At the end of the month, or sooner with luck, I’ll have the XS3, this will be paired with a new Technics SL-1300G turntable.
After a few years of using vintage turntables, amp, speakers, I’m going ‘all new’
in the main room of the house. Much as I loved vintage turntables etc (my last was from 1970) it’s like owning an old car - you need to be a tinkerer to keep it ‘on the road’, and it was just one blip too far last time. So, onwards…
I’m going to become a XS3 owner in February, pairing with a new Technics. Both arriving on the same day.
I have a couple of noob questions regarding turntable connection and speaker output.
Is phono-level input from turntable only available via RCA phono inputs on the XS3? I see DIN inputs for other sources but two inputs are capped off under ‘phono’ in pictures I have seen online.
Under the speaker output connections I read “Do not replace supplied loudspeaker plugs…” - What does that mean?
I have QED terminated speaker cables - these will be good into the XS3 speaker outputs won’t they?
One other thing, I have read a few times that the phono cables that Technics supply with the turntable are pretty basic, not befitting a mid-range turntable, so am looking to get something better before the the XS3 and turntable arrive.
Does anyone have suggestions of a fine phono-cable to hook the XS3 to the turntable’? Low-ish capacitance is preferable. What cables are other Naim people using to connect their own turntables?
Also, are there any other things to think about, beware of, or simply tips for a soon to be new XS3 owner are most welcome.
your speaker leads will be fine and the phono input is phono only i believe but is fine. The capped off input are actually connected by a link plug and your remove this if you want to add a hicap to power the preamp side. it will be clear in the manual, but just plug in your turntable and enjoy.
I think HIFi Dog’s analysis is correct, . The turntable should have phono leads , and they will go into the RCA socket marked phono.
If you are concerned, raise the issue of the phono leads with your dealer in advance and I am sure you will find him willing to lend you some decent leads. ( If necessary)
Welcome to the forum! Others have answered your questions above, so I won’t repeat their advice
Until recently I ran a 1200G into XS3, with Neat SX3 speakers, so know what you’re in for - I enjoyed the setup immensely. The XS3 was the amp I used to audition comparable turntables (Origin Live Aurora, and Gyrodec SE) and finally selected the 1200G. It was good enough to show the differences between the decks, all auditioned with the same Dynavector 10x5 cartridge (one of which I finally also bought to go with the new deck)
The phono leads that come with the deck are fine. I ran them for a few months, before replacing them with a set of Yannis Tome’s Silvercord duo 24 cables. Yannis’s Cabledesigns offerings come in a variety of budget levels, and the set I received were well made and sound great. I have run the Technics through the internal XS3 stage, but now use a Graham Slee Accession MM stage.
Here’s a thread on my audition process, if it’s of interest.
Thats a mighty interesting new Technics turntable.
Wonder if they bundle it with cartridge ?
Otherwise choices out there are massive, you might already have decided ?
The XS phono is MM.
Thanks - That’s reassuring to know! The XS3 is due in stock with the store ‘late-Feb’, I suggested to the dealer that they should simply send the turntable and the XS3 at the same time, in fact speakers too. Counting the days.
Thank-you, I was worried about nothing, it’s reassuring to see. As a first-time NAIM owner I thought it better to be safe. Cheers. I will peruse the PDF manual as I wait for delivery at the end of February.
Thanks for your reply and good to read your experience . My concern with the included phonos comes from a couple of reviews, the latest was from “What HiFi”, which said… “. If you buy one of these decks we suggest replacing the supplied signal leads as soon as possible; they are of low quality and degrade the sound notably.” - I’m not really a reader of the magazine, but I saw something similar but not worded as strongly in another place. Others however have a different opinion, (one that are not being paid for) and say “claiming they degrade the sound is just silly.” . Thanks for the cable suggestion. Counting the days to the end of February ,
Hi - Yes, it’s more of a HiFi styled rather than “DJ” style turntable without strobes and so on. It’s not shipped with a cartridge from the factory, but here in the UK a couple of stockists are offering deals on Ortofon Concorde Music carts… the ‘Bronze’ (middle of the range) would be bundled free, and the top of the range black would be £440 off the list price when bought with the turntable.
