Speaker Cable

Yep, NACA5 all day, tried QED cable with NAP100 and Naim cable made a difference, weightier and smoother, first cable change I heard a difference.

Witch Hat for Naim. No need to feel like you are wrestling a telegraph pole, quality and very pliant.

Superlumina 2X 4m cost 80% of the SN3.
Better buy an Hicap dr for that money I feel.

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WhiskyGuy

[Jan 27]:

“I’m using K200 and pretty happy with it. Not too bright, but plenty of detail and a wide soundscape. Used with SN3 & Spendor A7s.

Will probably try a few other options in the future once I inevitably upgrade the SN3, but for now it matches the system well.”

The Linn cable should be fine, so long as it’s long enough, say 3 or 4m or more.

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He just said he doesn’t want to take out a mortgage. Also the values differ quite much from NACA5. Red dawn has the following values (and Blue Heaven is very similar):

Capacitance: 32.0 pF/m
Inductance: 0.51uH/m

NACA5:
Capacitance: 16pF per metre
Inductance: 1uH per metre

So to reach the same inductance, we need approx twice as much cable (at 700-1000 per stereo meter for these Nordost cables), but then the capacitance is 4 times as high. With several meters it can be brought into the envelope of the values of 3.5-20m of NACA5, so it seems not completely impossible but, e.g., I wouldn’t want to run it with 3.5 meters, as that would be half the recommended inductance. (Even if SN3 is more tolerant)

And

alternative speaker cables cannot be recommended by Naim, however, should you still wish to try them then you should ensure that the cable is low capacitance and of moderate inductance. High capacitance &/or very low inductance cables are to be avoided at all costs and may result in damage to your amplifier.

From the FAQ:

Go lose sleep over something else. Your wire is fine. Is there something better of course always is.

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I’d prefer a SC but perhaps that is overkill considering the circumstances :relaxed:

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Hello HenryHonda - I wanted to use my Wireworld cables but they were very low inductance. Dangerously low. I’m saving for the Super Lumina speaker cables as I have the DIN5-5 cable and it is flawless.

Since my budget didn’t allow me the matching Super Lumina speaker cables I opted for the NACA5 and it completely surprised my. Highly recommended.

I also use products from AV Options. They are a Naim dealer as well. If you’re in the US Google them.

Agreed (as a person who own both Linn and Naim cables). It’s only a matter of personal preference which one you like better. Spend more for something else is hard to justify.

If you do not have any experience with NACA5, do take note that it’s a considerably stiff cable which will be difficult to work with if you need the cable to go through tight spaces. Personally I wouldn’t worry too much about the speaker cable and use your existing Linn K200 with the Supernait 3. Perhaps few months (or years) down the road when you are ready for an upgrade you may then consider something else such as the NACA5 or other equivalents. Chord makes some good sounding cables as well such as Epic, and there are other alternatives such as Witchhat, Tellurium etc. which are more flexible than the NACA5. They all sound slightly different from each other.

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Used NACA5 is cheap but the Linn is similar.

Just for fun (it’s a dull day) i have a alternative view, i want to see what happens?
18 awg 24 strand 0.75 sq mm all so known as fig 8. Specification unknown.
But is what was used before NAC 5 was thought of.
I still use 24 strand for it’s clarity and bass response but my speakers were designed
with 24 strand so you may find it is up to whether it suits the speaker more so than the amp
decades of use has had no effect on reliability of a NAP 110 amp.
Another cable (not expensive) that can be worth a look VDH Clear Water very flexible
“Spaced cable” i use this with the New Tannoy Ardens.
14 awg 98 strand 1.97 sq mm Cap. 17.5 pf /mt.
Both ready to be judged after 15 -20 hrs use in lengths of 5 mt or more.

Thanks Ryder and all, this is indeed a very helpful community :slightly_smiling_face:

After your tips, and a lot more research, I’m more comfortable staying with my Linn K200 for now - after all, that’s what I was using when home-auditioning the SN3 against a Hegel H190 and a Rega Aethos.

Yes, I’d already picked-up on the fact that the NAC A5 is very inflexible cable - which would not work for me, as one cable has to go through a conduit pipe under the fireplace. However, the Witch Hat Phantom looks interesting… - far more flexible, in roughly the same budget range as the K200, and from a small company of ex Naim engineers…

I’ll see (hear) what the next 6 months or so brings :wink:

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We have a conduit under the fireplace. I considered the Phantom but the plastic arrow made it too big to fit through. I use Tellurium Q Black II with my Supernait 3 and it seems a good match. The fact that the positive and negative are spaced apart gives it similar technical specs as the A5 as I understand it. It could be one for the future maybe.

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I have just bought a SN3 (60-Day return policy). I swapped it into my system for the Simaudio Moon 330A power amp. My Moon390 is now the source via its fixed RCA outputs. I am using my existing TelluriumQ Ultra Black II speaker cables which are “short” at 2.5m.
I have seen and read much on here about speaker cable length - but I dont recall seeing anything about what the ill effects are - do they just sound awful? Overheating?
It took me a long time to settle on the TQ Ultra Black II’s and they work/have worked well with my previous Spendors, and now my Sonus Faber Olympica Novas.
My SN3 seems very happy with them, it seems livelier and a bit more detailed than the 330.
I will give it some time to settle down, but initial impressions suggest that its staying, and that Santa may be heaving an NDX 2 down our chimney to replace the Moon390.
I intend to keep my TQ’s but I picked up a 4m pair of NACA5’s at a discount, so that I can try them for myself in a month or so.

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Potentially yes and yes

Hi @HenryHonda

When I first got my SN3 I just kept using my Supra Sword speaker cable. My dealer who installed my SN3 never voiced any concerns, so IMHO your Linn cable should be fine.

Hi @NigelA10

I have a SN3 and have not noticed with my ears in my system in my room awful SQ by using 2.5M lengths of Supra Sword loudspeaker cable. I have not experienced any form over heating either.

The SN3, all the modern Naits, are vey tolerant of speaker cables. Your TQ cables will be just fine & your SN3 will love them.

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