[headshrinker2]

Greetings everyone,
Suggestions on the best way to connect a BDA-1 DAC to a Naim XS integrated?  I would greatly appreciate advice on both both type and company/model. 

Thanks.

[ncblue]

RCA to Din interconnects are the best method with a Naim amp. Naim, Chord and AR Sound are the three companies that come to mind first.

[headshrinker2]

NCBLUE,
Thanks very much for the reply.   So DIN is best on the Naim end.  RCA the best/appropriate connection on the Bryston BDA-1 end? 

Others agree?  Also, can anyone recommend specific interconnect models that work well with Bryston/Naim?

[srb]

So DIN is best on the Naim end.  RCA the best/appropriate connection on the Bryston BDA-1 end?

You have a choice of two analog output types/connectors on the BDA-1, single-ended RCA and balanced XLR.  The NAIM has single-ended RCA or DIN inputs, so you would want to use the single-ended RCA outputs on the BDA-1.
 
Steve

[Anonamemouse]

Hmm... Let us go over the possibilities here...
We take a look at the BDA-1



On the far left of this device we see XLR and... RCA outputs. Weird, since the RCA basically is the universal standard type of connector when it comes to consumer audio.

Now, we take a look at the Naim XS



On the far right of this device we see DIN and... RCA inputs! What a shocker! Now this is completely unexpected!

So the ONLY sensible way to hook this device up is go from the XLR output on the BDA-1 to the DIN input on the Naim XS. I doubt this could be any more obvious.



Mumbles suggestions about just selling this equipment right away and replacing it with a My First Sony, hoping owner to be might actually bump into some common sense...

[BrysTony]

   My understanding is that XLR and DIN plugs are not physically compatible so use of the XLR would require an adapter of some type on the DIN end.  I may be wrong about this because I don't have any equipment with DIN plugs.  Be sure about it or go with the RCA.

Tony

[Alpha10]

I think that the DIN on a Naim is actually unbalanced, so the XLR route would be a waste of time, just RCA to RCA.....

Cheers

[endless402]

lol his scarcasm didnt pull through 

[Anonamemouse]

lol his scarcasm didnt pull through 

Nope...

[Diamond Dog]

AAAAAUUGHHH !!!
Just use the freakin' RCA's already !!! Does everything always have to be so complicated ?

[Stu Pitt]

Naim's DINs are not balanced.  Naim's DINs sound best when going DIN to DIN with a Naim source.  It's not a subtle difference either.

I'd go DIN to RCA, but that's just me. 

[intouch1]

i am running my Naim HDX into my AR Reference 5 pre with DIN-XLR. I sourced my cable from Chord.

[Anonamemouse]

AAAAAUUGHHH !!!
Just use the freakin' RCA's already !!! Does everything always have to be so complicated ?

The problem starts when people with more money than brain want to buy things they don't have a clue about. They read reviews, they go to exhibits, they talk to sales people, but skip the actual owners, even though the owners are the ones that will tell you truthfully, without a sales agenda, what something does or does not do.
They spend way too much money on something they often do not need. They also often don't have a clue as to what they actually bought. They buy device A from manufacturer X, device B from manufacturer Y, device C from manufacturer Z, because they READ that "those are the best". "Matching? Uhm... Whaddayamean?"

Then they need to connect everything, and there is more than one option. Which of course means: PANIC!!! Instead of engaging brain and actually looking up a few pictures online to see what the possibilities are, not to mention what matches electronically, they start asking dumb questions.

People like that should not be allowed to own equipment like this. There should be a licensing system in place, like with driving a car. First prove you know what you are talking about, show you have done research, be able to tell what the pros and cons are on a certain piece of gear, and THEN they should be allowed to spend their money...

[Stu Pitt]

Seriously Anonamemouse?  The guy is asking what we think sounds best.  It's a bit expensive to buy every type of connecting cable and try them all.  I'm sure he'll narrow down his options from what we suggest to get a better understanding.

Not everything is as cut and dry as it seems.

Naim's use of DINs isn't exactly the norm.  I've heard Naim systems using RCAs and DINs and can say to my ears DINs always sounded far better than RCAs.  Not sure about the XLRs vs RCAs on the BDA-1.  If the XLRs sound that much better than the RCAs, maybe an XLR to DIN cable would theoretically sound best, all things being equal.

