Thank you.
Got off my bottom today after finding the CD5 XS CD player was dead after my last post. I finally replaced the $20 power board with one that has surge protection and other noise cancelling devices on the mains and best of all solid electrical connections for the 240V audiophile power leads to the Naim audio components. No more heart stopping moments with dead equipment and the new power board was exchanged with one in the bedroom. Zero cost. Just a little effort which is more difficult that it sounds.
I hope you find a solution to your audio problem Mike. I hope it is as simple as mine.
Mike, I have missed all your previous posts. May I ask the following?
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Amplifier wattage, nominal and peak?
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Speak impedance?
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Speaker dB SPL?
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Speaker wattage, nominal and peak?
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Speaker physical size? Size of drivers and cabinet.
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Mains power, 110V or 240v? Halve the mains voltage, double the current to the amplifier and mains cable. An Ohm’s law thing.
I do not think it is your source or leads.
If you have inefficient speakers or small in diameter, like mine, bass and mids will suffer. Also if you have large speakers and a small wattage amplifier you will also run it issues.
My speakers should really be driven by an amplifier that has 200 watts capacity. It is not to drive them loud audibly. It is that they require the extra current due to low load they present at low frequencies, It is an impedance thing. Though I make do (just, mathematically) with a 70 watt amplifier into 8 ohms and 100 watts into 4 ohms. Naim XS 2.
I should have purchased a Supernait 2 instead of the XS 2 for the extra headroom for audio peaks (120 watts peak into 4 ohms). Though I was so impressed with the XS 2 after not having music in the house for almost 20 years and that the Supernait cost an extra $2,800 AUD. I was happy with the XS 2 at $4,000 AUD. I also walked in blind and had not sat down to do any maths about the load my speakers presented. The last amplifier was rated at 50 watts, though had exceptional low load, high current capability. Sounds great, except that it lacked reliability. Three repairs and then out the door with it.
I hope I may be able to help. Though possibly you have already covered these areas. My apologies if you have.
Warm regards,
Paul.
I missed the XPS. How old is it? Have you tried the CDX2 without it it, just to rule it out?
Forgive me if you’ve tried this, mikehugh, but I’ve only read through the first 100-odd replies…
My impression is that the speakers may be the culprit, judging by other comments about their optimal pairing requirements. Although the performance comes and goes, perhaps it is this fluctuation over time itself, that is the result of causation, rather than assuming that the sudden poor performance itself is the problem following temporary correction.
This may well be a dumb suggestion, but have you tried replacing the Zu speakers with a pair of the more usual NAIM-appropriate makes that always get quoted on here (Harbeth, ProAc, ATC et al) for an extended test period to see if the fluctuation between the two performance levels continues?
If you have, I’ll get me coat…
You have made contact with a dealer who is located closer to home (9 miles ISTR) who is going to lend you a lavender cable and check out your HiLine. Let’s hope this works a d solves your problems.
But if not, why not ask him to pay a visit to investigate your problem and offer to pay him a sensible fee for this home visit and advice ?
I’m not sure what would be a fair price for such a service, perhaps £50 or £100 ? Perhaps this has already been discussed and discarded for various reasons, in which case apologies.
That is the problem - expectations are set too high by premium products and perhaps too low with budget products. Hence when it comes to customer satisfaction, one often finds the more modest system scores higher.
It doesn’t mean the premium product is bad: more that it’s the victim of its own excellent reputation.
I didn’t expect Naim PSU to buzz, in the end it provoked a change despite the superb sound quality. The Nait 5i doesn’t buzz and still sounds fantastic every time I hear it - is it because I don’t expect so much from it?
I think it may be just another manifestation of the old adage that it’s better to travel hopefully than to arrive…
Best
David
Yes. In the digital sphere I ended up step by step ending up with stupidly complex. The journey was intellectually interesting, but I just stopped as I prefer listening to music!
I shall phrase this as tactfully as I can so as to not offend any dealers reading. I’ve been buying hi-fi since 1990 and, as best I can recall, have bought from maybe 13 different places. Some of that was down to my location changing. Some of it was down to wanting specific products only available from certain dealers. Some of it was down to wanting something like a cable for a quick fix which could be obtained from anywhere, so closer was more convenient. Some of it was even online (one learns :)).
In that time, as like others here, one amasses an amount of knowledge about dealers. We’ll all have different views, possibly on the same dealers, but you know the service you require and what you feel comfortable with. You know what doesn’t feel right generally or maybe more specifically to you.
For 16 years of those 29 I had the one dealer. They weren’t the closest for a non-car driver (14 miles) but Mrs. H., who was a mere girlfriend at that point, was equally impressed to the point she was content to drive and was actually the person who insisted we couldn’t leave without a CDX, which rapidly morphed into a CDX2. She and I both enjoyed the level of knowledgeable but unobtrusive service from one specific person.
