Naim Speaker cable Speaker Cables

Naim Speaker cable Speaker Cables 

DESCRIPTION

Weird stuff, but coming from Straightwire worth almost double the Naim stuff, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the salesman was NOT out of line when he said that I could expect a noticeable increase in bass control and tonality as well as an all together clearer focusing of the music. It's a bit weird, and can be difficult to live with as it is stiff (but totally andable). But, if you have Naim equipment and are hesitant about just how much difference this plain skinny cable can make, coming from a true skeptic, it honestly is worth it!

USER REVIEWS

Showing 1-10 of 18  
[Feb 12, 2005]
Acer
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Detail and mellow, never harsh.

Weakness:

Bas output, punch and drive in the bottom.

Had the NAC A5 for a half year and it's a nice cable. It's treble and mids are mellow and a little laid back, and the bass is not as extended as i would like it to be. The NAC A5 is best suited for jazz and classical music, it doesn't like rock.

Similar Products Used:

Kimber, Tara and Transparent

OVERALL
RATING
3
VALUE
RATING
3
[Jan 29, 2005]
Jasper
AudioPhile

Strength:

None for me

Weakness:

Not refined, sounded clogged and not open, even after extended break-in.

It is not all praise by me about this cable. It has been a passer-by and I was happy to say it farewell.. Might be good for some systems but in my case I think it was horrible. There are much more refined and balanced cables around, that's for sure. It just sounded horrible in my system. JPS Labs and TARA Labs worked fine for me after.

Similar Products Used:

TARA Labs, JPS Labs

OVERALL
RATING
2
VALUE
RATING
2
[Dec 25, 2004]
ruhayatx
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Natural, tight bass, cheap.

Weakness:

Not as detailed compared to, say, Kimber 8TC. Bass also not as deep.

These cables are brilliant, for the money. Natural but tight sound, just the way I like it. More importantly, it doesn't suffer from "Big Head Syndrome" - you know, that problem you get when you turn up the volume and the singer's head seems to expand accordingly until it's like you have a very big head singing in front of you. Good match for my main system (Primare D30.2, Densen DM10 amp, Harbeth P3+Xtenders speakers). Good, not great, because I feel there is some other better cable for this system out there (maybe from the higher end Nordost?).

Similar Products Used:

Kimber 4TC, Kimber 8TC, Audioquest Slate, Ecosse CS2.3, Audioquest Type 4, Audioquest F14 (yuck)

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
4
[Nov 29, 2003]
Jeff
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Clean natural transparent sound. Seems to have "timing" Very very musical

Weakness:

Its a B*gger to handle! Very stiff and bulky. (Who cares when it sounds so good!!!)

I have an Exposure xvii/xviii pre/power amp, Meridian 206 cd player, Spendor SP1 speakers. Until now I have used Exposure speaker cable because that is strongly recommended by the company and have been satified by it, it has sounded fine. But after some renovations I wanted to re-site my gear and needed slightly longer runs. I decided to give some other cables a go. I was utterly gobsmacked at how much better this system sounded with NAIM cable (2x4metre runs) the whole frequency range is cleaner, faster, tactile and natural. It really transmits the MUSIC across. In retrospect the bass on the Exposure wire is rather soft and vague, it sounds far less open and transparent. I strongly suggest giving this stuff a go it is wonderful - especially at the price. I also tried Kimber 4ply (sounded awful!!!)QED 79 strand (vague) Monster something or other (bland) and a couple of other moderate priced cables. (BTW I have read all the posts about "snake-oil" in respect to speaker cable and all the physicists and electricians who claim there is no electrical difference between cables but I strongly disagree. Changing cables and interconnects can make the same system sound profoundly different. NOT that the most expensive cable necessarily sounds better though. I'm certain it is extremely dependent on your other gear. The key is keep an open mind and USE YOUR EARS.)

Similar Products Used:

Kimber, QED, Monster, Audioquest (type 4 I think?) others.

OVERALL
RATING
4
VALUE
RATING
4
[Apr 07, 2002]
Steven
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

Musical, lively and natural. Good for extended listening, unfatiguing. Designed to let music through. Good price.

