Following some rearrangements in my listening room, I decided to move my Fraimlite stack in a room corner rather than between the speakers (as discussed in this thread). One of my issues with the change was that it didn’t look nice with the black cables hanging loose in front of a white wall:
I always use white or pale coloured cables where available. Not usually an option with Naim, other than that you can buy white NACA5.
I currently have speaker cables running under the floorboards so that they are completely hidden. With a solid floor, that would require a bit of digging!
One of the problems I found with Naim systems is that they provide cables in fixed lengths. With a relatively small system of 3 or 4 boxes on a low rack it’s virtually impossible to dress them discreetly.
I’ve been struggling with this as well with a wide low unit, and made worse by an AV setup in there as well, so 9 speaker cables, sub, hdmi cables etc on top of all the HiFi cables and eight power cables all crammed behind this has been almost impossible to keep organised and separated.
This is what I’m working on now, three frames that plug together with dowels and which will have three lift off panels on top for access.
This should help me keep the HiFi cables above the power cables and also bridge over the AV setup. Currently almost everything is disconnected while I sort out the AV cables
This is probably the hardest thing to deal with in my setup, 2m is far too long. The Powerline lite cables are so thin I could stuff them under the unit, obviously not ideal but all I could do. The Powerline I got recently is a problem, I have to run it away from the socket then loop back on itself to the amp, all on the floor as well. 40cm cables are all I need for 2 boxes and up to 1m for the others. Adding more Powerlines really feels impractical for me.
Fully agree regarding cable length. Half-length SNAICS and Hiline would make cable dressing so much easier!
Regarding power cables, I am considering to replace the standards EU cables with MCRU No. 75 EU Schuko Power Cords, 0.7m. That should make things more tidy. Any if any sonic improvement comes along, it will be welcome . I will still stick with the one Powerline for my SN2.
I remember reading good reviews of that cable with Naim. If you do try it let us know how it turns out please. MCRU do a number of sets to wire up yourself, can get the parts at a discount that way and can be made to your perfect length.
Maybe shortening the Powerline is an option for me, going to have a look inside the IEC to see how it’s wired (I’m curious about its innards too), but probably easier to rewire the plug end.
Naim have often maintained that they choose cable lengths that give the best sound quality in their systems. When I pressed someone at Naim during a factory visit they were a little vague about this, and I had the impression that they had no appetite for providing a range of lengths, with all the stocking and logistics that would involve. They seem to be happy to leave such services to dedicated cable suppliers, although even Chord do have some minimum length recommendations for Naim DIN interconnects, albeit less strict than Naim themselves.
There is a dilemma to face when cables are too long on a small rack. We’re told by Naim that they shouldn’t touch the ground, and should be allowed to hang free for best sound quality. Yet the only way to achieve this would be to use a shorter cable, which they won’t supply because it is detrimental to sound quality!
A5 comes in whatever length you like. Dealers just pull it off the drum. I think only SuperLumina restricts you to set sizes.
As to the other, I’ve always found cables don’t touch the ground if the racking order is done carefully. I did pream top, streamer, streamer PSU, preamp PSU, and power amp bottom shelf. It sort of lends itself to cables draping down and then up without hitting the floor. Power lines coiled under the rack and tied with velcro with just the right length coming off each.
But circumstances in each home vary and sometimes it’s hard. Another approach that looks nice is the tidy but on display one. There are some pics on the system thread with an un disguised plug socket going to a mains block out in the open. If you’ve got a knack for flower arranging, this can be pulled off.
Not sure if I will manage to hear differences between the cables and if I will have the patience to A/B them in length… but I’ll let you know how it goes. I was surprised in the past that I could hear a difference when I put a Powerline on the SN2, so you never know!
It’s trickier with 4 Fraimlite levels. I have SN2 on top and nDAC below it, and the Hiline just barely floats of the ground right now. No chance for the SNAICs to the Hicap though.
It is tricky yes. I have another system with a much much lower rack too. For interconnects, I gently loop them. So they drape down, then up and then down again in a gentle loop. A bit of velcro tape at one point of the loop can stop gravity from unravelling it. In that scenario, the cable touches itself, but not another interconnect.
Velcro tape is basically my saviour for cable management.
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