DIN replaced by XLR on NAP 200, 250DR

I know the pins are used in some connections, but the 5 & 4 pins when l/r/g are used seems restrictive. Cheers

Steve, the NAP 250 has always used the XLR connection as they don't provide power back to preamps. The NAP 200 uses a FOUR pin connection as they are designed to power a Naim preamp (using Naim's very own four-pin snaic) if the customer doesn't have a Flatcap/Hicap/Supercap power supply. Not sure where you got the idea that the 200 is XLR - I just had a look at one and it's very clearly a four pin.

Naim uses five-pin DIN (180 degree) as opposed to RCA or XLR for source devices as they believe this sounds the best. If I recall correctly this is due to its lower impedance. They DO NOT use it to connect directly to power amps or power supplies. The five-pin DIN source lead is also configurable for tape out and a few other specific functions. In respect to how many pins are used, from memory the Chord Company cables actually come with only three pins on them as Chord simply don't wire in the unused ones.

I can't comment on the nuisance factor, but there are more than a few companies making aftermarket DIN cables should you wish to diverge from Naim's own standard/Hiline/Super Lumina range.

Perhaps a typo and he meant 300 not 200. Either way although XLR they are not balanced so still Naim goes its own way.

CJ

This may also help:

Why we use DIN connectors 

The use of 3 pins out of a 5 pin din socket for a stereo input only socket (or for an output only socket) is entirely standard.  A 3 pin DIN would be in/out mono!

The 5 pin 240° connection carries power to the preamp, and there's no standard or convention for this.

For the XLR connection there's a convention to use them for balanced connections in professional audio; but for unbalanced stereo use is also a lesser known pin assignment convention and Naim use this convention for their XLR connections.

Huge,

Just wondering, I use a Naim Hiline 4-5 pin DIN between my NAC and Supercap/Superline so are you saying that only 3 of the 5 pins are in use and the other two pins are redundant?

Richard

If the 5 pin DIN is a 180° type then yes.

Inputs 1, 2 & 3 are input only (the other two pins have no connection), inputs 4, 5 & 6 have an output connection on the other two pins.

They all use 5 pin sockets so that you can use the same type of cable to send a signal into any of these input sockets without having to bother whether if it's an input only type or an input/output type.

Thanks as it may be a cheaper option if contemplating an alternative that can be configured with 3 rather than 5 'wires' within the interconnect.

You need one core in the cable for each signal or power connection in use - simples.

The number of pins in the connector makes almost no difference to the cost.

Hi Huge,

Yeah, I was referring to the number of 'wires' (or 'core') and not the number of pins affecting the cost.

So for example, if interested in another manufacturer's 4-5 pin DIN interconnect then specifying the need for only a 3 'core' variant as opposed to a 5 'core' may be cheaper assuming they do such of course.

Thanks,
Richard

Thanks all for the insight. Thanks Richard for the link. I ask because as I have drooled over hifi I see that XLR is the norm for audio signal.  Fang, I wish I could say the Chord DIN cables are cheaper because of 3 pins not 5, I sadly haven't found so.....

Hi AussieSteve,

I some how thought that would be the case :-(

Richard

Richard,  As a price comparison for different cored cables,  I've just bought some Mogami microphone cable that Huge & I use on a regular basis.    The cables are 2 & 4 core with screen & are both (+/-) identical overall diameter,   2 core has 30 strands & the 4 core 20 strands of 0.12 wire.   The 2 core is $0.80 per foot & the 4 core is $1.12 per foot.