Hi-Line

Hi-Fi Corner
1

Hi-Line cable ordered. Wondering what to expect over the factory supplied cable I’ve been using.

Now that my power cords are all full fat Powerlines I think my work is done on cabling :slightly_smiling_face:

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2

more bass, separation, sparkly treble… well more of everything!

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More foot tapping for sure! Enjoy!

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4

Oooh exciting :grin:

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A more rhytmic flow of bass, drums and all that. Just make sure to massage it once in a while (you’ll hear when to) and pull it slightly out from the sockets and let it hang in a free loop/empty space on the back.
Well worth it, fantastic upgrade.

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Stu - A good tip mentioned above. Just make sure you hold the metal body of the plug to do this and not the black ‘tail’.

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7

Yes worth being very careful with it. I was and still one of the rings cracked, no idea how, I hadn’t touched if about a year. All fixed for free :+1: excellent service as usual from dealer and Naim.

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Don’t go in expecting anything, asking what to expect will skew your listening/hearing.

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9

Very true that :+1:

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Pull it slightly out of the sockets? So push home then maybe out a 1/4"? What is the purpose of this?

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You push it right in, then pull it out by 1mm. It’s supposed to sound best like that.

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12

The same here… The ring cracked under the weight of the cable apparently… Had it repaired at Naim. No issue since then. Serious upgrade to almost every aspect of the SQ, over the stock cable. Never looked back…

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13

More caution handling the cable, so you don’t break those oh-so-fragile collar segments.

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14

Be careful when it comes to handling/ dusting the Hi-Line … mine broke under it’s own weight :frowning:

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Crikey I’m almost scared to look at it now :grimacing:

Does it make a noticeable different to SQ if one of the rings break? Or is it more of a peace of mind thing?

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Would imagine it should make a difference as the decoupling of the plugs is supposed to be one of the main features that helps the Hiline achieve its sound.

I previously had the Hiline but I didn’t like this fragility aspect, so I tried out the WH Morgana. Didn’t really do a comparison, basically plugged it in & didn’t notice any reduction in SQ, so I kept it (& bought another for my TT source).

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17

I didn’t actually notice a difference in sound, but my inner OCD insisted I get it fixed as soon a I realised it was broken.

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18

Not long after I got it in 2011, my Hi-Line broke as a result of my own ineptitude while I was sliding the SuperCap back into place. Unlike others, I was charged for the repair.

Last year, while doing a big rebuild, I noticed that one of the plastic rings had a hairline split. I don’t recall doing anything to cause this, and it’s not visible unless you look really closely - you can pry the ring apart a mm or two and it will spring back into its original position. I doubt it’s harming the SQ in any way.

I’m pretty fed up with it at this stage. The sonic contribution is worthwhile, but I think I would look for a pre-loved one if I was doing it again (which I won’t). I’ll eventually upgrade to something more robust - I’m not sure what - but it’s not a priority.

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19

You are not the only one and not a cheap repair either. Considering Naim had both my 300 & 552 head and PS in for servicing and DR upgrade at the same time, I thought this was extremely poor customer service. I replaced mine with WH Morgana and the brand new one that came with my ND555 hasn’t been out of the box.

Some are lucky with theirs, many are not and you can not rely on a free repair of the well documented design weakness. I would not waste money on a Highline, there are better options out there.

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How to massage the hiline? Why is it neccesary? Please enlighten us. :blush: