I was gifted a FlatCap XS from a friend getting out of Naim gear. It’s a little rough, it’s got some scratches and dings, the Naim logo doesn’t light, but gift horses. It seems to function ok. I checked the output with a volt meter before connecting it. The change in sound was more dramatic than I expected. The best way to describe it is “hifi”. I’m hearing lots more high frequency and spatial information. I’ve not decided if it’s going to stay in the system or not.
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Nice speakers too, I’d keep the flatcap unless you intend to replace it with a HiCap.
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My vibe is that it’s a touch aggressive, even with the Harbeth.
Let it settle for a few days and the see what you think. An AV Options power strip would also be worth considering with the three components.
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Yes allow a few days maybe a couple of weeks for it to warm up, perhaps check when it was last serviced?
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Hi Simon, what interconnects are you using? I was amazed at the difference WitchHat Morgana cables did for my system. They are relatively cheap compared other hi-end cables and have a 30 day trial period, so nothing to lose in trying them - which is why I did. They just opened up the sound and cleared up the harshness in the sound I hadn’t really realised was there until it went! (282,250, hi-cap).
Best wishes Amer
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What’s those stands you are using?
That doesn’t sound like my experience (on an original Nait XS) at all. I felt the FC improved the sound enough to be worth buying one, but the change was subtle. Many feel that it makes too little difference to the SQ to be worthwhile at all and certainly not a “dramatic” change. It makes me wonder if your FC is functioning properly.
Roger
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For the speakers I have Sound Anchors. The equipment is Quadraspire.
Possible. I don’t have a known working reference to compare it to.
I’m not sure. They don’t have a brand on them. I know they are not the OEM Naim cables.
OK Simon, I would suggest you try different interconnects, maybe a dealer could help? I don’t know if WitchHat send to USA. But worth checking. Don’t worry about getting Naim ones, in my opinion they aren’t the best sounding, but that is down to preference. Speaker cables can also makes a big difference.
I don’t know if power supplies can go wrong - certainly I’ve never seen those issues raised in this forum. You can always check your flat cap by putting it back in your friends system.
My experience has been that Naim power supplies always improve the sound, whether you think the improvement is worth the money is another issue, but in your case you got the flat cap free so value for money doesn’t really come into it! So, if it’s ok, assume the sound should be better with the flat cap and any shortcomings are elsewhere. However, I also fully accept that you might just like the sound of your system as it was without the flat cap!
Best wishes Amer
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Are your mains sockets on the same ring or radial, or different?
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When I added a FCxs to my 152xs I felt made a significant improvement across the board.
A SNAIC 5 is usually incuded with FlatCap/HiCap, I would try and identify the cables if at all possible, link below and plenty of images on the web. The older type are light grey whilst the latter ones are black. Im sure there are plenty of fakes too.
Just a polite reminder that its contrary to forum rules to discuss non-Naim cables which carry the 24V DC supply (SNAIC) on this forum.
I would definitely change these for the genuine article as soon as you can as they will likely be impairing performance. Genuine ones will have the Naim logo on them - see the FAQ on SNAIC and interconnect ID.
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It’s the same circuit.
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