I know the recommendation is to use Naim speaker blocks for amps but surely there is no risk in using regular banana plugs?
The Nail SL cables just use normal banana plugs. NACA5 is very stiff and awkward to get out at a good angle which the plugs do help with. If you are using NACA5 I would use the plugs, no reason not to.
Hi Steve, i’m just using some 2.5mm core Van Damme Blue type cable if that helps
1 Like
Not sure about that cable but it does need to be the right spec and length. Check that out if you can. At least 3.5m of A5 per side is the recommendation.
Where my hifi is set up, the speakers are certainly <1.5m from the amp so was going to make up two 1.5m cables.
Cable spec:
Fisual S-Flex studio grade speaker cable range has been developed with ultimate flexibility and quality in mind. The PVC composite jacket material has a soft tactile feel and combined with the multi-strand copper conductors ensures a high level of flexibility. Fisual S-Flex can handle the abuse of a studio environment and the ice white colour means it will fit in with any decor at home too.
The white colour, flexibility and diameter of this cable make it ideal for running along skirting with minimal visual impact.
-
Outside diameter 7.5mm -
2 x 2.5mm^2 conductors
-
99.999% oxygen free copper conductors
-
Super low-loss signal transfer
-
Super-Flex jacket & multi-strand conductor arrangemen
The SA8 speaker connectors are designed perfectly to mate with the 4mm sockets - same metal to metal material contact, and the plastic housing is designed to allow the plugs to make best contact with the inside of the socket. They come, essentially for free, with the amplifier, so it would seem most sensible to use them.
3 Likes
Naim recommend at least 3.5m per side. 1.5m is way too short imo. The impedance of the cable needs to be correct also as the Naim amps rely on this to avoid potential damage.
Why not just use 3.5m of NACA5 with the correct plugs and be done with it? It comes in black or white and the excess can be snaked.
If the cable you buy damages your equipment then I would guess you warranty would be void. NACA5 sounds GREAT as well! Its cheap for what it is compared to a Naim box also!
@Rico the cable you are looking at is £2 a meter!!! If you have bought any Naim box you should be looking at something better than a grand investment of £6 (2x 1.5m lengths you mention above) on speakers cables!
It should be safe with a Nait5i though 
Hi Steve, I am curious to know why you think that? Speaker cable is speaker cable. The only thing of importance that differs is the copper core size.
Not so.
The cable capacitance and inductance also differ.
1 Like
Excellent choice - I use Van Damme 6mm Hi-Fi Speaker Cable UP-LCOFC with my Chord Electronics. If my memory serves me well then the resistance is 3.3Ω/km and capacitance is < 77pF/m (not certain about that)
With Naim Nait 5i we use 5 metre lengths of NACA5 bought some time ago when it was around £7 per metre. It seems to be more expensive now.
This is related to the length of the cable, if I am not mistaken?
It is indeed.
Naim amps sound best with at least 3.5μH of inductance in the speaker cable and low capacitance load (typically <350pF TOTAL for the cable).
Whilst this is still best for the integrated amps, provided the speakers don’t have a low inductance anywhere in the ultrasonic range, the inductance can be quite a bit lower without it actually causing electrical problems as such (but the sound quality will still suffer slightly).
Total cable capacitance and inductance ARE related to the length of the cable and you probably ARE mistaken.
Two equal lengths of different cable can have (usually do) different values of capacitance and inductance from each other.
Use full synthetic 5-40… oh wait wrong forum
1 Like
This topic was automatically closed 60 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.