Speaker cable that I can bend

You’ll need to delete your last sentence quick or you’ll fall foul of forum rules.

G

Please respect forum rules, thank you.

Oh, and please Never use Isolda cables on Naim amps. These are very high capacitance and very low inductance cables; basically the opposite of what Naim amps need. Use of High capacitance/low inductance speaker cable with Naim amps will at best, give poor performance, and at worst cause the amp distress or even damage.

It will be well worth the sonic rewards if one were to find a way to forgive NAC A5’s stiffness. You can use a hairdryer to heat it up so it will bend much easier. Turning the volume control up will soon put to bed any of NAC A5 annoyances.

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What do people mean by bending NAC A5? It’s very stiff and I wouldn’t want to break it.

So it’s the plastics that is the problem, not the core metal? Why oh why is there a problem in making this cable softer. I mean, the only complaint every single user have with Naca5 is its stiffness. I would assume sales going up by many 100% if they just made it softer. I would personally use it if it was softer but it is a deal breaker to me. It makes me angry just looking at it no matter how good it sounds and I don’t have energy to waste on such products.

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You can get a very sharp 90 degree bend if you heat it with a hairdryer as Stephen suggests. Bending it over the end of a piece of wood or some such may help. It cools quickly and will stay in shape. I used to have any excess folded in a very tight Z fold and it’s absolutely fine.

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square-peg-round-hole1

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That’s a shame because you maybe missing out on your Naim system’s synergy and PRaT that NAC A5 helps to provide as a musical whole. It can be very addictive and enthralling all at the same time.

I’ve had NACA5 2-3 times in my Naim life so I’m done. I get same or better sound with other flexible cables to my ears :slight_smile:

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Well, each to their own of course but I can hear why Naim haven’t changed their NAC A5 in over thirty years of production.

Why does it have to be stiff to provide it’s potential? Not a single speaker cable in the world to my knowledge is as stiff. Is it the metal threads or the plastics? Because if it’s the plastics then just make a new blend. In 30 years some development have happened you know :wink: It’s clear that competition can do it and people enjoy it and I´m 100% sure Naim could… if they wanted. To them the myth is more important than the User experience. At least in this case.

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It has to be stiff to stop unruly electrons escaping.

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Really!
Used Townsend Isolda cables on 150x , Uniti 2, 250DR and then 300DR with good results over a 14 year period and no issues.
Not a good advert for Naim if using such cables, you can DAMAGE a Naim amp.
Read so many posts about only using Naim cables. Personally, I think it’s a load of ********. Let your ears be the judge!

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Why is it not a good advert for Naim?
The amps require a particular specification to work properly.
In the same way that my car requires Super Unleaded, using normal unleaded will cause damage.

I was advised that nearly all modern Naim equipment will take any speaker cable. I know no better but that was a Naim dealer advising

It’s not a true comparison though. It’s like use Bosch spark plugs instead of NGK. If you use the latter, it’ll damage your car!
Modern Naim amps can take any speaker cable impedance and capacitance. Olive series are more prone to issues.

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Yes that’s what he was saying. On older gear it was crucial to pair it well…but now that should not be a concern

yes, I read an interview with a Naim engineer who said the same thing.

i also got sick of NAC A5 and bought Vertere Pulse-X mini instead (the “family resemblance” to upscale Naim cables was a factor) and found the sound to be pretty similar, just much less of a faff to install.

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I’d be inclined to trust a Naim engineer too :+1:

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Isolda is an extreme example. When I was at Naim we specifically advised against using it on Naim power amps. Note that I’m talking about the classic power amps here. The modern all-in-ones and integrateds may well be ok with it.