cds3 suspension question

I don't know whether or how much damage the unit may have suffered. But you must Never tip the unit without all the transit bolts, top and bottom, firmly in place.

The bottom bolts hold the mass loaded sprung circuit boards in place. The top bolts lift the mech tray pins out of the leaf spring cups and secure against the top cover.

IME the pin suspension of the CDS3 is quite robust and most likely to survive being tipped on its side (but maybe not upside down)....the 552 by comparison would easily come out of its suspension, facilitated by the sheer shearing weight of its brass slab. I've even had a Supercap fall off its shelf and land on the CDS3, fracturing its perspex lid, without agitating its suspension out of place. Like I said-robust. 

Thanks so much for your quick reply. English is not my native tongue, I don't really understand what you mean by "mass loaded sprung circuit boards".  Do you mean that the circuit boards have probably moved around when he tilted the unit on it's side? Are the circuit boards in any way attached to the chassis at all when the screws are not in?

Yeah Ron, during my search I stumbled upon that story here on the forum... That must have been quite a scare!

I'm quite positive the unit was only flipped on it's side, so not upside down. The thing is, I just really don't understand that spring suspension thing, so it's hard for me to imagine what has been going on inside. Have been studying photo's  of the insides but no photo shows the underside of the boards or a detail of the suspension...

The boards are mounted on alloy plates  (add mass) and are suspended on springs. They are free to wobble and bash about when the bolts are undone.

Contrary to what Ron says, I think the pins and cups on leaf springs that suspends the mech tray is vwry easy to cock up. The pins can easily jump out of the cups and then rest on the flat of the leaf springs. All seems ok but performance is off. 

THanks again. I'm positive the mech was secured with the screws in place (that's only the two screws underneath the tray right?).

The boards however weren't... What to do?????

If you're worried then best have it checked out by Naim or an authorised service agent.

Tef, Steer clear. I bought used from a dealer who knows what's he's doing. No doubts, no regrets.

Chris

Yes I agree. Not worth the hassle if it has compromised the player. Frustrating as it is you will likely regret it if you take the risk. Another one will come up soon enough....

Alba1320 posted:

Why would anyone claiming to be a 'Hi-Fi afficionado' place a CDS3 on its side without all transit bolts in place?

I tend to agree with CRISTOPHER_M on this one.

It crossed my mind also. Strange thing to do.

Don't think I'd take a chance. Even if you could see it before buying it may need a thorough examination to ensure no damage done. The repair cost could outstrip the potential savings.

The seller was under the impression that the transit screws for the mech were the most important, and thus he fitted only those before lifting the unit. Reading up on this topic has made me understand that transit screw mishaps are pretty common among people handling this kind of gear ( including dealers etc).

To say it (moving the unit without the screws or playing the unit with the screws in) happens to the best will probably bring up some memories with some of you of a certain hifi demo show in recent history...

The seller has tested the unit again and claims it has not influenced function at all. He's going to send me a detailed video of the unit working. So I'm going to wait and see how it looks before deciding. I've explained to him how to best put in the screws (put the unit between the edges of two tables and use the space underneath to fit the screws). The seller has shown me multiple pictures of the packaging which looks really good, so I'm quite positive he has the best intentions. In the end shipping however does exhibit a certain inherent risk I suppose....

Thanks all for your replies to my questions!

tef posted:

The seller was under the impression that the transit screws for the mech were the most important....

He was wrong.

C.

Is the seller in the U.K.? If so they can send it to Naim to have it checked. They can pay to fix it if required and then send it to you. 

Please forgive me if this is a stupid question, but you do know that a CDS3 needs a power supply in order to work, don't you? Does it come with one? If so, and it's ten years old, it will need servicing. 

Good suppestion, but unfortunately no, it's mainland Europe. I guess I'm gonna wait for the video...

The video will show if it makes a CD go round and get music out of it, but it won't tell you if everything is working properly. I would not touch it unless it is checked over properly by the local distributor. 

I wouldn't worry about slowly tipping a cds3 on its side. Trust me I'm an engineer.

Are we really suggesting Naims designers wouldn't restrict the amount the circuit will move on its suspension when transit screws aren't in place.

Google cds3 internal image and take a look.

Hi All,

I'm happy to return to this post listening to a perfectly working CDS3! (Joni Mitchell's Court and Spark playing)

I must admit, I'm quite happy that everything worked out so well. I just want to thank everyone for their suggestions and tips. I also want to stress the importance of good communication with a seller if you're buying from someone abroad. Doing a deal in this way has a certain risk of course but if you take your time and make sure that the seller is cooperative and willing to provide you with all the info you need, like video and good quality pictures, I think you can buy with confidence.

The unit was very well packed and double boxed and looked even better in the flesh than in the pics. 

First impressions so far from an audiophile standpoint are a bigger sound stage and more detail than my CD5x. More importantly the musical presentation seems to make more sense to me, it's more coherent.

Glad to be in the CDS3 camp, I think I can live with this one...

tef posted:

 More importantly the musical presentation seems to make more sense to me, it's more coherent.

Glad to be in the CDS3 camp, I think I can live with this one...

Sounds like the temporary misalignment did it no harm.

 Good to hear you’re enjoying it. It should get even better after a week or so.

Well done, a top top player.