Hey all,
I play everything through my Nova, it’s my only box. The power cable (powerline lite) plugs straight into the wall power outlet.
What is the MINIMUM I would realistically need to spend to upgrade the power cable for an appreciable SQ improvement? And any product recommendations?
Thanks 
Stavs
Speak to your dealer and try the Naim PowerLine. Works very well with Naim kit as it’s designed for it.
Since moving on my Naim kit and PowerLines, I’m currently using Chord mains cable. They have a large range to choose from. Again, most dealers will let you try them before committing to buy.
DG…
If it were me I’d try the powerline and then get on your dealers list for a preowned one if you like it.
I’d forget it, what really matters is a 16A separate mains described elsewhere here by Naim.
(People seem to forget the hundreds of meters average cable hidden in our walls)
Get a Naim PowerLine, s/h if possible, you will not regret it!
ATB, J
yes deffo get second hand powerline at circa £350 and you nova will be uplifted…
A powerline is generally known to give an improvement (based on other peoples result on this Forum), however I would say a dedicated Main may be worth at least considering. Costs can vary here, but probably less than a New Powerline, and possibly a lot less if your HiFi is close to your consumer unit. Or perhaps consider it for the future
I would prob do mains first, it’s a real fundamental……
Hello, Stavros, you may want to have a look at Chord Company’s Clearway (£125) or Shawline (£250) mains cables, which are less pricey than Naim’s own upmarket mains cables.
(Chord was set up by the ex-wife of Naim’s former MD, so there’s an association of sorts.)
Hi @anon70766008 - thanks for the suggestion. I have actually considered the shawline, I was kind of hoping that someone would recommend it.
People believe that the powerline works great with naim kit, and doubtless it does. However, when I replaced my naim speaker cable (naca5) with chord epic it really opened my eyes to non naim upgrades. The improvement was impressive!
So, having experienced that from a chord product, I’m tempted to try one of their power cables.
A used powerline is a bit pricey for me tbh.
Thanks, Stavs
I use the Chord Signature X mains cable on my Linn Selekt DSM; Edition Hub and the Chord Shawline mains cable on the iFI iPower Elite SMPS.
Both are good cables and if you search on a well known auction site, they do come up every so often.
DG…
I use the Isotek power management system and Isotek power cables. Both work in tandem to lower the noise floor. My dealer really likes the stuff. A dedicated like is not possible given our apartment construction.
Personally, I use Tellurium Q Black Power with Nova, which I am very happy with, but is quite expensive.
With more expensive cables, the choice really depends on your preferences, the speakers you have and the speaker cables you use (do you want a more warm, dark sound or maybe, on the contrary, bright and detailed). Cheaper cables are mostly more neutral and don’t introduce much change.
If I had to go all over again and try to spend as little as possible, I would probably choose the other approach. I would replace the power socket with an audiophile one (Furutech), especially if you have a relatively new installation and standard power sockets “for vacuum cleaners” ;).
If you have an audiophile socket, you can try not very expensive, but neutral cables, e.g. Isotek (EVO3 Initium or EVO3 Premier - I have them in another location with Atom).
It is worth choosing the socket with the same finish as the cables (e.g. mine is gold-plated).
Hello, Stavs. I think that you’ll find that Peter Swain of Cymbiosis (often referred to here) is a supporter of Chord Cables.
I have Shawline as interconnects and Power Lines.
It’s my go to .
On the Nova I went for the full fat Powerline , you may be able to get them second hand
Hi @Ian2001, how did you find the upgrade from lite to full fat powerline on the nova? Any chance you could describe the effect? Cheers, S
Definitely an independent spur (radial) if possible. If not a PL will definitely be worthwhile in my experience.
It gave colour, warmth and extra detail.
It was like a serious upgrade for a comparatively smaller cost.
As a photographer it was like switching to Fuji Velvia from something more basic
