in the cyclone of life events, I’m spending the next 6 months with my 500 system stored away.
To satiate this addiction, I’ve set up a small mullet system, 222, 250NC, SL speaker cable running….N-SAT’s in a tiny room.
I have gotten out my old REL 5xi, and, having never used a sub for 2 channel audio, I would gratefully welcome any experience or guidance on setting up these magical sounding speakers with the REL.
I have purchased REL’s special cable with piggyback banana plugs.
If anyone has had a system like this, in addition to the hours of trial and error I have been experimenting with, if anyone on this forum has any experience, it would be greatly appreciated.
Fred, first things first; it’s far from a “Mullet” I reckon, the n-Sats should really sing on the end of such a system. Get them set up just right (hopefully you’re using the purpose-built n-Stands?) and you may just forget all about adding a subwoofer, which is of course not easy, as with Naim amps you need to take the signal off the back of the speakers rather than the amp (it can upset them otherwise, or just lower performance). I would just really spend time and effort in dialling in and maximising the n-Sats and put the REL back in the cupboard..
I have scoured the forum for any reference to these fantastic speakers, and enjoy your sharing about the music show and sub’ing ( no pun) the Sats for the SL2.
I’m not kidding….I have been so blessed to have enjoyed 500, 552, 555 with 2 PS and K6 Sig…and these speakers have the most intense, forward, brilliant high, airiness and detail. I’ve heard things in my go to songs, not heard before.
This is embarrassing…I’m afraid of damaging the Sats with music like Zero 7 played near 50 on the 222.
I have the REL banana plugs on the speaker end of the Super Lumina, into the N-Sat’s.
Should I not be concerned? My SBL Danish cabinet version, never elicited this concern, and rock. I’ve read your comments on forum, and have placed them in room accordingly.
When I have played with Sub, I’ve set it to go just below the 50Hz off Sat, and a tiny amount of gain.
May I send a photo of this little temporary solitary confinement system I’ve doctored together?
Did you remove the original SL 4mm bananas to fit the REL’s? Somewhere I recall one end of SL speaker cables include an electronic component associated with the cable’s length…. Just can’t remember which end .
The REL Bassline Blue Naim option comes with stackable banana plugs. You plug the REL bananas into the amplifier and then plug your existing speaker plugs into the 4mm sockets in the RELs. No harm will come to either the amplifier or the speaker cables.
And for the OP: the setup is a complete anti-mullet. A mullet is where the speakers are too good for the electronics. I once tried a CDS3 and 552/300 into nSats and it was just wonderful. That said, I would definitely use the sub. To me, the Sats have a strange chesty quality when used alone.
There were differences in opinions about @ which end of speaker cable to piggy back. my logic was that the Naim 250 would prefer to have the SL banana in socket, and also, if the REL banana is sub quality to the SL banana, I thought having it in the shortest path to the N-SATs might make a difference, The wires come with a resister built in, to match the signal parameters in the SL cable.
The Rel for Naim cable is specifically designed for situations where you want to connect it to the amp. A regular unmodified cable is all that’s required to connect at the speaker end.
If they are the version of Bassline Blue that is sold by REL specifically for Naim, you should connect to the back of the amplifier. As Chris said, if connecting to the back of the speakers you can use any old wire, even mains flex. If you are able to connect to the speakers you may as well return the Bassline and pocket the cash.
Reinforcing what HungryHalibut has already shared. I have the REL Bassline Blue plugged into the back of my 252 and then to the S212’s. I taken a couple of pictures. Apologies for picture quality.
I have not tried different cables so no comment there. Setting up needs a bit of time to optimise according to what you hear in your room.
A suggestion for you, Brian. Move either the red or the yellow to the right channel positive. As it stands you are only getting the bass signal from the left. A free upgrade, and you will hear the difference.
If you want to connect at the loudspeaker end, you don’t need the expensive Bassline Blue with the extra circuitry in the signal chain.
The problem with Naim sockets (on both amp and speakers) is that they only accept a banana plug, and you probably don’t want to modify your expensive SL plugs to take the extra sub cable. The only solution you’re left with then is the stackable banana plugs. In this case I would contact Designacable, a UK cable supplier, and explain exactly what you need. They should be able to make up a lead with a Speakon plug for the Rel, and stackable bananas on the other ends to connect to your two speakers.
My system is a “Mullet”. When I retired my wife decided that the living room belonged wholly to her, and banished me and my hifi to my study. No big deal, because … to be honest, I hate her choice of TV programs …. so I set about upgrading the system up there, and gradually handed on most of “downstairs” to our daughter’s. I kept the CDS, LP12/EkosSE/Radikal and Nakamichi CR7 (I think that’s what it’s called!).
Anyway, it rapidly became a long-term project and now stands at Naim new classic Streamer with 555PS, NAC552, NAP300, LP12/EkosSE/Radikal/Dynavector, Anthem MRX740 (for films etc), Naim n-System speakers.
I gave up trying to get the nSub to integrate with the nSats a long time ago. Never could get it right. How does it sound with the nSats alone? BRILLIANT.
Just relax and enjoy what you have. I have no interest in upgrading it anymore, and if I change anything may downgrade it to reduce the box count.
Just a small edit … for late night listening I actually use the Anthem MRX740 and its headphone output to drive Beyerdynamic T5 headphones. Can’t be bothered to attach a headphone amp to the 552.
Yeah, you’re right, but you know what I really meant.
Tomorrow morning I must get up before “the boss”, and do a complete shutdown (router, NAS, Naim NSS 333, naim/focal app), as the Naim app can’t seem to connect to Asset UPNP on my NAS. I’ve been “reduced” to listening to LPs, and CDs using a Cyrus CDi (the Naim CDS is in the loft, as I can’t find room for it in my system)
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