After a dalliance with the HiLine on my NDX2/XPSDR 282/HCDR 250DR I’ve gone back to the Lavender this past week.
To my ears it’s much better balanced and, well, musical. The HiLine exaggerates the frequency extremes ‘for effect’ I feel. It throws the sound out at you just a bit too much?
G
Yep, been saying this for a few years now.
How are you finding the XPSDR Graeme?
Do you think that the hiline just shows your system for what it is, the good and the bad?
That’s one theory, but i made my mind up with systems from Nait’s through to 552/300 with CDS3 upfront. Same result. Dissects the music and turns an engaging tight flowing performance into something altogether more dissjointed and irritating.
My experience is the same except I have not tried with the 552/500. But I still tried the HiLine in several systems and it doesnt deliver the music compared to the old lavenders. I’m also a big fan of the NACA5.
I get that, my 52 cds2 system agrees with the hiline most of the time. The Cds2 is very unforgiving with poor recordings. Shows what it is and the hiline relays that to my ears. Then on the other hand it can be jaw dropping when the recording is done well. I kinda feel take the good with a little bad, the good generally far outweighs the bad.
I guess if I was to upgrade the cds2 to something more modern I would have more good, but for now will have to do.
Think I’ll pick up a lavender just to a/b👍
I have been with the Lavender IC for 20 years. I also got myself down the road a Red Dawn cable which changed the presentation in different ways (good: more transparent, great highs, faster, bad: brighter and lacks in timing). The Red Dawn basically sat idle for years till I inserted it back two weeks ago just because I felt I needed a change. Today I received an e-mail from Max who recently sold his NAIM gear announcing kindly that he is sending me all the way from Italy his Verter DF-I interconnect which he liked better than the Lavender or the H Line. Now I will have to think of something to send Max, perhaps a photograph of mine since he is all set with his new Hi Fi.
l have found the complete opposite to what most are saying here. I find it brings the whole musical flow together and with an ease the Lavender can only sniff at. I will suggest sending your HiLine off to Naim for it to be checked over.
I did, came back sounding exactly as it did before it went away, and i have owned 2 copies. I also tried a SL din to din, and preferred the lavender. I know people like to think that there must have been something wrong, but personally i think Naim got it wrong when they went in a new direction.
I love the lavender i/c and when used as a 4-5 from a phono stage, I definitely preferred it over the Hi-line. However, on Naim’s digital sources the Hi-line comes into its own. I’ve tested so many of them I know how finicky it can be though. It’s definitely not a “plug and play” cable. The wY you plug it in, the way it hangs, how far in or out of the Din socket… all these things can affect the way it sounds. Get it right and it blooms, spacious yet defined, and just sounds right. Get it wrong and it just sounds dull and rather flat in comparison to the lavender.
I became an ‘expert’ in dressing the Hiline, such is the finicky nature of its design Richard. I just don’t dig what it does to the music.
To be fair, when I sent my Hi-line off to be repaired for it’s second time I did have the notion of selling it once it returned, as I’d had the lavender back in during that time. Trouble was, I plugged my newly repaired Hi-line back into the system again for a last listen. Wow, it took no more than a few seconds to hear that it is quite a bit better, so I haven’t touched it again since. Nor has it gone off.
Richard, What about having a “Hiline” guide as part of the FAQ?
I can certainly understand that Stephen as the Hiline instantly impresses with fireworks, it’s just that over time for me those fireworks are rather tiresome and just showing off.
For me, the hi-line add a lot of detail vs the lavender.
I can understand that not everyone love to have some extra detail.
Our brain is more solicited on that detail and it change is " traduction" of the music. If i can explain it in word, i find the lavender more " simpler" easier, with less complex detail and soundstage.
Our brain focus on the content and is delivering that is traduced as prat and dynamic.
I find the lavender fitting in the traditional Naim philosophy of less detail and less soundstage for prat and rythmic drive.
But personnaly, i love the lavender but i prefer the added layer of the Hi-line.
I think you are right, the hi-line is better at transmitting the signal for sure !
You could just as easily conclude that in an effort to give more ‘detail’ the basic characterisics of the music are changed for the worse. It is not a given the Hiline is better at everything, far from it, and like most things in life there are tradeoffs.
That’s OK Gary, you just prefer the Lavender, and that’s fine by me. It just shows what a great cable it is. I use it pretty much everywhere else in the systems - the 3.5mm - DIN interconnect and the “tape” interconnect are particular favourites. In the context of Naim, it plays to Naim strengths (as it should) and is all the better for that.
Think about it guys. It’s a cable. It doesn’t have cognitive attributes and therefore cannot selectively emphasize particular facets of the spectrum, all it can do is pass on - or filter- the signal from the source.