NAIM Commitment to CD

Damo, I think that Naim's position regarding CD player production has already been made on a number of previous occasions; Naim has said that it will continue to offer CD players so long as the demand is there and there is availability of key parts to build them.

Hi Acoustics Guy, I guess Naim will continue to make CD players as long as people buy them.. I suspect volume of units sold has declined but other than the CDS3 I am not aware of any other product ceases.

I use CD (CDX2)and streaming into a non Naim DAC, I simply treat them as different sources with different sonic signatures, but my goto source is usually the streamer... I perhaps use my CD player for one session a week, I have a small group of CDs, that I rotate through, where I really like how the CDX2 sounds with them. Also my Mojo music magazine CD invariably goes on the CDX2 when that drops through the letter box once a month. 

CD play on the whole is reliable, although over time I have found CDs can get accidentally damaged, or deteriorate when very old, and transports do have a finite life as I have discovered.. Thankfully though not yet on my Naim CD player. I must admit I have been streaming since the late 90s, and apart from one occasion where I hadn't learnt to back up my media files, it does win out on reliability compared to CD in my experience... But yes there are more variables with streaming to go wrong for many people.

Perhaps an other point is the prevalence of CD as a medium. Many have been heralding the death of CD for many years now, but it stubbornly resists and seems to be slowing its decline in the UK as I read that many new music lovers seem to enjoy owning physicals such as CD and vinyl again.... (although it's fair to say CD is not that sexy compared to vinyl) . and whilst that continues to be the case there will be a demand, albeit perhaps limited,  for CD players and rippers.

Simon

Put CD in drawer. Press play and get ERR. Realise that puck isn't gripping CD properly. Try and massage little rubber bits and after two or three goes there is actually music.

I would be interested in knowing how many CD players are sold against streamers. My guess would be about 1 to 10.

Bananahead posted:

Put CD in drawer. Press play and get ERR. Realise that puck isn't gripping CD properly. Try and massage little rubber bits and after two or three goes there is actually music.

 

+1 - tallys with my experience except every year or so you give up and pay for yet another new puck. I was glad to see the back of my CDS2, and the CD5 I traded in for it was no better. Plus in my experience the sound quality from solid state playback trounces CD at anything near the same price point. My streaming system has been utterly reliable, much less expensive, sounds better and is infinitely more convenient and easy to use. 

I think everyones getting into a bit of a Spin.......

ken c posted:

funny reading this thread as i have actualy been thinking of getting me a CD player -- probably CDS3...

enjoy...

ken

It's still IMO the best CD player Naim made. If I had enough rack space I would consider running one just because I like it so much. The reality is that it wouldn't get used.

CDS3 here.  No ripping, no software upgrades, no firmware issues (whatever that is)  Cd in the tray - brilliant.  And it sounds breathtakingly good. 

CDS2 here still sounding wonderful...almost vinyl like.

Bananahead posted:

Put CD in drawer. Press play and get ERR. Realise that puck isn't gripping CD properly. Try and massage little rubber bits and after two or three goes there is actually music.

I would be interested in knowing how many CD players are sold against streamers. My guess would be about 1 to 10.

Had my CDS3 for 9 years. Never once skipped, never once not played a CD. I love the ridiculous reasons put up on here for not using a CD player. Genuinely funny.

gary yeowell posted:

Bananahead posted:

Put CD in drawer. Press play and get ERR. Realise that puck isn't gripping CD properly. Try and massage little rubber bits and after two or three goes there is actually music.

I would be interested in knowing how many CD players are sold against streamers. My guess would be about 1 to 10.

Had my CDS3 for 9 years. Never once skipped, never once not played a CD. I love the ridiculous reasons put up on here for not using a CD player. Genuinely funny.

I think their could possibly be a little bias...towards the humble cd player.....1 to 10 really...I think that could well be a made up figure...

Well I was happy when Naim changed the pucks such that the "little rubber feet" were no longer a part of the mix - the new design pucks are much better.

CD works all the time - until it doesn't, and then it usually means you have a major issue that will need a service (puck notwithstanding.) My CD2 always worked, and my CD5X has always worked.  (For that matter, the rubbish $40 Philips DVD/CD player on my second system always works, and that thing is easily over 10 years old. I keep waiting for it to die so I can replace it with a Blu-Ray and it just won't cooperate!)

I would estimate that about once every month or 2 some component in my streaming setup "loses its way" and I have to intervene in some fashion.  Between the NAS, server software, router, SBT, and software on my phone to run it all, there can be an issue.  As stated before, usually a reboot corrects it, or sometimes I have to help the SBT find the SB Server again.  This happens not often, but enough that it can be an annoyance. When I want to listen, I want to listen.

The good news is that it is not something that needs repair or service...although getting the bastards at Satan's favorite company (AT&T) to replace their proprietary U-verse router when it needed to be (for which I am charged $7 a month and cannot purchase outright) took me literally screaming at them on the phone.

It seems to me (and this is only an impression since I don't own one) that Naim streamers can be finicky, based on what I glance at here.  I don't really read those posts in detail because they don't apply to me, and that is just an impression...so no personal attacks please.

All that said I literally use streaming for 99% of my listening, and the convenience of being able to access any of my 18,000+ songs from my phone is a wonderful thing.  But I cannot envision NOT having a CD as backup (until such does not exist), because computers & software are inherently persnickety, and I would not want to rely on one as my only source of music.

Naim Forum

Thanks to all who responded to my posting. From the Python restaurant dirty fork skit, 'good thing I did not ask about the knife'.

Haha. Good one.

A well-balanced observation if I may so say, Dr Mark i.e. declaring strong preference for streaming but noting that it needs regular soft-ware/set-up type maintenance and that CD play is consistently reliable. 

I went from CDX2 with Xps to an NDX around 6mths ago. No regrets at all. Love the sound p!us the convenience. AND I am buying so much new music to feed it. QED I think is the saying (not the manufacturer)

overprint posted:

I went from CDX2 with Xps to an NDX around 6mths ago. No regrets at all. Love the sound p!us the convenience.

- Ditto - I did the same 2 years ago.  Did you move the XPS onto the NDX?   I did & although it did not change the NDX sound so dramatically as it did with CDX2,  it brings detail & finesse up a level over a bare NDX.   The sound to me is so much more sophisticated & accurate than was CDX2, but I do miss the exuberance & front row presentation of CDX2....   

Same for me with music buying;  I'm buying 24-bit & if possible DSD as first choices,  but as I'm now replacing all my old vinyl (pending my trusty old Rega-3 going to a new home)  I'm finding buying CD & ripping is the only choice.

But getting back to Naim & CD players in to the future,  I have no fears about that & suspect they will still be selling  CDP's for some time after many others have dropped out,   & even longer with parts support - something than very few makes do even today.    

ken c posted:

funny reading this thread as i have actualy been thinking of getting me a CD player -- probably CDS3...

enjoy...

ken

Ken, if you don't mind me saying - this is one of your better ideas

Pre-owned CDS3 players are such fabulous value for money these days they actually cost less the price of the Sarum Super Aray cable you'll be needing to use with it  

Debs

I can't think why anyone would think that turntables are unreliable. Many folk here will back me up that a turntable is one of the few things that do not go wrong and if you buy a Linn LP12 then any part that did fail you can get replaced. As to cd players they can and do often fail and it does concern me that manufactures like Linn are no longer making any. Like several here I too cannot be bothered with streaming, at my age yet another source is not wanted infact when I removed my cassette deck I never missed it for a moment. Long live the cd!