Have I gone mad?

Another way of looking at it is…could you get a similar benefit for less money from another firm?
I was ( briefly) considering a few PLs. But having tried a 4 headed Hydra ( £185) I was very impressed. It feeds my HCs, Napsc and xpsdr well. I was looking for a way to reduce extension blocks to just 1, but there is definitely an improvement in sound too. Previously using PL lites.

Buying a new Powerline when you can source them s/h on the auction site isn’t mad but is perhaps a mite extravagant…

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Yes.

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Naim didn’t bring out a Super Lumina mains cable. So if they are happy to use the powerline on the Statement pieces, then you should feel confident using it on the Nova.
In the grand scheme of things the powerline isn’t really that costly.

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Yep you’ve gone mad :joy:
Send it back and get a S/H one… You can pic one up for nearly half the rrp. And let’s be honest. It’s a plug, What can go wrong!

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No you haven’t gone mad - I did just the same (well, did a BIN on eBay).

It does make a noticeable difference to the Nova. Initially I thought “What have I done” as the sound seemed quieter and duller, but more detailed. After a couple of weeks I’d got used to it and I’d say the “quietness” was actually an increase in dynamic range. The sound seems more dynamic with the PL, yet smoother in it’s frequency response. It also seems to help the Nova image better (and it was never bad at that without the PL) and detail is presented in a more natural way.

I seem to want to listen to music for longer than before, so it’s doing more things right. I don’t feel the urge to go back or try something else so it’s money well spent for me.

Well…… the Powerline has arrived. And, as usual, I had a crisis of confidence at the last moment when dealing with mains cables. Would I actually be able to reliably detect any difference? Surely a mains cable can’t really affect the sound? And, as usual, the difference was obvious in the first few seconds. The things I expected from past experience were there: the music emerged from a darker, cleaner background, the instruments were better differentiated and more substantial. But this time there was also an unexpected difference: the bass became considerably more lively and authoritative. (The word that sprang to mind was ‘bouncy’.)

Of course, I realise all the above may be psychological and confirmation bias. But, if it is, the illusion is persisting rather pleasingly.

I have also now conducted a blind test on one of my hi fi buddies. He knew I was changing something but did not know what. His description of the changes almost exactly echoed my own.

So the bottom line: the Powerline is staying right where it is. It has exceeded my expectation and seems good value for money. I am very happy with it.

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My next ‘cheap’ upgrade before finding the funds for a source upgrade on my nd5xs2.

The Mains Cables have a massive impact on the sound quality
I started with big standard Naim mains cables
Then a Grayhams Hydra, my system had improved and became active by then but the 2 hydras made a slight improvement
Then I went to Powerlines and once again an improvement
Now my system is developing DBLs instead of BRICKS Sarum speaker and IC cables and the LP12 massively upgraded and the Sarum TA cables came in and they were a revelation
Moving onward the LP12 Became above Klimax level the amps were 552, 3 x 500 all DR a one off Snaxo and a very special Phono Stage
Now the Sarum power cables make sense and each time I replace one with a T there’s a noticeable improvement

Lyndon

You only live once - dont draw attention to it and no-one will check the price

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Just over a year ago I had a 32.5/LPS/110 and was considering buying a £400 lead to connect 2 of the boxes. A moment of enlightenment stopped my purchase. I then sold all 3 boxes and moved my CB Nait2 in from the office system (now no more) and was happy not wondering about ‘what if?’. Just the music.

To answer the question - you already know the answer.

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Any non-audiophile would regard spending over £600 on a mains lead to be evidence of a questionable state of mental health. That’s being polite about it. Most folk would regard you as stark raving bonkers.

The reality is that as audiophiles many of us recognise that these things do make a significant improvement. I recently spent £1500 on a new mains block and cable. I think it was money well spent as it greatly enhances my enjoyment of music.

It’s relatively easy to justify spending these sorts of amounts on black boxes, but spending them on cables is harder to justify to oneself. The perception is that a cable should not cost that much as it’s just a wire.

The way I look at it now is that the only thing that matters is the musical improvement that spending your money brings. Whether it’s on a black box, a cable or a support shelf is irrelevant. If it enhances your enjoyment of music then it’s a sensible purchase.

So to answer your question. If the Powerline enhances your enjoyment of your music then it was a sensible buy. If it does not then spending over £600 on a piece of wire was indeed a fairly mad thing to do.

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And of course they are right :rofl:

We would not be here if that was not the case

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Totally. Have fun.

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I’m yet to put a PL on any component and not hear a clearly discernable improvement. If I had a Nova I would be looking to optimise and this is one sure way.

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Powerlines have made a discernible improvement on all Naim components I have tried. Nait 5, Supercap, Nap 250, Hicap, XPS included. No difference on non- Naim pieces however.

Apparently everything sounds better if you are mad.

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My best upgrade. Consistent great results on all boxes.

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Unless it is someone telling you that you are mad. I think the opposite is only true if there are abundant reassurances/confirmations that you are not.