Good afternoon,
Two weeks ago, I acquired my first high-end hi-fi system. I chose the Naim Star with Totem Tribe Towers, connected with Witch Hat N2 cables. I’m experiencing a problem with some artists, especially vocals, where an annoying whistling tone is produced. What am I doing wrong? Regards, Hans from the Netherlands
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Welcome to the forum Hans. Presumably you bought the system using a dealer, in which case that is the place to resolve the issue. I would have them set up the same configuration at their place, and see if you can reproduce the problem. It could be a faulty speaker, or one of many other things. I doubt you are dong anything “wrong”.
Thanks for your reply, the audio and speakers don’t sound broken. I’m thinking more about sibilance. Perhaps someone has experience with my hi-fi system.
If it’s brand new then probably nowhere near to being run in. Have you been able to compare with an older pair of the same speakers?
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The speakers and Naim are new. I listened to demos at the dealer before buying them and was impressed. I still am… If there’s a chance that extended use will resolve the ssss problem, that would be fantastic.
The funny thing is that I have never heard this problem with previous much cheaper hi-fi systems at home.
I would still be inclined to go back to the dealer and see if you can recreate the problem. The speaker does not need to be broken, you could be invoking some distortion in the tweeter when certain notes are played. (I have experienced this myself).
Nice combo @Hans1967 , I’m sure you’ll enjoy your system.
Being a Totem fan and owner myself, I’ve personally experienced different Totems and they usually tend to be a bit harsh in the highs when not fully run in. I might be wrong, but I dare say this is the only real issue here. Are the cables new as well? Some make it sound harsh when not fully run in (I experienced that with Nordosts, I’ve no idea how the Witch Hat N2s sound and behave).
By they way can always contact your dealer, nothing wrong with that.
In my personal experience much cheaper systems hide these problems pretty well, I also wonder if it’s a recording problem. I don’t find Totem speakers very forgiving, but they sound fantastic to me in most cases.
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Thanks for sharing your experience; it motivates me to be patient and give it time. The Witch Hat cables were no longer available as new; they look good, but I don’t know their history. Which cables do you recommend?
The difference in detail and experience compared to my cheaper previous hi-fi is enormous.
Welcome @Hans1967. I understand the circumstances, it’s hard to be patient but you have to be in order to get the full picture. It’s easy to get to wrong conclusions. Also I didn’t mention that my Naim gear sounded slightly harsh at times when it was new, at least I remember that with my NDX2. After everything settled, it just became a great experience (I think after 1 month of daily listening). I have no doubt you are already experiencing enormous differences… Just to give a bit of context, what did you have before?
Totem speakers have fantastic detail, clarity and soundstage, that is exactly what draw me to the brand. I also love the bass punch and articulation.
Regarding the cable request it depends on what you look for in the end result. Keep in mind that we chose very different Totems, I have the Forests. Have you tested them? The Tribe Towers are drier to my ears but have even more pronounced details and soundstage. I’ve tried some Audioquest, QED, Wireworld and Nordost cables. Personally I prefer and love Nordost cables because, to me, they enhance the Totem and the Naim character. Nordost cables have a great and insightful presentation, excellent detail/microdynamics and soudstage with a tight/articulated and punchy bass. If I were in your position, I would try the Nordost Red Dawn (or Blue Heaven if you don’t want to invest too much). You can always go up the ladder but it might be a bit out of context. Don’t forget to consider the power cord, it’s very important too. By the way I suggest you to test cables before purchasing, our taste might be different even though I suspect we have some similarities. If you prefer something a bit softer in the presentation, Wireworld could be a good alternative.
I would like to point out that you might also benefit from a light room treatment, unless you’ve already considered that.
Congratulations on your new system!
I recommend that you give it time, as previously suggested, before swapping cables. Leave the Star powered up and playing music 24x7 if possible.
If it’s not heading in the right direction after a couple of weeks, inquire about it with the dealer.
Witch Hat N2’s are good speaker cables. I use them on my vintage Naim Chrome Bumper system.
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I have three systems, all with Totems. I have a Star with Rainmakers, a Nova with Hawks and Forest Signatures with a ND555/552/300. The Forest have been on the Nova and other systems before the current set up.
I’d be confident in saying that what you are experiencing is a burning-in issue, with both the Star and the Totems. The Uniti’s are a little harsh for the first few weeks. The Totems have a very long play-in time (check the specs on their web site), most noticeably with a harsher top end and undeveloped bass until fully played in.
Naim and Totem are a great combination and I’m sure after a few weeks you will hear a big improvement. They are also very revealing, so if there is sibilance in the recording, you are likely to hear it.
So, relax and let the system settle in.
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The typical Totem frustration we love 
After they are run in, the bass is just fantastic.
I couldn’t agree more.
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My old system consisted of a NAD c316v2/NADc538/Qacoustics3030i connected with simple cables. The current system reveals much more in every respect, and looks amazing :). Rediscovering music is a gift. I’m going to test the Nordost Blue cables.
What is a lighting room treatment?
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I’ve never heard such a difference in recordings before. Fortunately, the annoying “s” is only present in a few recordings. Otherwise, it’s enjoyable. It’s reassuring to read these experiences, thanks!
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For the £1,000 plus cost of a 3m pair of Nordost Blue Heaven, you’d be well advised to smile sweetly at the dealer and swap the Star for a Nova. I certainly wouldn’t even think about alternative cables for at least three months. The speakers need loads of running in and you won’t have a basis on which to make decisions yet.
Thanks!
I will do that and I will be very patient 
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Taking time is my lesson here.
The Nova 80watt vs. Star 70watt? And I miss the CD player…
Hans, one of my initial thoughts & your post above may help to confirm, that it may just be a case of the new, higher quality/more revealing kit is just reproducing the recording more accurately & unfortunately a lot of recordings are poor. As the new kit runs in, it may improve in this area/smooth out a bit. I’d give it some time to see how things progress, the drivers on the Totems may need more run in time (typically the tweeter runs in/loosens up first, which leads to a brighter/thinner sound vs when the woofer properly run in). As HH said, you should not be thinking about cable change for sometime, everything needs enough time to run in & at that point you should probably experiment with speaker placement (& possibly room treatments if you want to get the best out of it as the room has just as big of an impact as the kit in it).
When all that’s done & if you still want to play with cables, Nordost is probably not the direction you want to go in. They are typically fairly revealing/neutral sounding & don’t add a lot of warmth like other brands do (especially in that price range). I don’t know what brands are popular in your area but something like Cardas is probably more what you’d be after.
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