I can now attest to your theory @ElMarko. Still in testing but in my case, 222/300/350 is a clear winner over 333/332/250 in the SQ categories that are most important for me.
333/332/250 has its improvements in areas like mids/upper bass, overall better resolution and PRAT. However, there’s less tonal balance and the mids are just way too forward. It feels bloated in those frequencies. Also, most important for me, there are no improvements in imaging, instrument separation or soundstage. Seems like there’s lack of musicality.
222/300/350 for me has so much more tonal balance and musicality. There isn’t any improvement in the resolution, but the imaging, separation and soundstage are on another level. Sound separates from the speakers with such ease, and the music just flows. These facts make this 200/300 series mix a clear winner for me.
Even though it’s too expensive for me at the moment, since I now have all the 300 series boxes on test, I’ll take the opportunity to test (almost) full 300 series stack (333/332/300/350). Will report back.
Cheers! It certainly made me reshuffle my financial plans but I tell you, it is worth every penny saving for.
Btw, if someone knows, maximum volume on 332, is it a Naim app setting when paired with 333? Or do I need to set it as per the 332 manual’s section 4.5?
Quite right. The NAC A5 has a warm midrange and extended (sharp) treble. However with my Harbeths and tube gear this hasn’t been a problem. In fact I would say the NAC A5 compliments the rest of my gear. I completely understand why chord or kudos speaker cable is favoured with titan speakers. However when the midrange is compared between the Harbeth and kudos it’s no contest for me.
Harbs clearly excel in this area. Kudos speakers generally have a more well defined sound with great attack and a bass that is so clear and controlled. However unbeknownst to most on this forum my Harbeths are setup to mitigate the common deficiencies of Harbs. I’ve plugged my ports, use heavy open frame wooden stands and have positioned the speakers closer together than my listening distance.
As a result the 30.2XDs are lightning quick with exceptional tone and midrange clarity. There isn’t any bloat usually associated with these designs.
I’ve never heard a naca5 with extended and sharp treble. That must be due to a problem earlier in the signal chain. They are dull compared to more or less all cables I’ve tried. If you believe they have an extended top end you have a lot of information you can extract with other cables if needed Alan is obsessed tuning his speakers so they are super flat. But my experience is that this also result in them sound bit boring and lacks boogie and have a sharp high end which the naca5 tames since their top end is rolled off due to limited bandwidth. Their midrange is beautiful with music that focus on midrange but this midrange can also be a pain with some music since it is pretty forward which is the reason it catch your attention because our ears are most sensitive in the mids since they are made for speech. I preferred my Tannoys that is more in room friendly and can manage all music IMO. This is the result of tuning a speaker flat IMO.
Well I assure you my system is anything but dull. Also the kudos 505 or SUPER 20A speakers did not boogie anywhere near as well as the Harbeth 30.2XDs in my setup.
I almost want to host people because I’m sure most people wont believe that statement. If I may draw a comparison. My second system is Sw1X PRE 3 special -which has better tone and detail than 552DR however not as much boogie - NAP 135s and Linn Kans using Linn K20 speaker cables. This system almost sounds slow compared to my main rig with the Harbeths.
But is it a high definition wire? Starting at 2000GBP I would say so I’m sure 135 will survive Super Lumina as many other speaker cables out there like KS-1, Chord cables and many others.
I didn’t say that I mean that your speakers and naca5 is matching their balance and therefore they are a good couple in your view But I super promise that the Oephi Reference speaker cables I have here let SO much more information through than naca5 no matter speakers. And letting more details through is not the same as being bright as some might think
I’m sure a proper setup Harbeth system can sound magical. I never succeeded though No offence.
No no I didn’t interpret it in the wrong way. But the NAC A5 is very extended with my gear. So far I have home demoed the Super Lumina, Chord Epic XL and a couple of other ones that I can’t remember right now but so far nothing has dislodged the NAC A5 in my system.
I’m sure every body knows this but I’ll repeat- cables are very system dependant.
I’m confident the oephi cables, especially transcendence and above are really good but I can’t even consider them right now.
As you know the NacA4 and NacA5 at the correct length was like a part of the Power amp.
“Most power amplifiers have inductors in the output stage to maintain stability (non-oscillation). The designer does not know what speaker wire type or length (and hence inductance) the owner will use with the amp. Optimum performance is therefore sacrificed for universality.
Vintage Naim amplifiers (Chrome Bumper and Olive era) do not have their performance compromised by using inductors in the output.
Naim prefer to use the speaker cable to provide the correct inductance and capacitance for output stability.
@Blackbird i don’t need any convincing on the merits of silver wire -although the oephi reference is a lot more than this.
I have successfully used silver wire in my previous systems. The imaging and tonal richness that can be achieved with silver is really special. However it has to be used carefully. Too much and it takes away from the midrange.
