Speaker pop pop and stridency

Probably not, but if it were me it would annoy me that something’s not quite right. A bit of CDO.

I would try to take the guesswork out of it and first try to determine exactly where the noise is coming from.

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I wonder if the Chord XLR is some how to blame. Also you pre-amp is tube, maybe a tube is going bad?

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That’s why I suggest switching the cables, it should be possible to figure out if it’s the cable, preamp or the combination.

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With the Rega XLR to RCA , there was no noise. So it’s not the preamp, neither amp.
I tried two different Chord XLR to XLR, one is signature, the other is Indigo. Both give a little noise in one speaker.
However I tried another XLR to RCA and it was even noisier.
So I don’t understand.

I have inverted the cable on the preamp side and on the amp side. The noise go to the other speaker.
But I have not inverted simultaneously on the amp and preamp side.

Then it’s clearly one of the two cables. I’d claim on warranty.

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Both XLR do the same and one RCA XLR even more. So 3 cables.
Only the Rega did not.

Are the Pin Outs the same for you PreAmp and the Naim power amp? I quote from Google:

Balanced audio signals typically use XLR type 3-pin connections . XLR wiring is unavoidably more complex than single-ended RCA. First, you are dealing with three (3) terminations per channel; two signals (pin 2 and pin 3) plus one shield/ground (pin 1). These can be different between different brands, also the cables can be wired differently too. The owners manual should give you the pin outs.

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Btw in my 40 years choosing cables the higher spec ones sometimes give more noise as they tend to be much more transparent to power pass-through. So what goes in comes out strong at the other end. Means the cables is just a better conductor and does not isolate noise on the stream well. Just as a side note. I would put a really good DAC alternative in-between if you can and see if the problem persists. The higher end the system the more these issues seem to present themselves and the mroe silent the owners get due to the cost vs embarrassment factor :slight_smile:

PS just because one cable does not have it does NOT men it is the cable. Correlation does not mean causation. It might mean the other cables are just clean enough to transport the issue. It is not your speakers … beyond that I am still not sure :slight_smile: I always like to fix these issues one way or another as it means I have a dirty circuit somewhere.

Don’t understand why a better dac would change things. But even if, I have no intention for now to change from Nds/555dr.
I am curious why you speak about a better dac.

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A different DAC … my point is whenever you have “noise” it is always best to change the point of conversion … it actually does not have to be better … just replace it using the same setup in all other pieces … and see if the noise persists.

It’s the cable because whichever end it’s switched over at, the noise changes with it. So it’s not a pre or power amp channel.

One cable does not get affected would mean cables are not the issue. More the better the cable the more noise is produced through the AMP as we know it amplifies all power including noise.

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Exactly, it’s not the cable because 2 different XLR do the same results.
One cable does nothing. So it’s not the pre , neither amp.
I have to find the specific cable that will work.

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Yes but you might not be fixing the issue. Power noise is something eventually all of us strive for as cleaning the power signal cleans the music … the difference can be unimaginable to someone who has not experienced it. Suddenly body appears where before you did not even know it was gone. My advice would be to clean the power, if you have a DC connection in our home loop, then add an IFY, or go HICAP route etc … or even USB cleaners and linear power supplies where you can.

I had a Nap 250 dr just recently. There was no noise at all.
I ordered a Chord M6 powerblock. Maybe it will solve this issue.
But even with that minor issue, when the music is running, the sound is better than before, when I had the 250 dr. It’s a noise I can only hear if my ear is at less than 2 cm from the speaker.
Perhaps should I accept it.

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Have you tried using the XLR Cables that came with the 250?
And the Rega cables you tried are RCA to XLR. Since the 250 has no RCA inputs.

IMO you should contact your dealer/chord. You have a set of two supposedly identical cables and yet only one of the two exhibits this issue.