It’s not advisable to keep children under a rug.
1 Like
Is the EM field outside the boundaries of Physics?
2 Likes
Thanks for the advice. In short, I’ve been so presumptuous that I’ve got a perfectly shaped room - including being able to keep the two rack equipment well away from the speakers - that I’m realising this is, in actual fact, me being ignorant and expecting equipment higher up the range to be all I need.
Another lesson learnt!
So yeah, you raise good questions. I’ll give them a go, cheers.
Jon
Where is your rack in relation to the speakers. I am confused as to your layout.
Can you take a photo showing both the situation of the cks and speakers.
That may help us to understand the situation.
DG…
Hi DG,
I’ve just taken a picture, feeding somewhat off what Innocent Bystander advised. I have brought my speakers away from the sides and I’m grabbing 5 minutes to see if that’s worked. It sounds more together. Wish I had more time!
I have the equipment quite far away from the speakers albeit in my modest room. I’ve reached my near financial end of upgrading so I want to now get the set up as perfect as I can make it.
I’ll attach two pictures I’ve just taken. Excuse the slippers!
Jon
1 Like
It seems to me that you just need to pause for a while, do some assessment of your setup in your room (either by ear or, I think better - certainly quicker and more objective, using REW software with a measuring microphone to measure what is actually happening in your room), and experiment with speaker and listening positions, then assess any appropriate and acceptable room treatment, before faffing around with fancy cables, cable supports, etc etc. There are many relevant threads on this forum, but I commend this one in particular -
a lot of reading, but a lot of valuable info as well.
This thread is also valuable, but rather more extensive and an awful lot to wade through and digest:
You have a very understanding partner if she accepts having the Mendip Hills for a rug…my wife wouldn’t - and I’d absolutely agree with her.
There must be a less obtrusive solution, surely?
Brilliant, thank you! I even posted a job on line to get an audio specialist to help - much to my chagrin I hasten to add from what I got back, but that’s another story. I even wondered whether contacting my local Naim retailer to see if they could help at a set price.
But I’ll follow the threads you link first, and probably buy a microphone and REW software, which I have heard of elsewhere.
As this thread stays open for two months, I’ll update as and when I do.
(But I must reiterate that moving the speakers an extra foot from the side walls has made all the frequencies ‘marry up’ and wow it’s made mediocre yet poignant songs like Julie by the Levelers all the more impactful. You get my nod of gratitude!)
Jon
Yes that’s what I thought, but I’ve been told off by her now and she wants me to fix it - kids tripping up, so I guess she has a point. It’s also backfired more as my kids are using the ‘waves’ as skis, and pushing their prams over them which defeats the whole ******* purpose of protecting the cables!
Jon
What a nightmare
Get your own room, it’s the only way
Simple answer to everything. Take your Naim gear out of the cage, and put the kids in there - Voila!
How about if you had underlay under the entire rug, rather than just where the cables were? It would still allow you to have a channel for the cables, and would resolve the lumpy rug problem…
1 Like
Thanks for the photos.
Assuming the double rack, in the cage, is to the right of the listening position.
Can you run the cables round the edge of the room, rather than across it?
I run my cables like that, but in dado rail, three compartment trunking above the skirting board.
In the top compartment is mains electrical cable. In the middle compartment is speaker cable bin the bottom compartment is signal / data cable.
You can also get large single compartment trunking if it is for the speaker cable only.
As well as being neat and tidy, the speaker cable is raised off the floor. Plus it gives greater protection to all the cables.
Finally, as others have intimated, it may be prudent to re-engineer the whole layout to get improved cable runs. This is what I ended up doing.
DG…
Hi DG,
Thanks for the pictures and advice. I just skirted my eyes around the room estimating how I could implement that…
I am thinking I’d need 2 x 15m of SL cable of that, which I think would equate to £18k upwards! I suppose if I went back to NACA5 it could be done, but that would feel like downgrading a car.
(I also think at present my speakers are the bottleneck, but I’m having a rest upgrading and my goal is to get the best from what I have got. In fact, I can’t see what a NAP500 would do above the NAP300 in my case as the 552 makes the NAP300 much louder, akin to two hours on the clock. Mind you, I also think my intuition may be flawed as the speaker positioning and room dynamics may be a significant factor.)
Nonetheless, cheers for the advice!
Jon
That is a good idea, JonoB, and affordable. It’s mad how I haven’t thought this way. It would make the whole rug soft, great for the kids and my cable would be protected.
I’m going to do that.
Meanwhile, I’ve been given orders to remedy the lounge today; I hope my humble story is an admonishment to some.
Thanks for all your comments though, I didn’t realise that a forum could help me calibrate a listening room - or perhaps take a step back as I’m looking around the room now irritated with myself!
Jon
1 Like
What Monitor Audio speakers are they and, why do you think they are a bottleneck?
I use Kudos T606 speakers with my Naim system, as a number of forum members do. Their range does seem to match well with Naim gear. For interest, I’ve just changed the NAC A5 for Kudos KS-1 and that made a huge improvement.
One ”Left Field” consideration to ponder. If you are thinking about changing speakers, demo the Kudos Titan speakers with KS-1 speaker cables. You could get longer runs of speaker cable to allow better routing of them and P/Ex the SL. A bit of a compromise, but will sort out your wiring problems, flatten the rug, stop the kids tripping over and keep Mrs JonP happy.
DG…
I’ve had a couple of listens over the past fortnight to a set of Monitor Audio Platinum 300 II’s, and they were very impressive. The bass response was truly amazing on them - definitely no need for sub! Far too large for my room, unfortunatelybut the dealer has a set of Platinum 200 3g’s and some Sonus Faber Olympica Nova coming soon, both of which have been very highly reviewed.
Hi JonoB and DG,
They are the PL200s first generation, but I’ve never heard alternatives, as all but my very first Naim set up has been second hand - how I have climbed up the range. So, if RRP can be used as a metric, they are outclassed by a 552. If someone quashed that hypothesis of mine, I’d be most appreciative - as I am for your tips resolving my self-induced wiring chaos.
That’s my reasoning. But damn is it an expensive hobby! I mean maybe my 552 and SL have not even bedded in yet? Anyway, I’ve been granted/commanded to use this afternoon to address the rug. So much for the game.
Jon
1 Like
If they pass the dealers (very treated) rom test and I get them up home for a demo, I’ll let you know how they sound on my 552. I was very smitten by the PL 300 II, but I don’t have the ability to place them 1m out from the back wall in my room. Probably just as well as my bank balance would prefer a slightly smaller speaker.
If the 552 is new it might take a bit to burn in. Mine was second hand, but even so it still sounded better after a few weeks of being powered up.
And as for the rug, I think the word you were looking for was “recommended” 
All the best…
1 Like
It’s really worked! I have followed advice and channeled the SL in a groove, I’ll post a picture of how it looks now. The bits on the floor are foam I had on granite slabs I used with the 252 - protection of child falling on a corner. (Couldn’t wait but listen - I’ll hoover later!)
Well, I have put the granite slabs UNDER the rug and the channeled SL goes through that until connection to the speaker terminals.
Wow!! No BS, the floor is a bouncy laminate and I think the granite slabs have likened the floor to concrete; the speakers are away from side walls and rear wall.
First listen, I’m blown away how just those minor adjustments have worked. Gosh, thinking the PL200s outclassed or the 552 overblown and in your face. What I’ve learnt this weekend eh?
(And I hope I’m not sleeping on the sofa tonight!)
Jon
2 Likes