Been a while since posting, but visiting this forum daily trying to keep up with things and especially enjoy all music recommendations.
Moving from the countryside to an appartement, made me decide to switch systems. My previous beloved set composed of ND555/NAC552/300Dr with full loom Superlumina. I now went to NSC 222 / NAP250 / NPX 300. I kept my Sonus Faber Olympica III’s. A significant change in sound quality, but I knew that upfront and can perfectly live with that situation.
My new set up is good, but I do miss “something” when it comes to detail and depth in sound. Apart from the previous system being better, I’d also had it fully tweaked and I had my living room treated acoustically.
Bearing I do want to stay with my current set-up, my dealer suggested I can get some additional depth & detail bringing a better XLR cable then the standard Naim-one I use now. They suggested a Chord Epic XLR. Interested in some advice of the experts on this forum:
Will change the XLR cable bring some significant improvement in depth and detail in my set-up?
If so, any recommendations that provide proper results. I noted people getting good results with Vertere Redline and Van Den Hul. My dealer suggested Chord. Should I go with Chord Epic XLR or another one. Any other suggestions?
Thanks for the help. I keep op enjoying this forum. It’s a great read to follow people’s journeys.
Have you sorted out your mains supply and system supports? These are likely to do more than changing XLRs. I get the impression that balanced XLR connections are less affected by the cables than single ended connections, but that may be rubbish. It may be worth looking on eBay and picking up something at a good price so you don’t lose if you sell them on.
Another (this time free) idea is simply to stop mentally comparing the previous and current setups. Of course the old one was better, but by how much in reality? What you have now is still better than 99% of what’s out there. So focus on how fortunate you are to own it, rather than thinking about how you once had something better. I suspect that doing this will make it sound far better than the best XLRs in the world.
If by "significant” your dealer is suggesting that it will make your new system virtually as good as your own system, then a) why wasn’t that said at the time of your purchasing, and b) I would be extremely sceptical! On the other hand if “significant” means subtly better, maybe tweaking some aspect of the sound, then the only question is whether whatever that difference is, or rather whatever difference is audible to you, is to you adequate value for your money. Actually point may be the only thing worth considering, regardless of how big or small the difference is ears in your room.
You did say that your previous room was acoustically treated. I assume your new room is not. Are you planning to do so? If yes, then surely better to do that before making any changes to your system. If not, why not? Depending of course on the room that might make all the difference you want.
Yes - Naim SL XLR interconnect makes a real difference, if within budget. Make sure you get the recent version designed for the NC ‘balanced’ inputs/outputs.
Hey @HungryHalibut thanks for your advice. I did look into some of the other support: mains is a top-quality Furutech feeding into a Furutech TP60. From TP60 to system is Powerlines. So I think I am ok on that side. I sold the Frame so the system is now on a custom (very stable) wall cabinet. I haven’t done anything on Fuse and Spurr; that’s just standard as it is with the house.
You are very right on comparing to the previous system; I try not to do that but honesty says “it happens from time to time”. An I know the system is just good from itself. …. But I like you thinking and sometimes just somebody needs to say it to me
Hi @Osiris gotcha. It is a 4.1K cable. Apart from whether I want to spend that money; I doubt if it is “in balance” with the system I have. Was hoping to go a slighty less expensive route
I’ve been very happy with OEM XLR. The XLR cable I’m most tempted by is AVOptions XLR specifically built for Naim NC but is US$1,700 - those that have like it but not easy to demo.
Moved into an apartment recently as well. The wiring is from 1990 and using the standard wall outlet for my NPX300/222/NC250 sounded rather horrible. I saw a possibility using a former telephone and cable-tv conduit to get decent power from a Siemens breaker to a Furetech wall outlet. The wiring is standard (no 8 mm or whatever) and the breaker is connected to the common rail. Nevertheless the change in sound (depth, bass, well everything) is significant. I can only recommend to investigate the possibilities.
If you go back to the Bible, you’ll remember the story of the wise man and the foolish man. The wise man builds his house on rock, while the foolish man builds his on sand. You have spent a lot on your Furutech stuff and the Powerlines, several thousand Euros I imagine. Yet it’s on the ring main, so you are building your house on sand. You’ve sold your excellent Fraim and now have a wall cabinet. More sand.
There are quite a few here who spend thousands on wires while ignoring the fundamentals of physics, the electrics and the system supports. It doesn’t seem sensible to me.
I found Naim equipment to be sensitive to better cables. For my 332/333/NC250 I moved to SarumT interconnect cables. I was not impressed with the Naim standard cable. In my prior system I used the EpicX and liked them very much.
It won’t quite sound the same without the Superlumina full loom.
I would get the XLR SL’s but these can be quite expensive, I would try the Vertere Redline XLR’s I have the DFI Din to RCA, and the SL, of course the SL is better, but the DFI was the entry level Vetere, having compared the Vertere R to SL, it was a very close call indeed.
Can’t comment much on Chord Cables, these are good cables, but I can’t listen to my system without my Vertere and/or SL cables.
My starter would be straightforward cheap Mogami XLR. I’ve tried a few alternatives between 333-332 but keep coming back to them as they have the balance of everything just right.
I recently compared a lot of XLR’s between 333 and 332 (Chord Sarum T, Furutech DAS, Witchhat Morgana) and settled on Driade Flow 808 XLR’s they really brought a significant upgrade and by far the best bang for the buck.
I am, like you, in the Netherlands, and it’s easy to try them out in your own set.
I did an extended full loom home demo of both Chord Epic and Chord Signature (XLR IC + speaker cables).
I did also try both XLR pairs with my then 5m NAC A5.
I found the combination of matched range XLR + speaker cables to give the best overall synergy.
The signature combo was the best to my ears, it was very musical with good stereo imaging and instrument seperation, it lost a bit of it’s punch and dynamics vs stock Naim XLR and NAC A5. It did need some time to settle in I found, I had to leave the test looms in for many days before they settled so do expect to have to wait and be patient when evaluating their impact innthe system overall and run them that way with multiple listening sessions for a good week or two to get a good feel of what they bring to the system overall.
I ended up with Super Lumina ultimately and that for sure made a noticable contribution.
Hi @HungryHalibut I hear you and you are absolutely right. The Furutech stuff was something I kept from the previous set since it’s return rate was rather low. SO it wasn’t an investment made specifically for this set.
Congratulations on your new system. It is not clear to me whether you have a 250DR classic as your amplifier, or do you say 250NC?
Good luck getting it tuned. Have you tried toeing in your speakers in relation to your “new sound”?
I spent a lot of time toeing in the speakers before I gave up and became satisfied with what I have now.
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