I can’t work out the MCRU hierarchy. No 75, 85,88,95,…its a bit unclear to me.
Anyone know?
When I have asked MCRU it was not clear either!
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When I decided to upgrade my power cables and sockets (provided a discrete circuit on board for same as well) my dealer advised me that he would recommend Naim power cords as the best he had ever heard and not to spend big money on expensive cables. I didn’t take his advice.
Before my new cables arrived I sold my Thrax Lyra loudspeakers and replaced them with a pair of vintage Altec A7 VOT speakers. I asked my wife to listen and give her opinion (better ears and harder to please). She said massive improvement. When my power cords arrived I plugged them into the dedicated circuit using known brand name gold-plated 99.999 pure copper receptacles and played music for a few days to “break them in” before asking my wife again, for her opinion. She heard no difference what-so-ever and said she hoped I didn’t spend too much on the cables ($ thousands 
).
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For some time I have had one Isotek EVO 3 Premier which supplied either the XPS or the SN3 - it seemed to make little difference. Last month I borrowed two more so all my boxes (except the Core) had the same upgraded power leads plugged into wall sockets. I listen mostly to classical and was shocked and amazed by the difference. Clarity replaced the ‘mush’ when lots of instruments were playing together. In the 70s, Karajan and the Berlin Phil. would try to achieve ‘blend’. Over the years I have spent lots of money trying to open out that blend and this final tweak to my system has probably achieved more per £ than any other.
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That’s interesting as I have 2 of the Iso tek Initium cables on another (non Naim) system and even at this level of cable I noticed a pronounced improvement when I connected source and amplification to them so maybe further up the Iso Tek chain may be an alternative.
Powelines are a no brainer on Naim kit. Definite improvement and worth the money imo.
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A very clear upgrade. When I did a dedicated mains circuit to my system it was much quieter and more detailed. Worth it!
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Help us understand all the acronyms. What is MK plug, hydra, HCDRs, napsc, xpsdr, MCRU no85?
They are all product names, not acronyms
- MK Plug - a mains plug made by MK
- Hydra - an arrangement whereby one mains connection can supply 2 or more mains devices
- HCDR - That is an acronym, albeit not an ‘accepted’ one and refers to the Naim HiCAP DR power supply which can power a variety of Naim equipment (pre-amps, phono stages)
- NAPSC - This is the Naim NAPSC power supply, normally found on a Naim NAP202/282 pre-amp but can also power a Headline (headphone amp)
- XPSDR - This is the Naim XPSDR Power Supply which can power a number of source components from CD players, streamers and a DAC
- MCRU No85 - This is the name for a 3rd party power cable
I bet you are glad you asked!
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To clarify, the Hydra is a commercial product made and supplied by Grahams. Search for Grahams Hydra. The customer specifies how many sockets are included, fed from the single 13A plug.
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Grahams do make a hydra which is the most common one seen but there are other hydra’s in the wild and is as such a generic term and not limited just to mains, you can get USB hydra’s too!
The Grahams hydra uses only powerline lite cables.
Does it? Maybe that’s a recent thing, but the only Hydras I’ve seen use standard MK or Crabtree type plugs rather than PLL plugs.
I stand corrected then. The only ones I’ve encountered are the Grahams Hydras.
Every day’s a school day. 
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I have been running a Isotek EV03 cable for over a week now on my Nova that I had in another system and it definitely improves the general sound, more bass, detail etc.
Blimey, I’ve just looked at the Isotek website some of their stuff makes the cost of installing a dedicated radial seem like peanuts.
I’ve always been pleased with Isotk cables but their power conditioners do look interesting
All the PowerLine Lite is is a standard mains lead with the Lite plug, sold only in the U.K. The current Grahams Hydra is made using standard Naim mains leads joined together, with the tail being made from the same cable, in the length of your choice, and terminated with an MK Safety Plug.
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I am a convert with powerline upgrades with my main system but I have a Nova and found it didn’t offer upgrade value for money. The Nova did respond to other power cables quite well though so I ended up with a power chord but not Naim. The forum content often refers to chord and Nordost so suggest you trial a few - worth a bit of effort. Same with speaker cable out of interest, the Nova reacted differently
So have fun with that too.
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Sorry for the delay in reply, Nigel… I’ve been away in hi fi hiatus for nearly two decades… are these standard Naim mains leads the same as Powerline lite ones? I understand they are different and the Grahams hydra are apparently made using the latter - or am I mistaken…? I stand corrected.
Cheers
Sorry Phil, I don’t exactly follow your post, you seem to say they are the same and yet different. Maybe you could clarify.