Trying new speaker cables

I hope they are with the plugs as pictured. Looks really neat.

I received my NACA5 cables today. Really well put together! If it is the dealers work they are done well.

Well I never thought they would sound so good, what a pleasant surprise!! They have immediately given my system more clarity and crispness. The bass is all there and seems to be tighter too. The deepest notes seem to have more presence too. I have never installed a cable before and been immediately this impressed. I have been sat here listening for a few hours now with not a hint of fatigue. With the extra clarity and detail that is a win in my book. I know it is a cliche saying but I feel they just get out of the way and let the system do what it wants to do.


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They are more appreciated when they come in a nice box and all, instead of being lumped in with a Naim amp buy :slight_smile:

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Ha! Yes definitely. Nice packaging always improves the experience. Especially when the performance backs it up.

The performance certainly does, enjoy!

Had NACA5 years back but now run Tellurium Q II Black but would be interesting doing a AB test today again. However I remember the pain managing them being stiff as *****. I would imagine Naim selling a lot more just solving this issue.

Sounds great. And as the sound will improve as they run in I think you’re in for a treat.

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I love the way it is, IMHO much better than cables that flop about. Certainly depends on your installation environment though.

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I bought the TQ black 2 before these and sent them back. On my system they sounded restricted and didn’t allow the transients and impact that my old cables did. My old cables were ecosse ES. They were 3mmsq. Nac a5 is 4mmsq. I think it really depends on system though. I have large speakers so they really make use of the thicker gauge. I couldn’t seem to find anything that could tell me the size of the TQ…

Yeah it’s great…… once you accept the rats nest.

That’s really neat. Where is the excess though? That’s the part that is problematic.

Me too. I don’t understand the gripes with its structure.

I’ve got it running neatly across the floor and then along the back wall.

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The excess responds pretty well to bring gathered like a concertina shape. I’ve got a 2 metres of excess from one speaker and 5 from the other gathered under the rack but you’d never know.

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When I had a cheap separates system, I discovered that speaker cables can improve the sound. Even my wife was convinced! It seems logical to me that cables with different inductance and capacitance can effectively change the speaker load especially if the current can be significant even for a short duration.

Although I have moderate price interconnects and digital cables, these seem to make less difference than speaker cables.

I always buy cables second hand as there are bargains to be had!

For the speaker in the above picture there is no excess as the cable is approx. as long as it needs to be. The other one is folded up once, see more pictures in the post linked below (I was lucky that I could do one long fold). I’m not sure this makes much as a difference with NACA5 as opposed to floppy cables - if the system is off to one side, you need to fold up anyway.

As for the folds if you cannot do just one, see picture here to illustrate what @anon39880737 meant (I think):

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Yes that’s the exact photo I had in mind when I posted

Mine doesn’t look as neat as that, but hey, it’s it of sight!

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I’m sure Naim’s NAC A5 is not the “best” speaker cable out there. It’s design is very simple and even looks not impressive compared to other “exotic” designs. It’s price is relatively cheap, compared to those megabuck brands.

But IMHO, it is one of, or even the best matched with Naim amplification. And to me, that is more important. So as long as I’m using Naim amps, I’m a NAC A5 fanboy :slightly_smiling_face:

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Oh sure it is…Just own up… :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

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I also prefer naca5 to TQ black, the latter really sounded restricted to me.

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