Naim CD5 vs Ikemi vs CDX help needed.

Posted by: DUPREE on 03 June 2001

Well I made a very unfortunate decision, against all better judgement, I took a CD5 home for a in-home demo in my all Linn System confused

(Kollektor/2xLK140/LP-12/Mimik/AV5140B) After hearing all the hype I was curious as to whether this cd player was really any good. Now, I have it all hooked up and it is amazing, by far one of the more dramatic improvements I have heard in my system. It is rich, involving, all of that CD type harshness is mostly gone. It blew my Mimik out of the water (Of course that is a 4 year old player). My question is, the dealer has a demo CDX that I could also purchase for about the same price as CD5 w/Flatcap. Is this player much better than the already excelent CD5 even without outboard power. Also, would it make any sense to use this CD Player in the system I have, I had heard that some Naim gear does not like the hash that the Brilliant Powersupply's in the Linn gear (Switchmode) put back in the line. I had always assumed I would just buy the Ikemi when I was ready to upgrade, but this put's a fly in the ointment because it makes my system sound soo good. What are your thoughts..

P.S. interestingly enough the Naim and Linn remotes are completely compatible, I can control the CD5 from the Kollektor remote and the Kollektor from the Naim Remote, which I thought was pretty darn kewl.

Posted on: 03 June 2001 by Bob Edwards

D--

The only real answer is to try the CDX out at home. Having done the dem, IMO the CDX is the best of the players you mention--much more emotional and musical then the Ikemi, which is a good player in its own right.

And yes, the CDX is IMO much bet ter than the CD5/Flatcap (or Hicap). It is a bit more upfront than the CD5, although that should work well with your Linn gear, which tends to be a bit more laid back.

Cheers,

Bob

Ride the Light !

Posted on: 03 June 2001 by Martin Payne

Dupree,

this is a difficult call.

There is somewhat of a different character to the two players.

A minority of people with fully Naim systems prefer the CD5+FC2 to the CDX. This is presumably where they prefer the CD5 character.

It comes down to three things:-

which character you prefer;
which one synergises better with the rest of your system;
the rack/table on which the player sits.

Regarding this latter point, the CDX seems to respond quite markedly to it's support. Mana has often been reported as very beneficial, but other racks also work very well.

Sorry, you will have to try to get a comparative demo and decide for yourself.

BTW, the CDX can later be upgraded with an 'XPS' power supply and this absolutely transforms it. The PS doubles the price of the combo, but the performance is more than twice as good!

cheers, Martin

Posted on: 03 June 2001 by Arthur Bye

Dupree wrote

quote:
I had heard that some Naim gear does not like the hash that the Brilliant Powersupply's in the Linn gear (Switchmode) put back in the line.

Dupree: I think you can solve the switch mode power supply problem by making sure the Naim player has a dedicated power line. You should have typical US electric service that has two 110 Volts lines (which can be combined for 220v). Just have an electrican run a new circuit and make sure it's coming from the other 110 Main.

The CDX is a very good player, but be prepared for upgraditis. As Martin says above, it's a whole nother unit with the XPS.

Arthur Bye