not tempted with the Morgana interconnect HH? between my nd5xs2 and SN3 it adds a lift in clarity sparkle and openness.
1 Like
No.
No words wasted there!
1 Like
Hi RvL, I would love some impressions when you’re able to after the Phantoms are run in.
That said, the Nac-a5s are trusty in terms of the Naim sound… but they need to be terminated correctly, dressed, run-in after ages, and unlooped to “flow”.
It’s interesting feedback on the Forum about mixed reviews on the SL. But I will still try them - it would be really interesting for me, as up till now, the Nac-a5s still do it overall for me in a Naim system. System cables are a whole lot of fun for A-Bs, if we can borrow them first and not have to buy.
Cheers
1 Like
Yes, termination is very important. I have a Naim terminated 4 meter set.
Phantom does exactly those things and more.
1 Like
Phantoms ordered. Two month wait.
1 Like
They are worth it, just installed them
Found used Morgana cables to go between the 282/250 online for 1/2 off - well worth the price - and no wait!
Looking forward to the phantoms now.
Wondering whether I should do Morgana or HiLine between the NDX2 and the 282 next!
KS-1 between 500 and SBL is better than NACA5, and costs less too 
I tried to use the KS-1 between a 500 and Titan 606s - but went back to using the SL cable.
I’d like to offer a slightly different experience with WH. I tried WH “full loom” for quite a while and am now back with lavender and NACA5. For me, my system, in my room, my ears and preferences, etc. I generally found WH to lean toward more detail and, dare I say it, more “hi-fi” attributes. But it was darker too and veered away from PRaT for me. Over time I found I was not as engaged with the music as I had been previously.
I first changed the interconnects back, one by one, and found the cohesion and musical drive returned (replacing Morgana for lavender). Less detail perhaps, but it was not the “exploded parts view” that I felt the WH brought.
I stayed with the phantom though, initially because of convenience. But something kept nagging at me when I listened - I was again distracted to the “what’s missing?” vs being engaged with the music.
So I spent some time comparing with NACA5. NACA5 sounded leaner, faster, more cohesive and engaging. For me. I found the Phantom to be distinctly darker, more pronounced mid and bass, relative to NACA5, and lacked the detail at the top that NACA5 brought. In my experience.
So I’m now back with standard cables. The WH certainly seem to have a “house approach” and there are plenty on here for whom that works and is enjoyed. Ultimately, though, it did not work out for me.
5 Likes
A £5k cable ought to better a £400 one, seems an odd comparison with the price difference, however there are people who prefer the KS-1 over SL.
2 Likes
Sometimes I’ve found less expensive speaker or interconnect cables sound better than more expensive ones, and termination is particularly important in all cases.
2 Likes
Fair enough. There’s a reason the naca5 endures.
1 Like
Well yeah, but I was hoping for some miracle synergy…
When I owned Naim equipment, which was for 25 years, I once tried a different mains lead and a different speaker cable. That was back around 1990. The result in both cases was disaster. That kind of put me off ever trying again - and I never did.
Perhaps I am gullible, unadventurous or set in my ways but I am inclined to the belief that Naim supply the best cables for their equipment, produced to maintain the essential qualities that make Naim equipment so musically engaging. If I still owned Naim then I’m afraid it would be NACA5 or Superlumina or whatever for me all the way.
I’m not saying that other cables can’t work or that there may be one or more that better the Naim cables in all areas. But finding them is hard, tedious and expensive work. Why bother when it’s all been done for you and the results are excellent?
1 Like
Yes, I’ve been that way for 11 years too.
“exploded parts view” - I like that one.
That’s exactly how many ‘hifi oriented’ cables can sound. Impressive at first though.
I’m curious to hear them in my system but I’m also sceptical. If it was ‘that simple’ to create a very reasonably priced and flexible cable that outperforms the NACA5 by as much as many posts suggest, I can’t help thinking Naim would have done so too? I believe the 5 was introduced in '89 so I’m sure Naim tried a thing or two during the past 3 decades. And there is still no NACA6.
That said, at the end of the day cables are also tone controls. If the specific sonic character of a cable suits your taste better, it’s still an upgrade so I’m looking forward to try these praised Phantoms.
1 Like
I’m just running in some Kanta 1s with my Nova. I’m using my old Chord Rumour 2 cable I bought 10 years ago for a Unitilite and Neat Motive 2s. I’m still playing with positioning but I have to make lots of compromises in my room so options to fine tune the sound are limited, but overall I am very happy with it. However, ideally I would like it to be a little warmer so I am looking to achieve that (if possible) by upgrading my cables. Out of NACA5, WH Phantom and TQ black (or any others), which do you think would help me get a slightly warmer sound? All advice gratefully received.