There was a thread a couple of years ago about unplugging/replugging gear every now and again which I read last week. For quite some time I’ve found my DR system just blah - thought it was just me used to it or wondered whether something needed an early service (nothing’s older than 2018). I’d tried moving the speakers incrementally with changes in the sound but nothing really beneficial. I clearly remembered how some of my ‘test’ albums used to sound. Things had become muffled and, ultimately, not great to listen to - so much so that I haven’t been involved and was thinking this hifi business is just bullshit.
Out of curiosity, I shut down, pulled every cable out, wiggled the burndy around a bit, put all the cables in, took them out again a few times, then powered up after 10 minutes. From the outset, and 5 days on, the change is unbelievable. This is a completely different and fantastic beast - not a case of ‘yep, it sounds a bit better for that’. I’m a cynic by nature but something transformative has happened here - I can’t explain it and it seems like magic, but, cor blimey. I’m now a devoted advocate of unplugging whenever things aren’t right (fingers crossed it works out next time).
I’ve found the same. Just powering everything down periodically is beneficial as well, but unplugging everything and reconnecting is definitely hugely beneficial. It’s a bit of a drag and I don’t do it very often because TBH I just can’t be bothered. Your post has reminded me that I really should. Also I’ve found that when powerd down if you switch the MCB and RCD that is on your hi-fi circuit off/on several times that also is very beneficial, presumably because it cleans the contacts. Likewise don’t forget to do the same with all your mains plugs and equipment mains switches.
Yeah. A power cycle of the power amp definitely has a positive impact. The lustre seems to subtly wane over a couple months gradually, and a simple power off - drain - power up fixes that.
Obviously redoing the connections every 12-18 months has great benefits for other reasons. Everything in and out 10 times to wipe the contacts.
The N50 makes quite a noise (plopp) through the speakers on power up from cold so I rather not do that too often. Haven’t noticed any difference in sound since I had it anyway.
I strip out the audio rack plus the cabinet containing router, NAS & SMPS power block once per year (last April)
It all gets a full vac and dust of rack & boxes and a damp cloth wipe of the cables.
Plus each Naim and other boxes are foam pad scrubbed with Glass & Tile cleaner.
Obviously this includes cables being unplugged and reinserted - but strictly only the one out and back in.
All my 230v plugs and sockets were treated with DeoxIT from new & do not tarnish, I just give the pins a wipe over with a DeoxIT damp cloth.
Because I do this annually, I don’t notice much (if any) degradation and subsequent improvement in SQ.
You may not have noticed any difference in the sound, that’s because our ears become used to the sound of our systems. Because we get used to it, we simply don’t notice a slow lowering of SQ. Powering down and pulling all the leads in and out (including mains leads) always amazes me at the very very stark difference before and after. It shouldn’t amaze me though because of all the years that i’ve done it. As has already been said, even just turning the power amp off overnight now and again makes a difference on it’s own.
The Nait is in a rotation with other amplifiers so gets regularly unplugged but I have to admit it hurts my soul when I power it up, hence the rotation has decreased in regularity. Used to change amps every 3 weeks, now its more 4 or 5.
This is also why I am highly skeptical of claims that some cable AB comparisons where swapping between two cables rapidly yields a “night and day” difference. Of course it was. You just turned the system off when swapping the cables over.
“I dropped in new cable X and the difference was immediate. … Then after a few weeks I swapped back and now the old cable sounds better than I remember”
IMHO/IME, unplugging Naim kit, especially the amps, tends to de-bass things initially, such that detailing can sound much improved, but the body of the music is absent. Trying to A/B in a Naim system has to be done very carefully, even with signal I/C changes.
