Having just published a review of the Naim New Classic NSC 222 preamplifier and the matching NAP 250, I was left lamenting the upgrade path from my old Classic Naim equipment to the new.

Chord BurndyX plugs into the rear of the NAC-N 272 from the XPS

Lo and behold, Chord Company contacted me asking if I was interested in their range of Burndy upgrades, which was first reported in October last year, and I heard and believed in Bristol this year.

The answer, of course, was a firm yes and confirmation that I was connecting between the old Classic XPS power supply upgrade and the NAC-N 272 preamplifier with 12 pins led to the delivery of a hand-built BurndyX cable in a neat little bag.

Design

The BurndyX features multi-stranded silver-plated OFC conductors with high-density, silver-plated braid and foil combination to manage high-

BEFORE – Naim’s Burndy cable

frequency interaction. The umbilical link is terminated;

….with the company’s unique, crimped ChorAlloy-plated connector pins….

This BurndyX upgrade is £880 and precisely 1.23m long. A BurndyT option from Chord offers further insulation improvements at a higher price point.

Outcome

Chord BurndyX is in place

Connecting the new BurndyX cables necessitated a cable rerouting exercise, which has probably contributed a fair amount to the outcome. However, we will brush over this fact. The Burndy slots in with great satisfaction and ease, as expected. The 1.23m length is perfect in my arrangement with a careful, unobstructed curve (now).

I’ve spun the HiFi rack around so I can do a bit of in-out-in-out swapping. Ben Howard’s Every Kingdom on the Michell Gyro SE is a fine piece of music with all the detail and energy I need to dig into cable upgrades such as this. This picture shows a further Naim upgrade from Vertere, their Redline 5 Pin DIN preamplifier output to the NAP 250. I would be fairly confident Chord Company offers a similar upgrade.

Thoughts

…I’d go so far as to say, significant, uplift in the system’s performance*

There is a nice, and I’d go so far as to say, significant, uplift in the system’s performance* here with the BurndyX inserted. The plain fact that removing it and putting back the original cable in is a dispiriting process proves this uplift is real and tangible.  As I’m boxing up the 200 Series this week, a BurndyX upgrade represents the more affordable solution to upgrading my old Classic system.  It has to be worth a try if you’re sceptical.

* Michell Gyro SE turntable, Rega tonearm and Exact cartridge with Rega Phono stage
Naim Audio XPS power supply
BurndyX interconnect upgrade
Naim Audio NAC-N 272
Vertere Redline interconnect upgrade
Naim Audio NAP 250
Atlas Eos 4.0em Modular Power Distribution Block with Atlas Eos 4.0em power cables.
Tellurium Q Ultra Black II loudspeaker cables
KEF R700, REL T/5i Subwoofer