john howard
pfm Member
I thought I would post on here rather than the Naim Forum, truthfully, does it really improve the sound seems very expensive for a mains cable
Naim power line ????
- Thread starter john howard
- Start date
Amber Audio
This is the Day
Borrow one from a mate or shop - sale return or buy used and sell on if it doesn’t float your boat. Only way to find out is try one in your system.
FWIW I think having a dedicated mains put in by an electrician would be a better use of funds, I think a PL is now £650?. An alternative is a Grahams Hydra or Powerigel. All 3 much better vfm IMO.
FWIW I think having a dedicated mains put in by an electrician would be a better use of funds, I think a PL is now £650?. An alternative is a Grahams Hydra or Powerigel. All 3 much better vfm IMO.
Alex S
carbon based lifeform
Get these instead: https://www.kjwestone.co.uk/product/shunyata-omega-qr-uk/
It's mostly diminishing returns in this hobby. I don't use Naim Power Lines on my equipment but have mains power cables that cost more than 3 times the cost and they do make a difference.
Apart from mains power cables, the way the components are connected is also important. Directly to wall outlets or use good power blocks or conditioners if there are insufficient sockets.
Apart from mains power cables, the way the components are connected is also important. Directly to wall outlets or use good power blocks or conditioners if there are insufficient sockets.
In my opinion no. It's a cable for getting power to a unit requiring it. How can it make a difference over any other such correctly sized cable fitted with connectors that make a good contact? It's a cable, not a wand! Very disappointed to see Naim embrace this tomfoolery.
david ellwood
Kirabosi Kognoscente
To dismiss the Powerline you’ve either not tried one or your hearing is impaired.
I use one on my Radikal and it improves the sound of my record player. Which is worthwhile to me as options to improve it are otherwise even more expensive.
I use one on my Radikal and it improves the sound of my record player. Which is worthwhile to me as options to improve it are otherwise even more expensive.
I use PL's but seriously?
david ellwood
Kirabosi Kognoscente
The nearer the front end the bigger the difference.
rhgbristol
pfm Member
What about all the other numerous sections (indeed metres or even km) of cable, cable joints, adjacent cables, and other interference-inducing equipment hooked on and along the supply between the Naim lead and the substation transformer?
As others have said, borrow one if you can, on a sale and return basis and let your ears decide.
Better still, borrow one or acquire one on a sale or return basis, let your equipment warm up for a few hours, cue up some of your favourite reference recordings, and do some blind comparisons, with somebody else exchanging the mains leads over without telling you which is which, or being able to see which one is being used.
Then decide!
As others have said, borrow one if you can, on a sale and return basis and let your ears decide.
Better still, borrow one or acquire one on a sale or return basis, let your equipment warm up for a few hours, cue up some of your favourite reference recordings, and do some blind comparisons, with somebody else exchanging the mains leads over without telling you which is which, or being able to see which one is being used.
Then decide!
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david ellwood
Kirabosi Kognoscente
They’re not in the same room as a pair of Isobariks.
They do. Its got nothing to do with how the current is passed (so let's not get into the electrons are electrons rabbit hole). Upgraded power leads have two effects
1. Mechanical isolation - Naim boxes are very resonant and like racks controlling this is essential in getting the best from a system. The PL is decoupled both ends.
2. Reducing mains EM interference on lower current leads nearby. Like cable dressing. PL is better, but perhaps not as good as some of the very pricey ones in this respect.
they can be had for around £300 used - and resold if they don't add to your system.
1. Mechanical isolation - Naim boxes are very resonant and like racks controlling this is essential in getting the best from a system. The PL is decoupled both ends.
2. Reducing mains EM interference on lower current leads nearby. Like cable dressing. PL is better, but perhaps not as good as some of the very pricey ones in this respect.
they can be had for around £300 used - and resold if they don't add to your system.
Un shielded cable, so you need to be careful with them. They really can't be near anything, and this is hard to do when you have a few cables, especially with them being quite long.
The cable inside is nothing special. You are paying for the decoupling, really.
I had them on my 500 kit because that's what you do, but the ones I made myself at a fraction of the cost sounded no different.
That's why I sold all mine.
But you can only really try yourself and see how it goes
The cable inside is nothing special. You are paying for the decoupling, really.
I had them on my 500 kit because that's what you do, but the ones I made myself at a fraction of the cost sounded no different.
That's why I sold all mine.
But you can only really try yourself and see how it goes
In a lot of ways - EM energy to your components travels through dielectric, not cable itself, it becomes important therefore. A lot of noise in the system is coming not only from the outside but from the power supplies of the devices - cable screen can make it travel through the system. How grounding is organized is also important and cable is an interface for that. Etc.
herb
brain's right hemisphere
I tried one for my CDX2 and the sound became blurred and coarse, perhaps showing the limitation of the CD player.
I settled on an old standard Naim cable with white MK plug at one end. I cut off the moulded plug at the other end and relaced it with a £35 Furutech copper connector. Perfect. The moulded connector was not making a good connection.
I settled on an old standard Naim cable with white MK plug at one end. I cut off the moulded plug at the other end and relaced it with a £35 Furutech copper connector. Perfect. The moulded connector was not making a good connection.
colasblue
pfm Member
If these things actually work why aren't there any "upgraded" power cable options for any other sort of electrical equipment?
Nobody seems to be selling a mains lead that gives my telly a brighter clearer picture or makes the kettle boil faster or makes my PC run more smoothly so how do they get away with this foo for Hi Fi?
I'll pass on the powerlines thanks since the cost of the seven of them I'd need is fairly comparable with the resale value of the equipment they'd power. I think you could easily spend as much again on power leads and interconnects as the whole system costs, which is "barking"
Nobody seems to be selling a mains lead that gives my telly a brighter clearer picture or makes the kettle boil faster or makes my PC run more smoothly so how do they get away with this foo for Hi Fi?
I'll pass on the powerlines thanks since the cost of the seven of them I'd need is fairly comparable with the resale value of the equipment they'd power. I think you could easily spend as much again on power leads and interconnects as the whole system costs, which is "barking"