So I have come this far successfully upgrading from SN2 to 282/250DR/SupercapDR and am really happy with it, no plans to look up the chain. My source has been, and still is a standard older CD5. I bought it new back in the day. It works fine, it’s all I know. I like CDs and am staying with that as a source, and searching for the forever player for my system.
Been doing a lot of on line reading, and seems like a good choice is between Naim CD555 with 555PS or Luxman D10X. Both can be purchased for about the same US dollars pre-loved.
I know the Luxman has a lot more features such as SACD, but does anyone have any experience with the actual SQ of these units. The sound I like is wide, detailed, and ok to be a little forward. Once I buy either, really no plans to change/upgrade/etc, just want the best SQ I can get.
I think if it was me I’d go the Luxman route. Couple of reasons Luxman has been around a long time and I have a feeling that if the transport wears out they’ll have replacement parts. I also like the idea of listening to SACD’s The other player Id consider is an Esoteric. Teac makes the Transports and I think you’ll always be able to get parts
Indeed, as Opus says, Luxman will have parts as they make their transport.
But the Luxman house sound is very different to Naim. Polar opposite. Opposites do attract though. There are several on the forum (myself included) with Naim systems and Luxman systems. Therefore it’s not a foregone conclusion that if you like the CD-555 you will hate the D-10X. The charms are different I expect.
Also, the Luxman doubles as a fully fledged uncompromising DAC. Connect a streaming transport to it and you’ve got an extremely high end streamer too.
I used to own the D10X and it is one of the best CD players I have ever owned. Soundwise, it ticks the wide and detailed boxes, but it is not forward it is more neutral with a hint of warmth. I would not buy either without listening to them.
Not going the streaming route yet, I get confused. Want to get to my personal CD nirvana first, then will consider.
So 10K USD for pre-loved CD555 and 555PS, what’s it worth the minute I get it? Half? If it sounds as great as folks say, I wouldn’t care, but if it’s not that more than a basic CD5, then 10k is a lot of an experiment.
The CD555 has been out of production for a while now. I would be concerned about longevity and servicing. If taking the plunge I would certainly want the most recent example I could get. Would that impact the $$ cost?
Not really. Things don’t become more second hand. Unlike cars.
There’s loads of horse trading on Stereonet and most people I know using the second hand market sell things for what they paid for them. It’s basically how they do home demo: buy, try, sell.
I have only demoed the CD555 at my dealer a long time ago and it was a fine player. As others have advised the age of these units present a big risk. Are you able to check if the the mech has been changed and if so when? Also ask when the player was last serviced. I would contact Naim with the unit serial number and find out the cost of a new mech and factor that in. You could also ask them for a service history of the unit.
The CD555 is a phenomenal CD player. The build quality is exceptional……it really is a masterpiece of engineering.
I bought mine without the opportunity to demo but it was one of the very last builds before going out of production.
As per performance….all l can say is you will not be disappointed.
Thanks for the reply, does the select dsm have analogue inputs like the gen 3 dsm? I have been thinking of changing, not because i don’t like the d10x but rather i rarely play cd’s. So was thinking it might be beneficial to trade for a better quality dac. The linn is interesting as i could ditch the preamp which is a linn KK.
…and once through the ADC > Space Optimisatiom > DAC, streams at more than 12 mb/s.
SO very effectice…never knew how much my room influenced the sound, until the influence was removed.
