I loved my CDS3 and imagined, that like my LP12, it would be with me until I bequeathed it.
Then a few years ago I decided to join the streaming revolution, initially in a very low cost way, with a Raspberry pi. Inevitably this was upgraded with an nDac, to dramatic effect, when it started to compete with the CDS3.
Then I tried powering the nDac with my 555ps and found that I could contemplate the idea of selling my CDS3 to finance streaming improvements. This led to purchases of ND5 XS2 and a Uniti Core.
Comparing local ripps of my CDs to playing them on the CDS3 was so close now, that the decision to finally sell it was not the conflict I’d anticipated.
In your situation I would source a Core and an nDac to use with your XPS2. The cost will be similar to buying a used NDX2.
You may be surprised by the performance of your streamer through the nDac. I know that a friend’s Bluesound was transformed, when we tried it.
Not much you can do once spares stocks of hard to find parts are finally exhausted. Naim’s aim has always been to try to support any discontinued product for at least a decade after discontinuation (it’s now about 15 years since the CDS3 was discontinued) - beyond that, with products reliant on parts that either don’t have much shelf life or had limited production spans, such as laser mechs, DAC chipsets etc. it becomes ever more difficult for the factory to support with new parts (of course, independents may well be able to keep such players going much longer using scavenged or secondhand parts). With the CDS3 Naim actually went and developed a new transport section for it after it was discontinued in order to ensure that the VAM1202 could be used in place of the rare (and suddenly discontinued) VAM1250, when Naim’s desired lifetime-buy of VAM1250s could not be fulfilled by the manufacturer. It’s unfortunate, and Naim do their best, but after 15 years, if you have a particular fault then I guess there are certain things that just can’t be replaced with new replacement parts on the CDS3.
To take with a pitch of salt : in an another thread, someone bought an Hegel Viking cd player to replace his dead Cds3. A friend of him sold the CD555 and bought the Viking.
I understand all that, but are there not alternative parts that would ‘do the job’? Presumably certain dead CD players will also leave redundant XPS’ etc. I realise that would compromise the ‘naim sound’ but there’s no greater compromise than a different manufacturer is there? never mind the aesthetics
I’m at the bottom end of the job with my ageing CD5 still hanging on (I hope I’m not going to regret saying that)but even I’m not looking forward to the day its replacement needs finding,
I also realise that CD is yesterdays format but for me that and records are all I have and will ever have.
I’ve made an appearance, I can disappear back into ‘only reading’ mode now
Naim do this more regularly than you might think and indeed have done this in the recent past; For example, when their favoured supplier ceased, R&D undertook performance evaluation of capacitors from different capacitor makers, not just for current production, but also for service needs. Of course, this is only really possible where suitable are available at all. In the case of things like mechs and DAC chips, it rather more difficult without a wholesale re-design…
It’s worth bearing in mind too that even when factory support becomes impossible, there are any number of imaginative “kitchen table” and “garden shed” enterprises where enthusiast techs keep older kit going by scavenging parts from other defunct players.
@Richard.Dane Naim does as good a job as can be expected regarding continuing support. Regarding new chips. I would be very surprised if Naim were to develop a new CDP.
And that, in a nutshell, is the reason I believe there’ll be no more Naim purchases in my future. Without that legendary serviceability Naim loses much of its appeal for me.
@SteveO Why should Naim be held to a different standard than other manufacturers? Over my High-End years, I have had Spectral, Ayre and Rega. At least in the USA, lifetime support or very lengthy support is not an option. If you like Naim’s sound and presentation, then who are you hurting by not purchasing ?
Let’s not forget that Naim still will support everything where possible - it’s only when certain parts become unobtainium that things get tricky. Bear in mind that if you bought a NAP160 and NAC12 back in '75 (that’s 50 years ago, by the way!) then Naim can and will still service it for you so it performs as good as the day it was first made. I reckon that’s pretty good going.
I’m not holding them to a different standard, it’s Naim who have altered theirs. By not upholding their own traditionally exemplary standards, in my eyes at least, Naim have taken a step backwards and fallen in line with their competitors, many of whom are sigificantly less expensive.
I’m currently in a position where my CDS3 is a ticking time bomb and I couldn’t replace it with an equivalent Naim model if I wanted to.
Also, Naim no longer service the Superline. At the moment I believe it can be repaired, but for how much longer? After being told since Naims’ inception that regular servicing is required to keep products sounding optimal, one can only wonder how detrimental to the sound not being able to service it will be. Anyone who has ever had something recapped knows the night and day difference one hears when the kit is returned.
All I’m saying is the equipment I dismissed because it’s longevity paled against that of Naim is now on an equal footing.
I think the message wasn’t very clear on this. As a Superline owner looking to keep mine going long term I clarified this with Naim on one of my visits; The bottom line is that there’s no set service routine for the Superline, but if you feel your SL is underperforming or has an issue then Naim will replace anything that’s out of spec so it will perform as it should. Before this they were replacing everything on the board even when it was not necessary to do so. With so many components being replaced the risk of damaging the board became very real, which meant a replacement board, and with only a finite number of replacement boards once production has stopped that becomes untenable in the long run.
I also purchased a Rega Isis after my CDX2 failed and could not be repaired. I’ve had it a year now and pleased with it. I initially looked at Luxman and Esoteric, but decided to get the Rega.
I’ll amend my original comment of ‘poor’ to disappointing.
I think that’s really the underlying issue, just disappointment that the situation has arisen, whatever the reason.
For me there were albeit limited funds available when I retired a few years back for a better Naim CD player from the pre loved market that is now reserved for it’s replacement should(when?) it fails.
I’ve no issue at all with the serviceability of my amps
I expect it’s a very exclusive club, but that doesn’t make me feel any better about the eventual demise of my CDS3 and the lack oofan option to stay in the Naim fold with a replacement. I appreciate that if parts can’t be sourced it makes extending the life of a product untenable. But I can still recall going on the factory tour prior to my purchase of a CDS3 and hearing that mechanic would be set aside to ensure units could be kept alive like other Naim products. Had I not heard that I doubt I’d have spent so much on a CDP.
But the difficulty is knowing when it is out of spec. I’ve had stuff recapped in the past just because it reached the recommended timeframe. It wasn’t until I got them back I realised just how much they needed that service.
I returned my Superline in 2020 due to a problem. It had the full board replaced and on return it sounded better than ever. I think the Superline is a fantastic product, as is the CDS3 and it’s because I rate them so highly the frustration is so pronounced.
DCS Puccini. Second hand, around 3k. But I don’t know if DCS can service it if the mech fails. It has a wonderful prat and no harschness at all. Free flowing and very fast.
