Sustaining Naim CDPs - An Appeal

[SteveO]

@SteveO

On the Project website the new CD Transport is shown as a top loader with a magnetic puck so not a million miles away from Naim perhaps …

Also, I should have added, designed by an ex Phillips engineer.

[Suedkiez]

@IanRobertM

Rega are another to add to the list. Believe they even make their own…?

Sustaining Naim CDPs - An Appeal

It was actually more good fortune than anything. They told the story in the Rega book. Essentially, the mech people were bought out by another company and the new owner had no interest, so on a hunch they asked Rega if they wanted to buy the whole lot. Normally Rega would not have been able to, but they had just gone through a good time and had some cash available. Good on Rega, but it could have gone very differently

[davidf]

Core can rip cd,s but also play them??

[OpenD]

Does anyone knows if Naim has back up parts for the CD5SI2?

[ChrisSU]

No, it can only rip them.

[Richard.Dane]

No point. A rip is so quick and should be better than playing straight off disk.

[Richard.Dane]

Yes, AFAIK Naim have spares for the CD5Si2. This uses a mech that’s still current too.

[OpenD]

@Richard.Dane thanks

[Ian2001]

If you go to the Pro- Ject website, you will see that the top of the range CD transport was designed with a firm called Streamunlimited , now go to their web site … and you will see they work with other audio firms besides Pro- Ject .

[Ian2001]

With the plethora of streaming devices, I am sure a CD transport would be a good niche product .
Fed my Nova with the signal from an ever so humble Audiolab and the results were very, very good indeed

[Ardbeg10y]

Including Naim for the streaming board …

[Dan_M]

I think there is still a market for a higher quality CD transport or CD player. Although Naim make the CD5si this isn’t even close to the CDX2 or CDS2 or CDS3.

A Naim CD transport that could be used with NDX2 or ND555 would be popular. The Core rips but doesn’t play CDs.

Or a modern day equivalent of a standalone CD player such as the CDS3 or CDX2.2. Why were these products discontinued? Let’s say there was a CDS4 then the new mech on that could be used to repair legacy products such as the CDS3. If Naim went back into production with high end CD players it would keep alot of Naim owners very content.

[LindsayM]

Dan as much I want my CDS3 to be sustained I understand CSS3/CD555 sales had all but dried up.

[Ian2001]

Suspect one issue, is that if you build products with good longevity and good servicing, new sales will decline - especially if you’ve reached the top of the upgrade path.

[silklee]

I just bought a CDS3 (again) end of last year and sent it to Naim for a full service. It was already with a 1202 mech which was fitted about 3 years ago when I bought. Naim checked that the mech was still doing fine so did not change it during the services but changed a platter that was apparently cracked. Anyway much as I hope that Naim would support the cds3 for another 10 years, I think that is quite an unreasonable demand on them for a product they no longer produce. If in the event when the mech goes, I just think I will have to source for one locally (maybe China made or whatever) just to keep it going. Now my cds3 does skip sometimes but I think it’s more the disc than the player as it tends to skip at the same places. So for me, it’s really fingers crossed.

[AJK]

Problem for long term Naim supporters is this all goes against the usual “brand image” built up since the 1980’s.

Naim’s high prices were justifiable as long term product support meant you could either own a box for life, or had a product that retained a high proportion of its value if traded in.

CD players are falling outside this at the moment but it sounds like Naim haven’t completely given up yet and in time might find a practical, cost effective solution.

Of course, it’s in their best interest to solve this as the Naim promise supports pricing for the whole range particularly ongoing CD players of course, but also Streamers that need an assurance of future proofing.

[Naim.Marketing]

I can (yet again) assure you there is no dilution of the ‘built to last’ ethos here at Naim.

I really don’t think people appreciate the full extent of the supply chain crisis right now. When every manufacturer (of any size) is having to put so much time/effort/money into sourcing what were until recently widely available parts, it’s just not feasible to fully focus on tracking down extremely rare parts or kicking off major re-engineering projects, much as we’d love to.

Things will improve, though, and that’s when we’ll have more freedom to think!

[silklee]

Hi Clare,
Don’t get me wrong. I truly appreciate the effort that Naim put in to service my cds3 so long after it is OOP. And in my opinion, the cost of it was very reasonable. And for that I am thankful.

[MKL1]

Replacement laser mechs for my CDS3 are available on ebay, however finding a competent repair shop in the US has proven to be impossible. Since it is doubtful Naim can locate spares, I have decided to move on. The Cyrus has proven to be a fine replacement but I miss the glorious sound provided by the CDS3 in an active Naim system.

[Richard.Dane]

Beware mechs being sold on eBay. They may be fine, they may not. Caveat emptor.