Power Supply with CDX2

Posted by: Frenchnaim on 06 October 2016

Now that The Announcement has been made, I'd like to come back to a more mundane, far less exciting issue .

I'm thinking of adding an XPS to the CDX2.2. I'm aware that my music collection won't be re-imagined, I would just like the top end to sound a bit more mellow perhaps - as someone on the forum said, the bare CDX2 can sound a bit "in-yer-face".

I can find S/H non-DR XPSs easily, at reasonable prices, but it's a very different picture as far as XPS-DRs are concerned - they are few and far between, and expensive. Is it a good idea to get a S/H non-DR now (and perhaps get it DRed next year), or is it going to be a waste of money? The CDX2 was used for a good many years with the non-DR version, so there must be an improvement?

Any opinions welcome

Posted on: 07 October 2016 by Adam Zielinski

Frenchnaim posted:
Adam Zielinski posted:
Frenchnaim posted:
Anyway, thanks to you all for an enlightening exchange on XPSs. Now I find I absolutely need one...a pox on you!
Good that I didn't suggest the XPS then
Your crime is far worse

Yeap

Posted on: 08 October 2016 by Massimo Bertola

Harry posted:
Assuming you stick with Naim.

I think that I, personally, will. I've tried alternatives, but Naim is my antidote to audio boredom.

(Does this too reply to my own latest post?)

Posted on: 08 October 2016 by Massimo Bertola

Frenchnaim posted:
Not as simple as that. There's the exchange rate: it's 1.11€ to the £ today, it was over 1.30€ not so long ago. You can't entirely blame the distributor, who has to allow for wild swings in the exchange rate.
Anyway, thanks to you all for an enlightening exchange on XPSs. Now I find I absolutely need one...a pox on you!

The exchange rate has been higher, and the retails were more reasonable. You can't always blame the exchange rate.

Posted on: 08 October 2016 by Salmon Dave

You will be surprised at how good an XP5XS sounds powering a CDX2 (or even CDX), better I think than the 1990s XPS.

Posted on: 08 October 2016 by Frenchnaim

"The exchange rate has been higher, and the retails were more reasonable. You can't always blame the exchange rate."

I agree with you, Massimo - as I said above, distributors are greedy. It must also be said that some Naim fans on the continent will pay anything for what they see as a premium brand (which of course keeps the resale value high - I've never have any problem selling second-hand Naim stuff).

Posted on: 08 October 2016 by Massimo Bertola

I won't question our distributor's life style, his car or house being bigger and better than mine. People do things for money more than for any other reason on Earth. I won't accept, though, paying for a NAP300 DR 50% more than an Englishman does, and I won't accept the 'explanations' that people in the trade use to give me, that only manage to convey to me the idea that they think I am a complete idiot; not from people who often are as ignorant as donkeys.

But, as you say, Naim is a premium brand and we must accept some costs for ownership. What I am beginning to really think – since Naim retails are very high though continental Europe – is that ours are the 'real' prices, while UK retails are somehow kept lower to encourage inside trade.

Posted on: 08 October 2016 by Harry

A 50% markup on UK prices can't be explained away by the exchange rate. If anything he cost of UK goods should be dropping markedly.

It's greed. They don't deserve your money. They are saying to you that they will rob you if you are stupid enough to let them.

Posted on: 08 October 2016 by Allante93

Frenchnaim posted:

"The exchange rate has been higher, and the retails were more reasonable. You can't always blame the exchange rate."

I agree with you, Massimo - as I said above, distributors are greedy. It must also be said that some Naim fans on the continent will pay anything for what they see as a premium brand (which of course keeps the resale value high - I've never have any problem selling second-hand Naim stuff).

Agreed, and I don't have any problem buying second hand Naim stuff.

But putting cost aside, I demoed a 2nd hand CD5 XS, loved the fact that it could be upgraded with a digital out. Very smooth overall sounding deck.

But in the end, I thought better, and came to the conclusion, that an Ndac, and 555PS wasn't in the foreseeable future.

Hence, Naims 2nd tier CDP, Cdx2!

"There are four main areas to look at when modifying a CD player: the power supply, the transport, the DAC and the analogue output stage. In addition, an upgrade to the system clock is recommended."

I let Naim's R&D take care of the above, leaving me with the choice of PS.

The power supply to any piece of hi-fi is very important and improvements is said to benefit sound quality.

Sooooo, being kinda in the same position as the OP, is a larger transformer necessarily better???

OP = Cdx2.2 Mk II introduced in 2009

Mine = 2nd hand 2008 Cdx2 Mk I

I know we been here before, just seeing has views changed, and the OP can be exposed to the different arguments for and against.

XPS2 vs 555PS

Thanks in advance!

Allante93!

Posted on: 08 October 2016 by varyat

I'm confused

Posted on: 08 October 2016 by yeti42

On a 282/SC-DR/250-2 the non-DR 555ps was a clear winner over the XPS-DR but see Simon's post above. I've not tried removing the 555ps from the CDX2 since the 552 arrived. It's now the last non DR Naim ps in use in my main system. I've not yet heard the DR version on a CDX2.

You can't get a CDX2 DR-ed as far as I know, maybe it wouldn't improve it, more likely there are so few CD players being sold that it's not worth the investment to find out.