The guy is picking our brains.  Nothing wrong with that.  Have you ever asked a question before?   If not, how did you obtain all that knowledge that you seem unwilling to share right now?   

[BobC]

+1

[Diamond Dog]

Curious as to what the benefit would be of going from unbalanced DIN to unbalanced RCA or from unbalanced DIN to balanced XLR. Would you not be better off just going to a really good single-ended IC w/ RCA's ? Wouldn't that also avoid routing the signal through some circuitry unnecessarily ( which is always desirable ) ? I am by no means an expert on the level of some AC'ers but is the most direct path not the best ? And in this case would the most direct path not be the RCA's ?
Jes axin' is all...

D.D.

[Anonamemouse]

The guy is asking what we think sounds best.  It's a bit expensive to buy every type of connecting cable and try them all.  I'm sure he'll narrow down his options from what we suggest to get a better understanding.

"What sounds best" is an impossible question to answer. What is "best" for me most likely will not be "best" according to your expectations, or will be a very different "best".
Here in Europe it is possible to loan cables from dealers. You give them your details, copy some ID, sometimes give them some security money, and you can go and play with them at home. In the end differences between cables are not immense (in spite of what some state), moving a loudspeaker cabinet a few inches has considerably more effect.

Naim's use of DINs isn't exactly the norm.  I've heard Naim systems using RCAs and DINs and can say to my ears DINs always sounded far better than RCAs.  Not sure about the XLRs vs RCAs on the BDA-1.  If the XLRs sound that much better than the RCAs, maybe an XLR to DIN cable would theoretically sound best, all things being equal.

This is a daring thing to say... Have you done a direct A/B comparisan? As in connect both cables and switch back and forth while continuously listening to the same source with the output level corrected? If the answer is "no" then the difference you are talking about must be truly considerable, because human memory for sound is quite poor.

The guy is picking our brains.  Nothing wrong with that.  Have you ever asked a question before?   If not, how did you obtain all that knowledge that you seem unwilling to share right now?

Yes, I have asked questions. Lots and lots even, including here. I have also experimented, sometimes with costly fails (like the BDA-1 which I sold after only a week of listening to it). I also read reviews and am present (either active or just lurking) at several forums. Whenever I have my mind set on something I will learn everything about it there is to know.

As for DIN, it is a seventies thing. In the end, as long as a signal gets from A to B it doesn't really matter what sort of plug is used. As long as it is properly shielded, and has a decent cable connecting the A and the B.

My 2 cents: find a place that will loan out a bundle of different RCA cables and see what is liked best. Sound is personal, I have cringed several times at the sound of people that were convinced they had better-than-studio-quality in their living room.

[Stu Pitt]

I've heard Naim stuff with RCAs and DINs more than enough times to know that the DINs always sounded superior.  A/B'ed them several times too.  And yes, you can switch back and forth while the gear is playing.  Naim's DINs are designed to reduce/eliminate noise and star ground the components.

As far as a 70's thing...  Maybe Naim's ears told them DINs sound better.  If that's the case, why bow down to an inferior connection?  No manufacturer in their right mind will tell you RCAs are used solely due to sound quality.  It's a compromised design that's pretty much only used as a mainstream convenience.

[Diamond Dog]

Curious as to what the benefit would be of going from unbalanced DIN to unbalanced RCA or from unbalanced DIN to balanced XLR. Would you not be better off just going to a really good single-ended IC w/ RCA's ? Wouldn't that also avoid routing the signal through some circuitry unnecessarily ( which is always desirable ) ? I am by no means an expert on the level of some AC'ers but is the most direct path not the best ? And in this case would the most direct path not be the RCA's ?
Jes axin' is all...

Anyone ?

D.D.

[werd]

Yes, I have asked questions. Lots and lots even, including here. I have also experimented, sometimes with costly fails (like the BDA-1 which I sold after only a week of listening to it). I also read reviews and am present (either active or just lurking) at several forums. Whenever I have my mind set on something I will learn everything about it there is to know.

Lull....  failblog.anonamemouse