Hi, I am looking into getting a CD player as long as good ones are still in the market, to replace my loved CD5i-2, which just does not cut it anymore in the system this is suddenly morphing into. I have decided that I have too many CDs that are not on streaming or cannot be risked to rely on no physical copy, and I just don’t want to bother with ripping. Plus I like touching Naim CD players. As supplies are twindling, this is the most urgent thing for me right now to get peace of mind in this area for hopefully many years, and I am willing to spend real money still on a tech out of fashion.
Long-term the focus will be streaming in addition to vinyl, but I am not in a hurry in this regard as I am quite well set up for now with a NAD C 658 streamer/pre, and I am holding out for 272 successor, or at least until Naim says none will come; in this event I suppose I will go NDX2/252 or the 500 equivalents should I be able to pick on up for a good price. The power amp is a new 300 DR, I love it to death and I hope it will be my last one. (Speakers are Monitor Audio Gold GX 200, which are playing very nicely when powered by the 300 as long as levels are low. They were bought for a different apartment and are too small for my current room size at higher levels, but I am actually content with this. Will be replaced, but last)
The market tells me that with some digging I should get my hands on excellent machines of all of CDX2, CDS3, and CD555 models, not needing service immediately or even in the foreseeable future. But as those don’t come cheap, longevity and Naim support are maybe the biggest considerations. I would opt for the better SQ all other things being equal, but a CDX2 with a PS is nice and has the drawer mechanism as a bonus. (Nice to operate and flexible in shelve level).
CDX2 was sold until 2018, so do they have the longest expected support period? The latest ones are still in warranty period, this should be a good omen?
CD555 was discontinued just a year earlier in 2017 and one would think that Naim took greatest care with support precautions for their top-flight player. Are they still supported and how long? Warranty still applies here for late ones. However, the motor driven lid seems to be an additional point of failure, is this a concern?
(A nice bonus is that you usually get a 555 PS DR, so the actual price for the CD555 is not that big, and the PS will do good service even if the CD becomes unsalvageable a some point)
CDS3 was discontinued in 2012 already and my dealer told me it is not on the Naim service list anymore. Is this correct? Is there 3rd-party service by some dealers maybe, and is there maybe better serviceability for the new post 2008/9 transports? Ebay for example has offers for CDS3 lasers and transports, but I wonder if those are the ones that Naim rejected. (I read somewhere that a reason for CD player discontinuations was that Naim had to screen still-available transports for quality and had to reject too many).
Of course, one might say a brand new CD5si is the best if it’s about longevity, maybe even get one late, when and if it is continued as well. But though I expect SQ to be beyond my 5i-2 , it is still not such a great fit in my system.
I also asked Naim by email, but don’t know when they answer, if they do. Meanwhile I am in discussions with a bunch of sellers and quite itchy, so your input is greatly appreciated.