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| Music
Works Six-Pack Issue 3 - November 1999 |
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| As I recounted in Issue 2, the Music Works mains leads and distribution blocks provide a serious improvement to the sound of Naim systems. Not ones to rest on their laurels, they have now released a new distribution block and what a beast it is. Retailing at £200 this is a serious piece of hardware! Basically the construction consists of 6 independently switched single wall sockets mounted in a long plastic tray. As with the 4-way block, all ferrous materials have been replaced, and the individual sockets are star-earthed. The mains inlet cable is heavier than the one used in the 4-way block (the 6-way device is rated at 20 Amps) and beneath the grey sleeve appears again to he loosely twisted. The cable is terminated in a Crabtree plug and the resulting product looks professional and purposeful in a laboratory sort of way. And yes, they did try non-switched sockets, and they sounded worse. |
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Knowing
from the previous review how important set-up and arrangement was to extract
the very best performance from the distribution system (even down to which
of two adjacent outlets were used), the comparison between the old 4-way
and new 6-way blocks was approached with a degree of trepidation. After
systematic experimentation, and considerable guidance from the Audio Counsel,
I managed to get a pretty complete picture of the differences between
the two, and yes, there were big differences. One important new aspect
in the set-up of the 6-way block is the order in which you connect the
components. With the 4-way block that order didn't have a profound influence
on the sound of the system, but with the new block a strict hierarchy
should be observed. Starting at the mains inlet my Naim Audio components
were arranged as follows; turntable power supply, phono-stage power supply,
preamplifier power supply (powering a NAC82), power amplifier (NAP25O),
and lastly a digital power supply for the NAC82. |
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A CD player would be expected to enter before the amplifiers, but The Audio Counsel recommends experimentation with these and any other components. So how do the 4-way and 6-way blocks compare? The 4-way block and IEC leads improves Naim systems in certain ways which, I believe, all stems from the removal of sonic grunge. Not that your Nirvana will end up sounding like Sinatra, but your music will be less distorted and hence clearer. This new clarity results in a whole host of improvements; the increase in detail allows for a more natural instrument presentation and an improved soundstage, but before you Naim lovers get the wrong idea and start muttering darkly the usual Naim hallmarks also receive an uplift. The rhythm and timing of my system was never this good using the standard Naim mains cables. What does the new 6-way block bring to the party? Unsurprisingly more of the same. Starting with Victoria Williams Happy Come Home, an excellently recorded album, the sound picture was better resolved. In one track where a gospel choir and an orchestra provide the hacking, the two are now held completely separate, each section seeming to occupy a space all its own. The sound was much more natural and lost a last lingering edginess not cured by the 4-way block and leads. Transients also received a cleaning, seeming faster than with the 4-way with no overhang even on the deepest notes. Nowhere was this more apparent than with Dead Can Dance. Their album Aion contains some amazing medieval sounds overlaid with rhythmic beats from a variety of percussion instruments. Again the performers were given more space, and the ancient instruments were presented in all their analogue glory You just had to love the energy in this performance. The 6-way block also worked on modern sounds, allowing much more of the music through. And with the decrease in pollution over the 4-way block, you can appreciate the improvement for longer. Madonnas Ray of Light LP is a great album, and with the new block the swirling layers of music were presented as a huge open soundscape. From the soaring highs (which lost a slightly brittle quality) down to the really deep bass, which could sound a little flabby before, the music was really driven along. One of my recent successful purchases was The Green Fields of Foreverland by The Gentle Waves. This largely acoustic album is a LoFi recording with simple production which has helped to produce an album of haunting beauty. The new 6-way block revealed its true worth. The acoustic spaces heard were amazing in their depth, and the wonderful female vocal hung in the room. Without a hint of extra emphasis it was just so natural. Particular instruments were easier to identify and the way the musicians used those instruments was much more apparent, communicating far more of the musical intent. Notes now had a complete structure; a beginning a middle and an end, which is what brings the naturalness to the sound. Without the 6-way block, even using the 4-way the system accentuated the leading edges of notes and attenuated their decay and whilst that gives the music a satisfying sense of snap and attack, it also separates the reproduction from reality. This in turn effects the timing. Whilst this was always a strength of my system, the 6-way block revealed that I'd been living with something rather more two dimensional than it should have been. The system had been relying on predictability to compensate for the lack of clarity. Shaping the notes more precisely allows the system to place them far more accurately. As a result, the musical framework loses its unnatural rigidity and takes on a more elastic and expressive quality. The end result is that it sounds less mechanical, and much more like people. I know drummers take a lot of stick, but do you really prefer drum machines? The melodies were easier to follow, and I was humming snatches for the rest of the week. Just what a decent system should do, but so few manage. Incidentally whilst nearly all my listening was done with records, both blocks are even more effective with CD. More to work with I guess. Whatever the reason, they certainly narrow the quality gap. To sum up, the Music Works 6-way block gives more detail, more air and space, cleaner transients and, most importantly an enhanced feeling for the music over their 4-way block (which already out performs anything else I have tried with Naim systems). And these aren't small effects. The improvements are large enough to be heard as soon as you insert the block, but once the leads and the new block are optimised the choice becomes a no-brainer. The 6-way block is worth every penny of its £135 price increase over a single 4-way block. And remember that if you need five or six sockets (a surprisingly common occurrence with Naim kit) the price difference is just £70. I can't think of anything at five times the price that gives this magnitude of improvement in a Naim system. I haven't tried it with different equipment, but it's got to be worth investigating. Non Naim users watch this space. |
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