This makes the greatest sense. It is the lack of options on the CD5i that makes it frustrating.
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Yes, I agree with you there, last week my Arcam CD player finally stopped working. It was on the cards, its being playing up for some time.
I want a new CD player, Iāve looked at the Naim CD5si but as you say lack of options.
I have to save for it, so gives me time to think about it.
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Maybe a lightly used CD5XS Dashing
I have one - by itself is good. I then added the nDAC and that was a big jump in performance. Then added the XPS-2 for a bit more grunt you might say
Itās a great CDP with upgrade options , you can go onto web and just type in naim audio CD5XS and the naim page will come up giving detail and upgrades etc
It was discontinued I think in 2018. Might be difficult to get hands on a later one though , donāt see them advertised too often
Just a thought
Cheers
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Hi Bevo,
Thank you for your input. Iāve read a few posts on the forum about Naim CD players and Iām concerned about the lack of replacement CD transports. The CD5si is still being manufactured, so replacement transports will be still available.
Having said that, my Arcam CD player lasted 20+ years before failing. I feel that Iāve had my monies worth.
It also had digital outs, which I never ever used, do I in fact need digital outs, I ask myself?
Maybe, because my attitude to my HiFi has changed over the past two years, Iām getting deeper into it.
I have time to think.
Regards
Iām following this thread with great interest. My main source is vinyl which I adore but confess I still have a very large CD collection and do find the convenience CD appealing.
My CD player is a Linn Genki which despite being around 20 years old, continues to give excellent and reliable service but Iām beginning to wonder if I can get more from it by adding either an NDAC or Chord Qutest.
I do subscribe to the source first theory and although my amp is āonlyā a Nait XS2, which BTW I absolutely love but appreciate thereās far nicer amplification in the Naim hierarchy, I wonder if the Nait would show off the benefits of an improved DAC.
Streaming is on the agenda but Iām a little way from its introduction for now.
Slightly off centre for the current topic (I love CD), but if you were to add a DAC into the system and have a Mac/PC/Tablet, even a Phone, you have streaming āincluded for freeā. I was waiting for a Naim streamer last year, got frustrated and added a Qutest. Connected to an old Mac laptop, this is now my main āstreamerā. One day Iāll afford an NDX2, but for now Iām very content.
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I did buy a CD5si.
It was a huge improvement on my old system and the simplicity of it means I donāt get caught up in what can I change?
Makes listening to the music easier somehow as Iām not wondering if I can improve it.
If it ever dies then perhaps I would be looking at things differently.
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āand the simplicity of it means I donāt get caught up in what can I change?ā
Yes, I understand that and thatās what I think. I keep browsing the auction site though to look at Naim preowned DACs etc. doing my research.
I havenāt come to a decision yet, LPs are my preferred source but I still buy CDs and enjoy playing them. Well I did till the player went pear shaped. Not been able to play the last two I bought.
Thatās a good point OldNait and could be a win win using the qutest from a laptop and also the Genkiā¦ hmmmā¦.
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Not sure of your laptop, but the old Macs have toslink (optical) out in the headphone socket. That + Qutest and Aurdirvana (software) is sensational. Perhaps Iām jumping ahead hereā¦
Itās good that you are taking the time to think about this Dashing, a few CDP options out there for you
If youāre worried about Naim CDPās not lasting, you could contact Naim direct and see what the situation is on replacement items such as lasers etc if anything went wrong
You might be pleasantly surprised.
Regards
Bevo
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Iād be astonished if your NAIT wasnāt able to realise the benefits of a NDAC or Qutest over your Linn player. Plus the benefit of potentially opening up streaming possibilities.
Over recent months my XS3 had clearly shown changes/demos between turntables, Hugo DAC Vs ND5 XS2, and phono stage improvements over its inbuilt stage/Stageline N and a new Graham Slee. Even lavender Vs Superlumina from a ND5 XS2.
Give a demo a go, Iām as certain as is sensible on the internet that youāll notice 
ā¦maybe I should clarify, this was more about the XSās ability to differentiate, than any absolute improvement between the Linn and the DACs you mention. Though I would be surprised if they werenāt improvements to be heard by adding one or the other of them.
