Does someone have experience with connecting the power cables from there Naim system into an high quality distribution block like for example the ORT Nordost or Ansuz?
It is important that the power cable of the preamp goes into the primary earth entrance of the distribution block.
I am confused, because the 282 and 252 do not have the own cable connection. As they are connected to a Hicap or Supercap. But also to nap sc (little box), I do not know if the SC or Hicap should be in the primary earth entrance or the nap sc.
I hope there is some knowledge and or experience of one of our members.
If you select a dist block that has its outlet sockets wired in radial, or âstarâ as many incorrectly call it, then there is no âpreferredâ socket.
You need to look around the tech specs, but IsoTek & MusicWorks are you starters for ten.
PS @MikeN
Beware of (BS) tech talk of âstar earthâ, such as seen on Nordost www.
Just connecting E only in radial (star) has no real benefit power distâŚ
The whole system should be connected in radial, this means L (live), N (neutral) and E (earth/ground) see my drawing.
Hi again, some more âŚ
I removed my power dist board over the weekend (for other work) and took the oportunity to photo it.
Its made up on an MDF board size/shaped to fit on the bottom shelf of my audio rack/cabinet.
Parts are âŚ
Furutech FI-1363 13A plug
Ferrite H30 MnZn 1 - 500MHz
Titanex H07RN-F 3-core 4mm/2
Junction box - 3x3 2.5mm/2 radials connect LN&E to âŚ
3x MK unswitched Double Sockets
(the MK switched socket is not used for audio)
I currently use a 6-way Musicworks power bank which cost me ÂŁ179 back in 2002, which equates to ÂŁ370 in 2023. Never been able to find the spec, but when I opened it up a few months back, the cable wasnât anything special, plus I dont like the switches.
Moving forward, Iâm saving up of the Atlas Eos Modular 4.0 Mains Power Distribution Block. It doesnât have any filters/conditioning, and most importantly narrow enough to fit in the gap behind the HiFi Stand. It aint cheap though, but built in the UK (assuming Scotland is still in the UK ). They do a cheaper 2.5 model, but that doesnât make a lot of sense when you are using 4.0mmsq Powerlines
Reading the blurb, I see its wired in radial (they incorrectly call it star), but whatever, this is important.
It looks like one of the better designs around the Audio/AV market.
Shame about the price, plus you need the wall socket to power strip cable added to that.
The most expensive part of my DIY power board is the Furutech plug, the rest of the parts all together are less than just that one item.
My understanding is that @Mike-B is right. A proper star-earth arrangement makes Naim boxes work best, and some arrangements really arenât that.
Thatâs why several of us favour 1 Hydra for all Naim boxes. I am also aware of staff at 2 well-known London dealers who will cheerfully say thatâs what they use themselves.
I am also confused about the merit of using an expensive cable as far as the wall socket, and then using the house ring main from there. If your house wiring is as tatty as mine, getting a dedicated line from meter to hifi socket (s) is cheaper than a flash distribution block and likely to have more impact.
Of course, once both of those are addressed, there may well be mileage in also using impressive cable, plugs and sockets.
I had a lot of issues, not finding the correct balance in my system, since I changed my loudspeakers. I changed the power distribution en have the best result with the power supply of the preamp into the earth socket. The block I now use, was giving me space rack issues, as it should be placed on the selve. With no space left for my second turntable. So I had to be creative . Everything is perfect now. The whole change in the power distribution gives a beautiful balance. Bass is not booming any more, and I can listen for many hours, without getting tired. Before I started to work on power distribution, I did not think it does so much for a system. For me, it sounds like Ihave added a few extra power supplyâs
You are 200% correct in your approach. The cheapest and most effective investment is to have a seperate group from your meter to a dedicated wall socket. Invest in a good elektricien, a good cable and wall socket, two good audio fuses, and it will be your far fas biggest improvement.
After this it is just how much it is worth to you to make other steps. It is also how one wants to work on a system. Some prefer to invest the most on the components. As for me, I learned that it is better to have
less components and good power distribution, cabling, switches etc, as it sets the back ground black, and makes the components work to the max. But there are so many opinions, and every opinion has something.
