Speaker Cables Suggestions

Hi-Fi Corner
41

I’ve not done the comparison, sorry.

42

Wow! The breadth and number of responses are incredible. Thank you, I think!

Ref cost, I have a budget of £4-500.

I am slightly concerned about comments of damage to amp and the adding of networks(?) to cables?

I currently have bonded banana plugs to each end of current cables

Cutting a channel in the underlay is interesting as this would enable a more direct route, shorter and therefore permitting a higher quality cable…

Mike

43

I simply avoid those that don’t. Whether you believe specs tell you everything or not, they are the measurable basics. Why would you hide those? Would you buy an amp or speakers with no specs published?

44

That’s my way too, that said I’m not in the habit of buying speaker cables that often.
I am a bit more familiar with cable design than most people & have a reasonably good ball park idea of that a particular cable construction form & materials will give.

45

I agree that viewing the ISOLDA cable specs would suggest that the cable is not appropriate for use with Naim amps. My understanding, based on speaking to Max Townshend–who is very familiar with the requirements of Naim amps–is that the matching network boxes on each end of the cable allow them to be safely used with Naim amps. While my observations of NACA5 are based on using a 3.5m pair, I can’t deny that the ISOLDA cables sound much better in my Naim system and present no problem to my amp.

46

FWIW–the price of the ISOLDA cable is significantly less than Naim’s SL. However I haven’t heard the SL cable and have based my observations of comparative sound on using a 3.5m pair of NACA5.

47

Thanks Rosario. Interesting - I’ll research them further.

48

Or how about Naim’s own recommendation of RS stock number 364-629 ( lightly twisted together) , if you can find any that is!

49

You know what would be nice in the FAQ section is a fuller description on the cable FAQ. The specs of A5 are well known and published. But what would be more correct and meaningful is a description of:

  • The optimal capacitance, resistance, and inductance over the total length of cable.
  • The stable minimum and maximum capacitance, resistance, and inductance over the total length of cable.

Giving the specs of A5 per meter are only semi useful. Another cable at 1.5m runs might be the same as A5 over 5m and be just right for someone. Not wishing to sound pedantic but terms like high capacitance and low capacitance are useless. “High” and “Low” are not numbers. And I’m sure other people with engineering backgrounds get driven nuts by such imprecise terms.

I might infer from the current FAQ that those might be

Optimal (based on 7m)

  • Capacitance: 84pF
  • Resistance: 63 milliohms
  • Inductance: 7uH

Minimum (based on 3.5m)

  • Capacitance: 42pF
  • Resistance: 31.5 milliohms
  • Inductance: 3.5uH

Maximum (based on 20m)

  • Capacitance: 240pF
  • Resistance: 180 milliohms
  • Inductance: 20uH

If the above is correct, it would be far more useful as a cable selection tool. But of course we don’t know which specific value is the floor for the minimum or the ceiling for maximum so I expect the above is not correct. Hence my ask.

3 Likes
50

I measured this a few years ago & from memory L was something like 0.7uH, C was around 30pF, but it did vary somewhat depending on how it was laying on floor/bench - to be expected with the loose twist able to move around.

51

So you want Naim to help their competitors to sell more speaker cable to Naim customers? Not a great business model really. If competitors want in on Naim’s success they should provide the information you need to persuade you to buy their products.

1 Like
52

C’mon be realistic. No cable maker is going to get excited about the prospect of making cables specifically for Naim. The market is puny. It wouldn’t even be on their radar. Witchhat do that and they are barely getting by. It would be just a tool for customers who have already decided they want something other than A5/SL.

1 Like
53

Chord do OK out of Naim related sales, without which they would not exist. Likewise that company we’re not allowed to discuss here, and a few others. Piggybacking on the success of a brand leader is easy money for some businesses. That’s not the point, though. Naim are a business, and as such, helping their competitors to take sales from them makes about as much sense as flushing a few tenners down the toilet every time you go to the loo.

54

It would already help choosing between those two, their specs differ significantly.

3.5m A5 != 3.5m SL

55

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