Litz Speaker cables for Naim

Hi-Fi Corner
1

Hi Naim people

Hope to hear from everyone who
have some experience about the wright speaker
cables for Naim. Somebody says that litz and twisted multi wired cables it’s not the best solution for your naim amp . Some says it gives
unstable and overheating results. Would it
reduce the life time for the components ??

I have tried the recommended naca5 speaker cable. The worsest cable i ever have tried.
dark and muddy sounding and stiff as hell.

I got the Naim Nap250DR.

Whch cable brands is the best for Naim
or is it just to be not concerned.

I have to day Cardas Clear Light and have not recognized any issuses. It sounds amazing

Just curious ……at this moment

2

Have a look at the post on speaker cables in the FAQ. This will answer your questions.

DG…

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3

Hmmm why not here ???

What’s your experience

4

Most cables will work.
I would recommend touching the case of the amp.
If the cables are making the case very warm, that could mean the amp is working harder for a given load.
Meaning you could be paying more to electricly run it and could mean it will need a service more sooner.

6

If you don’t like the naim cable then certainly try something like Kudos
KS-1
I use it and have no heat problems.
I do know that Litz type cables can cause instability and problems.

7

How warm by normal operation ?? and volume
my amp is pretty cool by normal but keeping
hand warm all ways i rhink

8

All should be well then. Cardas make very good cables.

9

DG…

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10

I agree with TJ, most cables will work in that they will drive the speakers without apparent problems. But even if the amp remains relativly cool & sounds OK, it does not mean the amp is working properly.
Naim amps (all amps) must have a zobel in shunt acrioss the output plus a series inductance to protect the outpiut from ocsillation (instability). Many amps have a built in inductor coil plus the speaker cable, whereas Naim amps are designed to use only the speaket cables inductance for this.
Cardas cables such as Clear Light has very low inductance & will not allow the amp to work as intended, weather it will cause the amp to oscillate can only be checked by testing.
USA data shows inductance is 0.0176uH/ft which is 0.058uH/m
(Naim recommend a MINIMUM of 3.5uH/m
Capacitance is 278pF/ft which is 912pF/m
This adds to any tendency to ocsillation (capacitive reactance).

11

While Naim amps of recent years are very robust, for best performance Litz type speaker cables in particular should be avoided with Naim. You want a cable with low capacitance and moderately high inductance - Litz cables usually give you the opposite to this.

Many years back I once tried my Kimber 8TC (which was hitherto being successfully used on some tube amps) on a NAP250.2. It’s a woven cable with low inductance and high capacitance - it was not a success at all - poor sound and the amp started to get worryingly hot. I removed the 8TC pretty quickly.

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12

But which cable brands are recommended
as “naim” cables in this case

Chord for instance ?

with some of the same musical benefits as my
cardas of course. I think it’s dificult to find🤔

I think Naim has gone their own ways ro minimize to try good and more expensive cables with their internal amp design.

It’s that the same with the new classic series …,?

13

What speakers are you running ?

Cables are funny. If you’ve found something that really connects - in more profound ways - then stick with it. Cardas make very good mains and interconnects so you could build up to a full loom.

14

I got Focal 1027 BE speakers ( slate grey metallic)

15

Naim recommend NACA5 or Super Lumina.

A more general recommendation is to choose a speaker cable with a combination of low capacitance and moderately high inductance.

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16

The FAQ is there to inform. Why do you want people to spend time telling you what you can find there? If you’ve read it and have specific queries remaining, then by all means, though it could help if you clarify that you have read the FAQ.

If you like the Cardas, which you clearly do as you say it sounds amazing, why on earth do you want to change?
Maybe upgrade something else…

17

I was just curious and because of what people
are saying about the issues against the technical and mechinical part aboit cables with naim.

maybe You can open up your eyes for cables
much cheaper that perform better for less that
money. Who Knows

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18

Some amps, or amp/speaker combinations are more susceptible than others to the effects of different cable characteristics. And different people’s ears are more sensitive than others to sound differences and some more susceptible to suggestion than others. I suggest trying some from suppliers that allow a free home trial, or cables that are cheap enough on which to take a punt, ideally having someone else swap between cables a few times (also not swap) without you knowing which is in use so you can compare blind.

19

FWIW, thre are 101 threads on speakers cables with Naim and within them probably 1001 reliable bits of information about cables that worked well with Naim (personal preference of sound notwithstanding).

I’m not aware of a single user saying they liked the sound of a litz cable with a Naim amp. That should probably simplify the answer for the OP. Almost any multistranded or solid core cable will work perfectly fine. Your sonic preference will vary though.

20

Hi @Fischer
Naim Audio - Community

Loudspeaker Cables For SN3

Hi-Fi Corner

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graham55

Nov '22

Feel free to complain as much as you like, but you are making things very much harder for yourself if you don’t make use of a good, Naim-approved dealer.

You won’t get a better (that is, lower) price for whatever new Naim equipment that you buy, because you won’t find it below the recommended retail price.

