I started a similar thread on another forum in 2011. 

Bought one trading in a CDS3. It gave great service and until about this time last year was still being used about 50:50 with streaming. 555 for the serious listening. Then I went USB DAC and suddenly the sound quality advantage was gone. 

Sold it on just before Christmas at a substantial loss. 

If money is absolutely no object, sure why not but it, once you are willing to accept a nearly 60% reduction in resale value the minute you plug it in. 

Pound for pound it was my most expensive piece of Hifi at about £3000 per annum to rent it. 

YMMV

.sjb

any comment on new generation players from Hegel, Bryston , Marantz they all got good reviews... 

could it be the case that competition is offering something as good for a fraction of the price? 

anyone heard Hegel Mohican ? Bryston BCD-3 ? Marantz SA10?

Emre posted:

any comment on new generation players from Hegel, Bryston , Marantz they all got good reviews... 

could it be the case that competition is offering something as good for a fraction of the price? 

anyone heard Hegel Mohican ? Bryston BCD-3 ? Marantz SA10?

I'd choose a Rega Isis valve

Cheaper and maybe more reliable, I read some had their 555 headunit back in Salisbury several times

But why on earth do you expect to get 50% discount  from Naim ? That will be the entire dealer profit maybe or perhaps

There's no way you'll get one at 50% discount. 

The best bet is ex demo but are there any dealers around with one? I know when I wanted to demo a 552 my dealer borrowed one off Naim. They wouldn't buy one in as a demo as they just can't sell any at the price they are these days. 

As someone has mentioned there is no logic in buying a cd555 or any expensive hifi. However, i loved my cd555 and to me it sounded much better than the nds. If i had the money and space I would have kept it alongside the nds. If you are not planning to sell it or trade it in the future but keep it forever then buy it. Trade values are very low but i odnt see many for sale these days. 

Hi Emre,

but can't you even feel the slightest, faintest, distant smell of the joy of doing exactly what you f***ing want, without asking for any suggestion...?

Best

Max

Max_B posted:

Hi Emre,

but can't you even feel the slightest, faintest, distant smell of the joy of doing exactly what you f***ing want, without asking for any suggestion...?

Best

Max

 

+1

Skip posted:

I have a CD555 which I bought at a special price, new, a couple of years ago.    People say the NDS sounds better and they may be right, but I did not think it was by such a margin that I wanted to deal with a wired network, a switch, NAS, and the brain damage of ripping CD's, metadata, troubleshooting,  performing the help desk function by phone when I am traveling, etc.  The CD555, once you get it set up, is plug and play, and it will surely be the last CD player we buy.    My wife loves the CD player.   It sounds great and is very close to the vinyl sound.

 

I feel the same way - it all seems such a faff, and the Nirvana bits and bobs seem to change every month. I've not done a direct comparison of the NDS and 555, but have auditioned the former. It share some similarities and is very poised and detail with hi-res, but seemed to lack the verve and energy of the 555...

Emre posted:

Keler Pierre posted:

Emre posted:

Jonn posted:

Get an NDS add CISCO switch, decent NAS and Ethernet cables, rip your CDs and listen to a superior sound to the CD555 at half the price. (Ex CDS3 and CD555 owner).

ı have a cisco switch, decent has and ethernet cables..... 272 streamer is just fine, but also cd2x...

ripping 225 mozart cd will be a pain 

you might be right.... 

need to get a very but very good deal on cd555- like a %50 good deal.. 

have you got my message?  audiodistribution affair?  ex demo for 60% reduction. 

their web site is not working.... also EU prices of naim equipment are all different affair from UK list..

thank you very much, i will try for sure

yes, the euro prices are different, but you have here a cd 555 in mint condition for about 9500 pounds. Try to phone and perhaps you will have even a better price....

This is easy. If the OP seeks the highest level of CD replay with no requirement for streaming, SACD, networking etc then he should seriously consider the CDP555. It's a fantastic player - there are others available!