Thanks gthack, yes Iāve been very impressed with the XS2 since the day I bought it, Iām of the opinion it punches well above its weight.
Indeed I should try to arrange a demo, of the qutest at least, the ndac Iād have to take a punt on if I went that way.
I love my vinyl and love the idea of the ease and amount of new music available via streaming but I also think thereās plenty of life left in the CD format yet.
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Naim UK full serviced my CDS3 in July 2018 including a new drive and laser block and Ebay sellers offer new blocks for Naim players.
Yes but there is if I understand correctly doubt as to their authenticity.
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It was serviceable then, but later during the pandemic there were no mechs at Naim and they could not replace them. Very recently they found some and the CDS3 and CDX2 are currently eligible for service with mech exchange again.
As Richard advised many times during the lack of mechs, the ones on eBay are of questionable quality and would likely be rejected by Naimās quality checks.
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I had my CDS 3 serviced by NAIM in 2013. The transport failed again in mid 2020 and I was told it could no longer be serviced. I went through the normal stages of grief, denial, anger and finally acceptance that there would never be another CD player equal to my beloved CDS 3, I added an NDX 2 to my system and thought āwow, this is pretty good!ā. But what happens if the internet goes down, Iām stuck with no music. I started looking for a CD transport that I could run through the NDX 2. I found a transport made by Pro-Ject, the turntable folks. I run it through the NDX 2, and along with its optional power supply, is BETTER than my CDS 3. Itās pretty amazing, thereās a sense of immediacy that makes me look a the speakers and ask āwhere did THAT come from?. So Iām set for the inevitable internet outages.
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Since you askā¦(!)
With streaming from oneās own store of music ripped from CD or vinyl, or downloaded:
- Potentially better sound quality through absence of read errors and associated error correction, and no annoying skips due to faulty or dirty disks.
- Potentially better sound quality as one can download higher resolution recordings.
- No misplaced CDs whether put in wrong place or wrong CD in the case.
- Continuous play of music longer than 70 minutes - a particular benefit to opera lovers.
- Easy browsing of oneās collection, even while sitting listening, and selection of the next piece of music without getting up. (Some may regard the lack of getting up to be negative - but there is nothing to stop you getting up.)
- Negligible storage space required in, or readily accessible from, the music room, with all oneās music in a very small box - and a copy in another little box so that in event of disaster like fire the loss of all oneās precious, even impossible to replace, music is unlikely. However if one wants to retain the CDs on shelves in the listening room to take out and browse the insert while playing there is absolutely nothing to stop that, simply the space saving benefit is negated.
- If desired tracks can be deleted, track order rearranged, or āplaylistsā of particular music created.
No negatives there.
For online streaming there are some differences, the positive one being a vast resource of music for very easy finding of new things to play, at a fraction of the cost of buying - perhaps a particular benefit to people not already having a good size collection. The negatives compared to playing from oneās own store are: i) A requirement to pay a monthly subscription to be able to play music. ii) A poor internet connection, or very limited bandwidth, can affect playing - this cancels the second bullet above. iii) Changes to catalogues and licences can make music disappear, whether just moved somewhere else or deleted - this cancels the third bullet above.
Many people combine both types of streaming.
However, setting up streaming in the first place, whether from oneās own store or online, is more complicated and takes more effort than simply buying a box and connecting it, and understandably some people donāt want to bother. Whilst I found no problems myself, others sometimes do. Reading queries on this forum it seems to me that dealers could and should do more to provide an āoven readyā solution for anyone not network/computer savvy. That said, products like the Uniti Core, Melco, Innuos Zen/ith etc potentially provide a simple solution to own-store streaming as they can be connected direct to a DAC, with no requirement for a network to play music.
Thanks IB
Yes I get all that and have for some time
You say āpotentiallyā better sound quality re streaming
By saying that, it goes to the heart of my concern. Itās not clear cut , if it was Iād be there
Having said that I have ripped all my CDs into the CORE and from time to time ( in my other home) I use for convenience , so I get that point.
To me itās got to be about a much improved sound quality experience over CDās.
Cheers
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Naim can repair the CDS3. Check with your distributor/Naim. Mine sounds great with the new laser mech.
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