”Backup” CD-player advice

No, I only listen via Tidal.
But when my friends are visiting, they complain that I do not have a CD player. What level should I put on to match the other components? I do not want to shoot too high, but not too low either.
Realistically speaking, I will use it twice a month. Is a CD5i enough for this purpose then? I have always had faith in sticking to the same brand in a system. But that’s just my opinion.

Why?

You are obviously decided on an actual player rather than the other suggestions which is fine, your choice ofcourse.
For a twice a month duty, I would ignore a Naim player and consider a good transport into your streamer as previously suggested.
Audiolab, Cambridge Audio, Project or the new Roksan Attessa may suit.

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A CD player comparable in quality to your streamer would be CDX2/XPSDR. The CD5si is several steps down from there and is really no match.

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My broadband is as reliable as a politician’s promise …

I have a Nova that was recently attached to a loaned Audiolab 6000 CDT, less than £400 and when paired with the Nova’s DAC - superb .

My dealer tells me he has sold several to existing Naim customers (with high end systems) and they are pleased .

I went down a slightly obscure option instead, and have my basic Olive CD player (as a temporary measure) into my Nova -and it’s very good. If I hadn’t an alternative option I would have bought the Audiolab at the drop of a hat

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The Cd5si was my first Naim box into a Nait 5i and was superb. Plug it straight into your amp and it’ll be more than good enough as a backup.

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Because some of them have so-called “specially imported” audiophile discs that are not on Tidal. :smirk:

I purchased a Cyrus CDI XR to replace my unrepairable CDS3. I am satisfied, it has plenty of PRAT and sounds good with my all Naim active system. Comparable to Naim CDX but less aggressive and a bit smoother. Build quality is nowhere near my tank like CDS3 however.

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Is this just the transport? I was wondering whether this piped into the dac of a ndx2/xpsdr would be any good?

Yeah just get the Cambridge Audio Transport and connect it to your ndx2. It‘s half the price of the cd5si and will probably sound better.

Ah, ok, that’s not a bad reason :slight_smile: You could still rip them, but then its more of a hassle compared to just coverage for network outages. In this case my vote goes to getting a good transport like those mentioned with a digital out and plug it into the NDX2

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Cyrus has several models that look similar, with and without DAC, but if it’s the CD T model it’s transport-only

I’ve got the Cambridge audio 651 seems reasonably good going into my chord dac, the dac frankly should sort it all out as long as you get the 1/0’s in :slight_smile: all it needs is a buffer to sort it out.

No. Even with a DAC with a buffer, the transport itself, and I guess how well implemented is the s/pdif output, will make a big difference.

I have tried many different players and transports into my Naim DAC. During my original tests when the DAC first came out, I was really surprised at the difference. Many of the players were much of a muchness, but one was head and shoulders above the rest (Meridian 200) and one was definitely worst (Sony CDP-X333ES, possibly hamstrung by the TOSLINK connection).

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When we talk about CD transports, if I understood correctly, it is a CD player without DAC that is intended to be connected to an existing DAC in a Hifi system, In my case NDX2? Does anyone have experience with this CD transport, a Nuprime CDT-10?

Yes…and no.

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As others have said you can get a dedicated transport or any cd / DVD player with a digital output is essentially acting as a transport.

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Cyrus CDT XR transport looks interesting. Quite pricey at £2195 new but could be a good bet with Naim CD players having problems repairing and future proofing.

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And they usually screw the result

This was I recommended by a friend.

Pro-Ject CD Box RS2 T.

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