I am very new to this community, as I inherited from my parents their old installation with NAC 62, Hi-CAP and NAP140.
I would like to add a subwoofer and understand it would probably be best to consider BK Electronics (xxls400-df), as they are active and can be connected via the speakon cable directly to the amp’s speaker out cables.
I contacted them but they are not able to confirm if it would work with this peculiar setup.
Anybody ever tried this? I live in Switzerland and wouldn’t want to order from UK without return possibility if this isn’t compatible.
Nearly all HiFi subs are active, so while BJ are very good, you could equally go for a Rel or similar if they are more easily available to you and perhaps supported by a local dealer.
It’s OK to connect an active sub to a preamp output, which on your case is located on the Hicap. You can also use the high level connection in which case your power amp will be much happier if you connect to the loudspeaker input terminals rather than the power amp outputs.
Depending on the final location you choose for the sub, I find it best to keep an open mind about which connection type to use. Trialling different positions in the room is usually crucial to getting the sub to sound right, and if , for example, the optimum location turns out to be far away from the amp, the loudspeaker connection could be the best choice.
REL does seem to be more available in my country, in this case, what model would you recommand? I’d go with the T/5x, based on my limited knowledge. Is it really a big update comparing with the BK mentioned above?
(I’m a bit lost concerning the price difference of the cable though. REL cable are hundreds while the speakon cable are 20.-
I guess it’s a quality matter as always.)
Finally, I don’t understand one thing you said concerning connecting an active sub to the Hi-CAP. Isn’t the Hi-CAP only an alimentation for the preamp?
The audio signal in a Naim amp passes through the Hicap (from preamp to power amp) so although it may seem unusual, the DIN sockets on the back of the Hicap provide a suitable output for a sub.
Rel include a cable with their subs which is suitable for the high level connection from an amplifier. The problem with Naim amps is that this can affect their stability, so connecting it to the loudspeakers is a better solution.
If you contact Rel they will be able to give advice on a sub to match your loudspeakers.
I’ve had BK subs for years now, both XLS400 and 200.
Never tried the speakon but got Flashback to create some cables for me.
One is to connect my Hicap and another “Y” cable to use with a UQ2 into Nap 100 for upstairs TV use.
Works very well.
My room is also 28 m2. I have two pairs of subwoofers in the room. Dual vintage REL Storm III’s on the main system, and dual BK XLS200-DF’s on the (near-field) desktop system.
I’d personally go with the BK XLS400-DF, as a single subwoofer, in this size room. Or one of the larger RELs. Check out the recent, vintage-style REL Classic 99.
btw, in case you go with a low-level connection from your HiCap, and unless your cables are quite short, they should be slugged with 100R resistors (100 ohm resistors in series with each of the yellow and red positive leads, I believe).