@ChrisSU
Hi
I was so carried away with my findings about my previous cables the word silver stuck in my head as they were Linn Silver K200.
Apologies for any confusion.
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For all I know the SN3 is very different to older Naim amps with regards to speaker cables tolerance and particularly shorter lengths. I use 2 metres long Chord ChordMusic on mine without any issue at all… well, rather quite the extreme opposite, sounds wonderful!
Since I’ve acquired the ChordMusic I’ve not had other Naim amps to try apart from with my Nait 2 which of course, not surprisingly, does not like the shorter lengths.
Hi @Skeptikal
Yes it does thank you. Cymbiosis are only 30 minutes from me, I will ahve to see if they have any auditon sets.
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Hi @Richard.Dane
Thank you for all that information.
Just as a piece of customer feed back.
If different Naim amps have different speaker cable tolerances it would be helpful if Naim published the max and min values of speaker cable capacitances, inductance and resistance for each amp.
One would like to think that as part of the calculations, in the design of each amp, these figures would be available without a great deal of effort.
Then of instead of the confusing wording in the manual, about speaker cables, crystal clear guidance could be presented.
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Roger , if only it could be that simple…
If you want simple just buy NACA5 or Super Lumina.
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I started with a NAIT XS 2 with NAC A5 cables and they have stayed on with a SuperNait 2 and currently with my NAP 250 DR. They have been used with ProAc D2D, Ovator S-400, ATC SCM 7 and ProAc D30RS speakers.
Ask your dealer for a demo pair and see if you like the sound, if not lots of suggestions in the forum and search is your friend. Type in Speaker Cables and 50+ threads are available to read through.
I wonder if all these advices also apply to NAP500 DR as these are for SN3?
I’m still waiting for the delivery of the NAP500 DR and thinking to pair it with my TQ Ultra Silver speaker cable, would there be any problem?
The speaker cable recommendations in the FAQ especially apply to the Classic amplifiers such as the NAP500.
Would that be a problem if I use my TQ cable instead? I think I saw a post by a forum member that they are using TQ on their 500🤔. What would be the risk?
I have the supernait in a second system and I think the whole issue with length of cable and make is unbelievably overated if not misleading in day to day life. It’s exacerbated by Naims own ‘eco system culture’. Not sure why Naim doesn’t take a more positive stance and say that the current amps handle multiple options and they can deliver in abundance because they are great amps in their own right. It’s true it’s factual and it’s common sense. Speaking of which, Common sense tells us a premium HIFI product isn’t totally restricted to the brands own cables etc.
Here’s a starter - review the Naim Lumina cable ( eye wateringly expensive and dubiously brilliant at best ) and you’ll find Naim sell it in a 3 m pair despite the marketing department saying a minimum of 3.5 m is needed ! Maybe this esoteric view is relevant with the Naim statement but let’s be real here …the Supernait is a good but run of the mill high grade player at a price point.
My suggestion - trial several well known brands from major manufacturers and establish what you like and then buy it. Have some fun feeling the way - the speakers themselves will have an influence in warmth just as the cables do. Final thought : Nac 5 and Naim cabling generally isn’t what you would call warm … so decouple Naim and the marketing department and source alternate options if your ears respond that way. Check out the Tellurium range to read about how cables respond in terms of clarity transparency and warmth - others do the same with a greater variety than Naim.
Good luck
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Nothing to do with the “marketing department”, who incidentally, if they had their way, would probably be very keen for Naim amps to be perfectly wonderful with whatever speaker cable of whatever length you care to attach. However Naim products are generally engineering led with performance as the top priority.
For all that, the Supernait, the 5i, the all-in-ones, are all a bit more tolerant of a wider range of speaker cabling than the classic amps.
