I did once try some kimber 8tc that I used on some valve amps on my NAP250. That was a mistake. The performance was poor and the amp ran hot too so I quickly removed it. The cable was low in inductance and high in capacitance, so unsuited to Naim power amps.
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nope, they are connected correctly.
Put the old cables back and tell us how it sounds then. But you don’t need a forum to tell you that surely?
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Richard I understand the certain capacitance and inductance value requirements for Naims to work in optimal conditions but how much this information is still valid today, what range these values should be ( min/max ) and is it valid for all series or just specific series is still not clear to me and to many as well probably. I’m having a little hard time understanding why Naim is not truly clear on this topic. For example, if there is any chance of damaging a Uniti or Supernait series when using cables other than Naim’s “specifications”, why is it not clearly mentioned in the manual inside the box as a caution? All the info I read in this forum specific to Uniti and Supernait series is that they are not as sensitive as the classic series or power amplifiers in this regard, that they are more tolerant but there is no clear information about the borders of this tolerance. Even my dealer has no clue on the capacitance and inductance values to be considered and vast majority of buyers never bother with the forums…
Yes, the current NAITs and the Unitis are a bit more tolerant than the classic power amps, however, for best performance you should still try to stick to Naim’s general recommendation of using low capacitance and moderately high inductance speaker cabling, which ideally would be NACA5 of at least 3.5m per channel or Super Lumina of at least 3m per channel. Naim can’t really comment on the enormous number other cables from other manufacturers, except to give their general guidance above.
Also, whatever cable you use, you should always use the supplied Naim speaker connectors at the amp end, as these are the ideal match with the 4mm speaker sockets on the equipment.
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I posted the calculation for your cables here just a few days ago:
Unitis are more tolerant than classic power amps, but this should not be a reason to use wildly incompatible cables. Although more tolerant, the forum is seeing issues with Unitis as well when such cables are used
I use LINN K20 speaker cable with my Nova and it’s sounds awesome.
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In the basis, the K20 is rather similar to Naim’s NACA5
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That is the point I am trying to make. For most, they will not be noticed on the general guidance unless informed by the dealer or by searching the topics in this forum.
If I get back to main topic, with the DH Labs cable, Nova didn’t get any hotter than usual when those cables were plugged in. Would you consider there could be any chance of damaging the unit with those specs ?
Those cables are not available here, but tomorrow I will demo Chord Signature XL cables from a friend.
Naim mention speaker cable recommendations in the manual for all of their products. They also produce speaker cables that are an ideal match. If you choose to use a cable made by a competitor surely its up to them, or your dealer, to provide information about their suitability for your system if they want the sale.
I have been using Kimber VS 4 speaker cables (2x3.5m) first on Uniti, later Superuniti and now on Supernait for more than ten years and have never had problems before. While the Superuniti warmed up a little under load, Supernait 3 remains almost cold. The sound from the leashed Sonus Faber Olympica 2 is fantastic!
I would suggest either inviting your Naim dealer to come and have a listen, or packing it up and driving to said dealer for a check up.
Hi Richard, I’d like to ask for guidance on speaker cables if I may. I have had a Nova for approx. 15 months now, connected to a pair of B and W CM8 series 2 with 2 x 5mtr runs of Tellurium Black 11 cables, although everything seems OK, and sounds fine, some of the points being made in this thread make me wonder if the cables are correct technically, could you, or any forum members offer any thoughts/advice please?
Not quite. Linn K20 was (originally) near identical to Naim NAC-A4.
NAC-A5 has far less, but thicker conductors - and it less flexible, that A4 was.
Yes, that is the plan if the new update planned this week does not make any positive changes. Fingers crossed.
TQ cables are fine with Naim. The two conductors being reasonably thick, separated by a web, is a similar construction to NACA5 and won’t give you any nasty surprises.
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Nick, I haven’t been able to find any specs in relation to the inductance or capacitance of this cable. All I can say is that it appears to be of likely suitable construction, or at least I can’t see anything obvious that would particularly concern me.
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Thanks Richard, I heard a long time ago that Tellurium keep their specs something of a secret. As I say, everything seems and sounds great so I’m not too worried.
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Thanks Chris, that’s kind of what I was thinking, I don’t have the technical knowledge to confirm one way or another, but I’m happy with your input, thank you.