The XS3 is just so ‘musical’. It has such an addictive sound and I can’t stop throwing different music at it 
Absolutely loving it’s sound even using an old Arcam cd player and Goodmans speakers
The Mark Levinson was a great amp but maybe just too analytical whereas the XS3 is a boogie machine!
It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed my music so much
I purchased the XS3 used but it’s only a few months old; what a great buy
Still can’t work out why I love the XS3’s sound so much apart from it being so very musical!
After all the very esoteric (and expensive) hifi I’ve owned over the years the XS3 is performing brilliantly, I love it 
Don’t fight it, just enjoy it!
I am absolutely loving it
I think I just need to add a Naim cd player and some better speakers at some point
The only CD player available from Naim now is the 5Si and I’m just wondering if that would be good enough for the XS3?
The only other route would be a used Naim cd player but apparently Naim cannot now service any of them as the mechs are no longer available
I’d want to nip down to my Naim dealer, taking my amp if necessary, to find out.
Thanks Christopher I will probably do that
If it helps at all, the first time I ever heard Naim’s iconic SBL speakers was with a CD5i, Nait XS and NACA5 speaker wires. The electronics were forerunners of your gear but you get the idea.
The sound was captivating.
The “natural” CD partner for an XS amp would be the CD5XS. My entry into Naim-world was an original Nait XS and CD5XS. The latter is long discontinued and likely unserviceable if the mech goes, so I’d be wary of jumping that way even second hand.
As my system evolved I added a nDAC to the CD player … a great upgrade. That was using the CD5XS as transport, so you might want to consider the nDAC with a non-Naim transport. Some forum members have gone that way and a bit of searching should provide a list of possible transports.
Roger
Everybody’s ears and tastes are different - that said, I’ve got my UQ2 and Neat Iotas cranked up to eleven playing Steely Dan’s Show Biz Kids. Good sounding music that gets up and moves is so enjoyable.
Have fun with the XS3!
What about a NAS with your CDs ripped vs a CD player?
Not considered a streamer as I still love playing cd’s
I’m a bit old fashioned
I use a CD5Si with my XS3. Works very well IMHO. Compared with my Arcam D33 DAC I would say the highs a less extended and the soundstage is smaller. However, on certain music, such as rock, the CD5si has the ‘boogey’ factor and it can also take the most aggressive edge off some music. My only negative is that it does not have a digital out to feed an external DAC (such as my D33) if I wished for a different presentation.
Thanks AlexP
I was hoping that someone was using the CD5Si with the XS3
I’m tempted to buy a used CDX2 but Naim cannot service these anymore so it’s a huge risk to buy one
Given the lack of runway for Naim CD players (I have a CDX2.2 which I love) it might be a better strategy to get something out of brand, I have a Denon DCD1700NE which I have into the Nait 50 and they go very well together. It’s an absolutely fabulous sounding player that has all the drive and timing of Naim imo.
It’s worth trying a CD5si if you can (ideally in your system) to see if you would be happy with it - it would be a largely aesthetic and functional match - I say largely because the front panel of the 5si series has a different finish.
However, I would fully understand going a different route. If, for example, you plan to purchase an ND5 XS2 streamer, then a good quality CD player/transport feeding the digital inputs might be a preferable option. Alternatively, as Adam mentioned above, a there are alternative quality CD players in that price bracket, some of which also serve as external DAC for more budget orientated streamers.
Personally, unless bought cheaply enough, I would be weary of Naim players that are no longer supported - a real shame, but it’s a risk unless the player was cheap enough for you to give up on it if the mech were to fail.
I am too: CD5si into Nait XS3 plus ND5 XS2 streamer (for radio and Tidal) and NAC A5 speaker cable into Neat Mystique Classic speakers. The Naim boxes were bought new together in 2019 and I’ve had no reason to consider upgrading them since.
Hi AntonSmith
Does the CD5Si work ok with the XS3?
I can still purchase a brand new CD5Si that would come with the Naim warranty and that’s quite appealing to me as cd players are a huge risk at the moment
I think it works brilliantly. It also matches the XS3 styling and the same remote controls both boxes.