Powerlines

Hi-Fi Corner
21

Two questions, please. Does anyone use a PL on a Uniti Star, and is the IEC of a PL a better fit than that of a PL Lite, please?

22

Does anyone else fail to hear any difference whatsoever with regards to different power lines over Naim standard? Or interconnects come to that?ā€¦

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23

Suggest you search the forum and youā€™ll find more than enough on the very subject.

Goodnight allšŸ˜

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24

Absolutely not.

Powerlines are a subtle upgrade, but worthwhile.

Interconnects you can hear the difference instantly if right.

On our old system (mix of brands) cabling was part of it.

With the level of investment we now have in naim cabling is critical. We know what SuperLumina I/C did between our 272/250 so weā€™re saving hard to put same between 252/300.

If you canā€™t hear any difference from standard interconnects or speaker cables then youā€™re in luck I guess. Return them and spend the money on music, alcohol, cars, holidays. Whatever makes you happy.

25

I have 252/300, are u saying that the Naim interconnects that came with them from the factory are below parr? Why would Naim kit be made to be so sensitive to cabling? Are u chasing diminishing returns that if u are honest are barely audible?

26

Not below par, as such, but they can be bettered. Naimā€™s own Superlumina inter-connects will show that in a 252 system.

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27

Iā€™ve a power line on my sn3 and an appreciable uplift, so is it worth putting one on the hicap DR?

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28

In my experience yes although i found it wasnā€™t as great as when i added them to my XPS DR and SN3. Accumulatively though is when the real magic happens IMHO.

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29

Thanks- so if someone sneaked a super lumina lead on to my 252/300 would I notice a difference when I next listen to it and if so how so?

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30

I couldnā€™t say what you might notice, but it works for me. More natural and open presentation with more detail and micro dynamics is what Iā€™ve found.

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31

It would be two leads, running between the 252 and each amplifier XLR input.

If SL does the same here as it did (to our ears) on a 272/250 it increases the soundstage, the bass tightens, the treble detail sharpens.

Adding the S/L interconnect for around Ā£900 was perhaps the most cost effective upgrade we made to our old system. We really want SL back in that part of the chain, but the cost of the pair is high, so it will have to wait until after xmas.

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32

Do you think you would successfully pick out which leads are on your system in a blind test?

33

But why would you need to? When the SL cables were introduced I bought them as they surfaced, ie Din/Din, Din/XLRs, Speaker cable. Every cable was to me an improvement, and when the loom was complete it added up to more than the sum of the parts in my view. ATB Peter

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35

I use a PL on my Uniti Star and i have found IEC a very good fit, but then so was the PL-Lite for me.

36

Good morning Mr J,

If you donā€™t think cable changes work for you, fine, just dont crash someone elseā€™s thread when heā€™s asking a genuine question. As I said your point has been debated elsewhere ad nauseam.
Regards,

Lindsay

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37

Thanks, Chris-T. Assuming you heard a positive improvement in performance, was it worth the cost, please? Iā€™d find it hard to justify the cost otherwise, especially as Iā€™m happy with my Star as it is, but might push the boat out. Perhaps try to loan one from a dealer.

38

I wasnā€™t crashing the thread, the OP is asking if a PL makes sense, I had no reason to even think about alternate power lines when I bought my recently upgraded system in 2006, having just upgraded and explored the market again I am gobsmacked that Naim sell Ā£20k amp package to which some feel they need to add alternate parts for further improvements - yet I am unable to detect any significant difference in SQ when such parts are triedā€¦

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39

Iā€™d say you are a minority not hearing a difference in a system like yours with better cables. But good for you I guess saving some Ā£Ā£Ā£.

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40

Then for you it doesnā€™t make sense but it does for many who tried it. Trying makes sense, buying without trying isnā€™t sensible, though it can sometimes pay off, this is where the used market comes in handy.

l still havenā€™t been convinced by a Superlumina but the Powerlines worked for me.

Including the upgrade cable in the box increases the price of the box, you donā€™t think Naim are going to absorb it do you? You get Powerlines and Hiline with 500 series but you pay for them.

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41

I think you may be right, I may be in the minority - ON THIS FORUM, I believe in the real world where the majority of Naim customers live the vast majority are happy with their Naim leads and would be hard pushed to hear a difference between standard and aftermarket leads in a blind (sic) test, certainly any perceived difference would be considered poor value considering the cost of the leads.

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