One question I have is one about power cables. My Nait 5i and Cd5i (of course) came with power cables. I get the impression after reading a bit here and there that these power cables are better than the cables that are for sale at, say, hardware stores.
Is that correct, are the power cables that came with my devices any better?
Well, it just so happens that I moved not so long ago. I then put all the cables (including others) together in a box. You already understand, so I have no idea which cables are from naim.
How can the naim power cables (with EU connector) be recognized? Does anyone know about that?
It could just be that the cables are now in use with other devicesā¦ and that would probably be a bit of a shameā¦
The Naim supplied power cables are made by Well Shin and, depending on your hardware store, you may in fact be able to buy them there.
They are heavy duty thick gage and offer a slight improvement in terms of lower resistance over cheaper alternatives. But for sure, Naim are not the only people to use them. If you buy an IBM pSeries server or something like that, it will come with the same 1.8m 14AWG Well Shin cable.
Itās probably not a massive improvement but it is probably a big bang for buck for the extra $3 the cable costs.
Check the plugs that go into the wall. My original Naim Schuko cables have straight plugs (not 90 degrees) and on one of the two sides that you hold them they are ādimpledā, so you can easily identify the polarity, whereas the other side is āsmoothā. See photos below.
I hope they are still made like this and you manage to identify them. Donāt know how much difference they make compared to other standard black cables, but better to have peace of mind!
These dots are also a good indicator that itās a naim original. It indicates the āhot/leadā wire side for us with Schuko since it sounds better if you match these indicators with the same wire in the wall socket.
Itās also important that you ensure all the polarities are the same for every bit of kit in the system. The best way to ensure this is with an induction pen. It can make a remarkable difference for the better.
Only if the sockets have been wired that way.
In my house in France whenever I decorate a room one of the things that I do is check, About 30% are the wrong way around.
As Richard points out there are cheap phase detector pens on the market with which you easily detect the phase pin in the wall socket and from there make sure the power cables are in the correct position throughout the system.
Yes, the best way is to check with an induction pen as mass produced cables arenāt always wired the same way around. For years Music Line in Germany would test all their mains cables and then mark the positive on the Shucko plug with a white dot.
Alternatively you can get a socket tester for a few tens of euros that also tests earth continuity. Came in handy when EDF-ENR managed to sever the cable to my earth rod, though I didnāt spot it for a couple of months, I was checking the electrician who installed a new consumer unit hadāt reversed polarity in the process. He hadnāt but he didnāt spot the lack of earth either until I pointed it out. It pays to keep tabs on what these blighters get up to.
It certainly does. I once had an Electricity Board guy round to fix my meter, and he managed to connect the tails the wrong way round. The whole house ran backwards for a few months and it nearly killed an electrician who was working on wiring in the loft
A lot of people claim they can hear a difference in power cables, therefore surely you should easily be able to pick out the Naim or any other high quality cables from the standard ones.
Yes, itās worth remembering that āprofessionalā just means they get paid for doing something.
My garage with a 3HP compressor was wired with live and neutral transposed, and stayed like this for decades and until a mate was putting some lights in and detected and fixed the fault. The armoured cable that went into the CU had the wires transposed. Of course with AC everything works normally until a fault occurs.
