Amen to that! I haven't given any thought to what I might be buried with though, but it probably won't be my hifi.
Well built. Had a 42/110 for 20 years. Used( upgraded) HI -Cap with it. Made a big difference. Borrowed 82 pre amp. Along with CDS player blew my Linn Out of the water. Drawback? Bloody expensive.
Naim, AN of UK, Linn, Mac, etc, etc have cult following -but at lease they can sound really good (value proposition is another story). But 47Labs fanatics - never was able to understand them, it looks like crap and sounds worse.
Every brand seems to garner some kind of following. I tried really hard to like gear from Emotiva. I purchased several pieces with their entry level stuff being quite affordable. I had a DAC, Pre-Amp, Stereo Amp and Mono Block Amps. Lets just say their sound style was not for me. Personally I really like/ appreciate Naim, Rega, Rogue Audio and Prima Luna
I fell under the Linn, Naim spell for a number of years. Slick advertising and audio nirvana were just two of the promises being made. I persevered for an embarrassingly long time until one day I just decided to ditch the lot for a custom built Lenco with Croft amps and Spendor speakers. The difference was astounding. A musical veil had been lifted and I was at last free from their evil clutches. To this day I am still annoyed at the years I spent upgrading both my Linn LP12 and Naim boxes at vast expense for a rather uninspired sound. Still we live to correct our mistakes
one thing i give them credit for is that they will service most items even decades later (i know it's $$$). some big names selling big buck items can't even service something 5 years old.
I like the emphasis they place on PRAT especially if ones taste is mostly for uptempo rock and ska.That being said I think they made a huge mistake in killing off their CD players with the exception of the CD5Si (which CANNOT be upgraded by either adding a power supply and has no digital out).I believe Cyrus offers Naim “sound” at a much better value.I heard Naim sales are now on the decline.They should add at least one more CD player above the 5Si but keep the price under $3K.That would keep them competitive with Rega who still offers the Saturn R.
Yeah, the lack of digital out gives me pause. That might ultimately keep me from buying one. But with a Naim amp I'd really love a Naim CD player to go with it. Maybe a used CD5XS if a relatively new model comes up.
At the lower price point many Naim devotes approved of the low end Rega Apollo with a Nait 5i series amp.
Guess you could call me a Naim olive fan boy. Currently I own a) CD player: CDS2/XPS, CDi, CD2 b) Preamplifier: Nac102/HC, Nac82/TeddyDualCap, Nac52/SC c) Power amplifier: Nap 180, Nap135 pair Why I got into Naim? Was bitten by the Naim bug as a teenager in the late 80ties. Wanted a Nait2, but was always too expensive. Have to admit liked their looks and their reputation as being something special/different before I even heard a single tone. But once I heard several Naim systems was convinced of their music playing abilities as well. Beginning of the 2000s started to earn decent money and since 2003 bought all the stuff mentioned above 2nd hand. Last purchase was around 2010/2011, so I‘m stuck with all these Naim boxes for the last 10 years. And now? Some of my Naim equipment starts showing his age and require a service. But hesitate to do it. Sometimes I think about selling everything. Actually purchased in the last 2-3 years an Oppo DAC as Dac/musicplayer/preamplifier plus a XTZ Edge 300A2 class D power amplifier and my impressions are these two tiny boxes play in the same league as the much more expensive Naims. So, guess I am not a real Naim fan boy anymore, however still like their looks and you can’t deny their build and music playing quality.
wow. so many thoughtful replies. thanks everyone! still catching up on unread posts from yesterday...
Even my lowly, entry-level Naim CD5i (original) is spectacular. Nice casework, simple/minimalist design, unique transport, no stupid wording on the unit, etc....and oh yeah it sounds great, as well. It feels like a machine rather than a computer. Aesthetics are important to me and it nails it. I consider the lack of a digital out to be a benefit. A great CD player should sound great on its own
Well, motivated by this thread, I went looking for a CD5 in good shape and for a reasonable price. And what do you know - I found a few! But, one problem - none of them have RCA outs... A dream shattered - goodbye, cruel world...
You can buy a 5-pin DIN to RCA interconnect pretty inexpensively...or expensively. I think that this is what you need: 2 x Phono / RCA Plugs - 5 Pin 240º Ring Locking DIN Naim Turntable Input Performance Cable
That one appears to be RCA to DIN so won't work. I understand you can contact Flashback to make sure you get the right configuration.
I hope y'all realize I was joking. I'll keep an eye out for a 5i, thanks. What should I expect to pay for one in a 9/10 condition? Does $650 sound like a fair price?
I’ve had a 5si and then I moved to a Supernait 2. GREAT And FUN amps, but the biggest impact for me was the 5si. I didn’t had the right speakers for them I think, it’s the main reason I went for tubes. I currently only own one Naim product, a UnitiServe.
Naim aside, I personally would never buy any piece of audio gear based on it's asthetics. I'm only interested in how it sounds. If two units sounded identical, and one looked better, than maybe I'd choose the better looking one, but nothing sounds identical. Just a thot. Dave
