This weekend I heard a CD5 weep.

Posted by: jayd on 10 February 2003

Saturday I listened to a CD5 playing through a Plinius 8100 integrated and Proac Studio floorstanders. The setup was in a dealership in Portland, Oregon. I never expected that the downstream components could so effectively squeeze the life out of a Naim source, but it happened.

Huge soundstage, air full of instruments, you could get up and walk around among them. But it was boring as hell. Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was bland and sounded shut in; Lucinda Williams' Car Wheels On A Gravel Road, which on my system is full of biting electric guitars and chiming acoustic guitars and snappy snare drums and lots of great earthy tones, just sounded totally inanimate.

Based solely on that demo, I would not have traded a single piece of my current equipment (Planet/Nait 3/Ela MkI) for any of the demo items.

I know this was an unfair way to evaluate the CD5, as it was totally strangled - I certainly intend to give it another shot in a better system. However, I'm amazed that the proprietor thought that was an effective way to show off the fine qualities of the CD5. The experience reinforces to me the importance of in-home demo, whenever it can be arranged.

Anyone else encountered completely inappropriate demo conditions such as these?

jay
Posted on: 10 February 2003 by ClaudeP
I recently heard a terrible demo of Sonus Faber Concerto Grand Piano Home loudspeakers with a YBA front-end (CD player and Passion pre + power amps) in a Montreal audio store.

The result was terrible: the bass went completely out of control, to the point where all you could hear was a continuous and overwhelming "Huuummmm" in the background.

To be honest, it was a last-minute set-up as I had entered the store 1 hour or so before closing. Anyway the salesman blamed the cables, tried another set and things became slightly better, but very far from the clear, articulate bass I am used to with the Naim system.

So yes, demos can be ugly - but you have to be careful no to make decisions on a bad demo. I am certain the SFs are much better than what I heard...
Posted on: 10 February 2003 by u5227470736789524
Interesting ... I have had good dealings with that store. The first room on the right as you enter has two racks of Naim electronics, including a CD5 and a NAIT5, I believe, which would have seemed a near ideal demo match under the circumstances, regardless of speaker in store choice. They do tend to favor ProAc speakers from set-ups I have typically seen there.

The two main people I have dealt with, one male and one female (and I believe the store's proprietors), have both always been helpful, and I beleive the male has all Naim electronics in his personal system (and he is currently assisting me with NaimNA in splitting my Nait 3 and returning it with a Flatcap2 and Snaic4 and Snaic5). I have dealt with other employees during early hours on weekends there who seemed less experienced.

Weren't you using ML Kestrals in your home system ? (a brand this store carries and with a CD5 and Nait5 should have given you an appropriate system to consider/critique)

None of us hear the same things the same ways, Too bad the person assisting you wasn't more perceptive of your needs and priorities.
Posted on: 11 February 2003 by jayd
Jeff - I didn't intend a general indictment of the store. My amazement was mostly focused on how sad a perfectly good cd player can sound with poor system matching.

I'm sure the proprietors are good folks and know their stuff. In their defense, I went in off the street, no appointment, and asked to hear a CD5. The Naim/Plinius/Proac demo was what they offered. I suppose I could have specifically asked to hear a CD5 in an all Naim system; I'm sure they would have obliged.

Yes, I did have Kestrels. In fact, I was in Portland delivering them to their new owner. The shop had a pair of Kestrel IIs in-house, but they only had a few hours on them, so weren't ready to audition.

Jay
Posted on: 12 February 2003 by Reto D
Hi,

ProAc Studio is a very musical loudspeaker. I can't imagine that these speakers should be the problem.

Of course still a matter of taste!

Reto

CDX-XPS, NAC102, NAPSC, Hi-Cap, NAP 250, Naim Fraim, Chord Odysee 4, ProAc Response 2.5
Posted on: 12 February 2003 by Keith Tish
Jayd - just to tug your tail Wink

Do you have a CD5 or are you demoing for a new one? The reason I ask is that Reto rates the Pro Ac speakers and the Plinius amps are generally thought of as quite musical and most definately not flat. Could just be poor system matching or if you have never heard the CD5 that it just doesn't suit your ears. I have heard one but it didn't suit me but have run Naim amps since 1985. Good luck with the repeat demo.

Keith
Posted on: 12 February 2003 by jayd
Hi Keith. I do not have a CD5 of my own; I was there shopping for a new source, actually. Smile However, I heard a CD5 in an all Naim system (including speakers and cables) in Seattle, and it wasn't shockingly different (to my ears) from the CD3.5 in that context. Clearly different, just not shockingly so. That was about 6 months ago, so I went in on Saturday to refresh my aural memory, as I'm in source search mode now, full steam ahead.

Not to hijack my own thread, but I'm becoming more and more convinced that I don't want to radically change my system's sound; I just want more of what it does already. I believe I've gotten lucky with my current component matching; there's a certain magic there that belies its relatively Proletarian pedigree. That has me looking at the Planet 2000 or possibly the Jupiter, although it seems the Planet 2000 gives maybe 95% of what the Jupiter offers, and for half the price (second hand). So, it looks like I'm heading for Planet 2000/ Nait3 w hicap/Ela MkI in the very near future. Once I get the new Planet and a hicap, I'll let the dust settle and see how the view has changed.

Getting back to the thread, I suppose the drastic nature of the demo this weekend helped achieve what I wanted - it suggested a clear upgrade path for me. What more could I ask for?

Regards,

Jay
Posted on: 12 February 2003 by Steve Toy
quote:
That has me looking at the Planet 2000 or possibly the Jupiter, although it seems the Planet 2000 gives maybe 95% of what the Jupiter offers


The Planet 2000 gives about 60% of what the Jupiter offers.

The Planet sounds dynamically restrained, and lacks the sheer solidity and depth of the Jupiter, imho.



Regards,

Steve.
Posted on: 12 February 2003 by jayd
Steven - Thanks for the info. Have any comparative experience with old vs. new planet?

I took the 95% number from a couple of reviews. 60%... that's a serious compromise.

Jay
Posted on: 14 February 2003 by Martin Payne
quote:
Originally posted by jayd:
However, I heard a CD5 in an all Naim system (including speakers and cables) in Seattle, and it wasn't shockingly different (to my ears) from the CD3.5 in that context. Clearly different, just not shockingly so.



Jay,

it's my understanding that the CD5 was more of an evolution of the CD3.5 than a complete re-design.

cheers, Martin

E-mail:- MartinPayne at Dial.Pipex.com