Oh and by the way re. Super Lumina where you state “you’ll find Naim sell it in a 3 m pair despite the marketing department saying a minimum of 3.5 m is needed !” you must have missed this part of the speaker cable requirement FAQ;
…Super Lumina (3m/channel minimum)…
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The 3.5m recommendation is for NACA5, not Super Lumina
Witch Hat N2 speaker cable seems a good alternative to NAC A5. Especially as it goes round corners 
. I use NAC A5 but the minimum length of 3.5m. I’ve been thinking of replacing it with a longer run as I believe there are benefits so looking to increase to about 5m. I’m lucky in that all the cable can be hidden behind my Besta unit which holds my lps. I’m leaning towards the N2 as the thought of man handling the A5 is not great.
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Interestingly, here is an extract from an interview with Steve Sells in a review of the 250DR in “The EAR” from 2015 (easily found via Google), which suggests that even the current ‘Classic’ range are very cable tolerant.
He says: “ I wondered if this amplifier needed the inductance provided by certain speaker cables to maintain stability and was told “no, you can put any cable on it. The last version, the NAP 250 Mk2 was also cable tolerant. It’s only really the older models that you have to be a bit careful with.”
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"It’s only really the older models that you have to be a bit careful with.”
well said - a good pick up and worth thinking about in this debate within the forum. The positive is that the current range of Naim equipment is truly world class and tolerates all types of add ons. Just a case of personal preference and our quirky ears.
Yes, I saw that and yes, the latest power amps are more tolerant than the earlier ones, but even so you still you wouldn’t want to go mad with a high capacitance/low inductance cable. I’ve tested this myself with some Kimber 8TC on a NAP250.2 - not good, the amp got hot fast, and sounded not particularly brilliant either - I have sometimes wondered whether it may also be why that particular amp sounded rather off a few years later and needed a service some years before it would typically be due.
Conversely the 8TC sounded great when connected to one of my other power amps (a big EL34 multi-valve unit), so it’s not down to any particular weakness of the cable per se, just the unsuitable partnership.
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I find threads like this are quite funny.
People buy Naim kit and then do all sorts to it and wonder why it doesn’t sound good, for example;
- Mains conditioners
- Incorrect type speaker cable
- Mains filters
They then post on here with their problem. Get good advice about how Naim kit works and how to get the best from it. Start querying it, even when it’s in the User Information, FAQs and Naim staff respond, saying are you sure?
Then someone posts, agrees with them and they are then happy.
I’m surprised that they don’t speak to the dealer they got the kit from in the first place to find out what to do. Or contact Naim directly, I have found them to be very helpful.
As @Richard.Dane and others have advised, using the wrong cables, etc. can make the system sound poor or damage it.
Strange that people spend a lot of cash on Naim kit and then want to use kit that has the potential to cause damage.
DG…
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Hi, I think witch hat guys offer good quality for the price. phantom could fit.
I have 282 + hicap dr + 250 dr and tried first nac a5, then kept for 2 years chord epic twin, than moved to witch hat phantom.
each step was an improvement in terms of detail and musicality, better clarity and soundstage.
I know for the time being new cables are not available, but from time to time somethings pops up in second hand sites.
A somewhat ‘flat earth’ response I feel. While Naim make fabulous kit - and no one one this forum is likely to argue with that - it would be hyperbole to suggest that they either make the very best available or that the ONLY/BEST accessories for use with Naim are those that they provide themselves. Their cables are, I’m sure, excellent but there are many on the market which - for an individual’s system - easily match or exceed the performance of NAC A5/Hi-Line/Super Lumina without the slightest risk to the system (though not, necessarily, to the wallet). Certainly there are some - Kimber is a very good example - which should, for Naim, be avoided, but I, other than PowerLines and a DC-1, don’t have a single Naim cable in my system and it sounds truly fabulous and runs extraordinarily cool (compared to what I have read of other’s experiences). Even you, viewing your profile, have eschewed Fraim for SimRack which could be considered heresy if your argument was followed to its logical conclusion.
There are many ways to skin a cat - this Forum should be about providing advice, not condemning choice.
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The Forum is equally about providing technical advice to ensure you don’t smoke your system. Arghhhhhhh………time for coffee.