Electrical installation for 500 series

Right so i get the chance of doing a dedicated electric line for my hi-fi home cinema system which includes:

  • The full 500 series, Nap, Nac and ND.
  • 2x SVS Micro subs
  • Lyngdorf MP-40 receiver
  • Samsung the premiere LSP9T projector
  • Electric projection screen
  • Focal sopra #1 for the front left center channels.
  • Panasonic UB9000 blu-ray player
  • And a turn table coming soon also.
    I intend to hook all these up on the same electrical line.
    I m looking to install prolly 10 outlets so could use all the help i can regarding the type of copper cable required, protection, outlets and anything else to make this a rock steady line so i don’t have to worry about anything?
    Electrician is coming next week to fix me up.
    Oh i live in Romania so the standard here is: 250V - 50hz.

Any good suggestions = much appreciated :slight_smile:

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I think it will be difficult for anyone to advise safely here unless they’re conversant with the current electrical code in Romania. I would advise you use an experienced and qualified electrician. Naim’s general recommendation for the UK is a dedicated radial from a dedicated consumer unit. I guess as you use unfused Shucko plugs then the radial will be limited to 10-15A for safety. Make sure it’s properly earthed as Naim equipment has to be earthed for safety.

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Basically use good quality accessories and consumer unit. Oversize the cables and make sure you have a good over specified earth.

In the Uk I use multiple radial circuits run in 10mm twin and earth cable. The radials are then star earthed at each socket and an additional 10mm single core earth cable then run back to the mains position. The sockets are mk and the consumer unit is mem/eaton.

As Richard has already stated, you need to speak to your electrician to find out whats possible/safe where you live in Romania. What I’ve listed should give him some idea of how over specified you want it. He will no doubt think you are mad :laughing:

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Kinda he does that already.
I haven’t gave him the details for each component consumption but he was already puzzled by what i needed thinking that it is too much.
These kind of builds are not for the regular folk so i can’t blame him :sweat_smile:

Mr Happy pretty much said it all. You are aiming for a new consumer unit (Distribution board) with oversized cables of 6mm or 10mm if you can, but it will all depend on your regulations in Romania.

Also for the circuit breaker in the consumer unit (Distribution board) you need to ask for a “slow blow” type. In the UK we call this a type C. This is because the Naim gear will draw a lot of current at the point of switching on, then it settles down. If you don’t do this, your circuit breaker may trip each time.

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funny, this is already happening and i was clueless of why, only assumed because it draws too much power from a regular socket… :rofl:

It happens to a lot of people, but as you don’t tend to power off Naim equipment that often, some just live with it. The high current draw is only at the very beginning. So for UK, B is the standard, but C is the one you want for Naim kit

Type B MCB trips when the current is 3 to 5 times the rated current with an operating time of 0.04 to 13 Seconds.
Type C MCB trips when the current is 5 to 10 times than the rated current with an operating time of 0.04 to 5 Seconds

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Got any clue how much wattage (average/maximum) the 500 series (all 3 items) is drawing from the wall? or how to check this?

Typically you can see the input wattage under specification on the product page on the Naim website. Alternatively get a plug in power meter for about ÂŁ15 which gives you a more accurate figure.

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Neither will tell you what the inrush is, which is what is causing your nuisance tripping, which incidentally varies depending on when in the mains cycle the switch closes.

You should check with a qualified electrician before swapping protective devices in your installation.

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Yes, around 80w in idle, around 200w playing fairly loud but comfortable and around 300w playing uncomfortably loud but not so loud it distorts.

I measured all this with a plug in wall monitor over a couple of hours. Like you I was just curious when I first got my system, oh, and the plug in meter was also a new toy so wanted to play with it anyway :laughing:

So i got one of those ÂŁ15 power meter and for naim 500 + pre amp and a panasonic ub 9000 its staying in idle @ 40 watts and goes anywhere between 130 to 190, 190 being quite uncomfortable to listen to and loud !
They don’t draw that much current after all .

That’s about £77 a year in energy costs. But then again, just look at it keeping your room warm

Well giving the cost of the 500 series that’s not something i’m worried too much especially if that’s in the detriment of the system integrity and sound quality.
From what i understood NAIM suggests to keep them on all the time, except for when you are on vacation, because they perform better and the components last longer.

Yup, keep them powered up is best

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