Equipment positioning - any known 'bad' non-Naim/Naim combinations?

Kind of a brain vs brawn type query, but do we have consensus when it comes to systems not purely Naim.

Previously had Linn Lingo/phono stage on a shelf under my NAC 282. The new Radikal is wider so that I can’t get it and the phono stage side by side on the same shelf, so I’ve temporarily plonked the very light phono stage directly on top of the NAC 282 on a tea towel. (I can hear you all groaning - facepalm Emojis anticipated :flushed:).

The original Lingo apparently caused some deleterious effects with Naim equipment due to the IEC socket which can be upgraded to minimise this, though can’t say I ever noticed as I was unaware until last year.

Could the Brilliant SMPS in the Linn phono stage being in close proximity affect the NAC 282 or vice versa (easy to test I guess), but I’d mentally lumped turntable PSUs, phono stages and pre-amps in a similar category assuming they’d be best together away from HICAPs/NAPs.

I needed the top shelf of one Fraim stack for my second 555 dr psu. It meant that my Uniti Core had to be moved elsewhere in the room, but still on the network, connected via a HP pro curve 408 switch and 5 metres of AQ forest to my Cisco switch then AQ Vodka to nd555. I did not try it out when i moved it, but playing this weekend i feel it does sound better far away from the Naim power supplies. It was previously above a 552 psu. It might be my imagination, but…?

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I find all this cable dressing and positioning stuff a little bemusing - it clearly does affect sound quality, but has all this become more satisfactorily established since internet forums have sprung up and there have been widespread discussions - I don’t think it really mattered how my early 90’s 72/HICAP/250 was setup with the LP12 in various locations, it just sounded good.

As things have become more complex equipment wise I suspect a far greater chance of things affecting each other.

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I agree my little 62/90 just did its thing no matter where or on what you placed it.

Great topic. What about Rega Aria and the Neo PSU, as these seem to be quite common boxes. They are both half width, so it would be great if the Neo could go into the brains rack next to the Aria. Or does the Neo have to be away from phono stages and other delicate stuff? Does it even have to go into the brawns rack despite its small size and the transformer being in the wall wart?

I would keep a turntable PSU well away from a phone stage.

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Thanks, thought so and I do. However it would be nice not to have the tiny Neo hog a brawns shelf that will at some point be needed for a Naim PS. The Rega manual is a bit unclear on this and appears to differentiate between Neo and PS1 (i.e. the wall wart):

Note: To minimise the risk of hum picked up by the cartridge, the Neo should be situated to the left as far from the cartridge pickup as the interconnect cable will allow. Also ensure that the PS1 power supply is as far from the turntable and the phono stage being used as possible.

And the Neo interconnect cable is so ridiculously long (two meters) that “as far as it will allow” is far away from the rest of the system…

Edit: And I also wonder if the Neo is all that happy being in the vicinity of large Naim PSes.

It was primarily convenience that they both fitted side by side on the shelf until recently, but it would seem more logical to keep the phono stage far away.

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