NACA5 can be used longer than 20m (I know of 25m runs being used with no issues) but performance takes a hit - this only in context of a Naim power amp.
1 Like
AFAIK, K20 is similar to NACA4 but not identical.
Thatās true for any cable of that gauge, not cable specific. But it also depends on speaker impedance, if speakers donāt dip (much) below 8Ohm, you can probably get away with longer lengths, probably hence why the reports of 25m being fine. If they dip very low, say to 2Ohm, even 20 might be too much.
This is just the basic physics of it, irregardless of any specific cable, its āsoundā or amplifier used. It seems Tellerium Q also acknowledges this.
Hence my advice to the OP of using minimum 4mm2 (NAC A5) gauge, but not necessarily saying he should get any specific brand (I did mention Blue Jeans has a good 10AWG cable for relatively little).
1 Like
18 metres is a very very long run for domestic Hi-Fi speaker cablesā¦ you will need to expect a loss of SQ performance over that lengthā¦ is there no way you rearrange to have smaller lengths maxing at 7 or 8 metres?
Unless specifically designed for it amps and speakers work best with relatively short runs of speaker cablesā¦and this not limited to just Naim.
The longer the cable the more likely it will form a LR low pass filter with your speaker.
Amp, speaker cable, and speaker / crossover is an extremely complicated arrangement under the covers and can quite easily depart from optimum performance. Douglas Self has written some very informative electronic engineering design books that cover this subject.
No way to re-do things other than to just give up on the in-wall option and do the traditional ācables on the floorā option. Which may be where I end up. Iāve not measured, but 7-8 meters based on where Iād like the Fraim seems doable. Iāll bring a long piece of twine and lay it on the floor 
My Magico A3ās are not the hardest, but far from the easiest, loads to drive. They are described nominally as 4 ohms. Must expect significant current from my NAP500 I imagine.
1 Like
Witch Hat Phantom is probably my last hope, but it sounds like 18 meters is sub-optimal no matter what. It would be a shame to strangle such a nice hi fi.
1 Like
I see also, from an another thread ( non Naim speakers cables with Naim ):
Chord Epic
Chord Odyssey
True Signals
Kudos KS1. ( with Magico too)
Another option might be the AV Options speaker cable, designed for Classic series amps (they recommend NACA5 for olive and earlier). It is very flexible and easy to work with. Surely Chris West would have an informed opinion for your situation.
@Bart
Do really want to take the risk of suboptimal SQ after putting together such a wonderful system?
1 Like
THANK YOU ā I totally forgot about this. Chris wonāt sell it to me if itās not right. Iāll reach out to him
If itās not a ton of money (all relative, I know) Iāll give it a shot. I can always have the most expensive clothes line in town if it doesnāt work out! But @AHT had the right idea and Iāll consult with Chris West.
You want to have similar system as Chris Bell, the electronics in one room and the speakers in another?
No ā all one room but its a big room! Idea is to move speaker cables off the floor.
3 Likes
So your system is where other end of the room? The correct way to do this is to run Long Balanced XLRās from the Preamp to the Power Amp then use short speaker cables to the speakers.
1 Like
Im unaware that a balanced XLR connection is possible between a 552 and a 500.
Does this mean you abandoned the Blue Jeans ten white? Just curious why if youāre willing to share.
@Bart oops my bad ! I assumed that at that price level balanced in/out would be a given.
Well all I can say is 60 ft of speaker wire will degrade the sound quality. Hereās a thought whats on the other side of the wall where the speakers are going? And how long is the room, itās not 60 ft ?
If you can do 8 metres that would be likely best with NACA5 ā¦ the likely reasons why have been discussed on another thread.
Iāve got 8 meters of Chord Rumor 2 that I picked up used for $175 from the local dealer, and itās always sounded great to me (and I needed all 8m - in white and flexible - for one side to go up and around a set of french doors) compared to the 3.5mm run of NACA 5 I had before. I dreaded the expense, size, and inflexibility of other 8m runs and/or having to drill through the walls and floor to run shorter and hidden. 20-25m though sounds like a real compromise and unnecessary expense.