Hello everyone,
I am new to this forum although I have been enjoying Naim gear for a few years now.
I started my Naim journey from the XS series and now own the following units at present;
Naim XS2 ( early version – 2011)
CD5-XS
Flatcap XS
ND5-XS
XP5-XS
NAC-A5 Cables
All above housed in locally made AV rack with isolation spikes only at the bottom level.
Speakers ---Sonus Faber Luito FS / Yamaha Soavo-1 with SW / Yamaha NS1000M
Interconnects -- Atlas Equator
Power Conditioner – Furman Elite 16 PF Ei
Power cables – Belden 19364 Audio Grade Cable from MCRU(UK)
My goal here is to maximize the XS SQ signature within the XS range. I don’t intend to add nDAC or other PS enhancements outside the XS range which is likely going to deviate from the original XS SQ signature which is warm and musically / emotionally engaging. I don’t want to deviate from that, I just want to maximize what I already have and enjoy.
I am looking forward to achieving my goal by adding the following;
Fraimlite to Fraim regular in steps
Naim Interconnections ( signal and power)
ATC Speakers (seems to be very popular with Naim users here)
The advice I am seeking from veteran Naim users is this -
What is the sequence I should follow to achieve my goal in order of priority. This will help me to plan my budgets for the upgrades.
Thanks,
Rajesh
Posted on: 05 January 2019 by hastings
A flatcap only gives half its best to each component when shared. If you have two components you should use two flatcaps.
You can experiment with this yourself.
Posted on: 06 January 2019 by rrao
I like Bob's idea of a Hydra - the Grahams Hydra works really well and should be perfect for a system such as this. Not expensive either.
Hi Richard,
I did visit Grahams site and found various combo as follows;
2-1 - £150.00
3-1 - £160.00
4-1 - £175.00
5-1 - £190.00
6-1 - £200.00
7-1 - £220.00
8-1 - £230.00
What the above means is not explained anywhere on the site. Since i have 5 nos of XS units and a potential nDAC and PS upgrade im not sure how to order this.
Does 4-1 above mean, one main lead which splits into 4 ? So with this 4 Naim stock cable are replaced ? How is this better than 4 individual cables taking the load?
Thanks
Rajesh
Posted on: 06 January 2019 by ChrisSU
I like Bob's idea of a Hydra - the Grahams Hydra works really well and should be perfect for a system such as this. Not expensive either.
Hi Richard,
I did visit Grahams site and found various combo as follows;
2-1 - £150.00
3-1 - £160.00
4-1 - £175.00
5-1 - £190.00
6-1 - £200.00
7-1 - £220.00
8-1 - £230.00
What the above means is not explained anywhere on the site. Since i have 5 nos of XS units and a potential nDAC and PS upgrade im not sure how to order this.
Does 4-1 above mean, one main lead which splits into 4 ? So with this 4 Naim stock cable are replaced ? How is this better than 4 individual cables taking the load?
Thanks
Rajesh
Yes, the first figure is the number of IEC leads the Hydra has, so equates to the number of devices it can power from a single wall socket. The advantage is that it preserves the star earthing arrangement that Naim boxes are designed to run on, and keeps the electrical contacts to a minimum.
Posted on: 07 January 2019 by rrao
Rajesh, What is the music like now without the power conditioner?
C.
Chris, I would not know that yet since i moved to a new house and am in the process of setting up a dedicated listening room with proper acoustic treatments etc. This will be new topic of discussion ( especially room sizing). I thought let me get the room / acoustics right first then i will be able to hear any subtle changes in SQ as i play and experiment around with various upgrades suggested by various members in this thread.
Take home points for me ( courtesy of all members in this thread) in order of priority are;
1) Rack - Fraimlite / Quadraspire / Isoblue ( need some more study on the shipping logistics / VAT etc as i live in Bahrain)
2) Naim Stock cables and Grahams Hydra ( perhaps an A/B opportunity here)
3) FCXS ( want to test all 3 options ----on NaitXS only, On CD5XS only and lastly on both )
3) Hiline between source and amp
4) A decent record player and possibly Naim Phono stages
5) Bring in my Nakamichi CR7 into the above system
With this i hope i would have reached the top of the XS experience
Now the exploration / journey beyond XS begins with ;
1) nDAC ( After i get used to the DACs inside ND5XS and CD5XS)
2) PS upgrade for nDAC if i like the SQ signature of nDAC
This is my first interaction in the forum and im really enjoying it especially with you all super cool members. Thanks to all of you.
Please feel free to comment and/or advice on above.
Cheers,
Rajesh
