Test Equipment:

Avid Diva II turntable with SME309 arm and Lyra Delos cartridge
Leema Elements phono stage
Naim NAC82 / NAPSC / NAP250 amplification
Dynaudio Contour 1.3 mk. II speakers

Chord Co. Odyssey 2 speaker cable

Custom Hifi Cables ‘Blue’ interconnects

Chord Co. Chorus interconnects

Custom Hifi Cables Black Box Super Conditioner

(mains cables are all standard IEC types)

Tested Against:

Naim Audio Hicap (Olive series, recently serviced)

Main Review:

First record up on the turntable is the third movement of Bruckner's 1st symphony (Jochum / DGG). The Naim Audio Hicap delivers a competent performance, but the underlying strings which come to the foreground from time to time sounded lost when not taking the lead. When the CHCcap is powering the NAC82 though, it becomes so much easier to track these strings as they move throughout the piece. There is also a slight change of tonality - whether you call it brighter, clearer or cleaner is a matter of opinion, but in this case there is little room for debate in describing it as a definite improvement.

Next up is the dies irae from Verdi's Requiem (Solti / Decca). With big percussion sounds and soaring vocals this needs both headroom and power. Again, (and benefitting most here from the big mains transformer), the CHCcap comes out in the lead, with the better atmosphere and sheer weight of performance.

Elgar's 'Cello Concerto (du Pre, Barbirolli / EMI) was the next recording used. Personally I find du Pre's playing a little on the reedy side, but the CHCcap makes this less objectionable than usual to my ears.

The opening duet from Beethoven's Fidelio (Klemperer / Columbia) is superbly sung, and while relatively simple is a good test of tonality. Both PSUs give plenty of detail, but the CHCcap again takes the lead here, and consolidates on its tonal balance where the voices are richer than when the Naim Hicap is in the system.

The last track used is Paint it Black (Rolling Stones / Decca, recent re-issue). With rough vocals, a good bass-line and sheer enthusiasm the first minute in particular presents a challenge to any system. Both PSUs avoid the usual trap at the start, and manage to make the cymbals sound like cymbals rather than indistinct fizzing noises. For pure foot-tapping enjoyment though, the CHCcap again comes out on top.

It can hardly be said that the Naim Hicap handles itself badly. However, the CHCcap packs enough punch to really stand up, and indeed surpass, the Naim Hicap.

If you're looking for yet more improvement, there is a very simple change that can be made to the wiring between pre and power amps. The standard Naim system routes the signal through the PSU, though this hardly seems logical. Instead, a cleaner, clearer sound is obtained by separating power and signal. In this case, one cable takes power from the PSU to the preamp, while another takes the signal only directly from preamp to power amp. Note that the second cable must be specially made to avoid supplying power to the preamp from both the power amp and PSU. CHC can of course provide this cable, and other cables for Naim systems in a range of cable types to suit any budget. I am already using their Blue range of DIN cables for Naim Audio equipment, which are a big improvement over the standard Naim cables.