I have been in the Naim Audio family for about ten years. Many boxes have come and gone, but I have always used Naim’s NAC A5 speaker cable.
I listen to Ambient Music, Soundtracks (especially Soundtracks to Horror Films), Jamaican Dub, as well as Modern Classical. 99.9% of my music is Instrumental Music (i.e. no vocals).
I have always wished my system was darker. (I have a bright room, but I listen nearfield.) Soundstage, imaging, detail retrieval, etc. were (and are) all fine, but with the NAC A5 the sweet spot was in the upper mid-range. I have always wished the sweet spot was lower.
After watching a YouTube video (thank you Steve Huff), I replaced the NAC A5 with (the very affordable) Micca Pure Copper Speaker Wire with Gold Plated Banana Plugs (14AWG). To my surprise, my system with the Micca Speaker Wire is more coherent and… darker! Low frequencies are richer and more detailed. Also, overall, music is more dynamic without being forward.
Compared to the Micca, the NAC A5 sounds lean with a bit of harshness (especially in the higher frequencies).
Needless to say, the NAC A5 is now in my closet.
Is anyone else using Micca Speaker Wire with their Naim gear?
Can anyone recommend other speaker cables to those of us who want it darker?
The Micca Pure Copper Speaker Wire is designed in USA and made in China.
Current System: NDX 2/XPS DR > NAC252/SuperCap DR > NAP250 DR > Graham Audio LS5/9
I have an old pair of Hitachi ssx-102e lc-ofc cables.
They are clearly darker and more punchy than my NACA4.
I sometimes switch to them, when I think the NACA4 sounds to bright.
I have no business interest in Micca, and I have no idea how they can sell their speaker cable at such an affordable price.
I needed a set of speaker cables for my second system, and I tried the Micca. I compared it to Tellurium Q Black II and Bryston/Van Del Hul, and I prefer the Micca.
On a whim, I tried the Micca in my Naim set-up, and I like what I am hearing. The cable is colouring the sound (making it darker), but I like it. I have BBC monitors, so I am a “pipe and slipper” audiophile.
By the way, I am hanging onto the NAC A5, and I will switch between the speaker cables depending on the season. I still hope to audition the Super Lumina one day.
Good that you found a speaker cables for your needs. For my own part, I love Naca5 in my system, have tried much more expensive ones from Chord and other brands but in the end always went back.
That’s my experience too. My NAC A5 was in the closet for about 5 years before it was recently sold last month. I find the low bass of the NAC A5 to be chopped off thus causing the lack of detail apart from not reaching deep enough. The treble is also slightly dark and harsh with a bit of grain. The current speaker cable that I use in the system is Chord Signature XL.
By the way, I use the Graham LS5/9 too with 282/250DR. Great combination!
One year ago I bought two sets Micca pure copper cables.
On my second set, Nad with Dynaudio, where I used 40yo cables bought in a Hifi shop.
The Micca’s are a big upgrade there.
In my livingroom, Supernait2 with Dynaudio is use Nac A5, I replaced then for the Micca’s for about a week but it was not as good as what I was used to hear.
So back to the Nac’s again.