I don’t have a naim streamer , so I cant really answer your questions but look at the Qkore, maybe you can get the answer .
I have heard Red Dawn demoed with my system and it works incredibly well; the synergy is definitely apparent. However, I am not sure that I can justify RD for a couple of reasons (1) it would appear to be disproportionate in terms of spend ie about 20% of the total cost of the entire system and (2) the absolute cost of Red Dawn.
I have yet to hear Blue Heaven. For those that have heard both RD and BH, is there much difference between the 2 cables and would I be foregoing much if I went with BH?
@nyron59 would you please describe what’s your system like? A bit of context would help to understand if a Red Dawn is good value or not in your case. Personally I’ve used Blue Heaven, Red Dawn and Frey 2.
at what range are the Nordost cables better than the Naim Powerlines? The Red Dawns in the US are about 450ish street price, and Powerlines are about 650 used. Are the Freys better than the Powerlines?
MMky,
I tried many power strips and settled for the Nordost MkII (not III) because it sounded best. I always used it according to the manual, with the preamp in the center. At some point, I had the same idea about the streamer being the most central grounding point with Naim, but I never tried. A moment ago, I quickly switched the positions of streamer and preamp. It actually appears to sound a little better, clearer. I will have to look into this more thoroughly. Thanks for the reminder!
Definitely Frey 2 better. I tested them , I owned them . try for yourself and you will have the definite answer
Yes you can swap the 2 . Play around with them
And with the nd555 we have the two psus. Wonder which one is the one that is ‘chasis’ grounded? The digital or the analog. Maybe a question for @Richard.Dane .
The Frey 2 strikes again!
AFAIK they should both have their chassis grounded to mains earth for safety.
As Richard says, both power supplies will have their chassis connected to mains earth for safety.
Naim provide a signal ground to mains earth connection at one point in the system, usually the main source such as a Naim CD player or Naim Network audio player.
With two PSUs, the one that’s connected to input 1 (digital) on the ND555 carries mains earth to the ND555 head unit chassis via the Burndy cable. The signal ground switch on the ND555 connects signal ground to chassis (mains earth) when set to its default position.
And are the 20A that much better than the 15A? 15A offers more opportunities for cables - like powerline on the unit instead of nordost cables…
My nordost power cords are all 15 amp , including power cord . And to me it’s more than adequate to power anything . 20 amp is when components need more power, which is rarely .
My dealer told me this - if I get the Odin 2 power cord , it should be 20 amp , and will get the 20 amp QB 3 for me for free, I asked , why I need 20 amp? He replied , more power for the odins and Valhallas . Well , I have yet to go there. Again I asked , is it important ? He said not really . But the 20 amp will bring out the potential of the odins, I have yet to touch Odin 2 ![]()
I like Nordost and have some of their products. But, 5 500$ US dollars for an ethernet switch is just bonkers.
I have the QB8 mk3 (had the mk2 also) and had the 272 in the lifted ground socker. Then when I put the 555DR PS on the 272, I put it in that socket as well.
But the truth is the 272 only had one input, ethernet. The true multi-input source of my system is now the switch. The NAS, 272 and TV are all connected to it.
So I tried that in the lifted ground socket and it was the best position for my system. Better than having the 272’s power supply in it.
I might go back to the wire mold from
The Nordost. Let’s seee….
Yeah - swapped the Nordost stuff out for the (now) $189 wire mold power strip. Used to be $95 when I first got into naim 10years ago.
Let’s see if I miss the Nordost and how long I last.
Feel like Nordost is a slippery slope …
One positive that I see with the wire mold - no urge to upgrade. It’s very well sorted. Everything in balance. Sometimes you get a component and it sounds good - but the mind goes to the next upgrade… here the next upgrade is simply a dedicated line.
The is no jaw dropping anything it just works well.
Yeah - the Naim sound that I know so well is back with the wire mold….
Yeah - all my Nordost stuff is listed for sale now - going back to the wire mold strip…




