Bevo,
I would love nothing more than having CD player that allows me to stream into my ND555 when it arrives.
In the end I’ll go back to ripping my CDs, but go find them? Art work is missing 50-60% of time, performers, conductors, composers are tossed into informational never never land. I previously gave up on Core and pledged my fidelity and allegiance to my CDS3 and now she’s moved on. I’ll hold on to my CDs for while and figure out how to live with streaming, I do love world wide radio classical broadcasts, but not being able to play my favorite classical performances is loss for now.
I’ve heard all of the competition: DCS, Aavik, Linn, Chord, etc. None hold a candle to the ND555, especially when powered with two 555 power supplies.
7 Likes
Good reasons…
1 Like
Chris,
Thank you for your input!
I’m not familiar with Aavik, but each of the others are considered gold standard, peer, or better than Naim ND555 X2PS. You’re suggesting that is not the case.
Your remarks are encouraging having deposited my money sight unseen and hoping for reasonable best. Do you have similar conclusion when streaming, or playing own ripped files, or playing purchased digital files?
I make a point to hear all of the competition and simply put none of them stir my heart or make my foot tap like a Naim source.
My experience:
UnitiCore makes the best CD rips.
A good audiophile switch like the English Electric is mandatory.
High End Ethernet cables like Chord Music make a difference.
Hi Res Downloads vary in quality, caveat emptor.
Qobuz sounds great and has tons of hi res content.
Internet radio is a great way to find new music: Radio Paradise, KCRW, etc.
5 Likes
Chris,
Thank you for your informed update.
Few questions:
You mentioned Chord Ethernet cable, is there specific cable you’ve had best outcome with? Have you auditioned or heard other Ethernet cables you’d suggest.
Regarding Core, have you found way to improve filing?
I’ve just moved over from a CDP555 to a Core for storage and have finally ripped my CD collection. I have to say that I found it pretty easy to edit the dozen or so CD’s that didn’t have any artwork or Album info. A few click on my iPad and it was all done and I’m not particularly tech savvy! However, I am impressed with the resolution from a Corei
5 Likes
I use a Chord Music Ethernet cable. It’s the best I’ve heard, as it should be for the price. I only had a few CDs out of several thousand that needed editing. The databases are pretty good, but not perfect. Making changes was not that hard.
1 Like
Ripping all your cd’s can be painful, but worth it in the end i find. As you can now just sit back and play music, also stream them files to lots of other devices.
But i do get why people still like to just load that cd and hit play, its a different experience to vinyl, as it sounds more different, but physical involvement is obviously sometimes nicer tuan just touching a screen.
You could even have both very easily, and a good way to do it would be to get say a melco, and then get a disc drive. You can then use the disc drive to also play cd’s through the melco, and then to your dac, plus use the disc drive to rip your cd’s.
Something like a melco N100 and D100, this would be a very nice set up, with a fantastic disc drive transport.
As for the old dac debate, well we all like different things, thats for sure.
All the top dac’s will all be great, each will have have its own sound, some will give you this, others will give you that. But some will give you both if you are lucky, and thats why some dacs are just that bit better, and are known for being the absolute best you can get right now.
Cheers dunc
1 Like
Use an Innuos server with your ND555. CD rips are easy and intuitive and the Innuos sense app is brilliant.
I don’t think they make those - it’s only “streaming cables” from Chord.
They look like Ethernet cables, but they aren’t Ethernet cables.
You won’t find the Ethernet word or category ratings on the Chord website/literature as they don’t actually conform to the standard.
To be fair , they don’t really need to conform to Ethernet or any other standard, as with any audiophile ‘streaming’ cable - a term which was adopted by some brands after it was pointed out to them that Ethernet was a defined standard and that if they wanted to use it they would have to conform and gain certification.
Some of these cables could never be certified as they use, for example, coaxial construction instead if the traditional twisted pair of Ethernet. Clearly they still work despite this.
3 Likes
Maybe not conforming themselves to the standard make them sounding ( indirectly) much better….
1 Like
This topic was automatically closed 60 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.
@Fallstaff Continuing the discussion from CD Player for Naim 500 system:
What decision did you come to regarding the CD player? I have tried the Naim Unity Star and ended up with Nova + transport. Transport was an Audiolab 6000 but have now upgraded this to 9000 with Chord Epic and its is as good as any Hi-res stream I have heard. I, like you love the physical aspect of playing a CD. Fully recommended.
8 Likes
I have Marantz SA10 and it is superb but recently bought a Cyrus CDT secondhand for £300. I know Cyrus CD players can be a touch flaky but, when it plays ball which is 99% of the time, with my NCS222, NAP250 it sounds excellent and a stage up on my old CD5XS on digital output to the same hardware. Maybe a new CDT would be the way to go or even a CDT XR.
1 Like
As a CD user, I’d never consider ripping my entire cd collection, nor do I have much interest in streaming or anything computer involved in music replay.
I’ve owned many earlier Naim CD players and they were great performers.
I went to Rega later on, they are a bit different but very satisfying and fully supported (important).
Shortly I had a Moon CD player which was insane solid build, a guy purchased a Moon CD-transport and explain how important this part of replay chain is.
My experience as well.
Hegel have released a new CD player recently, this is good news the trend continue.
Who knows, maybe a CD revival will show up next decade as it happened for vinyl back then.
9 Likes