Of course, you can look on auction sites such as eBay, but then you are very much on your own.

But you know best, no doubt.

1

PW42

Nov '22

Which is not to say that a deal can’t be done with your dealer.

1

SamClaus

Nov '22

Unfortunately, not all dealers are good. I have the choice between two local dealers, one whose sole interest is to shift as many black boxes as he can (and who will give you a ten per cent discount if that helps), and another one who’s part of a large retailing group, and who knows little about Naim.
In either case, demos are out of the question.

1

garcon

Nov '22

My comments were about the existing guidance from the manufacturer on speaker cables, for the SN3 in particular and in general on Naim amps. Just quickly scrolling through any such thread here should tell you how useful it is for people. Apart from the slightly unnecessary personal side of your reply, do you find this guidance specific enough, clear and useful?

I had a very good interaction with a Naim dealer that I like just very recently (hm, and actually had a great deal!:)) … however, you see, they do follow manufacturer guidance! Previously I’ve been advised that I need at least 3.5m long cables for my SN3 - this is 3m longer in total than I need at £1k/m - a cable that is wonderful but thick and stiff to manage and twist&hide around, and a bit dear to buy just because of wrong guidance, don’t you think?

graham55

Nov '22

Please suit yourself, buy whatever cable you like - bellwire doesn’t cost much.

I wonder what advice you expect to get on a NAIM forum for suggestions for use with a NAIM system?

1

RogerGround

Nov '22

In-Akustik speaker cables.

Who knew!

1 month later

RogerGround

Dec '22

Following on from all of the above.
I had the follwing email conversation with Naim Support.
I note from the manual from my SN3 the following statement “however, a wide range of speaker cable types can

be used without risk of damage to the amplifier.”

Are there any type of loudspeaker cables that should definitely not be used with the SN3?

Thank you.

Kind Regards.

Roger

Hi

Sorry for the delay in responding.

Twisted cables add load to the amplifier, and can cause the amp to overheat, so we advise against using those. Parallel cables, with the red and black running side by side, are the best, like our NAC-A5 cable, found here: Naim Audio NAC A5 | Audio Speaker Cable

Kind regards,

Duncan

Hi.

So that I can make an informed decision what is the maximum pF per M of the cable recommended for the modern Naim amps such as the SN3?

Thank you.

Kind Regards.

Roger.

Hi Roger,

That information isn’t available.

We advise on a minimum length of 3.5 meters per side, and of non-twisted cable for maximum performance.

Kind regards,

Duncan

Hi Duncan.

Due to space constraints and loudspeaker configuration, I need 2.5M and 1M jumpers. I do not have room to form 1M loops of NAC 5 cable and I cannot afford your more expensive cable.

I appreciate we live in litigious times and Naim only want to give out standard information and not to go off the script.

It is an unfortunate sign of the times that is the line companies are taking.

Oh, how I long for the days long gone, when companies were customer centric.

Kind regards

Roger

I’d like to think that we’re still of the older order, and very much focused on providing the customer with whatever it is that they ask.

I made some enquiries, and this is what I found, I hope it’s sufficient.

Nominal NAC A5 specification is:

9 mΩ

16 pF/m

0.9 uH/m

A supernait 3 should be OK with double that capacitance, but note that you should use the same lengths on both channels.

Kind regards,

Duncan

I then had the following email conversation with Audioquest.

Good Morning Alasdair.

Do Audioquest make any loudspeaker cables that can be used with a Naim Supernait 3 amp?

I understand that Naim amps will not tolerate high capacitance cables.

I “heard” a rumour on a forum that the Rocket 88 can be “retuned” to make it suitable for use with Naim amps. Is this correct?

Thank you.
Kind regards
Roger.
Hello Roger,

Alasdair is no longer working for AudioQuest, but we’d be happy to assist you. You are correct that Naim amps are particular with the type of speaker cable used with them. We can do a special Naim audio preparation on any of our Rocket series speaker cables that will work perfectly with Naim amps.

Dustin Cairns

Hello Dustin.

Would the pF per M be less than 30pF per M?
Less than 30pF per M is the requirement of my modern Naim amp.
Thank you.
Kind regards
Roger
Hello Roger,

I checked with our senior director of engineering, he said the Naim preparation build ALWAYS works with both current and legacy Naim amplifiers. It has been tested repetitively.

Rocket 88 with Naim construction: 140pF / meter - 1.8uH / meter.

Dustin Cairns

So I purchased a 2.5M stereo pair and 1M stereo pair and have been using them for two weeks and my SN3 is perfectly happy.
The Rocket 88 are, IMHO with my ears in my room, far better than my old WH Phantoms. The noise floor is at lot lower and all the “hash” has disappeared and the presentation is natural and neutral. The top end is clear and I can turn the volume up without wincing. The bottom end is tight and fast.
I am more happy then a happy thing.

21

I have now bought a tellurium Ultra black.
Arrive tomorrow. Exciting to see how it performs :blush:

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