Optimising connections for ultimate audio experience
Naim Audio Ltd, one of the world’s leading specialists in high-end hi-fi equipment with a portfolio of award-winning products, has installed a Carbolite GP oven to provide precisely controlled heat-treatment procedures on the cables used in its systems.
The cables are used to link amplifiers, pre-amps and speakers in systems that are regarded as the pinnacle of audio performance. Customers include Bentley Motors and some of the world’s super-rich searching for the ultimate audio experience. The Statement amplification system launched in 2014 with a price tag over £100,000, in particular, has proved so popular that extra capacity was needed to process the associated cabling.
The Carbolite GP330B oven allows up to 60 metres of cable to be processed at a time in order to cure the insulation and make it more supple and durable. The procedure typically involves heating the oven at a pre-set rate, holding at temperature for several hours and then cooling to ambient. The controller fitted allows up to 20 segments to be pre-set as ramp, step or dwell and also enables operators to store the most frequently used programs.
Overall oven construction is designed to provide long-term durability in a production environment. The internal chamber is manufactured from polished 430-grade stainless steel and provides a powerful horizontal airflow to optimise temperature uniformity. Low-thermal-mass insulation minimises heat loss. To enable Naim to operate the oven from a 240V supply, Carbolite fitted lower-power elements than usual.