden posted:

tonym posted:

Based on folks' experiences with SL vs. Chord Sarum, it did seem to me that those with a more positive experience with SL were using it in a completely Naim system and those of us with kit from other manufacturers in the chain tended to prefer Chord. For my part, a (run in) SL phono to DIN interconnect came a very poor second best to a Chord Super Sarum. It would be interesting to learn if others have formed the same view.

There might be something in that observation Tony. I also notice that a lot of Chord users are also LP12 devotees. When I tried SSA IC I thought there was much 'LP12ness' to the sonic presentation and made digital sources sound more analogue and very ordered, whilst SL could sometimes get a bit raucous. In many ways I prefered the SSA, BUT I just found that come the end of every track I tried I simply hadn't got the same emotional shot that I got from SL.

My experience chimes well with Chris Bell's description: 

"Bottom line is I prefered the sound of the Naim SL by a wide margin. It was dynamic, explosive, had better resolution and offered the most engaging experience. The Chord ST was very good and I would describe the sound as smooth and even tempered.  "

However, I should add that at the time of my SSA/SL shootout my system was 52/500(nonDR) and I wondered then if 552 in particular would alter my view. I now have 552DR and 500DR and before I go any further along the SL route ( I only have the IC so far) I will borrow the ST at some point to re-compare. 

I look forward to your views on this as I have heard the Sarum T (and Music) at demos and I suspect they are a bit special.

I have heard Chord Music at a dealer but not Chord Sarum T. How much difference in sound quality would you say there is betweeb the two?