Classic components .... and standby...or the lack of

Posted by: Richieroo on 10 May 2018

Hi I notice with Naims new components .....commendably ... a second switch mode supply is added to allow for standby (not sure about ND555). Being the owner of a 500 system .... and having it powered all the time .... it does produce noticeable heat - which is not exactly environmentally friendly .... it seems to me that Naim really should start addressing standby in classic components....... Interestingly my NDS is the chief offender of heat output .... it is quite roasty ... so much so that when not in use - I use a little fan that blows across the case. Without the fan the NDS runs quite hot - with the fan it is barely luke warm.

Posted on: 10 May 2018 by james n

The ND555 doesn't have this feature as it doesn't contain an internal supply so gets around the 'standby' power consumption regulations. The way that Naim have implemented the low power standby mode is neat but while meeting regulations, it doesn't get around the issue that most kit will be left fully powered for best SQ which in the case of a big stack of kit can be seen as quite wasteful (as you say)

The classic series certification would have been done well before the new standby power consumption rules (it's been a few years since I last did any CE certification so I'm not fully au fait with the latest regs) so are not subject to the new regulations, but the new Uniti series and new streamers have the new 'dual supply' feature to comply. Ultimately there will come a time when manufacturers will be forced to move to more efficient switching supplies to replace the linear section but that would mean quite a bit of work and redesign.

Done right, switching supplies work very well and I'm sure when Naim tackle this problem, they will come up with some novel solutions to deal with the issues that come with using this type of power supply.

Posted on: 10 May 2018 by Richieroo

Thanks for the reply .... very informative .... cheers