CraShWilliams
pfm Member
I'm waiting for their next sale, when that happens I'll be picking up an Anaconda XPS Burndy to go from my XPSDR to NDX2 - hopefully there will be sale soon!
Full witch hat loom
- Thread starter M@ver1ck
- Start date
HiFiman
Don't tell him Pike
Phantoms on both setups NAP300-SL2s and Nait 2 CB-SBLs, Morgana between 300 and 552DR PS
Excellent great value cables, a marked improvement over the Naim NACA5 and standard 300 XLR-Din
docstocker
pfm Member
Not being difficult, genuinely curious, but what is the logic or explanation for ‘cables burning in’?
cctaylor
pfm Member
I have full set up with all connections between the between the 32, NAXO, two SNAPS and three 250s in Morgana except one Flashback power only lead to supply the 32.
The speaker cables are Phantom.
I am very happy with the sound and won't be changing any time soon.
NickofWimbledon
pfm Member
cctaylor
pfm Member
Due to Naim's use of DIN sockets most of the Witch Hat interconnect cables are likely to be used in Naim systems with limited application in other systems. The speaker cables are of course universal provided you can use bananas at each end.
I have phantoms between dynavector hx1.2/2 and shahinian arcs. Morgana leads and burndy between linn akurate ds/ naim 52/ super cap and the aforesaid dynavector. Lush!
NickofWimbledon
pfm Member
My cables arrived a couple of days earlier than expected - thanks Witch Hat. For such a small company, the packaging is impressive, though thankfully not to the point where one objects to paying lots extra for the box.
My immediate reaction is that the Burndy between 52 and Supercap had the biggest impact, but the cable from SC to 250 power amp was also very effective. Together, they mean that Jaco Pastorius' bass guitar on Don Juan's Reckless Daughter is better defined/ controlled (and the deepest notes perhaps a bit louder?), and it is very noticeable that the placing of his bass in the stereo space is a lot less vague to my old ears. The harmonica on the Cowboy Junkies' Postcard Blues is also a great test (it should be hair-raising, not be comfortingly smooth, but it should also be listenable). By comparison with the my old Naim cables, that harmonica is cleaner and less uncomfortable at high volume, but no less compelling.
The cable from Superline to 52 fits into the same mould - no change to boogie factors or tonal balance, but a bit quieter where silence should be (if you see what I mean), a bit better at sudden vigour and with a little more control at both frequency extremes.
The jury is out on the source-interconnects from NDX2, CDS2. Initially, I think them a bit better than my old grey (i.e. same as lavender) cables. Comparison with a Hi-line is harder - I can hear that there is a bit of a difference - if pushed, I'd claim that the music seems to flow a bit better and that the bass on Bela Flack's Cosmic Hippos is more precise, but I am not sure that I am not imagining that to be the difference because of what the first 2 hours showed the effect of the first group of cables to be.
Some blind testing by ambushing friends will help pin things down, but that (and less tentative conclusions from me) will have to wait for a couple of weeks, given the above comments about burn-in time. I may yet end up preferring Hi-line to Morgana here (though that's not my guess as I type), whereas I'll be very surprised indeed if I prefer the Naim Burndy (say) after this.
As for why I hear what I do, I don't know of course, but I suspect that the screening issue may be key.
The back of my rack is a mess and that is really not surprising - 6 boxes need mains power, the 52 preamp has 6 cables in the back, I have 4 sources (inc tape) and the stack is only 2 boxes wide. I have moved boxes to keep (for example) 52 and Supercap a good way apart, and there is only so much one can do about the resultant pickle. The ridiculous but apparently necessary 'dressing' of cables generally and Burndies in particular is a particular complication, and one that one could not have imagined when a great hi-fi had 1 source and 2-3 other boxes (all of which just want to be a little distance apart).
Witch Hat cables are stiffer than many, and I am sure that they are not immune to really bad organising around what touches what. However, I strongly suspect that some of what I don't like as much about the all-Naim sound is my fault, and would be improved if only I could really make every cable hang free, untouched by any other or the floor or the wall. With Witch Hat, the last few hours of swapping cables and positions of boxes and all that seems to suggest that they are considerably less sensitive to mush (and worse) from cable-on-cable action.
Does this square with what other people hear?
My immediate reaction is that the Burndy between 52 and Supercap had the biggest impact, but the cable from SC to 250 power amp was also very effective. Together, they mean that Jaco Pastorius' bass guitar on Don Juan's Reckless Daughter is better defined/ controlled (and the deepest notes perhaps a bit louder?), and it is very noticeable that the placing of his bass in the stereo space is a lot less vague to my old ears. The harmonica on the Cowboy Junkies' Postcard Blues is also a great test (it should be hair-raising, not be comfortingly smooth, but it should also be listenable). By comparison with the my old Naim cables, that harmonica is cleaner and less uncomfortable at high volume, but no less compelling.
The cable from Superline to 52 fits into the same mould - no change to boogie factors or tonal balance, but a bit quieter where silence should be (if you see what I mean), a bit better at sudden vigour and with a little more control at both frequency extremes.
The jury is out on the source-interconnects from NDX2, CDS2. Initially, I think them a bit better than my old grey (i.e. same as lavender) cables. Comparison with a Hi-line is harder - I can hear that there is a bit of a difference - if pushed, I'd claim that the music seems to flow a bit better and that the bass on Bela Flack's Cosmic Hippos is more precise, but I am not sure that I am not imagining that to be the difference because of what the first 2 hours showed the effect of the first group of cables to be.