If I would start new, and want to be careful with my hard earned money, I would really say, your suggested way is THE WAY. Meter to wall socket first
I donât agree a âstarâ earth (power earth) makes Naim work better.
The power system earth is a safety feature, it connects the unit case to earth & if a short to earth occurs it causes the house RCCB to open & prevent electric shock.
The star earth (ground) that this story comes from is the importance of the signal circuit (Naim nomenclature -ve) all being connected at a single central ground point.
This applies to all signal level circuits in all applications, systems & brands.
With a radial (star) power circuit configuration, L (live) N (neutral) and E (earth) are each connected in radial which minimises any load interference from other components on the same supply circuit.
Unlike the more common Busbar configuration where items connected âdownstreamâ are more affected by âupstreamâ load variations resulting in a âpreferredâ socket for best SQ.
I am far from an expert in this. My only observation is that if I change the powercord from the PSU of the preamp, wich is in the earth socket with the PSU of the Power amp (or streamer ) the sound quality drops, although still beautiful.
So it may, that this only works this way with an ansuz distribution block. Or something else. And it maybe. That my ears and sence of musicality are not connecting to technical truth.
Complicated stuff, So I guess I will put on a record
Donât really agree that the star configured distribution block is not star and should be called radial.
If you consider radial circuits in your home, L, N & E are all connected to bus bars in the consumer unit; they arenât wired to a single point. This is identical to diagram labelled busbar. So, the busbar block is more accurately described as radial.
The term star probably comes from the description of how a three phase motor is wired. Neutral from the three phases are wired to a single point
Thanks Mike. I have considered just re-wiring the existing Musicworks power bank with better cable and plug, and replacing the first socket with a junction box. But Iâd still be left with the switched sockets. I could change those also, but I also wanted a little more space so that the plugs hang better. The Atlas does all that. Certainly overpriced, but hopefully it can only be an improvement, and will remove probably the biggest bottleneck in my setup. Of course as you remove one bottleneck, there is always another waiting in the wings to start bouncing around in your mind again.
Hi Fatcat, Iâve worked all my life with electrics, unfortunatly connection types & applications have different or same names that are not consistant.
3 phase motor windings can be star or delta as your diagram shows, however Star is also called Wey in some areas. But this must not be mixed up with other system such as power ditribution.
Power distribution is another thing, The term Radial is universally used to discribe circuits radiating from a theroretical central point.
EU & most of the rest of the world have Radial wired power circuits
UK & some others have Ring wired circuits.
Wye is the letter Y, Y being virtually a diagram of the three neutrals meeting at one point. So, the name comes from how a circuit schematic looks. We usually wire motors in star delta if they are over 5.5Kw, which is a combination of star and delta, although I donât fully understand how that works.
But. Playing the devils advocate, a domestic radial circuit connects to a busbar, not a single point.
Names donât matter. The important thing is being able to safely build something that optimises SQ, which I wouldnât personally be confident in doing. I havenât got the concentration to be messing about with mains power.
Re Star Delta Starting
A large induction motor (rotation mass) absorbs a large current for a relativly long start up period of high current compared to a small motor.
Star-Delta starting is used to reduce long periods of high current during the start phase
Start phase is wired in Star, when the motor reaches full speed, or a preset current draw or time , the motor changes to Delta.
But thats nothing to do with domestic power supplies & its thread drift, domestic power supplies are either radial or ring.
Re your point about busbar, this is effectivly a single point in power distribution, but bought down to a basic low cost trailing power strips, it can show load priority along the busbar line, giving a âSQ preferred socketâ situation. therefore a busbar is not a single point, in practice
When I was installing power supplies that included a busbar, regs required the busbar rated amps equ or ex the maximum incoming lines amps rating.
Dometic power strips are not designed that way.
). They do a cheaper 2.5 model, but that doesnât make a lot of sense when you are using 4.0mmsq Powerlines
. Everything is perfect now. The whole change in the power distribution gives a beautiful balance. Bass is not booming any more, and I can listen for many hours, without getting tired. Before I started to work on power distribution, I did not think it does so much for a system. For me, it sounds like Ihave added a few extra power supplyâs
