Hi Guys,
New to the forum so not sure it works…
Anyway - wondering if anyone has recommendation on what interconnects to use between Naim NAC172 streamer and 2 McIntosh MC501 monoblocks. Needs to be ~3m. Thanks
If the MC501s can take a single ended (RCA) input then just use those. A DIN4 to 2xRCA cable will do the job.
Welcome to the forum greg84.
That’s quite an unusual combination. A 3m i/c is probably the absolute maximum length you would want to run off the NAC-N172, and even then it may not like it. Naim pre-amps don’t like to drive long i/cs (Naim philosophy is that it’s best to have relatively short i/cs and long speaker cables) so whatever you choose make sure it’s low in capacitance to avoid instability. The Naim is single ended, so you’ll want either an RCA - RCA phono i/c or better yet, a DIN4 - RCA Phono.
thanks james and richard. yes I am using din4 to rcas but wondered if i should use the balanced inputs on the monoamps instead? and if so what cable would be best? naim branded or other? would it make much diffference?
No point as the 172 only has an unbalanced output. As Richard says, be careful about lead lengths though. Good luck, that’s an unusual combination 
No, don’t use the balanced inputs*. As James writes above, there’s no point as the Naim is single ended.
- and whatever you do, do NOT try using the Naim DIN-XLR leads as these are special single-ended interconnects and should never be used into a balanced input.
thanks guys! will keep it as is. and yes perhaps a weird combo but the MC501 are simply awesome (am I allowed to say that here LOL) with my Harbeths SHL5. thanks again
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Balanced is good when the preamp (or other) output is balanced, better reducing noise pickup, which can be particularly significant with longer cables.
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