For no good reason, I’ve got a SN3 and a Node X plugged into a TrippLite Isobar Ultra power strip. This is consumer sub $100 power strip that has all the things naim warns one against. It’s got some filtering and does power surge protection etc.
Music still sounds super engaging and enjoyable- and prat is all there.. and it sounds smooth and lower nosiefloor to boot …
Speakers are Totem Tribe Towers.
So not entirely sure why the recommendations are made? Maybe it’s got to do with loud volumes and insane dynamics ???
I use the Isotek power management with great results for lowering the noise floor. I would not be without it. However it might not be within your budget, but money well spent in my opinion.
A while back, Naim tried them in their factory, and found it had an adverse effect on SQ. Every house mains is different, i.e. different voltages, different DC offset, different noise etc, so you will not get a single answer here that works for everyone - it’s a matter of trying it for a while, then remove it for a while and then only you can decide. It would be great to have a yes/no answer here, but sorry, that’s not going to happen as there are too many variables.
Have recently discovered half my house has no RCDs and it’s never had surge protection. Hoping that a new cknsumer unit will solve all this as a single power strip just for the hifi seems an inadequate response.
My CD5si will not play any CD’s anymore. If I insert a CD, it eventually just displays ‘Err’. I used to hear the mechanism and the laser positioning, but now it is completely silent. So, the mechanism seems to be broken. It lasted for about 5 years. A bit of a bummer. I am still in doubt if I will have it fixed. I have ripped all CD’s and use the ND5XS2 much more anyway.
In my case I got a great improvement with a dedicated audio grade powerstrip that comes without surge protection and filters. Before I had a computer grade powerstrip and it was awful, really. I was missing all the airiness and microdynamics.
@MMky out of curiosity did you change the Forests Signatures for the Tribe Towers?
I think the ultimate goal is listening to your expensive Naim gears, instead of listening to your power strip. You never know what it has filtered, or what poured and polluting the signal chain even you think it’s great.
Without that it would sound even better, simple as that. It’s up to your choice after all ymmv
There’s no magic bean like conditioning that deals with all forms of mains borne issues. If you have a specific problem, deal with it via a specific solution/product. Otherwise it’s like taking unlabelled medicine just in case it works for an illness you haven’t been diagnosed with.
But Naim never once said, “though shalt suffer all manner of clicks and pops and buzzes and never use a conditioner.”
In the 500 system I have the Nordost Q Base with no additional filtration etc. @Jaybar - what Isotek systems do you use? I had a Isotek Synchro in my system many years ago.
@MMky … I’m slightly confused.
Is your profile up to date ??
and where are you located, you don’t say in your profile
You mention $100 is that US $ or a typo
I’ve made my own bespoke powerstrips and power cables since way back, long before Naim. Also borrowed and demo’d various types from cheap to madmoney from dealers/distributors. (I continue with my homebrews)
My query is where are you located, I’m not querying $100 as a value/cost, but there are around 25 countries that use currency called dollar ($), a few are linked to the US, but most are not.
What I’m considering is what power receptical type.
I confess that I’ve tried the Naim-North-America-recommended Wiremold, a Belkin AV strip, and now a home-made star-wired unit with hospital-grade unplated outlets and never heard any difference between the three.
With that said, I think a Powerline was a significant upgrade to my Atom when I had it, so I’m not an AC power doubter, I just haven’t heard the difference in what I’ve tried on powerstrips, so I’ve resolved to spend money elsewhere for now.
