RCA to DIN Connection

Thank you for sharing this FAQ its an interesting read and supports the benefits of din to din connection between naim equipment.
Interesting to note that Naim is one of very few manufacturers that still prefer din wifh most ofhers going the rca and balanced xlr route.

I’d be interested to know if Naim have considered balanced connectors and if so why they decided against them. I note the option for balanced headphone output exists on the Atom HE.

Naim do use balanced connections in the Statement amplifier.

I would guess that previous to this they saw little point as most Naim gear outside of the NAB300 and NAP250 Pro (where balanced connection is a necessity for studio use) was single ended.

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Were the actual cables the exact same? That’s the only valid way to compare the connectors used.

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I had the chance to have my Ansuz A2 fitted with DIN to RCA. I did not because in case of reselling chances are bigger to sell RCA to RCA than DIN to RCA.

@Richard.Dane
The lavender din was plugged in as was the Linn silvers at the same time and the comparison was done via remote control to select the CDP output.
The difference was huge.
Fact being that both cables are only available properly terminated from the manufacturer as source I don’t see the point of diy ing the connectors with all the inconsistency that brings.
I did however do the comparison with el cheapo RCA to RCA and the performance was still better.
It’s not complicated to try if you agree fine if you don’t then that’s your opinion.
It’s not subtle and costs next to nothing from a bits drawer.
I’m quite sure you know that the Linn silver doesn’t fit a Din plug and I’ve no intention of fudging it like some manufacturers with heatshrink to hide the fudge. :+1:t2:

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So you compared not only two different types of connectors but also two completely different cables?

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Yes and got completely different results for the better. :+1:t2:

Mm well that is not really helping this person out since it is a question related to RCA vs DIN using the same cable. Of course you will get different results choosing between all different cables on the market. But that is not the question here.

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The question was between Din to Din or RCA to RCA or why some mix RCA to Din
Simple question.

”I have a Chord Signature RCA to RCA on order and can change this to RCA to DIN if i can be convinced it will sound better, but just dont want to change without being really sure its better. Its an expensive experiment if its not the best option sound quality wise.
I can see that earthing may be optimised going din to din i just cant see it crossing over from rca to din.”

I’ve tested two different interconnects, both available as either DIN or RCA. In both cases the DIN was preferable to the RCA phono version.

Also, just for reference, for a properly valid comparison always only have one interconnect physically connected to a Naim source at any one time as otherwise performance is impaired (be sure to switch from one output to the other - never have both enabled at the same time) particularly, I have found, for the DIN connection, for some reason.

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@Blackbird
Just use one or the other I don’t think adapting to fit is a good idea.
Everyone I’ve told this to and tried it has preferred the RCA easily.
It’s not what is preached here but doesn’t mean you can’t try for yourself.
I spent years in the electronics industry and Din was always the least favoured connector type but some budget related multi connectivity requires a compromise.
Listen before you buy and make up your own mind.
The question was asked and I was just being honest in my own " and others " opinion before anyone might be ridiculed for asking.

I also have noticed that the din connection is noticeably louder. Technically I think is because the eart connection is handled differently on the din side.

I’m not sure I’ve ever noticed that unless a different cable affected the signal in some way or other. Measured output level should be identical on either output.

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Could be some use the level input that can be set different on inputs say on a 272 and the forget about it. Just speculation.

They are definitely not. I used the rca connection and the din and measured with my phone 3db difference. And also could hear a noticeable difference in loudness.

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Shouldn’t be. They are both fed from the same output stage.

Was one of the interconnects attenuated? Or perhaps one of the inputs on whatever pre-amp you were using was different?

What was the source and pre-amp you used?

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What’s the tolerances measuring with a phone and what type of sound did you measure?

I just played the same song over the two cables. Nothing special.