CD5i - unimpressed... But CD5... Help me decide :)
Posted by: domfjbrown on 12 January 2004
Well, I finally got round to demming the CD5i this weekend, as I'm on a mission to replace my elderly(ish) Mk1 Rega Planet, which I had no complaints with sonically, barring a noisy transport on some discs. Until Saturday, that is...
The dem system consisted of:
NAIT5
Dynaudio Audience 42s
Naim cables/unsure of racking. This is the nearesst approximation they could get to my NAIT3/Ela Mk1s/Target racks (ssssh!!!)
First up, the CD5i, warmed up. This was OK - but the stereo panning (I won't go so far as soundstage 'cos I hate that word) was very very odd - pannings on Air's "La femme D'argent" didn't work at all - kind of left->hole->right on a left to right pan etc. Love's "Forever changes" was a mess as well. Evenescance worked fairly well considering the singer's toppy vocals... A few more tracks (including "A building panic" from Back to Titanic, and a dodgy CDR from CDR from MD from vinyl of Incantation's "Cachapaya" (my vinyl copy, done on Planar 3) left me feeling curious - as this is old skool PR&T and nothing else it'd seem...
Next up, the Planet 2000 (with second revision) - unsure if cold or warm. Blimey - the CD5i sounded REALLY muffled - like, as in, broken, like a tape deck with dirty heads) in comparison, but the Planet's timing was nonexistent. So that didn't last long...
The Jupiter (not warmed up) showed both previous players a clean pair of heels, but I don't rate the build on it at ALL - very flimsy. Noisy mech again too so negates the purpose of an upgrade...
..."Urm, Mr Audio Excellence - please please let me try a CD5 just to be sure"
"It's not warmed up either"
"I don't care - let's try it"
Well - it is different to the Jupiter, but not worse or better IMHO really - it had all the emotion of the Jupiter but with more poise I think - the timing was as good but different, and the build was faaaaaar better. A brick. I was concerned by both the 5 and 5i with that puck, but you get used to it really quickly...
So the 5 has been in my home system since Saturday. It's the first player that consistently gives me goosebumps, though I'm not sure at the mo if the timing's any better than my Mk1 Planet. That said, I'm not sure if it's a dem model or a brand new one, as all the packaging (remote etc) was unused. It even managed to play Whitesnake's "1987" without ripping my ears off, though Cinderella's "Gypsy road" was a bit harsh - probably down to the late 80s mastering....
So tomorrow is D-Day - do-I-buy? Due to Exeter's limited hifi shops, it's either this, a Rega (hmmph) or some crap from Sevenoaks like Arcam (yeah right - my 1988 freebie Tosh from last week'd beat that!)...
The 5i should make sense, but based on what I heard, the 5 I think is the only way; in my rig the NAIT3/CD5 play each other to give refinement but enough groove - I think the 5i would be a mess in there...
My Rega Planar 3 is (from memory) still slightly ahead though
BTW - WHAT does a flatcap do to the 5's sound, 'cos I'd love to know but won't want to fork out for a while?
__________________________
Make your choice, adventurous Stranger;
Strike the bell and bide the danger
Or wonder, till it drives you mad,
What would have followed if you had.
The dem system consisted of:
NAIT5
Dynaudio Audience 42s
Naim cables/unsure of racking. This is the nearesst approximation they could get to my NAIT3/Ela Mk1s/Target racks (ssssh!!!)
First up, the CD5i, warmed up. This was OK - but the stereo panning (I won't go so far as soundstage 'cos I hate that word) was very very odd - pannings on Air's "La femme D'argent" didn't work at all - kind of left->hole->right on a left to right pan etc. Love's "Forever changes" was a mess as well. Evenescance worked fairly well considering the singer's toppy vocals... A few more tracks (including "A building panic" from Back to Titanic, and a dodgy CDR from CDR from MD from vinyl of Incantation's "Cachapaya" (my vinyl copy, done on Planar 3) left me feeling curious - as this is old skool PR&T and nothing else it'd seem...
