1/ Arcam Alpha+, replaced by
2/ Sony CDP-XA555ES, due to the crap reliability of the Arcam
3/Sony CDP761E purchased for a second system when I had room for such things. Now sitting on an unused shelf on my Mana rack.
4/Purchased between 2 and 3, and included for completeness, Sony DVPS 9000ES DVD/SACD player.
Bought a Sony 559ES in 91 or 92 to work alongside my LP12, ( with Aro) which I still have, play a lot, and keep mildly up to date. Never really got on with the Sony, although highly rated and looked a million dollars, I found it lean, dry and splashy in the high frequencies.
Then in 98 I bought an Audio Note AN CD2 ex dem. £850, Valve output stage, doesn’t look a million dollars but sounds wonderful and is still the main player in my system, thousands of hours under it’s belt.
Then, a couple of years ago a colleague asked me to test a Meridian 206b which I think he had put a new belt in. It sounded wonderful, quite similar to the Audio Note in presentation. He said I could have it for £50. The display looks home made and it reacts slowly to commands, but sounds great and now shares duties with the Audio Note. Neither CD player
owe me anything but I will keep them until they pop their clogs.
Philips CD CD160, purchased when I started working at InPhase Audio in Swindon around 1988, I think it may have been second hand. Bright and amazing at the same time.
NAD 501, also purchased while working at InPhase in 1992 I believe, although we didn’t sell Nad one of my co-workers got me a good deal from another dealer.
NAD C542, this replaced the 501, I can’t remember when, but served me well for many years.
Roksan Kandy KD-1 MKiii came around 2008 at the time I was looking at breaking away from my Nad obsession. Had quite a few demo units but this was the most analogue sounding player.
Then to Naim streamer as the ND5XS was released.
Started with Arcam Alpha which was then upgraded to Alpha +
Next came Linn Karik
Slight diversion as I sold all the Linn Kit (active) and Started off with Naim Unity… well it has a CD player
Currently a Naim CDX2 and no plans to change unless it goes wrong and can’t be repaired
Meridian PRO-MCD (circa 1986]
Marantz CD 94 Mk11
Naim CD 3.5/Flatcap (1998)
Naim HDX/nDAC (2015)
The HDX is still working very well but will need replacing before too long!
Mission PCM1
Naim CDS2
Naim CDS3
Naim CD555
Naim Uniti 2
Dabbling more and more with streaming, but the CD5si is so musical.
Starting in 1986……
Amstrad MCD-7 (Early CD midi system)
Technics SL HD-51 (Midi system)
Rotel RCD-06
Rotel RCD-1570
Exposure S2010
Rega Saturn-R
Naim CD5i
Naim CD5XS
Naim CDX2
Naim CDS3
Naim CDS
Naim CD555
When I make a list, I can’t believe how many it has been!
Naim CD2 - not very impressed - not upgradeable - sold it - not got one now
Circa 1987 Marantz CD273SE still in regular use in spare room. Never serviced so pretty good value.
1995 Quad 77
2005 ish Quad 99
2014 to now CD5si very happy and no plan to replace.
Hmmm, if I remember correctly the chronology is something like:
Had a few pieces that were rather transitory - Rotel CD-950 (I think), Revox B225, Sony portable CD for traveling back in the day and NAD something or other.
Like some others really didn’t realise how many have had (often simultaneously in different systems and locations).
Only 3 players—- Pioneer(can’t remember the model).
Naim CDi
Naim CD555/555PSDR
Philips CD104B - purchased in the mid ‘80s simply because I was fed up with poor vinyl quality. This machine packed up after a while. I took it back to the retailer who gave me a Sansui machine, which I understood to be a loan model while mine was being repaired. When I later enquired how the repair was going, I was told that I’d accepted the Sansui in exchange for the Philips!!
I sold the Sansui and bought a Marantz CD75SE. This lasted until the mid ‘90s when I sold it and purchased a Naim CDi. This was a great sounding machine, but after some time it started having difficulty finding the CD and even started rattling. I swapped to a two-rubber puck, which improved things.
I eventually sold the CDi and bought a Naim CDS2 with XPS, which was much more stable, didn’t rattle, but didn’t sound as good as the CDi either.
Just as I said farewell to CD players to trade up to a Naim NDS, I tried plugging a CD555PSDR into the CDS2, which gave a most significant lift in performance, but not enough to persuade me to continue with CD players.
Overall favourite? When it wasn’t rattling, the Naim CDi, which had an addictive, natural sound.
Just a CDS … part exchanged for a NDS
Philips 850mk2 - purchased because a couple of my desired releases were only available on cd. Not a bad deck from memory but sub vinyl quality.
Naim cdx/xps2 - Differences but on a par with my linn sondek/ittok/k9 at the time. I do remember you had to be quite precise with puck which on two occasions decided to fly off and stick itself onto the inner case requiring unscrewing case to retrieve errant puck.
Cds3/xps2 - first cd to outclass in every way my sondek. Sold my sondek later on. Still have the cds3/xps2 boxed up meaning to sell them but then covid landed and it was not high on my list to trot off to the post office. On my to do list still I guess…
Ultimately replaced by a NDS/555PS DR
I started in the early 90s. I auditioned a Micromega 1 and an Arcam Alpha 5 (possibly). I chose the Micromega, mostly on looks. To be honest they sounded pretty similar.
After a few months the Micromega developed a fault. It was eventually fixed but I had lost faith in it. I traded it in for a CD3. That was great and is still going strong in my brother’s system. And it nicely match the Nait 3 which was the amazing item I had auditioned.
Now I was hooked on Naim and progressed through:
CDX
CDX and CDSPS
CDS2 and CDSPS
Just two:
This is going to be a short list…I have been streaming from a Mac mini since 2006
Favorite: There is only ONE which I owned for over 20 years!!! - The Original Rega Planet
| CD Player | Model | Year (from) | Year (to) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Naim | CDX | 2020 | |
| NAD | 513 | 2017 | 2020 |
| Oppo | BDP-105D | 2014 | |
| Audio Aero | Prima | 2005 | 2007 |
| Unison Research | Unico CD | 2004 | 2005 |
| Linn | Genki | 2004 | 2004 |
| Pioneer | DV 563A | 2003 | 2014 |
| Rega | Planet | 1999 |
