Instead of my trusted regular Musicline/Naim Netzleitzte today I inserted a Netzleitzte Plus in my system, the version with the Powerline cable attached instead of the regular Naim power cable. All components should benefit from this, and at first hearing it’s a major change for little outlay.
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I’ve had this happen once before.
I just switched it off and on again which sorted it out.
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That looks interesting I’ll have to see if there is a U.K. plug equivalent manufactured anywhere as it would be really useful, especially in the future to have my hifi plugs accessible (since turning things off and on again is the universal cure all) and I currently have to wait for someone to flick the switch’s for me.
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In the UK you have many more affordable options like the popular Graham’s Hydra.
Which was an original Naim idea by JV as was described here recently.
That’s also the appeal of the Netzleiste (Plus), it was an EU official Naim accessory.
Have now the chance to evaluate the two Netzleistes and see which one stays.
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I have read this thread and the experiences and this week I bought a second hand Naim DAC (2010) here in Switzerland. Today I put it into operation and it works without any problems. At the moment I am using my Audioquest Carbon digital cable (originally from the CD transport) as a connection to the ND5SX2 with an adapter. But I will soon buy a BNC digital cable (with adapter is certainly not ideal). I’m also going to try power cables as the one supplied is rather poor (no powerline lite). However, the sound quality is already better (out of the box) than the built-in DAC in the ND5XS2. Higher resolution, more details, more calm in the sound image, tones sound better. This does not mean that the ND5XS2 is bad
at this price point. But the NDAC is a big step forward. The ND5XS2 Naim DAC combination certainly reaches the level of the NDX2. I heard ND5XS2 and NDX2 (bare) compared at a dealer some time ago. The NDX2 was clearly superior. However, my impression is that the ND5XS2+NDAC combination is warmer, with more pressure in the bass, but more restrained in the treble (less “in your face” than the NDX2 or the ND5XS2 alone). That does change a lot in my system. Previously, the Nait50+ND5XS2 (bare) combination was rather slim, perhaps almost thin. That has now changed a lot. Now I’m enjoying Saturday with an extensive listening session.
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I’m pleased to hear how well your system is developing.
If you want to upgrade in a couple of years, you could move to 52/135s.
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Yes the Nait50 responds very well deep extended DACs like NDAC and the DAVE… which grows massively with 555PS non DR by the way 
I am firing my Nait50 / DAVE in my RK RED50s (which look similar to your speakers) … and punch and energy is really suprising for small speakers and the small amp, however I also have used room treatments to absorb bass resonances and cancellations using GiK acoustic absorbers…the bass and lower mid/upper bass energy takes a wonderful step forward and paradoxically creates a far deeper and involving sound, like far bigger speakers are being used, but I get the timing and reduced smearing benefits of smaller speaker enclosures… and can feel some low bass in my chest listening to the Chemical Brothers… which is kind part of the enjoyment with that sort of music.
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Good to hear the ndac is working well in your system which looks very nice.
Had mine for a couple of months now and can definitely mirror your findings, I seemed to have gained another layer of deep base, a friend came round a few days ago and found it really hilarious that he could feel the bass through our settee (couch!), very pleased so far just undecided if I should try a DC-1 in place of the Mark Grant BNC to BNC cable to see if I can squeeze anything else from the ndac.
I would like at some point to add a ps but that’s maybe for the future at the moment happy enough.
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Out of interest why do you appear to lift the cables off the floor with foam? Do you have suspended floors with vibration issues, or is it to help cleaning etc?
I heard exactly the same uplift when adding the nDac to my ND5XS2. I currently use the Audioquest Carbon too. I would be great if you could share how the DC1 (or any other BNC digital cable) changes the sound!
Perhaps my post earlier in this thread can be of some help? What will adding a Ndac to an ND5XS2 bring - #217 by daddycool
I have reverted back to the standard Netzleiste power strip with regular Naim cable, after trying the Netzleiste Plus with the Powerline cable. As I have found so often in my systems there is really nothing wrong with the original basic Naim cabling.
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I sold my DC1 after buying a Mark Grant DC1, which I found to sound the same, and was available in a suitable length for my system.
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Thank you for your feedback. I can confirm the positive effect of the GIK room acoustics elements. That was a big step forward. I previously had a very high reverberation time, which severely limited the sound quality. In addition to speaker positioning, room acoustics are a key component. This is easy in my dedicated listening room, but usually difficult in living rooms because it is a massive intervention in the room. Your system is still a big step ahead, the Chord Dave in particular is certainly in a different league, but also at a different price. I’m not planning a PS upgrade at the moment. All Fraim levels are also occupied, as are the connections to the Furutech power strip. And I don’t want too many speakers. Other speakers are an issue in the future and I have read your experiences with the RK RED50s. When I get the chance, I will listen to them. But the only dealer in Switzerland is about 150 km away.
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I will be happy to report back. Many users use the Naim DC1 and are very satisfied with it, as @daddycool described above. It is not a cheap cable (450 Euros). Others have also mentioned that the differences between BNC cables are not that great and that cheaper versions are also sufficient (e.g. Gotham, @Simon-in-Suffolk has pointed this out). I have just seen a good offer of an Tellurium Black II BNC, which is not common in the forum. I am still undecided.
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With my Uniti Atom, which I used until recently, upgrading to Vovox excelus power cables (very high quality and reasonably priced) was a very big step forward. The Uniti range is very sensitive to power supply and many have had very good experiences with Naim Powerline on Nova. I don’t yet know if this is similar with other Naim components. I will borrow various cables from the dealer and try them out. My general experience is that the power supply is a very important element. I have had good experiences with dedicated mains, Furutech sockets and power strips. Many people also use Chord Powerhaus.
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You should be able to find one used for about €300 plus shipping. Not such a great deal, I admit, but the DC1 is worth it IMO (and is not always in stock new).
Powerline benefits on Uniti Naim are well documented indeed.
However, I found the Netzleiste Plus (power strip with the Powerline cable) to disrupt the balance in my XS level system, both via speakers as via headphones.
Similar impression to how members described putting a HiCap on a XS amp, an amazing change but after a while somewhat unnaturally turbo-charged.
Happy back with the original Netzleiste, guess there is no substitute for trying in your own system.
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The Dave is an incredible piece of engineering, ok its expensive but prices on the used market are almost half RRP.
I dont think I could ever part with the Dave, superb dac delivers in any setup - for me I’ve used the Dave with a Nait 2, Nait 50, 282, 252DR, 552DR/ 500 and now 552DR / 250DR… love it!
Still own the NAP500 (boxed), Nait 2 and Nait 50.
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I have a concrete floor with parquet. There are threads in the forum about cable dressing. I had read there that cables should not lie on the floor. Signal cables and Ethernet cables should be kept away from power cables. I had also seen that a user had used foam and copied it. It’s from the DIY store and costs next to nothing. But I’m also not sure whether it’s necessary and offers any advantages.
Thanks, yes best keep signal leads away from other cables, and if you need to run mains leads, Ethernet leads and speaker cables in parallel, best limit it to no more sat than a couple of meters and not tightly packed.
I can’t see any advantage of raising mains cables or speaker cables off the ground in free space… I can think of a few potential disadvantages with respect to RFI, but if you are happy and sounds good to you then that is what it’s all about.
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The nDAC responds well to a naim Powerline power cable, even when used with an external PSU.
We have Powerlines on both nDAC and the 555.
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