You say inductance and capacitance. They are opposites of each other in a complimentary way… and the key thing is the reactance. With inductance the reactance increases with frequency and with capacitance it falls, and they cancel each other out at certain frequencies. Therefore inductance without also stating effective capacitance is kind of meaningless in this use case.
naca 5 for example is approx 1uH /m and 16 pF / m.
Therefore with amplifier loads, unless the amp has internal compensation, you need to state both the load’s inductance and capacitance. The load is is mostly determined by the cable type, length and loudspeaker.
High capacitance in higher audio frequencies for some naim amps can be problematic such as with some electrostatic tweeters.
I agree silver plated copper can equalise the audio due to the different conductivity factors of the metals.. leading although we are talking tiny amounts… (but our ears are sensitive to tiny changes in the mid audio band) , to an enhanced brighter sound… like turning the treble up on a tone control. You can mitigate it a little by having varying diameter copper cables… but it’s always there.
You either like the relatively artificially enhanced sound effect of silver plated copper or you don’t.
I am in the camp with respect to hifi of sticking with copper for a neutral balance with detail and resolving speakers and electronics.
I was using Kudos KS-1 but my curiosity was sparked by the discussion here so I ordered some NACA5 from Cymbiosis. Excellent service from the guys there as before, and the cable arrived superbly made and very quickly. What a contrast to my previous sad experience from elsewhwere.
To my ears and in my system there was a marked increase in PRaT, dynamics, solidity and impact compared to the Kudos. The sound was altogether bolder, ‘keener’ weightier and more urgent, with the Kudos sounding somewhat relaxed and even reticent in comparison. The difference was pronounced and when I first fired up the system and played a track my wife, who was in the kitchen, shouted to me “that sounds much better!”.
So I’m sticking with NACA5. It simply does more of what’s most important to me. What the Kudos does seem to bring to the party is a greater sense of delicacy and finesse that eludes the Naim cable. To be fair though, I was comparing at least partially run in Kudos KS-1 with fresh off the reel NACA5. Burn in time is notoriously long with NACA5 and it’s possible that these aspects may develop more over this period.
I can well understand why some prefer the Kudos. Both offer different flavours and it’s down to personal preference and possibly speakers. A cable that combines the strengths of both would be a winner - Superlumina perhaps?
Hi Skeptical. No I started from scratch. and I’m very glad I did. I sold the previous stuff. One of the things that really put me off NACA5 when I actually got to handle it again after so many years was it’s incredible stiffness and springiness. It just wouldn’t go where I wanted it to and wouldn’t lie flat. Just sticking up in big coils. However the stuff from Cymbiosis is nothing like that. It lies flat and is far easier to deal with - no problems at all. I now suspect that the previous stuff wss very old, possibly more than 10 years old, as the dealer I bought it from said that he never sells any. It had probably been sitting in some store room in poor conditions and had hardened over time, making it in effect very different to new stuff. Good riddance and all that.
I won’t be trying Superlumina - way beyond budget now! Those days are over.
Hi Pete
I’m glad your sorted now the guys @Cymbiosis are different class.
When I went from my Linn K400 split to the KS-1 I had just had work done in the living room and had changed to Naim from linn at the same time so hadn’t done an A/B I’m tempted to try a thicker cable sometime just to see but I’ve no problem as is it’s just an itch.
Cheers.
If I hadn’t heard NACA5 I wouldn’t necessarily of missed anything with the Kudos. It sounded fine in isolation. But in direct comparison the NACA5 just does a lot more of what I like best.
But even if you tried it, you may find that you prefer the KS-1.
It’s a fantastic combo. My room is about 5x5m (not very big) so the Nova has more than enough clout to both power and control the Kantas. In fact, I play my music pretty much as loud as I could ever want to without any impact whatsoever on SQ.
As for the speakers, they’re a beryllium and flax hybrid mix - a first for Focal - and they also have their own unique cabinet construction (I won’t bore you with the detail). Consequently they’re a little warmer, and less bright, than is the norm for Focal.
Long and short of it, they’re very neutral with a lovely tight bass and clear, beautifully transparent mid and upper ranges. The Nova seems a perfect match for them, and between the two the soundstage and imaging is far, far better than when I had the Aria 926s.
For post 2002 Naim amps/integrated amps we strongly recommend AV Options Twisted-56 Deep-Cryo speaker cable as the ergonomic (more flexible than NACA5) and cost effective solution that works superbly with all of these Naim products (and with Rega, Linn, etc, kit as well). Each Twisted-56 pair is made by Chris West in our AVO Workshop using only the highest quality connectors, solder and termination techniques. Deep-Cryo treatment by our long time vendor Cryogenics International.
I own 4 sets of Naca 5 cables. . 9m (which I had in use for 30 yrs), 6m, 2x 4m. Like the naca5 a lot. It is a must have with olive! With 500 I liked SL more - but naca5 only different. Less soundstage and detail, but… if I would need a less expensive speaker cable, I would not take another one.
After happily using NACA5 since the 90s i upgraded to KS-1 about 5 years ago.
Have briefly swopped back to NACA5 to find the presentation of KS-1 is preferable with my system in my room.
The incredible KS-1 flexibility is a nice bonus.
I can understand sentiment of doubt looking at its skinny girth, but KS-1 is good.
Thinking aloud:
Would be interesting to try KS-1 with an additional insulation sleeve, especially if it were Taylon® …although that wouldn’t half cost a lot.
There are affordable expandable braided cable sleeve-tubes available that may improve the cable function further (…or not), but would help it to look the part.
. 9m (which I had in use for 30 yrs), 6m, 2x 4m. Like the naca5 a lot. It is a must have with olive! With 500 I liked SL more - but naca5 only different. Less soundstage and detail, but… if I would need a less expensive speaker cable, I would not take another one.
