Alternative to Naim 4pin din to 3pin XLR

I was just wondering if there are any alternatives to the XLR cable connecting the Supercap & 250?
I’ve always had the stock Naim cable ….

Flashback Cable used to do a nice one that was well reviewed but the owner passed away and they are no longer in business. You might be able to pick one up 2nd hand.

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As far as new, Chord has several options throughout their range.

The AV Options AVO Signal cables are fantastic but need to be ordered from the US.

The Witchhat Morgana is also an excellent option if you can find one used.

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There’s nothing inherently wrong with the stock lead. I found I preferred the Witchhat one (standard not Morgana) and am still using that to this day.

But Chord, Atlas, and others also make that type cable to order.

Given how many cables people have been through, I suspect you can find a variety for sales second hand online. You could buy them all; try; and sell the others for exactly what they cost you.

People tend to recommend what they use but honestly it’s impossible to predict what will float your boat. If you’re after a definitive answer, it won’t be from the forum. But if trial and error seems exhausting (it is to me), I’d loop back to my fist statement: there’s nothing inherently wrong with the stock lead.

Indeed it has some very good design decisions. Cheap as it may look (and be), the non conductive plastic non locking XLR is really an intelligent choice.

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A few areas in the overall sound signature improved when I replaced the stock Naim lead with Chord Epic X - the noise floor was noticably lower, I noticed this also occurred when I changed the lavender IC with WH Morgana, hard to desribe really, but scientifically it might be due to the better shielding of these cables, it’s like some kind of white noise completely dissapeared, which is very perceptible in near field setup like mine.

Another aspect, again easy perceptible, was the increase in the overall realism, especially noticable with voices and some string instruments, better clarity and resolution worth mentioning as well.

Then of course there is Naim’s own SuperLumina, which is a fine cable, though I found it works best as part of a full loom, which would probably be prohibitively expensive in this system. If you really want an improvement, the din to XLR cable is probably one of the last places to look.

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For those like me that have stopped upgrading boxes, Olive in my case, it makes a lot of sense to try to take the maximum of what you already have. For me this lead improved my system, to what degree, I am not able to quantify, but it was worth it most definitely.

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You may have a point here, given that Naim never made a DIN to XLR Hiline, apparently because they said it didn’t bring worthwhile improvements. I can’t help thinking that their decision to produce a Super Lumina version was a decision by the marketing department to allow them to offer a full range.

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Seems to be NAIM’s direction since the old Julian days!

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I switched just about all the cables in the main system to WH Morgana a couple of years ago. The background got a little quieter, details were clearer and things sounded a tiny bit more vivid - all good stuff.

The biggest difference may be, as suggested above, the shielding. I have a lot of cables and am not great at cable-dressing, and the improvement that WH cables made was rather like the improvement from really bad cable-dressing (that isn’t actually bad enough to cause a hum) versus getting the cable-faff just right. The cable swap was probably a bigger difference than I can achieve by dressing but it seemed the same sort of difference.

Being much less sensitive from that perspective does not explain 100% of the benefit of the non-standard cables, but for me it may well be a good slice. That point may also explain why in some systems they seem to have a bigger impact than in others.

I just put a Super Lumina din-xlr into my system. Found the improvement very obvious and worthwhile. Certainly not just marketing hype. It replaced a Witch Hat Hatpin.

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And the Hatpin was a noticeable improvement on stock!

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Vertere Redline , big improvement

Yes, it was.

I’ve tried a bunch of them - not the super expensive ones though - but always seem to come back to the stock cable in the end. This is in the context of a full Naim system though, including NACA5 and Naim speakers.

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I’ve tried original, Hatpin, Chord Super Sarum Aray, Morgana, Super Lumina. I’ve stayed with Morgana. It has a lot to do with your other components and cables so be openminded and evaluate if you can. Otherwise Morgana is my proposal. They have delivered greatly in all my different combinations of systems and cables.

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Thanks all for the comments, feels like I need to set some time aside for some research…
That then got me thinking, Naim have brought out the new Signal Interconnects that use a combination of 4 Pin Din and XLR…. but not in the configuration for the Supercap-250 connection…. Can Naim make one to special order and will it be better than the stock cable?
Just getting some itchiness … as it’s been 10years since the last service !

Have currently got XLR and speaker Vertere Redline cables on loan. Like my TT RCA and phono stage RCA-DIN the cables bring greater clarity and control, a deeper soundstage, more full vocals, without sounding over harsh or bright. Perfect, and they are cheaper than SL and hiline.

i did the WH morgana and found it to be a bit different hifi for 48 hours but the foot tapping stopped as with the core fun decreased/stopped , lesson learnt at my end. I was lucky to get my money back as the next month they went under!! don’t go pocking the bear id say as the Standard naim cable inevitably wins out for most.

With respect Will you take heed? probably not, will you go out and do it anyway…i’m sure you will, will it be a negative investment for you? yes! but this is the Journey….enjoy!!! have fun, guess i’ll see you where you started at the end of the day :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

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I must admit that when I obtained my 250 & then the Supercap, the man at Grahams Hi-fi said to me (along the lines of), don’t be deceived by the price or looks, they are very good cables … (all three of them)!

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