It’s for a number of reasons. Naim wants the forum to be as clean, and as safe for its members as possible. Banning any sales or wants is the only way to achieve this, that way nobody gets solicited or hassled by anybody looking to sell or buy stuff, and it prevents other businesses using Naim’s platform to sell to Naim’s customers. Naim would always point you first to one of the many dealers around the world who sell Naim and can provide great advice, service and security. And on the subject of security, if you had sales etc… here and a deal went bad then Naim might feel responsible and obliged to step in to make things right, which would be at their cost. So that’s just for starters, but I think you begin to understand why sales and wants are not permitted here.
I was using AQ Cinnamon on my QNAP and SU before I tried BJC. Until that point I was somewhat satisfied with my system but it wasn’t grabbing me in the way a Naim system usually does. After reading posts here I tried BJC Cat 6, mostly b/c they’re smaller and easier to use in the system and b/c they’re inexpensive to try. From the moment I connected them I noticed a significant improvement in SQ in all respects. I didn’t need to do a blind test, it was obvious. After reading additional comments I tried the BJC Cat 6a and again I noticed an obvious improvement in SQ but not as significant as the initial switch to BJC. At the time I was also considering adding a Cisco Catalyst switch to my network. I tried an older blue 2960C 8TC L and again I observed a marked improvement in SQ in all respects. It was obvious. After further reading I experimented with newer Cisco Catalysts that all improved the SQ from the original older blue model and from those experiments I’ve ended up using 2 Cisco 2960 PD switches with the last one closest to the streamer and QNAP using POE which allows the switch to run without a SMPS. For me, in my system, the switch to BJC Cat 6a and cascading Cisco PD switches was a landmark improvement in SQ in my system. I had initially thought my Ovators were a possible weak link in my system and now I can’t believe how amazing they sound. My one box system punches way above its weight in my current network. Others have spent obscene amounts of money for boutique cables for their systems to sound ideal and some of them believe their experiences are a universal truth which is why you observe some angst in these threads. As was said early on in this thread, pick the cable that sounds the best to you and move on to enjoying the music. If you’re not enjoying the music and still feel the need to tweak you likely didn’t make the correct choice.
And so even in the same system and environment, with the same discriminatory hearing, two different people may not agree which of two different sounding things is better…
Now switches was something I looked at but the choices and models, managed or unmanaged, factory resets got me so confused I gave up!! This POE thing is also something new???
Mirrors my experience as well. BJC 6a somewhat better than the mistakenly purchased 6, and both better than the more expensive AQ Cinnamon and Melco Opal I using before. Cisco switch better, and second switch powered by poE from main switch even better.
My knowledge of networking is limited so I had to learn from these threads. For this information I pay attention to the comments of certain members here, esp SiS and MikeB.
The Cisco’s are pretty easy once you get to playing with them. The important thing is to make sure they’re reset to factor default/unconfigured. They’re plug and play, you don’t have to do anything but connect them.
I can refer my switch models to you but that’s no guarantee they’re ideal in your system as your system is different than mine. Though I’d be surprised if you didn’t notice a marked improvement.
My network: modem–>router–>Cisco 2960 8PT–>Cisco 2960 8TT–>QNAP/SU
Both of my switches are second hand and are mint/look unused. Each one cost around $80 USD shipped from ebay. These PD switches use POE and the 8PT can send/receive POE and the 8TT can only receive POE. I use the 8TT as the second switch and closest to the QNAP/streamer since it’s POE and the SQ benefits from not having a SMPS connected at that point in the network. Make sense?
Here’s the model numbers:
WS-C2960PD-8PT-L
WS-C2960PD-8TT-L
You can always just use one switch and you’ll still get a good uplift in SQ by not having your HiFi connected directly to your router.
indeed - which is in engineering when we use SQ assessment we use statistical models over a large number of assessments to provide mean opinion score.
It’s plug and play. Just make sure from any dealer that is factory reset.
2960 8tcl or 2960 8ttl are commonly used. Plug a power cable and Ethernet cables and in 5 minutes you are done.
If talking about the effect on sound, blind testing, perhaps? It is so easy to do, after all.
Well, I went from a good looking cable to one that looks no different than your basic Amazon. I know what I hear, and have done A/B ing albeit not blind. When I do so I typically listen to a small part of music, Ahmad Jamal’s “Ahmad’s Blues.” Listen to the piano roll and then the bass response. All this objective/subjective back and forth is baloney as many of the so called ‘objective’ types are basing their objectivity on something they read by an ‘expert’’ on standards (much of which didn’t have audio in mind when written) vs actual structured listening to the subject at hand.
Hmm, not for everyone.
Today i took out my BJ Cat 6a and inserted the Vodka. WoW! what an instant uplift in sound quality, life itself and just a sheer joy to be alive in these times from a Naim system. Wonderful stuff!
No more WiFi antennas?
I have been using wifi antennae also and it’s really good. I prefer it for it’s convenience but when i go ‘full’ wired with BJC the magic disappears. Hence throwing the Vodka in. Voila!
The BJ cables are good for all your the basic Ethernet wiring needs from your ISP - but when your streamer is connected it’s mediocre. A bit like Aldi or Lidl.
And I seem to recall from the ethernet madness thread that your decisions on that varied about as often as most people change their underclothes, whether real, fanciful oa whatever reason…
BTW, the Aldi/Lidl reference is very apt, if not the way you intended, as some things they sell are every bit as good as, or better than, some things other supermarkets do, whether Tesco, Waitrose, Sainsbury or whatever, and also compared to expensive non-supermarket shops, despite being the cheapest of them…
Is this a response to my post? Because i’d rather you said so…
Yeah, I don’t think anyone is taking his comments seriously at this point. Way too many inconsistencies, so many I assume he’s just trolling. The OP would do well to disregard his posts.
I have the full BJC loom here and in my system, as i have said all along, it’s boring. I find it dumbs down the music. It has no vigour.
Yes - I hit ‘reply’ to your post, but I think it only highlights when not immediately following, because, apparently, it is obvious.