Some blind testing by ambushing friends will help pin things down, but that (and less tentative conclusions from me) will have to wait for a couple of weeks, given the above comments about burn-in time. I may yet end up preferring Hi-line to Morgana here (though that's not my guess as I type), whereas I'll be very surprised indeed if I prefer the Naim Burndy (say) after this.
As for why I hear what I do, I don't know of course, but I suspect that the screening issue may be key.
The back of my rack is a mess and that is really not surprising - 6 boxes need mains power, the 52 preamp has 6 cables in the back, I have 4 sources (inc tape) and the stack is only 2 boxes wide. I have moved boxes to keep (for example) 52 and Supercap a good way apart, and there is only so much one can do about the resultant pickle. The ridiculous but apparently necessary 'dressing' of cables generally and Burndies in particular is a particular complication, and one that one could not have imagined when a great hi-fi had 1 source and 2-3 other boxes (all of which just want to be a little distance apart).
Witch Hat cables are stiffer than many, and I am sure that they are not immune to really bad organising around what touches what. However, I strongly suspect that some of what I don't like as much about the all-Naim sound is my fault, and would be improved if only I could really make every cable hang free, untouched by any other or the floor or the wall. With Witch Hat, the last few hours of swapping cables and positions of boxes and all that seems to suggest that they are considerably less sensitive to mush (and worse) from cable-on-cable action.
Does this square with what other people hear?
I have Morgana DIN to XLR pair between my 272 and 300DR. They are a bit like my grandchildren's pipe cleaner toys - in that you can shape them in all sorts of ways to avoid touching other cables - slightly more expensive tho"!
Definite step up from Naim stock sound wise...plus Naim's are no fun in the toy department!
Definite step up from Naim stock sound wise...plus Naim's are no fun in the toy department!
Rockmeister
pfm Member
Wrong thread. You want the one where real engineers and scientists discuss their published and well researched findings.
Good luck.
NickofWimbledon
pfm Member
On cables 'burning in', I have never been very convinced by what I have heard but have not delved properly. It seem reasonable to me to test cables for efficacy with the ears that will be using them later (subject to all the endless caveats and discussion on other threads), but you are welcome to disagree.
As for 'scientists discussing their published and well-researched papers', I think it fair to say that there has been comparatively little of that, as even a fairly cursory examination often shows (see the ASR/ Atom thread) but we live in hope.
Last edited:
Rockmeister
pfm Member
yes
why i ended with 'good luck', but like you, I live in hope.
why i ended with 'good luck', but like you, I live in hope.
NickofWimbledon
pfm Member
It's been a couple of months, and I heard no change after about 2 weeks, so I assume everything is now settled. My cable dressing still isn't great, but it is probably less bad than it was.
First, the Morganas all work, though signal-only interconnects seem a bit less effective than those carrying signal and power. The background is quieter and seems cleaner, sibilance is down (though it wasn't bad before), small details are more obvious and stereo separation is better. For a given volume, this also makes things sound a tad louder and more dynamic. There is no change in tone or any discernible character.
I just had to swap cables. Putting Naim standard into my 250 (all else equal) definitely muddied things, though I can't say anything was ruined by it.
However, the reason for the messing about was the arrival of a 300DR in place of my (serviced) olive 250. With Naim XLRs (I don't yet have Morgana XLRs), the 300DR was a big win, improving everything that the Morgana cables improved, and had across-the-board benefits, with the overall improvement very noticeable at both quieter than usual and louder than usual levels.
Switching to Morgana looks ok in sound upgrade per pound VFM when compared to the 250-300DR upgrade. However, in my system, the big VFM winners of the last 2 years were (a) dedicated mains supply from meter to hi-fi, and (b) Isocaoustics Gaia feet under my speakers - the former reduced background mush (and hence improved detail) at least as much as Lingo1-to-Lingo4 and Cirkus-to-Karousel did, and the latter 'just' cleaned up the bass (which turned out to have a big impact on just about everything). Each cost less than a couple of Morgana cables, but that doesn't make the cables bad value.
I will try Morgana Mono XLRs for the 300DR. Is there a sale coming soon? They aren't cheap...
First, the Morganas all work, though signal-only interconnects seem a bit less effective than those carrying signal and power. The background is quieter and seems cleaner, sibilance is down (though it wasn't bad before), small details are more obvious and stereo separation is better. For a given volume, this also makes things sound a tad louder and more dynamic. There is no change in tone or any discernible character.
I just had to swap cables. Putting Naim standard into my 250 (all else equal) definitely muddied things, though I can't say anything was ruined by it.
However, the reason for the messing about was the arrival of a 300DR in place of my (serviced) olive 250. With Naim XLRs (I don't yet have Morgana XLRs), the 300DR was a big win, improving everything that the Morgana cables improved, and had across-the-board benefits, with the overall improvement very noticeable at both quieter than usual and louder than usual levels.
Switching to Morgana looks ok in sound upgrade per pound VFM when compared to the 250-300DR upgrade. However, in my system, the big VFM winners of the last 2 years were (a) dedicated mains supply from meter to hi-fi, and (b) Isocaoustics Gaia feet under my speakers - the former reduced background mush (and hence improved detail) at least as much as Lingo1-to-Lingo4 and Cirkus-to-Karousel did, and the latter 'just' cleaned up the bass (which turned out to have a big impact on just about everything). Each cost less than a couple of Morgana cables, but that doesn't make the cables bad value.
I will try Morgana Mono XLRs for the 300DR. Is there a sale coming soon? They aren't cheap...
NickofWimbledon
pfm Member
Excellent! Do I ave to wait until 31/10?
