Well it finally happened my cherished CDX2.2 laser finally died after 15 years of service. ( I knew it was a bad omen to give its annual dust) but joking aside I carn`t bear to part with it. So is anybody in the same position as me? I will store it in the loft and wait for a quality retrospective repair which may be a long wait.
After speaking to Naim the good news is the NDAC will live on just requiring the odd recap. So I`m in the market for a CD transport.
Quite a few quality transports out there, I have a CDX2.2 and if it goes , I will look at a transport from (probably) TEAC. Jamie Wednesday uses one and is very pleased with it.
British firms like Cyrus manufacture them , in fact most CD players nowadays come with a digital output. The most notable exception being Naim .
Best wishes
The other option of repair is to source a laser mech yourself. Mechs are available on ebay including installation costs.
As Naim no longer supply mechs this is the only way I can see to prevent it being a doorstop.
Costs including installation are about ÂŁ200. Maybe worth a try.
I like Naim CD players and have had a CD5Si, 2 x CDS2s and a CDS3.
I sold my final Naim CD player, a CDS2 as knew the mech was on the way out!
Left it a year or so and bought a Marantz SA12SE. Brilliant build quality.
Good luck!
Did Naim mention recapping the NDAC? They had previously said the NDAC didn’t need service. Unless they are now expecting us to run these to failure rather than trying to prevent failure?
When I spoke to Naim and without prompting him he did say the DAC caps can become “leaky” and require replacing
Having recently suffered this trauma, having loved my CD player for years, I was genuinely surprised at how well my Core, played through an NDX2, delivers a similar sound to the pure CD.
It’s not quite the same - slightly less energetic maybe slightly less musical but more detailed - but I prefer it to streaming and an external power supply is hopefully on the cards for the NDX2 so I’m looking forward to that.
I also find that having what I still think of as the CDs accessible on the Core means I listen to some I’d forgotten about and pinch myself at how good they are.
IMO, a lifespan of 15 years is to short for a €5K+ device.
I’m in the same position with my CDX2. Bought second hand 9 years ago and used in my second system in the conservatory. Tempted by the eBay repair; has anyone else done this?
In my case it was 30 years, and despite my solution I still miss using it. I’m going to see if someone can fix it, but I think it’s an outside chance.
Sadly, I don’t think the NDX2 will last that long because of the software.
Replacement lasers are very tricky. Naim replaced it on my CDS3 and it started skipping within a week. Naim did not have any spares so it was sold on for pittance. No guarantee newly sourced laser mechs will be good. Be careful!
Are you sure?
Because for Tidal, Qobuz….I agree.
But to stream local cd rips, I see no reason.
I actually haven’t done a repair yet but I fully intend to, if/when the time comes. I have a CDX so a repair is the only option other than scrapping it.
I had a chat with the tech guy at my dealer and he agrees, it makes sense. He said that he can easily do such repairs, all be it with third party mechanisms so understandably there won’t be any warranty.
Maybe the replacement mechs are inferior and maybe don’t sound as good but for me it’s still better than scrapping it.
I think you’re picking up on my concern about the long term viability of the NDX2.
I’ve no doubt it has been constructed robustly. I would think/hope there will be hardware repairs do-able in future.
However, if I look at all the other kit I’ve owned, cars, TVs etc, if there is an embedded software issue it can render the whole thing beyond repair/economical repair or the knowledge of anyone to diagnose it and fix it. That’s usually long before 30 years.
You have my sympathy. My Dad passed away a few years ago and I inherited his Naim CDi CD player. The CDi was manufactured around 1993 and is a fine sounding compact disc player that’s built like the proverbial tank. It’s in excellent condition both mechanically and cosmetically, but given its age I use it sparingly.
Best of luck in finding a new CD transport. There are a number of companies that are still manufacturing them. 
I feel you. My beloved Naim CDS1 broke several years ago and I haven’t made up mind if I should send it to Naim for repair or just leave it. I am also looking for a CD transport, well, I actually already have a Cambridge CD transport, but it doesn’t sound like my CDS1, maybe a Naim CDP in good condition with digital output will do?
Our much loved ancient CDX died recently - no reliable Naim repair available, so investigated alternatives. Retired technician bought the CDX to attempt repairs & local Naim dealer gave fair px price for XPS against a Rega Saturn 111 which is an acceptable CD replacement - have also heard this player through a Chord DAC which makes it almost as good as the CDX - so that’s the next addition. Best of luck with laser repair, but couldn’t source a Naim DAC either so admitted defeat - Rega + Chord excellent alternative.
Sorry, forgot to add that Rega have decent stock of spares for their CDPs. Seemed to me after research that any decent CDP sounds very acceptable if used with modern HQ DAC, but some of the imported players may experience servicing challenges?