I’ll take my ripped cds through my 272/555 all day every day over any Naim CDP. CDS2/CDS3, makes no diff.
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Which name CDPs have you owned?
I’ve owned CD3.5, CDX2, CDS2, CDS3.
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At the same price range, a streamer is always worse than a CD player in terms of sound quality. Streamer sounds digital compared to the CD player.
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What do you think it is about the construction of CDPs that makes them sound more digital to you than streamers, when both types of machines are digital sources?
Because people need to spend a lot more money on such as USB cables, switches and so on. Then it is not the same price range anymore.
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CD555 with 2x P/S was better than my CDS3 with XPS-DR but not by as much as you would expect. The ND555 is a league above the CD555 but thats when considered in a whole with the Melco Server and ER Switches etc. I never heard it with a basic NAS. One would expect there to be a difference given the price of the total set up. It can be less user friendly though as the Naim app is not always happy showing the server. I like the process of curating my collection as I want it through tagging though which some hate. Horses for courses I guess.
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I use three $15 BJC Ethernet cables and a couple $75 switches for my streamer and the 272/555 sounds leagues better than any CD player set up I’ve owned. Now it’s likely the 555 is contributing significantly to that disparity b/c I hadn’t paired a 555 with my CDS3. But streamers can be optimized in ways a CDP can’t in my experience.
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272/555 is already more than £10k. Did you try a CD player in the same price range? But the sound quality of streamers is way better than at the very beginning. Technology is developing.
I’m not too concerned about the same price range esp when you consider s/h prices. My 272/555 cost ~ $10KUSD for recent vintage/low hour units. And the CDS3/XPS I owned didn’t cost much less than that at the time. It’s not an apples to apples comparison for multiple reasons and these discussions are mostly academic. If you like your CD player that’s great but to think it’s better than any streamer is just silly.
PS- I didn’t own a CD555 and I’m sure that’s a superb player and not including it in my observations.
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For many years I used a CDX2 with a XPS (upgraded to DR), and for streaming I used (sorry about this) a Sonos device, mainly due to the very good GUI Sonos had at that time. I added the Naim DAC and during the home demo switched the XPS from CDX2 to the DAC which was a revelation to the quality of the ripped CD’s, even via Sonos. I just stopped using the CDX2 since without the XPS it was rather flat. The rest of the system by then was an 82/2xHiCap, 2xNAP 250, Snaxo/Hicap, SL2’s active. I added an NDX2 dumped the Sonos and added an XPS DR to the NDX2.
So far so good.
Upgrade fever hit again 82 out 252/SC in, NDX2 out ND555 + 2x PS555 in, NAC 252/SC out NAC552/PS552 in. Being somewhat alergic to ebay I had gathered quite a number of fine components which languished in my loft. So I had quite some opportunity to compare them.
So to the comparison:
CDX2 vs NDX2 both with XPS DR. Not much in it to be honest, but convenience with a streamer and the chance to keep my many 000’s of CD’s in the garage wins the day.
Next CDX2 digital output to Naim DAC/XPS DR vs NDX2/XPS DR. CDX2 wins by some margin, clarity, depth and transparency and listenability all to the CD source, but now 4 boxes! The Naim DAC is quite underated if you have a digital output (early CDX2’s lacked this) the external DAC is far superior to the built in DAC of the CDX2 (imho). Strangely adding the DAC to the NDX2 set up did not add much joy for me, as the NDX already has a good DAC built in.
Last, with my wife away and time to play I tried the CDX2/XPS DR/DAC/XPS DR vs ND555/with 1x then 2x PS555 all via the NAC 552/PS552, SL2’s active. I am afraid it was no contest. The ND555 is quite far ahead (which it should be for the money) with one PS, add the second and the gap is much wider. That is not to say the CD set up was bad, far from it but the streamer for me had more of everything and it is convenient. (Well aside from the huge number of boxes).
The SL2’s have now gone, Kudos Titan 808’s are in active with all the extras, and sadly all of those spare boxes traded in! For what it is worth I conclude:
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All Naim kit is better with a power supply added. Source components without a PS are not great to listen to, but they could be with one (or two) PS’s added.
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The Naim source components are very well engineered and with care you can get more from them. PS, cables, location (especially for mechanical CD drives) make a huge difference. There are many good 2nd hand sources out there and things like DACs are less expensive (PS’s are holding value as ever) and CD players can be serviced, although not by Naim any longer.
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The quality of the DAC will make a vast difference and an external or third party DAC, well connected could take your breath away. The step from CDX2 adding the DAC and NDX2/XPSdr to ND555/PS is all about the quality of the DAC, adding the 2nd PS to the ND555 reveals this strongly as one of the PS’s is dedicated to the DAC.
So in the end for the many good arguments above and for all of the listening I have enjoyed for me the winner is the streamer, it has cost me the price of house to reach that conclusion and my CD’s are all in boxes in the garage!
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That’s a great description of the evolution of CD vs streamers with DACs and PSUs in your system.
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If thinking about ripping/storing CDs and then playing them back via a streamer in future, what would be the best device to use as that CD ‘hub’ these days, please?
But it will often sound better as there is less HF-noise in a CD-player.
But if you can handle that noise a good R2R NOS-DAC plays redbook:s like there is no tomorrow.
Yes, I think you are right
Good point.
But a ripped bit perfect CD will have the benefit of the correct information, which make the musical flow better and the bass tighter easier to follow etc., in my own humble opinion.
I have a 272/555 with a CDS3/XPS. For me, the CDS3 is more engaging to listen to and sounds right, whilst the 272 as a source, I feel I’m missing something. I would love a three-box system, but unable give up the addictiveness of the CDS3.
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It’s an interesting result but the CDP is a separate component whereas the streaming source is in the same box as a preamp.
Do you stream from a NAS or server - or direct from streaming service like Qobuz?
Your profile says “Currently experimenting with 555PS on source and XPS on Amp.” - what’s the result of that?
From a innuos mini mk3. But no fancy switch. Designacable ethernet. From memory more like a CDX2 in sound signature with the 272. But that could be misleading as its over 5 years since I had a CDX2.
In a straight a/b analysis, I can tell no difference in changing the 555DR and XPS2 (non dr) on the CDS3 and 272.
But I have opted for the 555 on the CDS3 something tells me it’s better this way but can’t explain why.