Weakness:

Do not immediately impress. If trying to impress people with "the sound" or looks, these are not for you.

Music is what these cables are all about. They allow the energy and natural flow of the music through while maintaining control. I had Audioquest Midnight and was convinced they were better the first comparison, however later I felt something was still missing. The Midnights sounded better in a hifi sense (more thunder and lightning so to speak)but I felt something was still missing so I pulled the Naim cables back out of the box and gave them another go. Hmmm... music, the Naim sounded more natural and real, less hifi, less exagerated. More focus on the music and the message than the sound.

Similar Products Used:

Audioquest Midnight 3, Tara Labs, Kimber.

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
5
[Mar 14, 2000]
Paul Birkeland
Audiophile

Strength:

Tone control, bass response, and balance

Weakness:

Stiffness (literally speaking)

This wire is very hard to run aroud your room, but the sound quality you get is wonderful. If you have naim components this is definately the wire to use. Don't hesitate to spend the money on the extra goody, but I wouldn't recommend spending the money for naim ends.

Similar Products Used:

Taralabs Prisim

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
4
[Dec 10, 1999]
Robert Youngken
Audio Enthusiast

Strength:

great value, natural sounding, warm

Weakness:

probably doesn't hold it's own in many higher end systems against well matched higher cost cables

This is a follow-up as I have changed my amp/pre-amp and listened to many more cables. I still say that the Naim cable is a great value, nicely musical and balanced, but there are now caveats: I have found that system component "matching" is very important. Some great cables do not work well on all systems. So, do not expect that one cable will fit all. I found cables that fit my new system that make the Naim sound like Radio Shack wire. This new wire was also much better than any other mid-premium cables that I could find. It is simple the right cable. If the Naim is right for you, than consider yourself lucky, its the best thing Naim makes.

Similar Products Used:

Purist Audio, Tara, Cardas, Nordost, Silver Audio, Kimber, Discovery

OVERALL
RATING
3
VALUE
RATING
5
[Feb 23, 2000]
Rip Celia
Casual Listener

Strength:

Very afforable

Weakness:

You get what you pay for

Really not bad stuff. Increased my bass output quantity increadably.But, bas quality? Everything seemed smeared compared to XLO. But I liked the XLO clarity MUCH more.
Actually this affordable cable was a
good reference to make me aware of the real differences between wire. I could live with it if I needed to calm down a too bright system. But I needed cable to liven things up.

Similar Products Used:

xlo nordost synergistic research

OVERALL
RATING
3
VALUE
RATING
5
[Jan 28, 2001]
Yves
Audiophile

Strength:

Compatibility with my Naim Nait 3 integrated amplifier

Weakness:

In-compatibility of Naim connector at speaker end.

I recently purchased a second-hand Naim Nait 3 amplifier and read the reviews here for the Naim speaker cable. In the UK this cable sells for £6.25/metre at Audio T. I managed to get two second-hand lengths of 5m each with Naim connectors at both ends for £40.

It plugs straight into the Naim amplifier but would not connect to my Monitor Audio speakers as the spacing of the pins is different. I ended up opening the plugs and just using the pins. The pins were neatly soldered to the cable ends.

I have not noticed a huge improvement. A small improvement in clarity and a tighter bass. Overall I feel happier with the upgrade as it is Naim compatible and the Monster cables were 10 years old and the copper had gone green/black - I shall not be buying Monster cables again!

Similar Products Used:

Monster

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
4
[May 01, 1999]
WAL RILEY
an Audio Enthusiast

Naim cable!THE most awkward,inflexible,curtain-track like piece of wire i've ever had to bend round a corner of a room.This stuff is not user -friendly in installation but you will forget all that when it's up and running because it's excellent!The increase in speed,rhythmn,tonal warmth and bass power are suprising and the dealer I purchased it from said he very really bothered to recommend anything else!For this money,five stars and no mistake!

OVERALL
RATING
5
VALUE
RATING
Showing 1-10 of 18  

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