IIRC, both Linn and Naim launched their first CD players in 1991.
I still have an Alpha 5+ in the attic, but havenāt used it in years.
It suffered from the, not uncommon I believe, cog problem on the CDM9 mech, but Arcam collected, repaired and returned it F.O.C, despite it being outside warranty. 
IIRC, the late Malcolm Steward was a fan of the early Micromega players, before he got a CDS.
Phillips CD80, Meridian 506, Sony 777es, Meridian G08 all good sounding players
Hats off to Mr Tibbs! I took a punt on the Karik at a very reasonable price. Fingers crossed. I will update the forum when I get chance to collect it. Could be interesting playing it through main system - 500 driving Titan 808s
Denon made some wonderful CD players in the 80s.
My first CD player which I bought back then was a Denon DCD1500/II. It was way better than anything else that I auditioned at the time. Very expensive, but worth every penny. I had left my main system with my parents, and bought the Denon along with a Manticore Mantra turntable with Moth (Rega) arm, Denon DRM-14HX cassette deck, Audiolab 8000A amp and Heybrook HB1 speakers when I bought my first house.
A very nice little system which I enjoyed for many years, with a few upgrades such as Music Fidelity MC2 speakers which raised the bar quite a bit. They didnāt look great, but sounded pretty amazing for their price.
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I had the Arcam delta 170 cd transport which was based on the 70 design. I used it with a Deltec PDM1, one of Robb Watts first designs, sounded great until Naim brought out the CDS.
I had an Arcam Alpha One (my first standalone CD player) and then an Alpha 5+, 6 and finally a Linn Mimik II.
As far as retro 90ās CD players go, Iād have to say the Alpha 5 - 6 is the sweet spot. As much as I loved the Linn, I never got over how it had the same cheap Sony mech as the Alpha One.
The Arcam Alpha players used to just fly off the shelves and with good reason. At the time, they were outstanding.
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Excellent
Will be interesting to see how you find it through the main system! I use my K3 with a late Numerik and it sounds wonderful, but recently tried it standalone and was impressed at how tuneful and engaging it sounds. Donāt skimp on the interconnect for best results.
The real game changer in CD replay for me was the legendary Naim CD3. This machine absolutely blew me away in every single way. I purchased mine in December 96 to go with my then few month old NAC 92/ NAP 90.3 amplifier. What a journey that was!
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I bought it for my garden office which will use Dynaudio Focus XD 30. The connection gizmo will take co-ax, optical and the usual phono leads. What do you suggest to connect to the gizmo? And, if I want to connect to a 552, what do I need? And, what do they cost?
Thanks for the advice - I am looking forward to trying it out. I have a room full of CDs I was thinking of giving away
I missed out on the CD3 and had a CD3.5. It could take an external supply (used a Flatcap) to power the analogue stage. An excellent player that lasted me a good few years. Iād have liked to have heard the CD3 as it was a nicely engineered player using the classic 16 bit TD1541A S1.
My first player was a Marantz CD52SE. Not a patch on my Linn LP12 at the time. I fitted an original Trichord Clock to the Marantz which really made it sing and started an interest in digital audio for me.
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Google āLinn Karik manualā and you can download the user manual direct from Linn, with all the connection info you need. I would use the RCA analog output, so youāll need a RCA to din lead for use with the 552.
Price? Umm ā¦ Thatās one of those āhow long is a piece of stringā questions 
Any experience of the Ikemi, and if so, how does it compare to Karik III/Numerik.
Also, any experience of the Sondek CD12?
I auditioned a Linn Ikeki back in the day, when looking to upgrade from an Arcam Alpha plus.
It was very polite, very polite indeed.
I preferred and kept the Alphaā¦
Hope this helps, BF
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Iāve had a Karik 2, Ikemi, CDX/CDPS, Karik 3 / Numerik, all in that order.
In retrospect I should have stuck with the K2 and simply added the Numerik, but was badly advised by my dealer at the time who insisted the Ikemi was simply better. He was right in terms of tunefulness (Linn was really obsessed with āpitch accuracyā at the time) but the Karik/Numerik is far more proficient at doing PR&T first and tune second. The late model CDX plus CDPS was ultimately another mistake as although it did the PR&T thing like crazy, everything sounded noticeably processed and artificial compared to the slicker Linn CDPs. My ears, my findings. YMMV 
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I look forward to hearing your experience of the Linn Karik @pumpexch. I am a sucker for a vintage CD player myself, and have often contemplated experimenting with a Linn from this era. Alas, I have never had the time.
Iāve not been on the forum for a few days, so missed contributing ideas to the thread. As an aside, apart from the Linn, my recommendation would have been a mid 2000s Cyrus (6s or 8x), or a late 1990s Rega. I use a Cyrus of that vintage myself currently, while my father uses an original clamshell cased Rega Jupiter with its matching io outboard DAC. This was my fatherās first, and only CD player - he stuck with vinyl until finally purchasing the Rega. It has a very musical and rythmic sound.
With regards how best to connect the Karik to your Dynaudio loudspeakers - I would recommend using the analogue out of the Karik into the analogue input of the Dynaudios. This will enable you to take advantage of the DAC within the Karik. It may also be worth experimenting with the digital out from the Karik into the Dynaudios - using this connection, the DAC in the Dynaudios will undertake the digital to analogue conversion, making the Karik a transport only.
To connect to your main Naim system, you will need an RCA to DIN connection from the Karik to your NAC 552. I believe The Chord Company can provide an appropriate cable, starting around the Ā£100 mark. Other cable companies also available 
Obviously the digital option would also be available via your ND555, but I think it makes most sense to use the DAC within the Karik for the full 1990s vintage experience 
Thanks SeasonsEnd,
I am retired and music is my main interest so I have plenty of time and opportunity to enjoy it. Your reply was extremely practical and helpful. I never really got to grips with the peripherals. I will go with the Chord. The Forum is a great help to people like me - so, thanks to everyone for their ideas. They were stimulating. I will update the Forum when I have fired the Karik up - hopefully tomorrow or soon, anyway
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Had a long ago demo of the Linn CD12 at my local Naim/Linn dealerā¦
I recall it was amazing
Also very beautiful styling
It was very expensiveā¦I want to say $20,000 US, but Iām not certain
David
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Glad to hear my reply was of use! Agreed, forums like this are extremely useful. I know I have certainly learnt a lot about music and HiFi over the years from this and other forums.
Having since reacquainted myself with the NAC552, I note it does in fact have RCA inputs alongside DIN connections, so you may be able to use an RCA cable to connect the Karik to both your systems. Iām not sure though if the DIN connection is preferred from a sound quality perspective. Someone more knowledgeable than me may be able to clarify on that point.
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