Thanks for your input.
I normally have four sources connected to my SN3 via rca to rca cables, so i already have multiple ground loops which naim say are detrimental to ultimate sound quality, although it all currently sounds pretty good to me, even though i know from a home demo that a better quality rca to rca cable sounds better than my current chord epic cable.
I see that a 282 and 252 only have 2 rca input channels so if you need more than 2 sources that only have rca outputs connected to those amps, which is most non naim equipment, then you have no option other than getting an rca to din cross over cable to make the connections, which is obviously by necessity rather than maybe better sound quality.
The naim hi line din cable gets very bad reports about its poor construction quality so going for a Chord cable makes more sense if going the din route, without paying mega money for a superlumina cable.
However, still not been convinced yet that going with a rca to din cross over cable is better than just using rca to rca, maybe more posts will come to help my decision making.
The PC Boards containing the DIN connectors are mechanically decoupled on my 152XS, but not for the RCAs, which should give the DINs an advantage in mitigating the effects of microphonics over the RCAs. Not sure if it is the same for other Naim preamps or integrated amplifiers, forum members more experienced with Naim gear please clarify.
This is highly improbable. because the earth connection with the din connection is just at one pin it should be much better.
I had my dealer make up linn silvers terminated with din for my Klimax DS/552. It was well worth doing (to my ears in my A/B tests) and have asked for a second pair to be made for the LP12. Unusually, I preferred the din cable tightened rather than loose connected to the 552.
@badger1
Glad that worked out for you.
Silvers are well underrated despite how good they are I’ve got them on my Klimax LP12 and everything in my Supernait 3 and Cd5si. 
Yes, this has been discussed many times before on this forum.
The weak point in any interconnect are the connections. Each contact connection can provide a degree of minute signal degradation.
DIN to DIN has 6 contact connections
DIN to RCA has 7 contact connections
RCA to RCA has 8 contact connections
So you can see RCA to DIN is preferable to RCA to RCA
DIN to DIN also provides a common ground connection for both channels, which can help stereo imaging and minute detail.
I recently replaced the RCA to RCA cable connecting my Rega Aria phono to the SN3 with the Naim RCA to DIN cable and it made a big difference even though the Naim cable was cheaper than the RCA cable it replaced. The sound has more depth and detail so yes definitely worthwhile in my opinion.
That’s an oversimplification, there are many critical points to interconnects, not just contact points, and if it comes down to contact points then the quality of those connections would be paramount, not the quantity.
Hi Simon,
Many thanks for your response.
I think it is now well established from Richard’s link to the DIN Connector FAQ and your confirmation that if you have a source with a din connection then using a din to din cable to connect to the naim amp gives the optimal sound quality connection.
With respect to your connection point advice, i see that the source din interconnect has 5 pins and assuming they are all used that gives 10 points of contact for a din to din cable and 9 for a rcs to din cable and 8 for rca to rca?
In addition, my electrical engineering background tells me that surface area of a connection is an important factor and the surface area of a rca plug is much bigger than the small pins in a din plug, which would probably have an effect, noting naim’s view that rca plugs are technically inferior to din plugs, although most manufactures dont use din and use rca or xlr.
Many thanks to all the other respondants and noting that there is very positive experience using the rca to din cross over cable compared to rca to rca cable in direct comparisons, so the feedback balance is now favoiring going the rcs to din csble route.
Certainly i am learning a lot and appreciating all the input and help i am being given.
I’ve checked internal pictures of a 282 and looked at the wiring of the din and rca inputs.
Noted that the cd and tuner input only dins only have three wires connected so signal left and right and common ground so only 3 pins of the 5 pin din used for unbalanced input signals.
Seems like a wasted opportunity by naim not to use all 5 pins and provide fully balanced input signals for their customers - but thats another discussion and off topic for this thread.
Also noted that the internal wiring from the rca inputs go into the PCB immediately adjacent to the din inputs with the earthing cables being routed together, so does not appear to be much difference there.
So we are comparing unbalanced rca inputs to unbalanced din inputs with the only difference that i can see is a common ground on the din input, however, the grounds of the rca inputs look connected together on the internal wiring so does not seem to be too much difference either, but then i am not an audio circuit design engineer.
The differences between rca and din inputs seem to be marginal.
It is however I suggest the primary reason why they might be noticeable in an audio replay chain given all other elements being equal. In this context we are talking audio connections that are NOT transmission lines… so many other aspects are not relevant here.
Therefore we don’t need to over complicate with largely irrelevant differences, but point contact connections are a vulnerable point in connectors… in expensive RCA connectors one is typically paying for strategies to minimise the effects of the contact connections that audio circuits would be sensitive to.
Hi in a stereo one way interconnect then three of the five pins are only used.
Given that Din plugs were once common in Europe in the late 50’s, 60’s and into the 70’s makes one wonder why almost every manufacturer now uses RCAs including most ‘Hi-End’ makers?
I quite like din plugs, its just that no one else seems to.
I’ve read somewhere that a significant part of it was that RCAs are easier to solder in an industrial setting.
Personally I figure in addition that although RCAs lead to more cables, at least you can easily see how they are connected. Two DINs may look the same but their connections may differ
RCA Phono sockets were cheaper and DIN wasn’t really much of a thing in the all-important US market, so when the Japanese came to dominate the audio landscape during the '70s they used RCA Phonos. It’s worth remembering that most UK manufacturers were still using DINs right into the '80s* until almost all succumbed to fitting RCA Phonos. A few, like Naim, DNM, Nytech and one or two others stuck with them due to their technical and performance superiority.
(*I recall the first version of the Audiolab 8000A used DINs, and of course, the A&R A60 used them throughout its life).
The term “DIN connector” alone does not unambiguously identify any particular type of connector unless the document number of the relevant DIN standard is added (e.g., “DIN 45322 connector”). Some DIN connector standards are:
- DIN 41524, for circular connectors often used for audio signals or some digital signals like MIDI
- DIN 41612, rectangular connectors used to connect plug-in cards to a back plane or motherboard
- DIN 41652 D-subminiature connectors used for computer data and video
- DIN 41585 automotive coaxial connectors
Circular connectors
A convenient multi connector to reduce the number of cables in a compromised installation.
Horses for courses use your ears.
You are technically correct, but in the context we have here we are talking about a specific DIN plug and connector as used for sources by Naim… so yes we are using ‘DIN’ as a shorthand.
Yes, and worth remembering here that Naim only utilise DINs as connector, not as a connection standard. With Naim they are totally compatible with signals to and from RCA Phonos.
Again, here’s why DINs were chosen in preference to RCA Phonos by Naim;
From attached above FAQ.
The first difficulty with the RCA connector is that it has a high-frequency capacitive impedance of around 200 ohms;
This is not correct I’ve tested myself as well as cross referenced and I’ve found this impedance to be 25 ohms.
From Canare.
The usual RCA connectors are not made to have a specific characterstic impedance Canare says it’s about 25 ohms.
So does not have nearly ten times the impedance being claimed.
I used my ears too. 