Now, she’s been equally willing to drive or accompany me to dems 40+ miles away to my current dealer for identical reasons. If either of us thought that level of service was available more locally then we would both grab at it with both hands. My perspective, informed by experience, is that, for me/us, it is not. Others may profoundly disagree but those same people might feel uncomfortable with my current dealer for example. We’re all different.
I understand the logic of “this is local so use it” I simply don’t think it’s as simple as that for anyone.
Also worth remembering that, although some people perhaps now feel differently, my OP was not a plea for help or solutions. It was more a yell of frustration into the www void. The subsequent thread has been fascinating; helpful; weird and tangential and, as several (myself included) have observed, it’s shown the very best of this forum.
I’ve moved to the point where I’ve engaged with the thought processes and I’m going to try a couple of things which, despite many claims to the contrary, make the most sense to me in terms of the frustrating variability I’ve experienced. I may be wrong but these seem the best place to start for me in terms of where I’m at - nowhere near ready to engage with day long sessions dismantling etc. They may not be what others would do but they will gently move me on and that’s enough for now. Let’s see what happens.
Talking of balancing things out I’m going to apologise to a number of people I’ve not offered up answers to. That’s because there’s only a finite amount of time; I’ve other things to do (currently rolling out a major IT driven project and reading an interesting book on Pablo Neruda for example) and if people say they’ve not read the whole thread “but…” well I can totally understand that but my lack of a response is going to be because I believe the answer is already in the thread. I hope that doesn’t offend anyone kindly offering help but it’s just about maintaining some balance.
Later tonight I’m going to remove the HL ready for transportation tomorrow. My assumption is that I need to power down everything; remove the HL then power back everything bar the XPS2?
Does that sound right?
Let’s just stick with my first sentence and hope the Lavender works
No need to go down the route of the subsequent sentences.
Merely explaining why the next obvious thing to do may not be. Responding to you but not especially aimed at you as others have expressed similar. Just need to know the answer to my last question now.
If it were me I would probably power it all down and only power it all up again once the Lavender is in place.
But if you want to keep it all warm, then power down to remove the HiLine and then power it all up again. It won’t hurt the CDX2 if there is no interconnect.
Best
David
Thanks David. Would definitely want to keep it all warm so I’ll power down; remove and then power it all up.
I assume that, although it won’t harm the CDX2 to have the cable removed, there’s no impact keeping the XPS2 on; disconnected from the CDX2 but connected was where?
You can just leave the XPS2 connected to the CDX2 when you power it all up again. Neither box will be at all bothered by the HiLine not being there.
Best
David
If this thread has helped you move to the point of feeling it is worth trying, rather than chucking the system away, then everyone’s contributions have been worth it, however obtuse or uni-focussed.
As for your proposed start, with the ipad I’m using I’m struggling to scroll back to remind myself of your system, but I am tempted to suggest given that you are powering down and turning off, if you are travelling by public transport take your burndies and see if the dealer would be good enough to check on another system - and if someone is giving you a lift maybe take a bit more with you - power supply or even the CDP, for them to try and see if they work properly on another system. (If you heven’t got the transit screws you could still take the CDP provided you keep level and carry gingerly.)
Absolutely agree re: the contributions.
Thanks but 15 minute walk to the bus stop likely to be in rain followed by about 60 minutes on a standing room only bus and then another 30 on a tram just to get to a 10am meeting. There’s a man bag and I’ll be carrying a rucksack which will unavoidably have an iPad Pro; sturdy Zendure charger; spare white cane (as the great British public regularly snap or damage them because they “didn’t see” it). Then there’s the walking with an actual white cane. I’ll do well to fit the HL in and keep it safe. To get to the shop post meeting I then need to tram/train back into the city centre and walk for 10 minutes or so.
No other opportunity to do Manchester for at least 2 or 3 weeks. So, on balance, HL only to begin with.
No problem Mike. Most of us, including myself, don’t know your circumstances or relationships with retailers. Nice of you to take the time to outline things.
I wasn’t able to help with your last question, but it looks like David has given clear guidance.
One step at a time.
Understood. Unless you can wrap a burndy around the stick like a snake climbing it, (and wrapped in plastic becaus of rain, and use another as a neck warmer…
Good luck with it.
Tempting as that is…
Prior to powering down I decided to check out how easy it would be to remove the HL through the other cables. Noticed the Burndy if not tangled then certainly in close proximity to several things. In frustration I grabbed the rest and gently pulled them away from the wall towards the back of the boxes and away from the Burndy.
Played some music. Thought for a moment there was an improvement. Bass definitely identifiable; marginally more power to the music but, after ploughing through tracks off multiple albums it was clear that multiple nights without music had deceived me. Nice level of detail but the sort of thing that’s only there because mids have been lost. So, HL out; all powered back up and we’ll see what happens.