The AQ seems to be unsuitable but the TQ absolutely is suitable, so it’s an entirely different situation. I’ve nothing against A5 but bear in mind that probably 90% of Forum members don’t use it and prefer something else.
I didn’t really get on with the D7.2 (although they were powered by a bare Supernait 3 when I heard them) but the A7s a re literally more of everything really. Still warm but more detailed and atmospheric, more involving and more fun! Soundstage is something I really rate with the Audio Physics but the A7s appeared to be wider and deeper. Bass is powerful and a bit deeper than my Classic 10s too.
I would give your Nova some more time to burn in and maybe play with speaker positioning etc for committing to new speakers.
Wow, is that right? 90% of Forum members don’t use NACA5! Despite hearing favourable comments about a variety of speaker cables I had not realised that A5 was so unpopular.
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I gave up on naca5 many years ago, but was careful to consult a very experienced Naim dealer before switching.
With my Nova I moved speaker cable again this time to a more flexible Chord product
Were you primarily looking for physical flexibility or for a specific change in the sound? A5 is certainly not flexible as in bendy, but once bent it sure stays bent! I’ve used it happily for 25 years but then one doesn’t miss what one has never heard….
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I did say ‘probably’. It’s just the impression I get from posts over the years.
I think probably most started life with A4/5……but the age of many members is they have moved on……there are better cables for some systems/rooms, but they come at a price.
I suspect the Uniti series may be more cable agnostic than some of the older boxes. When I got my Atom and little wall-mounted Neat Iotas last year I wired them up with NACA5 that I had sitting around unused. But it really wasn’t practical: the wire was so stiff I couldn’t get the speakers to stay in position and it looked like a piece of hosepipe. So I swapped for Chord Sarsen which is thin, white and flexible and essentially disappears against the wall. Didn’t hear a drop in SQ, but that’s just my experience.
Roger
I was living in a medium sized flat and moving back to my mother’s old house (following her passing)
The NACA 5 was too stiff and three and half metres was far from domestically friendly .
Switched to Chord < from memory Epic or Carnival. Strictly about domestic usage
I think many members find the NAC A5 just too inflexible (“as stiff as a stiff thing”).
But I think you can get past that if you want to and I’ve got it on three of my systems.
Best
David
No. Very likely not correct. I’d imagine that amongst Naim power amp users, NACA5 is probably the most popular speaker cable. Of course, I have no way to corroborate that, but it’s more likely when you consider the following; NACA4 and its much improved replacement NACA5 have both been held in very high regard for many years, and are in many ways something of an industry benchmark. It’s ideal speaker cable for Naim amps, which require its combination of capacitance and inductance and allows them to do without additional inductance networks, with big performance benefits as a result. Oh yes, and over the years Naim have sold a LOT of it and yet it still commands a very strong demand (and price) when sold on the secondhand market.
See the FAQ on here re. Naim and speaker cable for more information:
https://community.naimaudio.com/t/speaker-cable-for-naim-power-amplifiers/87/2
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I suspect it’s closer to being the case that 90% of people who ask about speaker cables or discuss them haven’t got NACAx. Chances are most people with Naim power amps started with NACA5 (or 4), so when asking for suggestions you’re likely to be moving away. That’s not 90% of the active population of the board.
It would be interesting to create a poll. Percentage of Naca 5 vs non Naim speakers cables.
Recently there was a thread « non Naim speakers cables ». Maybe 20 or more responded not using Naca 5. Instead : chord, WH, Kudos, Tellerium, Audience….
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I would consider Focal Aria range of speakers. I have the 936 with 82, Supercap 2, 2 x 135s. They sound very very good in my opinion. And much cheaper than the Kanta and Sopra range.
If you have the funds I am sure the Kanta and Sopra are better. But, personally I think the Kanta and Sopra are in a higher league than the Nova and more deserving for separates such as 252, 300 combo or 552, 500 combo.
I know Naim make recommendations with Focal speakers, but also consider other makes.
I am very happy with what I have right now. Kudos, Dynaudio, PMC are all recommended on here with Naim.
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NACA5 is the only survivor from my first Naim system ~15 years ago.
Witch Hat Phantom is on the way to try though.
I would like to thank everyone who helped me with my issue… After taking everything in consideration and after spending hours and hours reading and investigating… I came up with an action plan. There are so many excellent speakers on the market, it makes things very difficult. I just turned 60 and I don’t want to spend the next 25 years demoing speakers… so here is my plan.
- I will give my NOVA much more time to make sure it is burned in properly.
- I will keep my Audio Physic until the end of the burning process and until I have a few live Demos.
- No mater how long it will take, I will ask different dealers to get a demo with the 3 following Speakers with a Nova and my own cables ( Tellurium Q Ultra Black).
- I will limit my search to 3 (maybe 4 speakers) that seems to be adequate for my room (4.5 meters X 6 meters or 16 feet X 19 feet)
- Focal Kanta 2
- Spendor A7 and D7.2
- Proac D30RS
Then… I will make a final decision. I understand there could be at least 100 other options but…
So, if any of you have experience using a Naim Nova combined with one of those 4 speakers… your input will be more than welcome. Once again a big thank you to everyone.
Michel
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Just to say it seems a fair /good plan.
Good luck/ auditions
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Late chiming in but I had the Audio Physic tempos for a while and they are anything but harsh. You have an amp-speaker matching problem… assuming that burn in won’t change things. You can verify this by adding a more powerful amp (using the Nova as source or preamp if this is an option) if your dealer could offer you this possibility.
I had a similar issue with my initial set up (NAIM unity with Audio Physic Classic 10s).
So it all depends on what you want to keep, the amp or the speakers. You seem to have made up your mind and go for the former.
My only comment is that speakers have their own “brand sound character” and you must select a “house sound”, then the model from this brand that your amp can drive.
Rather than a Nova and £7,000 speakers, I can’t help thinking that an NDX2, Supernait 3 and some £3,000 speakers would be so much better. I guess that ship has sailed, but it seems such a shame.
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