I’m sure you did, but at what point do you hit diminishing returns given that SL cables of a suitable length cost more than quite a few of the products you can (in theory) connect them to!
Once you get to the upper end of the classic range in to 500 Series and on to Statement, I’d imagine a lot of owners use a whole range of exotic cables from Naim and otherwise.
I think my point here being that the user guide is vague and open to interpretation, of course a wide range of speaker cables and interconnects will work absolutely fine on any current Naim product and probably quite a lot of the older and discontinued models as well. The issue with speaker and IC cable selection and limitation to my mind refers more specifically to older Olive and Chrome Bumper series of products rather than current products and the importance of this is deprecated from the top of the range through to the lower end of the ranges.
I’m trying to look at this from the perspective of someone new to Naim as a brand and especially someone entering the fold with a Uniti product, just like @Mohawk as the OP. You could look at this a number of ways, just buy 3.5m of NAC A5, it’s safe and no one will fault you for your choice, or reuse the cables you already have and enter a world of unknowns and possible problems and warranty issues.
I have a close friend who I’ve helped select a new Uniti Nova, due to arrive later this year. I mentioned speaker cables to him in the context of my decades old experience of owning Naim systems and extensively using NAC A5, he hadn’t even thought about the cables, how they were terminated or how long they should be, in his mind, he needed just enough to go from A to B and no more, in his case well under 2m to left and right speakers.
Also, for reference, the dealer (common to both of us) took some persuading to even provide NAC A5 and was only encouraged on me suggesting that it was a “safe” starting point for my friend as a new Naim owner to begin his journey. That was without even getting in to the electrical characteristics or length of cable discussions. None of this is covered in the manual for a Uniti Nova, quote, “You will also need speakers with cables”
It is an evolving situation. For example, last year we had huge success with a series of Uniti + Focal systems - provided with 2 x 3m of ready-terminated NAC A5 - that sold in both specialist retailers and more mass-market shops (including John Lewis).
We’ve kept the cable bundle available to order as an accessory, to give all our retailers and customers an easy option.
You should sell pre-terminated kits in standard lengths and “to order” in other lengths. 3,4,5m kits that were bundled/offered with a new product would help to remove the doubts and anxieties.
I’m sure some will say, a dealer can just buy a 100m drum and make what you need, but the reality being, even as it is in my case with a Platinum UK dealer, they either recommend something else or can’t be bothered to sit and solder pins to cable for little or no financial reward, that’s my interpretation as a (longterm/Loyal) customer of Naim at least.
More details and informative user guide and support information would be appreciated and a cable bundle offer for new Uniti customers would be a good addition in my mind given my recent experiences with a friend and their journey towards becoming a Naim owner.
I don’t think Naim sees this as a problem.
But to your point regarding the tolerances being made known I agree.
A bit we know/can deduce I guess. Electrical specs of NAC A5 are known, and Naim specify minimum and maximum lenghts.
So we know:
- 3.5uH
- 48pF is okay
- 17.5 mOhm is fine
Max lenght is 20m:
- 20uH
- 320pF
- 100 mOhm
So we have a range that’s known to be safe:
- 3.5 - 20uH
- 48 - 320pF
- 17.5 - 100 mOhm
It’s public knowledge that the minimum is because of the inductance, so we know 3.5uH is the absolute minimum. And I’m willing to bet that the maximum is mostly limited by the resistance, so max 100 mOhm. I guess not really Naim specific I guess and also depended on speakers. I guess capacitance could also be an issue there.
Now the interesting thing is that Superlumina has very different specs, yet I haven’t found any recommendations from Naim regarding its use. Or a recommendation not to use it with certain amps. That’s sold in lengths between 3 and 9 meter, so that would get you:
- 2.22 - 6.66 uH
- 199.2 - 597.6 pF
- 28.8 - 86.4 mOhm
So would it then be reasonable to combine the above into these safe (?) ranges?
- 2.22 - 20 uH
- 48 - 597.6 pF
- 28.8 - 100 mOhm
That’s exactly what i described in my post above…
That’s great work on your part, credit to you for taking the time to do so!
I think I’m getting to the point now of labouring the context of my comments, but I think many would agree that the guidance (from Naim, and even to an extent their dealer network, in my own experience) is quite vague, and for someone new to Naim as a brand, like the OP of this thread and my close friend, and that has no knowledge or interest in the characteristics of cables would find a lot of this confusing and frustrating, and then additionally, ending up here on this community forum still not get a sense of closure.
Clare has taken notice, and these comments and others are taken on board I’m sure, hopefully with an outcome that benefits the less informed or those new to Naim as a brand and as an experience.
@Mr.M This is all really interesting stuff. Whilst I’m no audiophile I’m aware of the differences sonically that speaker cable can make, I was not aware of any potential damage getting it wrong could cause the equipment. I suppose for me going with NAC A5 seemed the obvious choice without having yet spoken to a dealer but I would / will be led by them….I think?!
Cheers, Mo.
Always happy to help and myself and many within this community will happily share experience and ideas, you’ll find it a friendly and helpful place typically and I’ve gained a lot and contributed regularly in my time here.
I’ll start by saying that I myself use Naim NAC A5 in my current system and have used it for many years across multiple Naim systems, it’s not just recommended by Naim, it works well with many speaker types and manufacturers and gives good performance at its price point. There are a lot of cables having said that which owners have tried, liked and kept, replacing as they do quite often a long standing pair of NAC A5 cables.
The challenge here for someone like yourself that doesn’t personally benefit from years or in many cases, decades of trial and error and system changes, is what is the best choice for you in your system, is NAC A5 with a Uniti Atom and some speakers that match your listening environment and system budget all you’d ever need, or is there more enjoyment to be found with alternatives?
If you tried other cables, are there things to avoid including not so obvious things like cable length, the material of the cable conductor cores, the insulator materials, and the cable design as a whole considering things like braided construction for example.
As I have personal experience of with my dealer here in the UK, whilst they have access to and can provide me NAC A5, they will, based on their experiences and preferences almost universally recommend alternatives, you’ll find what is recommended will vary a lot as well based on brands that dealer holds, margins in certain brands and ranges and to an extent where you are in the world.
In the UK, certain brands are very common and complimentary (Witch Hat, Chord Company, Kudos, Tellurium Q spring to mind) those brands may not be so widely available elsewhere or even preferred locally depending on your location.
So my point here was well meaning, and mainly intended to benefit you and people like you that may read this. The information made available to you directly from Naim and to an extent their dealer network isn’t always consistent or clear, you’ll get a lot more detail and real world knowledge share on this forum and you benefit from members located globally, likely in the same country as you, and where they have in some cases tried many different cable alternatives and are happy to share their findings relative to your own journey.
The moderators here do read and take on board our comments as both long term loyal owners and those new to Naim as a brand, so hopefully with a combination of support from Naim and this community you can make an informed judgement of not only what is recommended but what is suitable and right for you within your system and your listening style.
This topic was automatically closed 60 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.