Some here wireworld matrix 2. But didn’t see this one on the forum.
For the same price I use the excellent Titan Eros.
Looks like that WireWorld includes filtered outlets. Usually filtering does not work with Naim. See also Isol-8 Powerline and Powerline Plus.
Meni, I don’t recognise this Wire World block. Try and search out the Wire World Matrix 2. I have two of them and they offer decent value at £125 the last time I bought one in the UK.
That is what I have - keep it simple and inexpensive at first is my advice.
Find out what a good basic block does before spending ten times more - it seems to work well enough for my system. Also the plug-in sequence is possible - often thrown away - wrongly IMO - by the attempt to star-wire the block, which I’m nit sure really improves things over a good construction and quality contacts.
DB.
Did you also add powerline to wall or anything else?
I did have a PowerLine from my Matrix 2 to the wall and if offered a decent uplift over a ‘stock’ power lead. I have now moved that PL to power my posh ReFlex Ultra G3 power block. But as DB suggests, start out with a good basic block (the WW Martix 2) with a decent basic power lead first. If you already have a PL, then you could try it on a Matrix 2 and see what it does, but you might find a PL does more elsewhere in your system, directly powering a Naim Black Box for instance.
I use a Powerline to the block - since it is a nice way to add an extra one!
At the time a friend said they had found benefit so I did that as I like the Powerline effect - and for what you have been complaining about it will help. Even though in this case it makes the whole purchase more expensive - the cable costing three times the block.
To begin with not essential to keep cost down initially, but try one later.
The Powerline I found quietens boxes down from injecting their noise back onto the mains circuit to get into the other equipment.
Most people seem to have the totally wring idea that noise mainly comes from outside their house and HiFi, when it actually is generated inside the power supply by mains-rectification; shorting the mains at 100Hz (UK) into a near short-circuit, the reservoir caps, causes large current spikes orders of magnitude higher than anything from outside all the time.
…anyway, having these Powelines on boxes with the larger transformers I find removes a layer of high-frequency hash-noise when on Power Amps - and on boxes which feed digital components; the effecy is different but also worthwhile elsewhere. There is a transient negative ‘dull’ effect for a day or two as the settle-in but that goes.
DB.
A lot of users do use filter power blocks. The advice against them is somewhat outdated. Technology has improved, whilst noise pollution within the home has greatly increased due to cheap power charging blocks etc. it is easy enough to measure your mains noise with a meter to see if there is an high level of mains noise that is masking the noise floor.
Having said that, at your level you might be better with a non-filtered power block and then consider a seperate dedicated power filter if the need is there.
Naturally only my experience but also a lot of comments in previous forum. It also depends from filtering and/or RF way to do things. It was an issue 2-3 years ago. Wondering why not now anymore? Cheap blocks were working fine without filtering, more expensive with filtering not.
I think there is two issues primarily. Firstly there are a lot more sources of mains pollution in the home now, cheap phone chargers etc and general mains noise getting into the system from the home or within the street supply.
Secondly, the filter technology is much better, There certainly are reports that a poor quality filter will make dynamics worse, but there are good options now that will reduce the noise floor significantly by removing mains noise without compromising dynamics. I use IsoTek power blocks with good results.
I expect it’s very case specific, but a main noise meter will determine whether there is a mains issues, and then options are available to improve things if needed.
Sorry but WTF is one of those?
Like the Isotek Aquarius, a full black box sized power filter and distribution board for high current loads.
I am sure filtering technology has moved on but is this Isotek any good with Naim gear, which seems particularly fussy about power blocks and filtering within them.
Yes, I was sceptical too. I spoke with a Naim dealer who runs them with a 500 series system on dedicated mains and he was quite disposed towards to them. I tried the Sirrius and Polaris power blocks and they certainly cleaned things up, lowered the noise floor and brought the system more into focus. They do have a bit of a wild burn in though and sound pretty harsh at first, but mine smoothed out after about 4 days. I must unplug them again at some stage and do another comparison.
I do think there is a bit of a paradox with Naim’s position on these. They focus on clean power with large transformers and separate power supplies, but seem to discourage getting a cleaner power supply into the system. If you don’t remove main noise from entering your system, it is going to end up somewhere compromising performance.
With Naim there is a lot of fixed ideas or prejudices, don’t know the english term :
- naca 5 only . It has a bit evolved.
- no non naim preamp. It’s wrong, because some work perfectly.
- no power conditionner. Wrong too. As your case and some others.
- no fancy Ethernet cables and switches : wrong
- the best is Fraim. Probably wrong too. No reason to not find a better rack than Fraim.
I’ve never heard a power conditioner, including from Isotek (but not including the most recent models) that did not have a detrimental effect on the music.
I’ve always heard that power conditioner is very good even though I’m not using yet … my dealer uses this connection and says it`s best for him
@Mike_S you bought an isotek power conditioner which works well, the vast majority of Naim users have non filtered powerblocks. So if you can’t try a power conditioner at home, it’s risky to take that route.
I recommend you listen for yourself
There is a myopic view that noise ‘only comes in from the mains’, whereas it in fact mainly originates locally in the HiFi power supply rectification current spikes and high frequency noise from supplies generally.
Given that you don’t want to keep all that noise flowing from one box to another you need to be very careful in how you implement any filtering procedure on the mains, which has to place an impedance into the mains feed at certain frequency bands in order to work. If you have assumed the HiFi makes no mains noise (stupid and not based on the facts) and all the noise is from outside, then I expect problems will appear.
You can get ‘good’ results with careful filtering blocks - I’ve tried some in the past on power amps to remove occasional buzz - it works, the sound changed to ‘better and worse’.
By that I mean the normal old-school HiFi aspects were better - cleaner bass and lower coloration - but at expense of all real-time musical factors; if made the Amp more boring and ‘pleasant’ and took you further from the music - for me.
So you need to listen yourself - may be better or worse - or more usually ‘different’ in that you get an obvious plus and take a long time to realize that you are not enjoying your HiFi as much as you once did.
Try good and simple first before expensive solutions - unless you get a home audition and love it!
DB.