CABLE SURVEY

[f1eng]

I'm adding to this thread, as I recently changed cables on my system (twice) and the differences in sound were dramatic. My equipment list is below, and there is no Devialet product there- yet. Those familiar with Naim equipment may get more from my descriptions as well as those whose equipment is modest, as is my own.

I had been using solid-core copper, 12 gauge, for a long time, as the hifi set up was 'temporary'. For the first change, removed the solid core copper and installed Distek cable. This is a directional cable made up of multiple strands of silver, each teflon-wrapped. It is yellow and grey inside a clear cover. The sound was very different; the upper mids and highs were clear, with a nice, easy sense of space around the notes. The mids and lows, however, became hollow and dull. it took me a while to recognize this lack in the the lower half, as the upper end clarity improvement was appealing.

A few days later, I removed the Distek cable and installed some Wireworld Polaris cable. I think this is a multi-strand copper cable. It came to me from a friend. The difference in sound quality was immediate and dramatic. I could tell, within moments, that the missing lower half was back. The midrange tones as well as the bass notes were back, with a fullness and 'roundness' that was apparent without any effort at listening for a difference. The 'front and back' of the notes were there and I could here this difference day after day of listening.

I know nothing about the Wireworld cables, but I think they are fairly old. There is absolutely no doubt, however, that they made a remarkable difference in the music that my system makes. Hence my vote for 'yes', cables do make a difference. I haven't used the Naim NAC cable in a while so I won't make any inferences about the quality of that cable.

BTW, if anyone knows anything about the Wireworld Polaris (V1, I think) I'd welcome any information or opinions.

Naim amps do not have an output zobel network iirc. This is a choice which was made for SQ grounds, by the founder, decades ago.
What it does mean, though, is that without the correct loudspeaker cable load the amp can go unstable at supersonic frequencies and whilst not directly audible itself this overload can cause audible effects since the amp is probably no longer working in its linear region.
There are other manufacturers with a similar philosophy, Spectral springs to mind, and they are also speaker cable sensitive.
Personally I can't understand how a Devialet, with its unconditional stability and ultra low output impedance, would be effected by a properly terminated cable of adequate gauge, but I completely understand why Naim and Spectral could and do sound different with different cables.