Looking at the pictures of the statement launch at CES, there were no Superlumina cables ready for production at that time, seems that Statement Pre-amp and power amp are connected with what seems like Vertere Pulse XLR to XLR cables and Vertere speaker cables (even if they don't sound like SuperLumina cables now, I did the test, they sound quite different.... probably due to the connectors, etc..)
I then looked at the Statement manual, and yes there it seems to say Statement power amp uses balanced XLR inputs, and the statement preamp has 4 pin DIN outputs for NAP 500/300 (or 250?)...
So if the state of the art Statement uses balanced XLR connections, will future Naim amplifiers do this?
I don't think they ever will personally, as there is too much tradition with the DIN/SNAIC/Burndy cabling used.
Posted on: 25 June 2017 by Adam Zielinski
There is very little benefit in using balanced connections in a domestic environment. Typical cable runs barely exceed 1 meter (1.2 m in Naim's case).
Balnced connections are beneficial in long cable runs - on stage and in a recording studio where interference is aplenty and cable dressing (the way we know it) is very difficult or practically impossible.
Posted on: 25 June 2017 by Innocent Bystander
I learnt to dislike DIN connectors back in the early 1970s (though no doubt the ones Naim use are much improved on the crummy ones I came across), but I have always been impressed by the quality of XLR connectors, built for real professional use where reliability and good electrical contact are paramount. I've never understood why so few hifi manufacturers opted to use them. As for balanced, inputs and outputs, one possible disbenefit could be the additional components in the signal path to create a balanced preamp output, with the potential for degradation of the signal - to be balanced against the signal transmission benefits of balanced.
As for length of inteconnect, for anyone prefering to put their power amps close to the speakers, say between them, with the preamp and source(s) elsewher -maybe even the opposire side of the room - Balanced cable for the long interconnect around the room could have benefit, and is likely to be easier to run (and cheaper) than a pair of long speaker cables that would be needed if the power amps were instead positioned with the other components well away from the speakers.
