Evening all…Need insight from the wise amongst you
I currently have 2 lengths x 4M of Naim plug terminated Nac05 running between my NAP200 and my SBL’s.
The problem I have is that we have moved the system into the living room and now I only have just over need for 1M between amp and speaker, and from what I read the Nac05 is not very tolerant of being spooled, and ideally needs to be 3.5M
Any recommendations given the short length of cable I need…typically keeping the same / similar characteristics of the NAC05.
It’s tricky. Changing to the same as you, in my system, gave me a really good uplift in performance so I’d hesitate to recommend anything else. I’d also not recommend spoooling or folding into a concertina shape as I have tried this myself and it definitely degraded the sound. I just ended up looping mine in a sweeping curve around the back of the speaker and then back on itself. Not the best looking option but I don’t want to sacrifice performance.
Kudos KS-1 also for consideration.
In my case I loosely zig zag it between the amp and speakers to accommodate the extra length, it’s not overly tidy and the stiffness is cumbersome whatever anyone says!
I’m still using NAC A5, pondering trying the Kudos at equivalent lengths for something less stressful to manage.
If you’re hoping to get the characteristics of NACA5 from a shorter cable you are likely to be disappointed, especially at just one meter. Naim give you the relevant inductance and capacitance figures per metre of NACA5 in the forum FAQ so that you can compare other cables, but remember that 3.5m is the minimum length recommended, not the optimum, and most non-Naim cables will need to be longer to achieve the same spec.
OK…let me ask a slightly different question…Is there a speaker cable that is more flexible that I can substitute the Nac A5 for and still get the same Naim sound?
No, not in my experience. To get the same sound/performance as 2 x4m lengths of NACA5 on your NAP200, you’ll need… 2 x 4m lengths of NACA5. On a NAP200 I would definitely avoid going shorter than 3.5m per side.
There are a few cable brands which are known to be a reasonable match in terms of inductance and capacitance for Naim amps, such as Chord, Kudos or Tellurium Q, although the required length to achieve this is likely to be more than for NACA5. Whether any if these sound as good as, or the same as NACA5 is another matter. You may find a friendly dealer will lend you some demo cables to try.
Of course, there’s always Naim’s Super Lumina, but that will cost you more than your NAP200!!
I do not believe it was Patents. The maker of NACA4, for Naim, I think was BICC - who decided to make similar cable, for both Linn & Exposure. Naim were more than a bit miffed - so designed NACA5 - and dumped BICC.
This is the story I was told, by my then Naim dealer, but…
Linn’s K20 is at least known to have good compatibility with Naim amps, having its basic design pinched from NACA4 as you can see from its construction. It’s quite flexible too, and relatively cheap so you could easily try it.
I use TQBII with my Supernait 3 and ProAc speakers and it works really well.
But…… when I used Naim speakers I much preferred NACA5 to Tellurium or anything else I tried. The A5 is absolutely perfect with your 200 and your SBLs. If I were you I’d fold it up in a tight Z fold and hide it behind the system, which is presumably between the speakers. Fold the Zs really tight and hold it all with string to keep it in shape. Use a hairdryer to warm the cables to get tight bends if you like. It will be absolutely fine and will still sound great. The only cost is the string and the electricity to run the hairdryer.
