I have owned several OC systems in the past and have spent a considerable amount of time with the New Classic kit over the last couple of years. There is often a temptation in this hobby to assume that the aftermarket knows better, that a specialist high end cable manufacturer must surely outpace the manufacturer of the electronics.
When the Super Lumina went into the system, literally from the very first note, my immediate thought was simply: this sounds right. This is exactly what a Naim system is supposed to sound like. The synergy here is undeniable. There is detail, texture, slam, and air, but somehow all of it is presented in a way that feels completely fluid and organic. Nothing sticks out because everything belongs.
If the Grimm was the master of the slam and the Audience the vocal specialist, the SL does all that and is also the texture king. No other cable in this group retrieves micro-texture quite like this. It digs deep into the recording and pulls out the rosin on the bow and the skin on the drum, yet it does so with that characteristic Naim drive that I always find myself chasing. It is fluid, organic, and possesses a relentless sense of pace and timing.
I threw on Daft Punk’s Get Lucky and it was, incredibly, a fresh experience. Like most of the planet, I have heard this track a million+ times and I assumed I had squeezed every last drop of musical information out of it. To find something new and exciting in it at this stage is frankly unbelievable. The hi-hats were crisp and real, with a metallic sheen that feels physically present in the room. The track just locked in. The SL has a way of organizing chaos that allows you to push the volume up without the sound hardening or becoming congested, ever. I found myself instinctively reaching for the volume dial and turning it up higher than usual because the distortion floor just seems to completely vanish.
The sense of space around the instruments is uncanny, everything breathes individually, yet the presentation remains locked together in a way that makes your foot tap involuntarily. My notes say that the SL has the “sparkliest” highs of the group. With the way recent updates have been trending toward a more airy presentation, this might be something to watch. It has been dazzling for me, but it sits right on the edge of being too much of a good thing - as a reminder my ND555 is on 3.8.
Ultimately, this cable delivers the slam, the air, and the visceral excitement that brought me to Naim in the first place. It defends the throne with serious authority. I know the price tag is eye-watering, we are talking about a sum that gets you close to black box spend, but having heard what it does between the 332 and 350s, I would be genuinely shocked if anyone auditioned this and decided to send it back. It is simply that convincing.
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@gk_audio I added the AV Options Signal XLRs to my NC 222/250 combo. I always thought there might be some psychological effect to adding more expensive third party upgrades–but no more. The Signal XLR interconnects are superb to my ears–more bass, wider soundstage, and clarity. Astonishingly, really.
I love the Signals so much, I decided to go all in with AV Options, getting their cyro’d power strip (NA only), power cable for the NC250 (i have the Naim Powerline for the 222), and just sent my NAC A5 speaker cables to them to get cyro’d.
And since it is not cost effective to put a dedicated main to my system, AV Options highly recommended adding Environmental Potential’s audiophile quality EE2050EE surge protection and noise filtration system. Unsure if this would work outside the US.
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The AV Options stuff is the real deal. Their cables are great and big bang for the buck. I’m a fan of Siltech cables and have been auditioning some from my dealer lately, and the AVO cables hold their ground against them quite well.
I bought a new DAC and think I may get a set of AVO balanced cables for it.
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Agree, I have not heard anything else near this price range that beats the Signal for the pre to power NC interface.
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@gk_audio Did you ever evaluate or have had 552/500 with your ND555? I’ve been curious about moving upwards towards 332, NC250/350 at some point but few seem to have good experience in how these boxes compare in terms of sound quality/signature.
If you like very very good details , good soundstage easy to listen to , and keeping the prat , or “NEW” naim prat, go have a good listen .. it makes pairings w other makes much more easier.
Takes awhile for one to get use to the new sound. But it never fail to impress.. and I am holding on to them after demoed many other makes get DD, vitus , gryphon , Luxman , soulution to name a few. There’s this alluring character that I like in the 300s that I can’t get from the rest, for now.
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Not in my room, only at the dealer’s with the same speakers and source. It’s not easy to compare in that type of setting as the 500 series boxes are much fussier with cable dressing, rack position and uptime (they are likely demoed from cold at the dealer’s when they typically need days to come on song if not weeks). During my audition I preferred the character of the NC but I can see how this could go either way if I had both systems at home. FWIW I upgraded from 252/300 to the 300 series. I suggest you audition with the power supply on the 332, it takes the system to another level.
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@gk_audio my system sounds great as i have added these cable and isoacoustic tweaks. you mentioned adding a power supply that you said makes a massive difference as well? Tempted to try the NPX300–but wanting to draw the line on spend at some point. I am told adding subs also makes a massive difference with my Kanta’s.
Good result for a naim Forum.
I have only tested it against the standard cable - and here it has less hf energy, the SL. Your description is full spot on. Doing all without being over dominant - airy and together. I have SL in all 3 positions and the speaker cable made the biggest jump. But this was the step to full loom … so it might have an additional effect.
Have you bought all this cables and need to sell a lot now? 
Hard to choose between power supply and subs, very different upgrades! If you are missing low end slam then start with subs. The power supply will bring more refinement, body, and make everything sound more organic.
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I have SL DIN interconnects and speaker cables as well in this system (and powerlines) so you are right, synergy might play a role here.
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And finally, we arrive at the Shunyata Sigma-X.
I had incredibly high expectations coming into this. The Sigma-X ethernet cable was a transformational upgrade for my ND555, so I was expecting fireworks. To be honest, when I first plugged the XLRs in and played the first few tracks, I had a moment of… panic. My wallet looked at me, wondering why I had done this. It didn’t have the immediate snap of the SL.
But I knew better than to judge a cable cold. I let it settle, and then the magic started to happen.
