the 5si is a huge down grade to the CDX2.The luxman sacd player is a good idea if you dont mind its silver finish.Dont know the Hegel Viking (its new)but hate the slot drive it uses.Another posibility is the ELECTROCOMPANIET EMC1 mkV cd player,very high quality not super expensive and also black.
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There are many good CD players offered today. Rega Isis would be my choice but lesser models available. My CDS3- 555PS was excellent but I am retired and cannot justify $20K spend. I am content with CEC CD5 and have 1500 plus CDs that are not leaving but I still miss the CDS3!
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Yes. Agree. I replaced mine with a Naim
DAC and Audirvana on a Mac / Toslink in 2012. The NDX was dull and flat in comparison.
I bought a CD5si, put on decent cables and improved on the power supply with Chord Shawline and put in isolation pucks - and am happy with the sound
Others have differing views , something we are all entitled to , if I move my CDX2 (which is now digital only) will go back with my UnitiQute as DAC and for the basis of a differing system to what I have now.
If you have a Naim streamer I would go with a CD transport, Audiolab have found fans on this forum and Jamie Wednesday uses a rather smart TEAC
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First of all, thanks very much for all the replies! I did not expect this many 
The response is a bit later, as I had to make do with actual live music yesterday, due to a missing CD-player 
So far, It seems like options one, two three are basically discounted due to it being a huge risk and I appreciate your second opinions here! The fourth option is by farthe most popular, with the overwhelming majority leaning to streaming or using a transport/DAC combination.
For reference, I have roughly 1500 CD’s, as this pretty much is the medium I grew up with when I started listening to music proper.
I hadn’t actually considered the possibility of using a DAC at all, as I’m so used to the DAC being built in to the CDX2. I’m not huge into streaming, I only use Spotify whilst I’m cycling (I’m obliged as a Dutchy) or at work to shut myself off from noise, so quality isn’t my main concern there. I get it’s appeal and convenience though, but when at home, just popping a CD into the CDX2 wasn’t exactly a chore and I very much enjoy having the physical medium in my hands and reading the booklet that comes with it. I also feel this supports artists a bit more than streaming does.
The NDX2 would be an option to switch to Tidal, although I don’t know what their offer is like and I’d have to look into that first. I think I could also use it and a DLNA server to stream music, but that would entail ripping all my CD’s in higher quality, too. I only have it ripped to medium at this point, as I had a portable music player before this, so space was limited. It would also make great use of the XPS2 I suppose.
With your suggestion and looking into it a bit more, I also was thinking a ‘classic’ Naim DAC, which could use the XPS2 as well and is a lot cheaper due to it’s age. I’m not sure about the difference in sound-signature though. The CDX2 was always very exciting and the couple of folks that commented on it being one of the more exciting sources that they owned makes me feel like I could be missing out.
As for transports, I reckon I’d start with a simple one, and the Audiolabs 7000 looks affordable and not too shabby in terms of looks either. TEAC has always been known as a house in terms of CD-players and -transports as well as I remember, so that could be worth a look, too, or indeed, the Naim CD5si if I wanted to splurge for that.
The Hegel Viking actually doesn’t look too bad either, so I could look into that as well.
I don’t fancy using a laptop for this kind of thing at all. I’m easily distracted, so I keep screens to a minimum when listening. I do appreciate the suggestion, of course!
To the folks that still have working CDX2’s, CDS3’s and CD555’s, I sincerely hope they keep working! Do be warned it could be over in an instant though, it only took mine to skip once after 20 years of happy playing and it was gone 
I wish all of them many more happy years of music
Thanks again for all your replies and information! I’ll try to keep you posted
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Hi @Boekster their is no digital out on the CD5Si which is a bit of a shame so it couldn’t be used as a transport into a used Ndac (if you were to purchase one and use your XPS2 to power it) their are however quite a number of standalone transports in the 1-3K range from a number of reputable companies which could feed the Ndac/XPS2 combination which should provide long term repairable solutions and still provide a degree of the Naim signature sound if feeding the Ndac.
Be interesting to know how you get on as you have been forced into making the decision before me so good luck.
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I hope you don’t mind me saying but with that commitment to CD i would look at a transport plus a Naim streamer or a seriously priced CD player, which would either be a Rega
or
a Japanese model , CD is still popular there and I would have few qualms about a high end Denon (for example)
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Hej Ian,
Not at all, I very much welcome your opinion and it resonates.
I’ve been looking over 2nd hand sites at this point, as there are some great things to be found of people upgrading still, and am currently in talks with someone who is selling a Naim DAC. So far, it seems to be working out well and they’ll come back to me with some shipping options. I’m fairly positive this will be a buy. I’m not that big into streaming anyway and the option is a LOT cheaper than an NDX to boot. People here seem to love their DAC still and the XPS2 will slot right in.
