You did
I run a CD555 with 2 x power supplies and an SL cable to a 552.
My vinyl is an LP12 with Stilleto plinth and Lyra Etna SL.
Both are neck and neck in quality but I favour the CD555 just because its easier to operate.
Streaming has little appeal to me as its not straight forward to set up and with large orchestral classical music and opera it has disadvantages I am told by my dealer. The music doesnāt come in chunks and can confuse the system. I quote.
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After my beloved CDS 3 was determined to be unrepairable, I went on a search for a CD transport that I could run through my NDX 2. I found a Pro Ject CD Box RS 2T. Made in Austria by the turntable folks. Iām pretty amazed by it, itās a keeper, and I just ordered the upgraded power supply from Pro Ject.
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Not surprised , that looks an amazing bit of kit - and if you dig deeply on the Pro-Ject web site -you will find an obscure connection that if followed leads on to Naim
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I would say that LP12 in my case is superior but it has to be with good pressings and the CD555 is so consistent and convenient. I too use it with a SL interconnect (really excellent).
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Was going to say, the CD mech used is produced by StreamUnlimited - the same folks who worked with Naim on the NP800. I assume thatās the link you refer to?
I secretly hope this means Naim might venture into CD once more 
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They mention Naim on their website , I would love to see Naim make a transport even if itās just a digital output on the CD5si
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A bit more digging, the SU CD Pro 8 is based on a Sanyo transport, might well be that the CD5si and it already share the Sanyo SF HD 850 in common
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Thatās a blast from the past.
Many years ago (pre -internet) I bit the bullet and asked my dealer to order a NAT01 , he advised Naim had stopped making it that month - citing a supplier stopping making a key component , I asked him to order a Linn Kremlin (?) instead. No they too had stopped making it that month, the reason was the same supplier had stopped making a key component and it was the same component for both machines - made by Sanyo .
I guess the difference between Naim and Linn is that there is a strong chance Naim will be able to service the NAT01 but Linn wonāt. (If I am being unfair, can somebody please correct me )
My previous cartridge was a Micro-Benz SLR. The Lyra Etne is kinder to surface noise without loosing out on its good qualities. Perhaps it rides in a different position in the groove.
Take your point about LP surface noise. In a hypothetical case if you bought 50 LPs and 50 CDs, I donāt think you would send any CDs back as faulty. However probably not so with the LPs. More to go wrong: off centre, scratches, warps, surface noise. Could go on. They just need more attention in manufacturing. And that costs?
CD555 Mk 2 wouldnāt go amis. Sort of like the Solstice Aro Mk2, perhaps?
ā¦ and then I woke up !
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Hi,
Have you made any sound quality comparisons between streaming Qobuz live from the internet and the same tracks via CD disc quality or also Hi-Res tracks via DVD and Bluray Discs?
Appreciate that your experience streaming locally from music ripped and also downloaded from Qobuz to the Core sounds very comparable to playing discs but very interested in your experience of streaming live from Qobuz.
Thanks in advance.
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Hi @MoonDrifter. Iāve found local streaming from the Core (either ripped from a CD or a download, both as WAV files) to sound better than the equivalent material streamed directly from Qobuz. Not is much in terms of detail or resolution, but the local streaming just has the edge for dynamics and being more natural. For hi-res, a download from Qobuz as a WAV file, or a DVD or Blurry disc has the edge over the same material streamed directly from Qobuz as a FLAC file.
Iām no technical expert, and put the difference down to the better timing (clocking?) of local streaming.
Having said that, Qobuz on-line streaming quality is very good and for new music I only buy a download for a particular favourite that is well recorded. Also, a number of bands I follow only sell CDs or their on direct downloads.
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Itās not quite the same thing, but Iāve noticed (and I donāt think Iām alone) that 4K Ultra HD material looks and sounds much better on my kit when being played locally from a disc rather than when being streamed. Weāre blessed with very strong wifi which we never notice dropping out* but, even so, a locally played disc always performs better in our experience.
Mark
Footnote: ā¦apart from the time a whacking great oak tree landed on the wires down the road, which is forgivable
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Itās too soon, but worth checking on the forum nearer 2040.
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I agree, and sound in particular, as I think a lot of 4K video streaming has compressed audio for bandwidth.
I donāt know about sound, but itās well known for video (even with 1920 HD) because the ā4Kā resolution makes no statement about the compression level that was applied in the codec, and streaming as well as live TV typically is more compressed than e.g. blu-ray.
Also keep in mind that video codecs (as opposed to audio codecs) typically adjust their compression level on the fly, depending on available bandwidth. So you usually wouldnāt get dropouts on wifi but instead it would degrade to a higher level of compression.
The audio on video streams may use more compression as well than e.g. blu-ray, but Iām not sure about that.
Hi Mike_S thank you for the quick response and your online streaming experience is the same as mine using Tidal where a CD disc digital input to my streamer/dac sounds better than the online streamed version and similarly a HiRes Bluray disc digital input sounds better than the HiRes MQA online streamed version.
Iām no technical expert either but i think the reason is that the digital signal from the streaming board of the streamer/dac is not as good as the digital signal from the CD Player or Bluray Player and also in your case the Core for your local streaming assuming all digital input signals from whatever source get processed all the same way in the internal circuits of the streamer/dac device.
I do not have any ripped CDs or Blurays or online downloads on any local storage devices so canāt make that comparision to online streaming or disc inputs like you have done.
Assuming my theory is correct then a higher quality streamer/dac with better onboard streaming board/electronics will have much closer sound quality to external digital inputs from other sources.
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Hi Ebor, this is my experience too with 4K discs and HD discs giving better video and audio performance over online streaming of 4K and HD material.
It just goes to show that physical media is very hard to beat performance wise although streaming is more convenient but i guess thstās the trade off.
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Interesting observation from me! Both streaming and local file playback pretty much indistinguishable now they both go through an EE 8 switch.
Rega CD player direct to DAC is the least satisfying. Maybe because most of the music i stream is 24bit. Or it maybe the digital out from the Regaā¦who knows
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This is a fascinating thread and follows on from my conversation with Naim CS a few months ago - why have they discontinued all CD players except the lowest of the low model? I know all about the shortage of mechs and other parts, but no-one can tell me that it is impossible to have mechs manufactured for the right price. Surely the logic would have been to maintain a single, mid-range product?
Judging by the length of the thread and the passion in many replies, there must be many here who use them on a regular basis, even if it is perceived to be uncool to talk about it? Although I ripped all my CDs to FLAC in 2002, Iām very still very happy to play them with my original CD3.5 + flatcap; would be happy to upgrade it to a CD5XS or similar if the opportunity presented itself.
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