Naim DC1

Patu posted:

Looks very well built!

Built like a tank, almost Naim quality . Thick alu faceplate, rest of the enclosure is all metal. Feels very solid.

Hi I use a Gotham cable 75 ohm BNC cable, and currently prefer it my DC1... just seems to provide a more natural and flowing sound in my setup.

BTW the cable impedance as opposed to connector is important for our applications, and holds true for video as well as audio upto  around 10MHz..so yes BNC connectors are important, but whether they are 50 or 75 ohm (minuscule physical changes, and dielectric changes) is almost irrelevant for our uses in SPDIF. It is worth noting BNC was originally developed for RF applications which typically use 50 ohm characteristic impedance, and were then modified to suit 75 ohm applications... in some instances

it also means for our frequencies a phono connector  instead of BNC will have neglible effect.. and probably any differences are swamped by the receiver or sender ... it’s the cable that matters more... However despite this adapters are not an ideal thing given that they will produce a less ideal connection.

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Since I have the Dave on home demo,I am using the supplied BNC cable to connect the Core to the Dave,and it sounds better than my Nordost Heimdall 11 cable with RCA,and the Naim supplied adapter.

What brand and model of the BNC cable or is it just a generic one that comes with the Dave?

Drikus posted:

What brand and model of the BNC cable or is it just a generic one that comes with the Dave?

Yes,just a generic one that comes with the Dave...but I did put 5 ferrites on it....Tomorrow when I try the Dave as a pre,I will use the other BNC in the box to connect the digital out of the 272 to the Dave and the other one will go from the Core to 272.The 272 will be acting as strictly a streamer.

I don't have a Dave - yet.  However, I connect my Core to the 272 with  a Siltech Golden Eagle cable.  It has BNC connectors.  Sounds really good.  I'm anxious to try it with the Dave.  I actually am trying to decide if I should get the Dave, or upgrade my 272 with a 555 power supply.  Which should I do first?

Actually, I may try the XPSDR instead of the 555DR.  I've been reading on the forum that the XPSDR gives the greatest initial upgrade to the 272, and that the 555DR just takes it further.

docmark posted:

I don't have a Dave - yet.  However, I connect my Core to the 272 with  a Siltech Golden Eagle cable.  It has BNC connectors.  Sounds really good.  I'm anxious to try it with the Dave.  I actually am trying to decide if I should get the Dave, or upgrade my 272 with a 555 power supply.  Which should I do first?

Good question,as I have only tried with the Dave...most people who have switched to 555 on the 272 say it is a huge improvement.One guy here (GRAEMH) actually started with a 555 (non DR) on his 272,and switched to an XPSDR,and prefers it,so who knows.I can vouch for the improvement the Dave brings to the Core,but you can’t feed the internet radio or Tidal through the Dave,unless you use the whole setup as a renderer/streamer/DAC into an amp directly,or a separate pre amp.I happen to have a Cary audio Cinema 12 also,which I use for home theatre,that is also very good for 2 channel...which I may try too.

docmark posted:

Actually, I may try the XPSDR instead of the 555DR.  I've been reading on the forum that the XPSDR gives the greatest initial upgrade to the 272, and that the 555DR just takes it further.

Yes I would get a power supply on the 272 next if I were you.

Just to be clear - I tried a 555PS from 2006 unserviced for a month or so and didn’t like what it did to the 272. The 555PS DR I suspect is a whole different ball game.

The XPSDR does feel like the ‘natural’ partner for the 272 in terms of price/technology though. I’m delighted with its performance and have no urge to ‘upgrade’.

G

Simon-in-Suffolk posted:

Hi I use a Gotham cable 75 ohm BNC cable, and currently prefer it my DC1... just seems to provide a more natural and flowing sound in my setup.

BTW the cable impedance as opposed to connector is important for our applications, and holds true for video as well as audio upto  around 10MHz..so yes BNC connectors are important, but whether they are 50 or 75 ohm (minuscule physical changes, and dielectric changes) is almost irrelevant for our uses in SPDIF. It is worth noting BNC was originally developed for RF applications which typically use 50 ohm characteristic impedance, and were then modified to suit 75 ohm applications... in some instances

it also means for our frequencies a phono connector  instead of BNC will have neglible effect.. and probably any differences are swamped by the receiver or sender ... it’s the cable that matters more... However despite this adapters are not an ideal thing given that they will produce a less ideal connection.

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I use my Nordost blue heaven 75 BNC to connect up the digital audio output of the Sky box to my Naim Ndac. Using the adapter on the Sky as no BNC output.      Have tried both connections to the Ndacs BNC input 2 and RCA input 3 with the adapter and have noticed no difference to sound, although when using the input 2 option I did find I had the dreaded "clicking" earthing situation more often.   if using the adapter maybe better to use it at both ends.

I'd use optical to the AV kit if you can. Save the coaxial inputs on the Naim DAC for the audio kit and shove any 'noisy' digital sources onto the optical inputs (AV, Sonos etc).

james n posted:

I'd use optical to the AV kit if you can. Save the coaxial inputs on the Naim DAC for the audio kit and shove any 'noisy' digital sources onto the optical inputs (AV, Sonos etc).

Yes, Nordost don't make any optical cables. Can you recommend a quality one ?  Prices vary and there is conflicting beliefs as usual.    I like my Emmerdale to be as audibly stimulating as Music.  

I use a 5 m run of Audioquest cinammon optical from Virginmedia box to my Nova, happy with SQ.

As Gazza mentions above, plus the usual Chord, QED etc. Just be careful with oversized Toslink plugs as the sockets (if it's anything like the back of my TiVo box) on PVR units can be very close together.

TOBYJUG posted:

Yes, Nordost don't make any optical cables. Can you recommend a quality one ? 

AudioQuest Diamond is the best.

Drikus posted:

TOBYJUG posted:

Yes, Nordost don't make any optical cables. Can you recommend a quality one ? 

AudioQuest Diamond is the best.

If it makes Emmerdale as audibly stimulating as music for TJ, then it'll be £469 (for 0.75m !!) well spent...

He's got a £5,995 amp so £469 is not excessive in comparison and will get him the best optical cable out there at the mo. I've got two of them but I'm using only one at the moment. My Apple TV 4K is connected to an Oehlbach Audio XT hdmi splitter with an optical out and the Diamond goes from there to my dac. I don't watch Emmerdale but everything else is very "audibly stimulating" to me...

Drikus posted:

He's got a £5,995 amp so £469 is not excessive in comparison and will get him the best optical cable out there at the mo. I've got two of them but I'm using only one at the moment. My Apple TV 4K is connected to an Oehlbach Audio XT hdmi splitter with an optical out and the Diamond goes from there to my dac. I don't watch Emmerdale but everything else is very "audibly stimulating" to me...

Amp value aside, it's a lot of cash for a source such as the Sky box. Anyway, TJ has a some food for thought