I am wanting to upgrade my cables to chord. I currently have the supplied cables that came with my NC 300 system plus NAC A5 speaker cables. Not being familiar with Chord, what level should I go with that would give me noticeable improvement? What about the power cables? Due the prices I was hoping the signature level would be high enough. Due the layout of my system I only need 2m for the speaker cable but would longer sound better and be preferred?
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With your level of 300 series, I’d be aiming at Sarum T, even if it takes you longer. Or choose dealer demo. cables or second hand as the opportunity provides. Your superb 300 series deserves it.
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Hi,
Why do you want to change to Chord? My experience has been that upstream of the power amp I find Naim wires more organic. But just my preference, ask a dealer if you can borrow some alternatives to try.
Regards,
Lindsay
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Go straight to Sarum T or music … I would do that . But first, work on your main power cord and power block and then speaker cables last 
Not a real contribution, but I tried alternatives from cheap to costly, and the only cable I use instead of NAC A5 is from Vertere.
From my experience Powerline + naim = 
They might look simple and cheaper than most snakes out there but synergy is wonderful. For non naim boxes I would look elsewhere though.
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I have been a great advocate of Chord Sarum speaker cables - in my system in my previous home they sounded fab - a very natural sound was the impression I had. My new home presented a problem in so far as the room layout dictated a 6m cable length. The room acoustics are very different and with other financial constraints accompanying the new home eg discovery that my cartridge was smashed in the move), I could not commit to a new set of Sarums. As an interim measure I have a set of the Kudos cables. By coincidence the chap from Vertere was with the dealer and kindly popped out with a set of Vertere cables. I can’t recall the name but they were circa £5k for a 6m set. I was in the middle of trying to set my system up (hadn’t even discovered the tragedy of my cartridge!) when Mike called out and time was limited. The Vertere cables definitely brought an improvement over the Kudos but I found the whole thing diffiicult as I didn’t have a long term reference sound to compare them with in the new room.
Whilst I have confidence that the Sarum cables would work for me, the new room is so very different that I would have to; and suggest that you also; take a little time, maybe a weeekend, to have a good listen to Kudos v Sarum v Vertere before reaching any conclusions. Speaker cables are the last link in the component chain and act as a bit of a fine tuning device. Each room has its own dynamics and well worth taking the time to assess in your own room. You may even decide that NAC A5 is your preferred cable for your room. This is subjective and there are no rules as to which will work best for you. Not very convenient, but there you have it. Good luck with your search!
Peter
PS Don’t rule out Naim’s Superlumina cables - some on here swear by them, particularly in a complete chain with interconnects.
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These days I am using almost exclusively Chord ICs and speaker cables after many comparisons to many others. Not that there are no other good cables, however the all round quality, transparency, coherence and integration with Naim have convinced me across their range.
Having tried pretty much all Chord speaker cables, looking at your system I would recommend that you try no lower than Signature and try the Signature XL in particular- they are fabulous, superb lower end and energy overall. They are so good that when I decided to try an upgrade to Sarum I was not convinced and decided to try Music instead - and yes, my speakers and I loved them, they are rather special, no doubt at all and as, like you, I only needed a shorter length I could justify it.
For ICs I’ve settled on Signature TA XLRs and RCA DIN, at least for the moment, however I’ve had Sarum RCA before and they are slightly smoother if you think you prefer or need that. My Marten speakers are very balanced and never harsh, so the transparency of the Sigs across the range works well.
I cannot say the same for Chord’s mains cables. I’ve tried a couple of the more “affordable“ Chord mains cables (up to Sig) and have found them nothing special and easily outclassed by others and at lower cost, so overall a different experience. Some here say their Sarum mains is very good, so of course listen and decide.
Chord has a long standing research and know-how with ICs and speaker cables with close collaboration with Naim at the outset in their early days (and I think it still shows). I have the impression that their mains cables, even at the higher end, appear to be using rebranded MSHD connectors painted in white with not too special cabling? Nothing wrong with this if one likes them and finds them good value, I just didn’t on both counts.
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I use Powerlines from my Chord M6 block to our Moon CD player and amp and Melco N50-S38. They sound superb. I wouldn’t even be tempted to change.
Just curious, but if you are not familiar with Chord cables then why do you want them so much? What is it about the supplied cables that you are not happy with?
I use both Powerlines and Chord Epic mains cables and interconnects in my own non-Naim system. The Powerlines are superb. Why not give them a whirl and see what you think?
With your equipment I would certainly be looking at Epic or higher if you want Chord. The sky, or rather your budget, is the limit. With the Chord range more money gets you more performance (which isn’t always the case). Though that doesn’t necessarily mean you will prefer the more expensive ones. Some prefer the overall sound of Epic to the more costly Signature.
With mains though I would be looking first at getting a Chord Powerhause M6 mains block before any cables. This will make a far more fundamental improvement, even keeping your standard cables from the block and using the ‘free’ moulded cable that is supplied with the M6.
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Absolutely 
.
ATB, U
Thanks for the reply. If I decide to go with the Sarum, I would probably start with IC’s and do speaker cables last. Is that the correct order?
The reason for my choice of chord is 2 fold. 1st my dealer sells them and 2nd there a lot of mentions on this forum of them matching with Naim products well. There are so many cable choices it could drive one mad trying to pick one. I could spend hours and days researching and just running in circles. I prefer going with a proven match.
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With my 4 box system, if I started with 2 power lines where would you place them? Amps or pre-source?
Fine, ask you’re dealer for a home loan, I did a home demo of Signature and Anthem but ended up staying with Naim.
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Thanks for sharing your experiences with Chord. Did you find that shorter lengths (2m) were ok with speaker cables?
I have owned a couple of PLs, and to my memory the best results, the unquestionable ones, were with a Nait XS and with a CEC transport.
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I’ve had even 1.5m previously and now 2m (Music) with my NC250, both work equally well no issues at all.
Yes I could actually go th 1.5m with the mono blocks
I have Sarum T everywhere in my system (except for power cables) and my experience has been that the speaker cable made the biggest difference. Hope that helps.
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