I am buying from a different hifi retailer, they dont list a discount online but have worked out an overall discount on the hardware I am buying which includes the NAIM XS3, Technics turntable, Sonus faber Lumina II Amator speakers, cartridges etc. The XS3 was out of stock until the end of FEB so I suggested that they send everything together when the NAIM amp arrives. I’m now looking at that calendar each day, waiting patiently. Thanks again!
Matching a stylus to the phono stage is a key issue to get right, so buying these two components from different retailers is not ideal. I suggest you do a bit of research here to make sure you get a good match. Your Naim retailer may have some idea of what cartridges would be a good match for the XS3 phono stage, or not, but it might be worth asking them.
Welcome to the forum @Judge_Drokk. Congratulations on your purchases. Great choices there.
I would get the best Ortofon cart you can afford, as it’s part of the deal with discount.
You may change to a better phono stage later down the line. I would see how you get on with it all first before upgrading the rca to rca leads. I recently bought some nice Atlas Equator III interconnects on eBay for my CD player which made a huge difference. Got them used for £30.
I use Linn Silvers RCA to RCA on my LP12 because they come as standard with the upgrades I have done with Urika 1 phonostage.
As for speaker cables Naca 5 are worth considering and Kudos KS1. These have correct capacitance for Naim amps. With a modern Nait XS3 I believe that you can use most speaker cables. Might be worth buying some used Naca 5 on well known auction site. And if you don’t notice the difference you can sell them on at little loss.
If I was you I would just get your system and use what you have to start with. And then think about any changes if you want.
I like Dynavector carts and the 10X5 with your turntable which is a high output MC cart which is to be used with MM phonostage should work well with an XS3.
If you ever change phonostage an MC phonostage and low output MC cart will deliver more still at cost. But I certainly wouldn’t do that to start with!
Hi @Dan_M - Thanks for the reply, suggestions, and welcome!
I actually did go for the most expensive Ortofon Concorde Music cartridge with the purchase, and in addition I also added a 2nd cart, the next one lower on the price scale, essentially to use with a 1960s 7inch collection I have. I’ll check out the suggestions you shared - thanks.
You are very welcome! It sounds like you are all sorted for quite a while. Re-reading your posts and your concern with RCA to RCA interconnects that would be my first change. Quite often they supply fairly cheap RCA to RCAs and you will get significant uplift with better cables. You needn’t spend too much on something very good used, which was my experience.
I am excited for you and turntable looks fabulous !
Dan_M is right in my view a better RCA Interconnect will be a good upgrade and uplift in sound quality. Chord interconnects are a good option into Naim gear. If you just want to dip your toe and keep the price low you can get used Chord “Cobra” or “Crimson” cables and others used for under £50 but the skies the limit if you want to spend more.
I’m sure thats a nice solution.
The best choice IMO in the 2M Music range and no faf with overhang.
Make sure to have a digital weight ready for adjust tracking pressure, to get it spot on., they are only €25 or so.
The only downside of that Technics deck (apart from the price) I understand it has the same low-quality tonearm lift as any of the 1200/1500C/100C apart from 1200G. Really a bummer as its not really entrylevel turntable.
Hi @PerF - Yeah, I picked up a digital pressure gauge last week. There are so many on the market, and so many are identicle Chinese models with random names, I went for a Riverstone Audio one. (Not my photo)
The packed-in phono leads are something I wondered about, some say they are “ok”, but changed them anyway. I have eyed up ‘Mogamy 2497’ and they are looking like a contender.
I started my NAIM jouney with a NAIT XS 2 with a ND5 XS and ProAC D2 speakers. The NAIT XS series is a fabulous integrated amp and you should enjoy years of enjoyment!
Congratulations on your new system and will look forward to your comments when you get everything up and running.