Hello Naim fans, I am curious since the Tellurium Q speaker cables are becoming more and more popular in Naim systems, what is the length of the cable you are using?
We all know that Naim recommends at least 3.5m of Nac A5, but Tellurium Q Black ot Ultra Black are not with the same electrical specifications as the Nac A5 - does this rule apply for them too?
For Example, according to Chord - 3m of their higher end cables is perfectly fine with Naim.
Please share your own experience - including the exact model of Tellurium Q speaker cable and how long is it, and of course the model of your Naim components!
I don’t actually need 3.5m but buying that length means I cover myself in case of any future changes to the system or setup. tbh 2m would have been fine so I have about 1.5m in a loose coil under each speaker.
Tellurium don’t publish the relevant electrical parameter specifications, so no one really knows unless someone measures them.
What Naim are really saying with the recommendation for a minimum of 3.5m of NACA5 is they need 3.5uH of inductance load & as NACA5 is 1uH per metre, 3.5m is needed.
Looking at the Tellurium cable designs, I suspect they are high’ish inductance so would be happy to use them with something like the Naim recommended lengths. That said, these Naim recommendations are more appropriate to the classic power amps, not so much with the integrated’s & new combo streamers,
And re Chord, Chord also don’t publish relevant cable spec’s & they might say 3m is OK, but that doesn’t make sense. Chord have many cable designs & no two will be the same.
I have Chord Odyssey & have measured it: the inductance is 0.6uH/m so in theory I need 6m to match the Naim minimum recommendation. I have 5m.
I have been using a pair of TQ Black II (10.0 m.) for 2 years now with my SN2 - due to room set-up necessitating to have the 10.0 metre length over a wide sliding door/window frame, the closer to the amp cable being neatly folded under my system rack. All works beautifully and that based on back-to-back comparisons with NAC A5 which I was using for years until the change. Cheers, Vik
3m of TQ blue here with my NAP160. I attempted to measure the cable inductance with my Marconi bridge, but it’s getting towards the smallest end of its capabilities. It seemed to be around 1uH per metre.
When the NAP was first inserted in my system I also connected my oscilloscope to look for any sign of instability as a precaution - none was seen.
It’s a pity cable ‘manufacturers’ don’t publish basic technical specifications, preferring reams of marketing babble.
2x6m of Tellurium Q Black. Quite happy with it after Chord Odyssey. I can’t compare with NACA5, which was ruled out as it is too unwieldy and too thick to go under a carpet.
Down to individual cable parameters.
Please remember that SuperLumina sets start at 3 meters and they work perfectly ok with Naim amps. So it’s not the lenght that is the deciding factor. As @Mike-B wrote - specs / meter multiplied by a given length.
When testing TQ, if I remember correctly, they came it at either 2.5 m or 3 meters. Worked OK with Naim amps.
But TQ with Naim was swings and roundabouts for me… chose Naim instead.
2*5m TQB in my system with my 282/SCDR/250DR/Focal Elektra 1028Be. No problems with it at all, sounds fine… As above, used because it goes under carpet easily.
I tested this cable with 250 and 160 without problems with the amplifiers. The thing is just that the naca 5 sounds so much better at a fraction of the price.
I seem to remember (from the previous Naim Forum) that TQ Black is a fairly popular choice with Naim amps. I’ve also tested it and in my opinion, with my system, in my room, it’s no match for NACA5.
I use the new Tellurium Q Ultra Black 2 cables on my 250DR (2017 model) at 2.5m lengths. It’s an excellent cable and definitely an upgrade on the original TQ Ultra Black. I contacted Naim support to clarify whether any harm or long term damage would affect the amp. They said Naim cable is preferred (Naca5 at minimum 3.5m lengths) but confirmed it unlikely that any damage would occur if I continued to use my Tellurium cable.
I have used 2 x 8M of Chord Rumour 2 for the past 15 years.
On the old Forum, you worked out that those had a suitable inductance load for my 150x/Arivas.
I just bought 2 x 3.5M of Chord Epic with Ohmnic banana plugs.
The cable is new and unused (was part of a promotion where people buying B&W speakers got Chord cables for free).
I like some of what it does, but other aspects not so much.
So the Rumours seem to present the music sweetly ‘as a whole’, whereas the Epics seem to present the individual bits of the music more clearly, but the Epics do not make the music come together as music as well as the Rumours (so far in the first 2 days of use).
Q1: Are th Epics long enough to have suitable ‘inductance load’? (this may not be the correct term!)
Q2: Which Chord cables (and lengths) have you tried in the past?
Q3: What led you to settle on Odyssey 2? (I suppose the short answer to this is ‘the sound’, but I’m trying to understand the relationship between sound, cable thickness, shielding, and length).
Hi Jim, a lt of questions & some the answer is I don’t know.
Q1: 3.5m Chord Epic. I have no idea what the inductance of Epic is as Chord don’t publish it. But looking at the config, its a twisted pair & suspect the inductance is in the same ball park as any such cable. This includes my Odyssey with 0.6uH/m. In that case 3.5m is not ideal, but it will not break anything.
Q2: I’ve only tried Odyssey (in current use) & a screened version of something similar. I’ve also used Linn K20 (NACA5 look-a-like) NACA5, RA 8PR (don’t even think about it) various QED including the famous old 79 strand. But you need to understand that my amp is the old Supernait & it seems to be completely unaffected by most all speaker cables I’ve used, including the 8PR, & that might not be the case with your amp
Q3: Yes sound. Understanding the rest is a complex subject & a lot of subjective opinions.
I have no need of screened speaker cables, not actually sure what sonic gains a screen brings.
Cable thickness for speakers is normally good with whatever the vendors offer. But I’m a little suspicious with less than 1.5mm/2 with longer (<5m) lenghs, I hear a lightness coming on, whereas <2.5mm/2 does seem to give more in the slam & dynamics area.
Thanks Mike
Since I wrote the post above, I listened to 3 tracks and the music seemed much better integrated, so it’s looking like they are keepers.
Jim