NAIM with QED Supremus speaker cable

Would anyone know if the QED Supremus cable is suitable for Naim Equipment. There is something about either impedance or capacitance or both, but I do not really understand this topic, so any comment is welcome.
Thanks,

My dealer most of the time uses Super-lumina with Naim amps…but from time to time on the larger high end speakers the QED Supremus has been used. The newer Naim amps are more forgiving on speaker cables than some in the past. Its a nice cable, but quite large to hide in the room-if you have to have one side coiled up.

many thanks for your prompt reply to my question.
I have two systems in two different countries. Country A (work) I use NAP 250DR with NAC 272 and Superlumina speaker cable onto ProAC D20R.
In country B (home) I use a Superuniti, with LP12 and ProAC Studio with NACA5 speaker cable. However, I have just bought KEF Reference 205/2 and traded in the ProAC’s. The dealer suggested I try the QED Supremus with the KEF speakers, but I am asking if it is a) safe to use on a Naim amp, b) if they pair nicely with Naim equipment.

Have a read of the FAQ, here:

I have some good experiences using Supremus with a NAP500DR but I’m not sure if it is any better than well run in NAC A5. The Supremus is a very good cable but does appear to be affected by what it sits on. Hard floors sound better than rugs and cable elevators deliver the best performance. To be fair NAC A5 works a little better elevated.

Please don’t shoot the messenger.

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The all important inductance is 0.49 ÎĽH/m, thats about half of NACA5, so a purist would say you need to have 7 metres - double the recommended 3.5m length
Capacitance is 48 pF/m, its higher than NACA5, but nothing that’ll be detrimental.
Its cross section area is a chunky 6.2 mm/2 so will carry more than enough current to burn toast & I’m not so sure such a size cable is needed for driving an audio speaker.

What amp are you using.??

This seems to be a popular approach for some “high end” speaker cables. Give the customer a large mass of wire for the large sums of cash they are spending; at least they have something substantial to show for it!

Hi Richard, good to see you after a long time.
I have been quiet enjoying my Naim of course. I just read the article regarding the speaker cables, therefore concerning the QED Supremus cables the inductance is stated at 0.49µH/m and the capacitance suggested at 48pF/m.
Are these values acceptable to Naim amplifiers?

Hi Mike, I am now using the Superuniti with the the KEF Reference 205/2 and LP12.
The plan for the near future is to swap the Superuniti with the NAP-250DR and the NAC-272 that I also have at my work place. I also have NACA5 as well as Superlumina speaker cables.

On that basis, it appears to offer three times the capacitance and only half as much inductance as NACA5. It’s not ideal. Beyond that I couldn’t really say.

Bart, I tend to agree with you.
There seems to be a misconception that a large cross sectional area speaker cable with the obviously very low resistance, is a good speaker cable. it is certainly a good electrical cable, but I am not sure about the speaker cable role.

Would it be dangerous if used with the Superuniti or the NAP-250DR?
as I said previously, I already have Superlumina as well as NACA5 speaker cables, plus Vertere something that I use on the Qute 2 with Linn 109.
So I don’t really need the QED supremus cable, I am only considering it as a possible replacement of the NACA5.

I’m not sure about “dangerous”. I’d probably feel a lot more confident trying it on the Superuniti than on the NAP250DR.

Is this because of the cable’s potential to draw a lot of current due due to the very low resistance?
Capacitance what exactly is it, is it the cable’s energy storage kind of capacity?

It’s more about what the amplifier requires for optimum performance and stable operation, moderate inductance and low capacitance.

Ok thanks as always Richard. Bottom line, the QED Supremus is not ideal with the Naim equipment, and I am better off staying with the NACA5. I think this is the gist of the communication, am I right?

I’m not best qualified to say. However, based on just the specs I’d hesitate to use it with any of the separate power amps.

Richard, is there something better than NACA5 but not as high end as the Superlumina that you can suggest please?
I will leave the superlumina now with the Superuniti and the KEF Reference 205/2, because it sounds amazingly good, while I like something better for the NAP-250DR and the NAC-272 with ProAC D20R than the NACA5.

My preference is for NACA5 - it does need to be terminated just right and you need to go through a lot of running though before it blossoms, 6 months or more for my current 10m runs. In the context of a Naim system, it’s very hard to beat.

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Ok Richard, thanks again. This advice saves me good money as well :slight_smile:
I wish I could afford one more pair of superlumina, it is amazingly good speaker cable, with Naim equipment at least.