MSB Premier DAC with Naim NAC 552 Preamp

General
1

I just received my MSB Premier DAC with Digital Director, I am connecting this DAC to my Naim NAC 552 preamp which offers two choices for input, either RCA or 5-pin DIN connections. I have an XLR-to-RCA cable which I am currently using for this setup, but keen to hear if anyone has any views on using the XLR-to-DIN connection. Naim Audio seem to prefer that connection, and while I am aware this is not a balanced connection route, I would like to explore opinions on this topic. Keen to hear from anyone that has some experience with this.

Regards
Tareq

2

Hello Tareq,

You should really use our XLR to RCA converter for best performance. A XLR adapter or adapter cable you are only using half of your Premier DAC. You will get better performance with our converter as it will allow you to use the entire DAC.

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1 Like
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Thank you for the reply, I was in discussion with the Chord Company about this, they are able to make a custom cable with the understanding that the signal will no longer be balanced and would terminate into a single-ended DIN connector,.

Can you please share some more about this? What would I lose with the custom cable rout? you mention using the entire DAC, how does the transformer enable this? Hope you can shed some more light on this intriguing topic, I can barely find anything online that explains it. When I probed AI about the same, this is what I got:

To connect your MSB Premier DAC with Digital Director to the Naim NAC 552 preamp using the DIN connector, you can use a custom cable that links the DACā€™s balanced XLR analog outputs to a 5-pin DIN input on the NAC 552. This approach avoids using the single-ended RCA connection and takes advantage of the Naimā€™s preferred DIN input method, which many users claim provides sonic benefits in Naim systems.ā€‹

Cable Requirements

  • The MSB Premier DAC outputs a standard balanced signal via 3-pin XLR connectors.

  • The NAC 552 accepts audio inputs via single-ended RCA or 5-pin DIN (180Ā°) sockets, but it is inherently single-endedā€”even via DIN.ā€‹

  • You need a cable that converts a pair of XLR outputs (left and right channels) to a single 5-pin DIN plug, wired for left (pins 3, 1) and right (pins 5, 2) plus ground (pin 4 or shell).

Using a Chord Company Custom Cable

  • For your setup, specify a cable with two male XLRs to one 5-pin DIN plug (180Ā° standard version for Naim) and request that it is internally wired for stereo single-ended (unbalanced) operation, since the DIN input is not balanced.

  • Chord Company can supply this cable to exact specifications; you should confirm with them that the cable will tie the XLR pin 2 (hot) to the appropriate DIN input, and handle pin 3 (cold) per the correct grounding scheme for your source and Naimā€™s requirements.

Notes and Recommendations

  • The resulting connection will be single-ended, because the Naim DIN input is not balanced, but you will benefit from the high-quality XLR output stages of your MSB and the superior mechanical/electrical properties of DIN

Keen to squeeze the maximum out of the Premier so the path I chose is something I would like to research. Grateful to any more detail you could provide.

Regards,

Tareq

4

As someone who did a bunch of (easy) DIY amp projects, and an owner of predominantly Balanced Gear, I have a perspective, and some explaining.

Balanced cables are more resistant to outside interference, and are commonly used on longer runs in the pro audio area. Still a solid choice in HiFi for the same reasons, less noise from the cable.

A single ended ā€˜deviceā€™ has a signal and a ground, going from input to output.

A balanced ā€˜deviceā€™ has a (+) signal, a (-) signal, and a ground. The ā€˜deviceā€™ has double the circuitry, one side to handle the positive, and the other to handle the negative.

Most single balanced to single ended converter cables simply either ground the (-) signal to ground, or ā€œfloatā€ it by leaving it unconnected.

A better converter is either a transformer, or circuitry, that sums the signal from the balanced to create a better single ended output.

Not sure whatā€™s in the MSB converter (thatā€™s their proprietary info), but Iā€™m sure it will work better with the MSB DACs than simply shorting out one of output signals.

So I am in the get a pair of XLR cables, a pair of RCA cables, and a pair of their XLR/ RCA adapters, camp. If you want the best.

I limited my pre-amp choices to those having at least a pair of balanced inputs, and a pair of balanced outputs (second output to headphone amp). In the past I made several single ended Firstwatt clones. I used a transformer converter to run those amps from my balanced pre-amp output.

I hope I helped your understanding of the choices you are facing.

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Thank you, this is the type of insight that is not easy to get, and is not obvious for the non-technically astute in the domain of electronics and audio engineering.

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Lol, Iā€™m just a retired orthopedist. I understand V=IR well, but only understand the basics of electronics that I needed to learn to build a few projects.

I also had a room needing a 20 foot interconnect from pre to amp. XLR cables were the best for that.

As an aside, I also learned that the ā€œdedicatedā€ circuit I put in for my amps had a slightly different grounding that the regular room outlets, producing the hum I was trying to squash. (This installer error also caused my emergency generator to GCFI fault when used.)

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@Bones13 is correct. The best option would be a pair of XLR cables to our XLR-RCA converters. RCA output from the converters to the Naim. If you want to use a custom cable from RCA to the Naim DIN, you can do this as well. The XLR to RCA conversion is best done with the adapter. NEVER short the unused pin to ground. Using just pin 2 on the XLR, you are only using half of the DAC module, as the other half is generating the negative phase on pin 3.

With the proper conversion, you will hear a noticeable improvement.

I will also add that there is a single-ended option for the Premier DAC. Itā€™s not as good as the external adapters, and 95% of those that have ordered it have had to send their DAC back to convert it to XLR as they seem to get a balanced amp/preamp within 1 year.

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Got it, thank you. I am checking about the availability of the XLR adapters with my reseller as we speak.