I’ve got the 540ML on one of my turntables and it took a little while to run in and sound it’s best. Once it had the difference was quite marked.
It didn’t sound bad at the start just no where near as fluid and seem less from top to bottom and the bass filled out.
Would be interested on what you think of yours if it stays for a bit, given the improvement the AT brought over my Exact at the time I’ve got your cart down as a possible for the future.
Does this count?
New car delivered today. I went for the upgraded stereo. Focal rather than Naim unfortunately.
Bentley?
Doesn’t that have a Naim stereo?
Only a humble Peugeot
I don’t know exactly, the Speakers are anyway from Focal
Peugeot has actually nice cars. Which one do you have?
A dedicated circuit is always a very worth while upgrade. The cryo Hubbell’s will be a worthwhile upgrade if you’ve just been using builder grade outlets but I’d highly recommend checking out the Furutech GTX-D NCF(R). I have yet to try it directly with my Naim specific gear (powerlines are still using cryo Hubbels in the power bar), but I first added one in the wall that feeds the powerbar & have since added a second that feeds my DAC & phono stage. For “just an outlet”, their price seems crazy but for the actual impact they have on the sound, they seem like a bargain. I will warn you, the NCF stuff can be addictive, I’ve since added 4 FI-50 NCF ends on different power cords & have a feeling more in the future as well as swapping some of my RCA/XLR ends.
Farad Super3 Power supply for my EE8 Switch. Less than 8 hours in but damn it’s nice.
I’ve ordered an Audio Technica 760SLC cartridge for my ‘second’ system. I suspect that it’s fairly closely related to what you’re showing in that photo.
Thanks, but I’m good now on power. Dedicated circuit, hospital grade outlets, Powerlines. It’s all good. 
Guess the saying goes, you don’t know, what you don’t know. I said the same before I tried these outlets 
3008 Hybrid
I had one before on lease and it was dues for replacement. Decided to treat myself to the better stereo
RigB that 540ML and you’ll be amazed.
Thanks, but I’m moving on to other projects. What did you find lacking with the AV Options outlets?
Well that got me googling, interesting.
I wouldn’t say anything is lacking with the cryo Hubbells, compared to a typical builder grade outlet they are an improvement but in comparison the level of improvement you get from the builder grade vs cryo Hubbell is significantly less then the improvement you get from the cryo hubbells vs the GTX-D NCF(R)'s. Years back when I first swapped in a cryo Hubbell, it was, I think it sounds better… When I swapped from the builder grade to the GTX-D NCF (R), I sat there with my mouth open confused how just an outlet could have this much impact on sound.
With the std grade outlets, that are made from bronze, brass etc, there is a harshness there (likely more noticeable with digital), the GTX-D NCF (R) removes a large portion of this (as has each additional NCF outlet, cord end, iec inlet, etc I have added). The first one added will likely have the largest impact on this, with each additional one adding the same sorts of improvements but to a smaller degree. On top of this large drop in harshness, the sound is significantly more detailed without any brightness. The sound stage also opens up a large amount & gives better imaging. It really is shocking how much an outlet can change the sound. In the past I didn’t believe it either, I was happy with the cryo Hubbells. Years back my dealer said while the cryo Hubbells are an improvement the GTX-D NCF (R)'s are at a whole other level. At the time, my thoughts were, are they or do you just want to sell me a $300+ outlet? I only gave them a shot because with everything else I did/amount of money I spend for the dedicated listening space, figured, oh well, get the very best & worst case, it looks nice, lol. At this point, I don’t think I could ever go back. This has lead me to change to some of the matching FI-50 NCF Rhodium ends as well. It has been a real eye opener in what gold plating masks in a revealing system.
Edit: To anyone who tries one of these, get the burn in option from your dealer if they offer it. The swings in performance/tonal balance are shocking with these. Have never experienced anything like it with any other piece of kit.
This is interesting thanks for sharing. I’ve gotta admit I wouldn’t consider spending $300 for an outlet without someone else reviewing/using it. Can’t do a home demo with one of these lol.
There’s also a point where you have to stop throwing money at it, and move on to other things. I also don’t ever plan to bother with 500-series, SuperLumina, and so on. There’s always something better, but seldom is it necessary.
I use the Furutech FT SWS (R) wall outlet (only), because the NCF version was not available because of the delivery delay after Corona period. But I am also very satisfied. It was an immediately audible improvement. But it takes patience. The burn-in time is extremely long (up to 500 hours) and by then there can be a lot of fluctuation. Compared to the prices of components or some power cables, it is a cheap update.
No doubt, 252/SCDR/300DR is my end game Naim for the foreseeable future as well. I will say the level of performance I have been able to achieve from these will keep me happy for sometime. Two of the biggest improvements I have done were the acoustically treated listening room & the power upgrades. I would rate these changes as higher then some of the black box upgrades I have done in the past. Based on my experience, I don’t think I could justify this level of kit if I had to go back to a standard non treated room, with basic power, as there is just so much potential that is lost in doing so.
I’m in Canada, so the outlets are $300+, I’m not the type that would just throw money at these sort of things just for fun. The change was significant enough that I bought a second one of these as well as 4 of the matching FI-50 NCF (R) ends (they retail for $476ea here). & as I said, will likely be adding more, as their impact is that great. Their cost seems ridiculous but when you hear their impact on performance, they actually seem to have very good back for your buck.
With that being said, obviously you need a certain level of kit, room, power to justify these sort of upgrades.
Not sure how the schucko wall outlet compare but sonically there is a big difference between the std rhodium & NCF US versions, so it might be worth investigating? I have heard people refer to the NCF stuff as audiophile crack, it really is addictive, so be careful, lol.
I found the pre burn in really helps but yes the Furutech rhodium stuff does have a very long burn in. Before I experienced these, most burn in I experienced was maybe 10-20hrs (speakers, cartridges, etc) & was well aware of how our brains/ears adjust. These are crazy, the swings are so much that each night I was curious as to what I would hear & it most defiantly wasn’t a linear progression of sounding better each evening. At times you could hear it shifting as you were listening, was the strangest thing I’ve ever heard.
