The new stage in Naim's optimization process is a - power cord. But coming from this idiosyncratic UK manufacturer, it wouldn't be anything of the expected sort, naturally. So here we have an exclusive look at this novelty. Naim without doubt is a famous company but surely the very last in the charts to make any marketing concessions whatsoever to the general concept of tweaks. They haven't mentioned cables in 20 years. Nor component supports. So Naim freaks, like all other audiophiles who eventually turn tweakers, looked to Mana Acoustics' fantastic stands to satisfy their itch to fret, worry and improve. Eventually, Naim launched their own Fraim, a first concession to the tweak contingent's "I want it better" chase.


But now Naim grew jealous to keep any improvements to its equipment tied to Naim itself after having long since cultivated an upgrade path within its power supply expansion concept. This birthed the Hi-Line, a custom interconnect with ultra-quality proprietary DIN connectors but also WBT NextGens for the commoners dabbling in RCAs. And it was quite enlightening to observe how differently Naim approached their first cable assignment from the competition. To them, the connectors seemed the most important part of the job. Perhaps that's because, even though they use quality conductors of course, they have always and vehemently rallied against the high-end deliriously exotic materials obsession. To learn more, I asked Roy George, Naim's chief designer in Salisbury, to tell me the story behind their new power cord.