I just took some time out to compare my NACA5 with the Super Lumina, everything kept the same. For reference and photo, I have used concrete slabs under my rug which has focused the bass, and I’ve had the 552 and Super Lunina for about a month now, so I’d posit they are both run in. Now here was my finding - tracks I know intimately well and use as my “go to” - loved the tracks in the past but no longer due to over-saturation (Freya Ridings ‘Lost Without You’ and Bob Dylan ‘Blind Willie McTell’). Anyway, here’s what I found:
NACA5 - inflated bass, less separating of instruments and quite a step down, the voice articulation was smudged.
Super Lumina - delicate with some finesse to the voice, there was a clear phrasing of lines sung. Separation of instruments greater, less bass or more taut bass.
Now, of course that is expected and all the unconscious biases we harbour confound almost everything in life I didn’t control but the overwhelming change was the bass being muddy with the NACA5.
(A caveat here is I have spent my prior time over the past couple of weeks optimistically the sound with the Super Lumina
I am going to say one thing though, that I regretted - buying the 552 and SL at the same time. Both quality, but their individual merits weren’t realised by me and one’s ear adjusts to the new sound one gets.
In short, after upgrading our ear normalises and it’s only when one reverts back to what one had or didn’t have that we realise this. Just an addendum I felt compelled to add!
You might want to read the review where Martin Colloms compares the speaker cables. It was something like the SL had better imaging, better separation of instruments, more clarity etc but he preferred NacA5 as he thought it had more PRAT.
When I replaced B&W 804 speakers with SF Amatis, kept the A5 initially then quickly swapped out for SL. Speakers and SL cable brand new. Distinct improvement in SQ despite no run-in.
I have moved from A5 to SL in 8m, 3 years ago. SL is more refined and layered with a slightly ascending balance. It however indeed lacks some PRaT.
I recently went back to A5 for a week just to make sure. I found then the A5 certainly tuneful, matter with better foundation and greater PRaT but definitely less details and refinement or even microdynamics. I found myself craving for the refinement and layering of the SL within a day or two. The 8m of NACA5 are back into the storage cabinet.
SL here…too long since I changed from A5 to clearly remember the difference (and there was an interlude with TQ Black II in between). SL has a vivacity and clarity I’ve always very much liked, a nice ‘liveliness’ and sense of a band playing together.
Can’t wait to hear WH Spectre, but that’ll have to go some to best SL (and…who knows…it might, dunno).
I’ve had both and much prefer the SL for refinement, clarity, wider and deepe soundstage and more taunt bass, overall just very natural and organic in its presentation. The end result being a more immersive presentation.
One thought, ideally you should have SL jumpers, rather than mixing wire topologies. They are rare though, it took me quite a while to find an affordable set second hand.
I was just surfing through other responses, including yours and I am using Chord Music interconnects; I agree it is an overlooked part of feeding both sets of drivers. The issue I have here though is how should they be connected - is it to treble, to bass, to both??
People may say try and see, but I know one’s ear normalises the sound appreciation and direct A/B comparisons are a fools errand due to our brains innate equilibration (like putting one finger in cold and one in warm, the brain converges its perception so they both feel the same temperature).
This post reminded me I’d never tried option 3 (cross wired).
Not wanting to blow up a 300DR and SFs, I have just made the change in our office - a SuperUniti into Monitor Audio floorstanders. This is a system I know the voicing of really well, listening to it most days whilst working.
AMs are for TalkSport, and SWMBO is WFH today too, so it will be a few days before I can form an opinion on whether cross wiring changes the voicing here.
Of course the speakers in the lounge are from a different manufacturer, and the amp is different, so this result will have no relevance to the main system. But interesting none the less.
In my system B&W 805 d3s,HDX,XPS dr,nDAC,282,SC non-dr with first a 250-2 non-dr and now a 300dr after adding SLSC’s & SL jumpers I just found the additional improvements in detail, clarity, transparency & soundstage all just too alluring to go back to the original A5’s which up until then I felt was crazy good ! And after adding the loom of SLICs they added small welcomed improvements. As good as the A5 are & as much as I enjoyed them I just could not go back.
After reading your comment regarding the WH Spectre, I re-visited the WH site to look at the Spectre (which I have been sitting on the fence about buying). I then saw this message in a banner on top of the loudspeaker cables page):
After nine years, we are absolutely devastated to say that WITCH HAT has had to close its doors and cease trading. We’ve loved working with all of you and thank each and every one of you for the support you have shown us during this time. Insolvency Practitioners are being appointed and will advise on all next steps. Our goal is for everyone to get their amps back and for no one to be left out of pocket. We will do everything possible to ensure this happens!