Would there be any benefit in adding one? If so, why? Cheers, Pete
There was when the Core was feeding a DAC via SPdif, not tried a full Powerline on it since the ND replaced the DAC and the Core moved to near the router.
Thanks Yeti, I’m listening to it through UPandP (through NDX2)
Why wouldn’t there be? It is a high performance mains cable after all.
We use a Powerline on our Melco music library to excellent effect. This plays in the main system through a Qutest DAC via USB but also acts as a server via ethernet to two Muso QBII’s. The benefits of the Powerline are clearly audible on these.
Yes, I’m currently using a chord Shawline on the core and swapped it for a Powerline Lite as an experiment. The PL made the core sound really bright and to my ears unlistenable so the CS is back. I have a Powerline coming on Monday so will see how that sounds , hopefully it will be an improvement on the CS.
The Powerline is a very different animal to the Lite. We have three in our system (which is not Naim), one on our Melco N50-S38, and one each on our Moon amp and CD transport. Fed from a Chord M6 block which has an Epic mains cable on it. Very happy with this.
We did try a Shawline mains cable at one point on the M6 and both myself and my wife thought it sounded rather dull tonally. Anyway I certainly wouldn’t describe the Powerline as being bright so hopefully you will be OK. You do need to give it plenty of time to burn in though - at least a couple of weeks or more. Be prepared for some disconcerting ups and downs during that time.
I’ll report back once the PL arrives . It’s second hand so there won’t be any burning in. I do like the Shawline (at least compared to the PL Lite) so will be interested to hear how it sounds.
I’ve got Powerline cables on all of my equipment (552DR, 2xND555 power supplies, 300DR), and have recently added one to my Core, all fed from my Chord M6 Powerhaus distribution block.
To be honest, I’m not sure that I could tell any difference in the sound between the standard cable that came with the Core and the Powerline. It sounds good, but it sounded good before (playing to my ND555 via uPNP). Maybe the power in my house is good enough that these little tweaks make no difference?
I’m pleased to have the full set of cables in any case.
How are you finding having a second PS on the ND555?
We don’t have radial mains in NZ, so a typical power set up doesn’t really need tweaking in the same way the UK homes do.
Same here.
The ‘why’ is the popcorn word here.
Conventional wisdom would say it’s about mechanical decoupling and hence reduced microphony.
Other explanations relate to differing construction without necessarily a good underlying rationale. Works like ‘dielectric’ and shielding creep into the debate.
Others cite the various psychologies around expense - ‘it must be better as it costs ££££££’
At the end of the day it’s your ears that count!
Declaration of Interest: Svetty has 3 Powerlines in his system.
Presumably you mean that you don’t have ring mains? It’s these, shared with multiple other devices, that dedicated (usually radial) circuits seek to avoid in UK installations.
In UK domestic wiring, it’s relatively easy to add more circuits with their own breaker. Crucially, it’s also easy to run these directly from the incoming mains, completely bypassing the main consumer unit (the UK equivalent of what is termed a ‘board’ in some countries) to provide isolation. I don’t know how it’s done in NZ, but in some countries it’s not so easy to bypass the main board, which precludes one of the key features of dedicated mains circuit design.
Yes, we don’t have ring mains. We also can’t take a separate feed between the incoming supply meter and the main fuse box, so are limited to taking a feed close to the incoming supply inside the fuse box/mains board. I actually have a spare slot on the incoming connection on the mains board when we installed solar, but haven’t taken advantage of that.
Have had the Powerline on the core for a couple of days now. Very surprisingly I have noticed a big difference: sounds much clearer and bass is more defined. The PL is genuinely a brilliant upgrade and cost effective if you buy second hand (got mine for £320).