CD / SACD Player for Naim Nait 5i

Osip Ng -- Fri, 08/29/2008 - 01:40

Am building my system backwards from the Speakers. Have a Nait 5i with a pair os spendor s3/5r, planning addition of ReL R205.

My question is that there is some hyp apparently that Naim equipment works best with other Naim equipment, so although the cambridge 840c is featured, will the naim cd5i work equally or even better in synergy with the Nait 5i.

Related to this is, if I want a dedicated CD/SACD source, can you recommend one. Would a yamaha be good, think we have some good discount here since they are made in my neighbouring country Malaysia.

Robert Harley -- Fri, 08/29/2008 - 11:52

I haven't compared the Naim CD5 with the Cambridge, but know that the Cambridge 840C CD player will work just fine with the Nait 5i.

Frankly, I doubt that the Yamaha player can compete sonically with the Naim or Cambridge players. You'll have a good system in the Naim Nait 5i and the Spendor speakers; they deserve a quality source component at the front of the playback chain.

For a CD/SACD player in that price range, check out NAD Master Series M55 and the Arcam DV-137.

If you want an alternative to the Yamaha in price, the Oppo DV-938H at $395 is a great player and a spectacular bargain.

Ricky Dasler -- Fri, 08/29/2008 - 16:41

I suggest you find a dealer than can demo both the Cambridge and the Naim through your amp. They are two very different sounding brands. I would be very surprised if you didn't go with the CD5i, it is a perfect match for your amp unless you can stretch to the CD5X.
The Naim players also come with their own interconnect which allows you to use the DIN inputs and avoid the inferior RCA connection. If you want to get more feedback on the CD5i, check out the forum on Naim's website.

Regards

Rick.

LIVING SOUND
258 Hardy Street
Nelson
New Zealand
www.livingsound.co.nz

Robert Harley -- Sat, 08/30/2008 - 14:09

The DIN connection mentioned by Ricky Dasler is an advantage of the Naim CD player when used with a Naim amplifier. Auditioning both is the best way to determine which one best meets your listening tastes.

Osip Ng -- Mon, 09/01/2008 - 01:54

Thanks for both your kind suggestions, I will try to audition those. Although much tempted to hear for myself what SACD really can do, I also note that a dedicated CD player should be much better. Maybe either can come later, but guess I will figure out which to miss first.

Read on this forum about the woes of auditioning in the US, and I think things over here could be as bad or much worse. Being referred to by the Company to a dealer in California when you live is Texas is so unbelievable it made me laughed. Over here, only 1 dealer out of the many I contacted offered home auditioning, and unfortunately he doesn't hold both the dealerships I was looking for when I am sourcing for my subwoofer.

Not possible to demo the Naim and the Cambridge together, will have to lug my amps and drive 20 mins from one to another. Separate Dealership just cuts you off from easy comparison, their acoustics treatment range from rudimentary to state of the art (DAAD treated) so it is hard to gauge truly on the shop floor.

Don't get me wrong, Hi-End is fun, since I can mix and match a wide variety of components for my preferred sound. I am most glad to get out of the monotony of my previous Sony / JVC only world. However, like a double edged sword, it can cause frustrations also if the scene is to fragmented, and no level A B comparison can be done. Hi-End does need to work out some solution of if it wants to attract more customers.

Just to clarify, I was referring to the Yamaha CDS-2000, costing 1000 pounds in the UK (not sure of the US prices), so the Oppo wouldn't in the same price range. The last they quoted, it was about the same as the Naim CD 5i (725 pounds in UK). That was what I meant, and my fault for not stating it.

Lastly I thought I would be berated for not supplying my musical taste :lol: when asking for advice on a system. Jokes aside, I am predominantly a classical music fan, with about 15% of my collection historical, e.g Toscanini, Furtwangler etc.

Thanks again! and have a nice day. And sorry for not replying earlier.

Robert Harley -- Mon, 09/01/2008 - 11:16

The Yamaha might be worth an audition. Sometimes the upper-end players from companies like Yamaha, Denon, Marantz, and Sony are surprisingly good.

Good luck.

Josema (not verified) -- Thu, 01/07/2010 - 08:19

Does anybody finally audition the Yamaha CD-S2000 model? It´s build like a heavy tank and inside has a really good order.