Naim Nait 1

[c.d.s.]

Hello All,


I am interested in assembling some speaker cables for a Naim Nait 1 that will be driving
a pair of Spendor SP1's.

I have heard that Naims do not like high capacitance cables, so am I good to use some
simple Marshall sound runner wire terminated with banana plugs of generic lineage?

link to Marshall cables

http://www.mars-cam.com/cables/sound_runner/oxigen_free/low_loss/ofc.html

Any help would be greatly appreciated.


best regards

carl

 

[hermanv]

Cardas makes some very nice 9.5 AWG Teflon jacketed 6N copper multi-strand litz design drawn between ceramic rollers in a nitrogen atmosphere and enameled to prevent oxidation. . I use these and like them a lot. $3.25 foot (x 4 for stereo, so two 8 foot pairs would be $104.00, a relative bargain for cables at this performance level).

I don't like bananas, lugs are better IMHO, Cardas makes those too.

See Michael Percy for a source.

 

[c.d.s.]

Thank you for your reply hermanv

The Nait has banana plug inserts with no provision for lugs

 

[martin clark]

You'll be fine so long as you don't go for explicity high-capcitance cable, like Goetz.

NACA5, the recommended cable, is about 20pF/lin m - very low capacitance - but in practice any fairly conventional cable made up of a spaced pair of conductors will work OK with the Nait. The cables you linked to look fine.

No need to go for huge conductors, either, with only 15w to play with

 

[hermanv]

I sure don't want to start any cable wars, but large gauge speaker wires aren't used because of power handling. They help prevent amplifier damping ratios from being decreased.

In my personal listening tests, larger gauge wire produced a tighter, cleaner bass. However martin clark is correct that from a power handling perspective even 28 gauge would do.

Whether or not high purity metals and exotic cable construction make an audible difference is a hotly debated subject.

 

[planet10]

I sure don't want to start any cable wars, but large gauge speaker wires aren't used because of power handling. They help prevent amplifier damping ratios from being decreased.

On some amp/speaker combos, the amp damping factor is too high anyway. I tend towards thin solid core wire (right now using my home brew solid 24g separted conductor speaker wires.

With my NAIMs i just used better than average 16g zip. They have all been sold off now.

dave

 

[c.d.s.]

Next Question - Din plugs

Thank you all,

I am going to use some leftover sound runner cable and some banana plugs that I got at apex for the speakers

Next question - would a basic 5 conductor mogami 2757 work for the din to rca connections.

http://www.mogamicable.com/Bulk/micr_cables/multicore_cables/015mm/multic2.html

I intend to terminate them with nuetrik or canare rca ends, but am unsure what and where I
can get good quality 5 pin din plugs.


regards


carl

 

[martin clark]

but large gauge speaker wires aren't used because of power handling. They help prevent amplifier damping ratios from being decreased

That's a fair point if you have long cables or low-impedance speakers. However - Naims' basic amplifier circuit has 0R22 in series with the output, so it' s a bit moot in this case.


Carl - that shoud be one fun and enjoyable little system. Hope it makes you happy.

If the Nait1 is new to you, or just untouched for 20+years you might like to just check the bias pots haven't drifted. Here's how to set up the Naim amplifier bias (applies whether you are playing wth any Nait, a110, 120. 140, 180, 250 or pair of 135s!)

http://www.acoustica.org.uk/t/naim/bias.html

 

[hermanv]

OR22 is 220 milliOhms. Without a schematic I do not know if that 0.22 Ohms is inside or outside any feedback loop. If it's inside the loop then the apparent R is 0.22 divided by feedback gain.

Ignoring any feedback issues, and assuming it is 0.22 Ohms, then an 8 foot 21 AWG cable doubles that 0.22 Ohms. I would assume a larger wire size than 21 AWG to assure little or no effect.

 

[c.d.s.]

thank you martin,

your web site is very comprehensive.



regards

carl