I also found an open box Audiolab 7000CDT which I’ve inquired about. It seems to be the distributor too, which means they’ll respond tomorrow earliest, but that would entail a relatively cheap start and I can work from there, or, if I don’t enjoy the combo, the resale value seems to be very good and I can offload. I just need to find a decent optical cable now and might need another Fraim shelf 
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Hej @Hanumike,
Thanks for the head up! I was looking into the box itself and found that too, so it’s out of the question at that point. Shame! Maybe there will be a similar CD-uprising, just like vinyl at some point and Naim will produce one that slots right in
Yes a dedicated CD transport from Naim would be the answer to a lot of dedicated Naim enthusiasts who have large CD collections and are reluctant to go down the streaming rabbit hole, we live in hope.
If you purchase the AudioLab 7000CDT and you want a decent coaxial cable to connect it to your Ndac then you won’t go far wrong with Naims own DC1 which if purchased new can be specified with a RCA connection at one end (which I think is the only digital out connection on the AudioLab) and a BNC (The Naim preferred connection) at the other to connect into the Ndac.
Let us know how things pan out
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It might be a very unpopular opinion, but I hate ‘listening to cables’. It feels like a waste of time and money to me. I have everything with the regular SNAIC leads from Naim and the supplied mains cables too. 400 Euros for a cable feels like a massive waste I would much rather spend on music or perhaps an PSU for my NAC282. I tried an interconnect from my CDX2 once and really couldn’t hear anything that changed the sound so drastically (if at all) that made fork over cash. I just want ‘a good cable’ to be frank and I have good experience with the Chord Company, as I have a couple of RCA to DIN by them and they’re good quality and not too expensive. I’ll look into them I reckon
As always, I do very much appreciate the suggestion!
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Once I did prefer the difference speaker cable change gave to me than adding PSU.
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I have had CD5x, CD5i, CDX2 and CDS3. CDX2s were three or four over the years: not that they failed - none of my CDPs ever had a problem - but my taste changed. Now I have a TEAC VRDS-9 I bought in one of my Naim ‘rehab’ moments 
. I sincerely couldn’t tell if, how and how much it differs from the others and if, how and how much it ‘betrays’ the Naim sound. It’s a solid player with a very good build, sounds ok, has a digital out.
The world is still full of CD players thanks heaven… Choose a nice looking one, and if you want more peace of mind add an n-Dac…
I only use the ‘lavender’ ICs, each pro-terminated with the necessary plug(s), and SNAICs. No need for me to look for alternatives.
Enjoy!
M
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Another quick update, as I have just bought an Audiolab 7000CDT. The opened box had already gone, but the distributor was kind enough to send me a voucher with about 20% off, so happy there!
The nDac is also close to being finalised, waiting for a payment link and then that’s all set too!
Time to get to my dealer for a Fraim shelf now I’m one short, with an additional box in the mix!
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Thanks for the reply!
Sounds like quite the journey there! I loved my CDX2 to bits and the XPS2 made it that much more exciting, too. I’m sure a CDS3 would be wonderful, but especially now, the investment is just so risky. I also enjoyed the CD5 many times at my dealer, its a great machine for the price at the time and the Flatcap2 made it even better.
As for a transport, I’ll definitely try some other in the coming time, after I’ve recouped some of the current investment. TEAC is also on that list, they seem to be very good.
Question for the folks that are running a transport and nDAC: how does the 3,5mm jack link work? I’d like to keep using the NARCOM I have already. I presume it doesn’t need a super fancy cable there?
Also, I found a nice HiCap as a 2nd hand investment I’m eyeing. Not the DR version, but since i currently play with the 200 feeding the 282, this seems like a good time to go for it!
I started back in 2005 with Sonos. Ripping my CD’s with ITunes on an iMac into Apple Lossless. Over time I started to rip to AIFF which is uncompressed lossless kind of like WAV but with better metadata support. Using XLD as my software.I use a Synology Nas and have two USB backups and the CD’s packed away. I stream from my NAS or Listen to Tidal or internet radio I use an Auralic Aries streamer. You might want to get your feet wet with something not to expensive such as the Blusound Node 2i . Good luck !
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Yes, it is. Leave the 200 free to express itself and give the 282 a proper, dual-rail PSU. But I have had a 282 with a HiCap and then a SuperCap, and without encouraging a sterile upgrade itch, as we all have at times, a SC makes a difference from a HiCap…
So if you can save some more and look for a SC, in my opinion it’s very much a worthwhile investment.
Enjoy!
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Hi @Boekster I am holding my breath because one day this moment is going to arrive with my CDS3. Depends on your budget, but I think I’d be tempted towards selling the XPS2 and at least auditioning the Rega Isis, which has a life time warranty.
Good luck.
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If it’s about moving to rega, an older Apollo 2000 is already an excellent CD player…
I might start looking into streaming later, I really just enjoy the CD-medium so far. I did look into a NDX2 as well, but the nDAC seemed a lot more up my alley and the consensus on the forum seems to be it’s better at what I was going to use it for. The NDX2 is probably a great machine if streaming is more your jam, though! And even then some folks feed that into the nDAC. Thanks for the ideas though, appreciated
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