Next up, the Planet 2000 (with second revision) - unsure if cold or warm. Blimey - the CD5i sounded REALLY muffled - like, as in, broken, like a tape deck with dirty heads) in comparison, but the Planet's timing was nonexistent. So that didn't last long...
The Jupiter (not warmed up) showed both previous players a clean pair of heels, but I don't rate the build on it at ALL - very flimsy. Noisy mech again too so negates the purpose of an upgrade...
..."Urm, Mr Audio Excellence - please please let me try a CD5 just to be sure"
"It's not warmed up either"
"I don't care - let's try it"
Well - it is different to the Jupiter, but not worse or better IMHO really - it had all the emotion of the Jupiter but with more poise I think - the timing was as good but different, and the build was faaaaaar better. A brick. I was concerned by both the 5 and 5i with that puck, but you get used to it really quickly...
So the 5 has been in my home system since Saturday. It's the first player that consistently gives me goosebumps, though I'm not sure at the mo if the timing's any better than my Mk1 Planet. That said, I'm not sure if it's a dem model or a brand new one, as all the packaging (remote etc) was unused. It even managed to play Whitesnake's "1987" without ripping my ears off, though Cinderella's "Gypsy road" was a bit harsh - probably down to the late 80s mastering....
So tomorrow is D-Day - do-I-buy? Due to Exeter's limited hifi shops, it's either this, a Rega (hmmph) or some crap from Sevenoaks like Arcam (yeah right - my 1988 freebie Tosh from last week'd beat that!)...
The 5i should make sense, but based on what I heard, the 5 I think is the only way; in my rig the NAIT3/CD5 play each other to give refinement but enough groove - I think the 5i would be a mess in there...
My Rega Planar 3 is (from memory) still slightly ahead though
BTW - WHAT does a flatcap do to the 5's sound, 'cos I'd love to know but won't want to fork out for a while?
__________________________
Make your choice, adventurous Stranger;
Strike the bell and bide the danger
Or wonder, till it drives you mad,
What would have followed if you had.
domfjbrown
What is the deal with your dealer?!!! Give them a call and have them plug all the gear you want to listen to in the night before you are going in to hear them. These arn't $200 cd players. The differences between them are almost unmeasurable electronically! What the human ear percieves between them makes all the difference to your listening enjoyment.
Go back and give them a fair hearing!
Adam
What is the deal with your dealer?!!! Give them a call and have them plug all the gear you want to listen to in the night before you are going in to hear them. These arn't $200 cd players. The differences between them are almost unmeasurable electronically! What the human ear percieves between them makes all the difference to your listening enjoyment.
Go back and give them a fair hearing!
Adam
quote:
Originally posted by lp12:
domfjbrown
What is the deal with your dealer?!!! Give them a call and have them plug all the gear you want to listen to in the night before you are going in to hear them. These arn't $200 cd players.
Go back and give them a fair hearing!
Aye - but there's the rub. The CD5i/NAIT5 HAD been on overnight. The CD5 was COLD and still whipped the CD5i! OK - the 5i was groovier, but it jumbled everything into a soggy lump, and lost the guitar on the right channel on "Old man" from Love over half the track - a bit of a mess... I don't give a suck about soundstage per se, but some of the things the 5i was doing to the stereo spread were odd to say the least.
I need all the bass I can get in my rig - the Elas are a little lost in my large room, and I think the 5i would be too thin on the front of the rig...
Anyway, Naim DIDN'T deliver the CD5s yesterday, so I hope they have today, so I can leave the player warming up over the weekend (while I'm away). I don't mind burn in either, but when something sounds really messy (after being used to a semi-burnt in CD5!) it'll be gutting. What if it never gets as good as the one I've had?? Then again - what if it's even better
__________________________
Make your choice, adventurous Stranger;
Strike the bell and bide the danger
Or wonder, till it drives you mad,
What would have followed if you had.