If the SL is about visceral excitement, the Shunyata is about seduction. It introduces a bloom that is absolutely addictive, a meat on the bones presentation that melts your heart. It brings a quality to the bass that is phenomenal in both quantity and texture, but it does something to the soundstage I have never experienced before. It doesn’t just expand width and depth; it feels like the music is hugging you from the floor up. It is a dense, cinematic immersion.
For the photographers on here, switching from the SL to the Sigma was like putting a Black Mist filter on a Leica lens. The incredible sharpness and resolution are all still in the background - you aren’t losing detail - but the image is suddenly more glowing, more cinematic. However, keep in mind that this cable does change the Naim sound. It gives the impression of softening the transients slightly, but the PRaT remains intact. Everything simply feels smoother, organic rather than rolled off. The more time I spent with it, overcoming the initial shock of the signature change, the more I was drawn in.
I think the Sigma’s greatest magic trick is that it makes you stop analyzing. I put on Come In Closer by Rhye, and I was completely gone - as soon as the vocals came in I had goosebumps. It brought tears to my eyes on a piece of music I know inside out. It makes the Naim system sound smoother, more organic, but also perhaps a little less “Naim”. It creates a tube-like essence within a solid-state system that is mesmerizing.
The Sigma-X did leave me with a lingering question, however. The cable uses copper. The Omega-X uses silver. Given that Naim uses silver-plated copper in the Super Lumina, I am inevitably torturing myself with the idea that the Omega-X might be the perfect bridge between the Sigma’s emotional weight and the Super Lumina’s electric speed. But that is a dangerous rabbit hole for another day.
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So, where does this leave us?
I started this thread looking for the single cable that would unlock the full potential of the 332/350 XLR interface. I fully expected a clear winner to emerge, one that would make the choice obvious. Instead, I find myself standing at a crossroads.
The Naim Super Lumina is a marvel of engineering. It respects the source material and the electronics. It is fast, textured, and incredibly exciting. It makes the system sound like the best and most fun possible version of Naim. If you want to know exactly what the engineers in Salisbury intended you to hear, this is the cable, and it’s impossible to stop listening to.
The Shunyata Sigma-X is seductive, cinematic, and deeply emotional. It deviates from the traditional Naim canon, trading a fraction of that leading-edge snap for a holographic, floor-to-ceiling embrace . It is, also, impossible to stop listening to.
I am genuinely torn. Naturally, I want both of these things. I want the adrenaline and texture of the SL, and the cinematic romance of the Sigma-X.
For now, I am going to keep both in rotation a little longer.
A big thank you to everyone who followed along, placed bets, and chimed in with their own experiences, including the skeptics! It’s been a fun experiment to document, and writing it all down actually helped me process what I was hearing. I hope these notes serve as a helpful data point for the next person staring at the back of the 300 series wondering what could be next.
The journey, as always, continues.
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Great write ups. I suspect some of that warmer quality of the Sigma-X is that like the AV Options cable both use OCC copper which to me has a relaxed, fatigue-free sound. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Omega-X using silver OCC would give you everything you’re asking for.
I don’t personally find my Sigma-X warm but that’s likely due to the unique high current ES-Link Analog transmission used between my Esoteric N1 and C1X Solo which supposedly obviates some of the differences in XLR cables. I would call it a very balanced sound.
BTW, if you think the Sigma-X gives a seductive, addictive sound with an unbelievable sound stage, you should hear the Sigma-X power cords. I have a Sigma-X XC feeding my Everest 8000 and a Sigma-X NR for my 300DR and it is an incredible combination. And yes, my 300DR is plugged into the Everest.
Of course I too am contemplating an upgrade from Sigma to Omega, in this case from the Sigma-X XC to the Omega-X XC. Maybe…
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Quite interesting! I have an Alpha-X XC feeding my Everest 8000 and a Sigma-X XC on the way to replace it! All the Naim boxes, including the 350s, are on the Everest - it’s the first ever conditioner, after trying quite a few with disappointing results, that has improved the Naim system. The 350s are on the high current outlets and no impact to dynamics whatsoever. I am using powerlines for all the Naim boxes, and I draw the line there on individual box power cords - I have 7 of them so the Sigma-X NRs are out of the question. Here’s a question though, what would the upgrade to the Everest-X do 
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Nice, I’m sure you’ll appreciate the move to the Sigma-X XC. I too found no loss of dynamics moving the 300DR to the Everest which was a big surprise considering how much they didn’t like being plugged into a previous conditioner.
The Everest-X… I don’t want to think about it. Cost-aside I just can’t stomach being without my Everest while it’s away being upgraded.
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That’s probably one of the most unbiased write ups on the forum for quite some while. Very balanced and informative without falling into the ‘night and day’ differences trap. Your description of Superlumina certainly matches mine, and whilst I haven’t heard Sigma as an interconnect your description pretty much matches what I hear Sigma do as an ethernet cable. All other ethernet cables just sound ‘sterile’ and unemotional by comparison.
I think once you reach a certain level of equipment all cables have some validity in what they can uncover in a piece of music. I can still happily listen to standard Lavender cable as long as understand that it will change my perspective on what I hear with Superlumina.
I feel the trick is to find the ‘kit’ that gives the best ‘emotional’ balance across the widest range of music. I want to feel the same connection with recorded music that I feel when I hear live music and that’s surprisingly hard (but not impossible) to find!
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Great write up. For UK forum members thinking of the SL I would strongly recommend borrowing a Vertere Redline from a dealer. I have a full loom of redlines including power cables and its simply the best thing I have ever done in my hi fi systems…..
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Agreed. Redlines are excellent.
And there is a reason the Redline XLR cable looks very similar to the Naim SL - both are designed by Vertere.
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