Hi, can anyone help & please advise on hooking the above up & into Focal SL9 active speakers, would I need additional Naim equipment & how would I wire the cable in presumably you can source standard speaker hifi cable to balanced XLR connections? Thanks in advance Simon
You need a preamp first. 112 or 202 for example.
If they are active then you won’t need a preamp as this implies they are amp and speaker all in one, and should accept line level input. What’s the model number? SM9?
If it’s these, then no mention of a volume control
https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/focal-sm9
I don’t know if you already have these speakers, maybe for studio work? If not they’d be an odd choice for home HiFi. The ND5 doesn’t have a proper volume control so you’d need a preamp, and if you get a Naim preamp you also need a power supply. If you don’t already have the ND but do have the speakers, a Naim 272 may be a better option if you can live with its reduced streaming capability compared with the new platform streamers, as it is a streaming preamp and is self powered. You could connect the Focals to the twin 4 pin din preamp outputs.
Thank you got help, yes these are the ones there is no volume control on speaker, so presume i would also need pre-amp as well, maybe better to just utilise one of the all in ones & power speakers through unit?
The amp is a power amp inside. Normally.
The ND5XS2 has a variable volume mode which allows you to use a digital volume control via the app.
Naim would always recommend that for best sound quality you should use an analogue preamp. Many are put off by the high cost, multiple boxes and redundant features, but best to use your ears to decide.
Either way, the Focal monitors paired with a Naim system for domestic use would be a rather unconventional system. You should choose your interconnects carefully, as connecting an unbalanced source to a balanced amp is not ideal. It may be worth adding an unbalanced to balanced converter for optimum performance.
I’ve sold both products.
I love playing devil’s advocate but this is not an easy union. I don’t see how it would work or why the two would be combined.
You’re better with a 272 or some sort of preamp with easily accessible volume control. SM9 is a bit of a beast too. There are also more recent models that would better blend into a domestic installation.
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