It does strike me that in the 10 years of its existence a host of other streaming and such like products have come and gone including by Naim their original Uniti platform and I hear now that the NDX and NDS might be due an update?

Alternatively if the OP wished to "future-proof" he might think about a stand alone transport feeding a DAC but for me if I could fund it a CD555 would do very nicely.   

Regards,

Lindsay

I would only see sense in buying a CDP555 in two scenarios...

1. You are never going to consider streaming and you want the best non analogue source....

2. In the case you can get a fantastic deal on the box. This option is not logical as well. Even if Naim would decide to stop producing some people would make a last minute buy to secure there interests or speculate they would be able to sell it better.

Hi Emre,

How many cds do you  own ?  if the the answer is a considreable amount and you are eventually a serious collector (for this i mean various edition of the same disc) the CD555 is the obvious choice.

My first one was a 2nd hand 2010 serviced unit from a Naim dealer, last year i swapped for another one of 2013 vintage and the latter seems better still. Last week i also added a 2nd 555PS DR which transformed it from truly exceptional to utterly magical.

Regards

Roberto

Max_B posted:

Hi Emre,

but can't you even feel the slightest, faintest, distant smell of the joy of doing exactly what you f***ing want, without asking for any suggestion...?

Best

Max

 

Nope I can't.....  if it is not a can of coke but a 15,000£ + 6,000£ cd player.... 

You get opinions from more experienced friends, people made the same , similar decisions etc...  

You try to get opposite views......

Listen the alternatives theories 

Specially if this info is free and easy to collect..

Then you do exactly what you f***ink want....

Drewy posted:

There's no way you'll get one at 50% discount. 

The best bet is ex demo but are there any dealers around with one? I know when I wanted to demo a 552 my dealer borrowed one off Naim. They wouldn't buy one in as a demo as they just can't sell any at the price they are these days. 

If I buy it from UK I can reclaim the vat

b_lund posted:

Emre posted:

any comment on new generation players from Hegel, Bryston , Marantz they all got good reviews... 

could it be the case that competition is offering something as good for a fraction of the price? 

anyone heard Hegel Mohican ? Bryston BCD-3 ? Marantz SA10?

I'd choose a Rega Isis valve

Cheaper and maybe more reliable, I read some had their 555 headunit back in Salisbury several times

But why on earth do you expect to get 50% discount  from Naim ? That will be the entire dealer profit maybe or perhaps

If I pick up from UK I can reclaim the VAT, so another 20 I am almost there

The only other aspect worth considering (and I write this as a CD555 owner who is holding on to it quite happily) is the clutter of the CDs.  If you can find a dealer able to demo a CD555 vs NDS then you will be able to decide about how they compare sonically. The NDS is certainly very convenient and allows the CDs (eventually) to get packed off to the attic/box room. Also worth bearing in mind - despite the original hype - is that CDs are not immortal and do physically deteriorate, sometimes even to the extent of becoming unplayable. Regular server backups should prevent that with an NDS. I may move over to streaming, but will first have to find the time to drag my CD555 up to my dealer, or coax them down here with an NDS. 

Still buy them, love them, never put them in attic... dvds are gone but not my cds or lps

With you Emre,

I sold my CDS3 a couple of years ago and now the only CD player I have is in my Meridian boom box, but I still keep my CD's in the music room.

I think they look great ( wife may not entirely agree!) but more importantly, how would I ever know what I've got/ get any useful info on the rip I'm listening to / know what to play next without looking at my CD's? The Naim App ain't much help on those points..

FWIW, I happily sold my CDS3 to finance an NDS because it was, to my ears, way better in all aspects, but having said that, a part of me understands your CDS555 craving. If I won the lottery I'd grab one just for the hell of it 

Sorry to break the party but Naim no longer make CD555, so no chances to get a brand new one...

Chris Bell posted:

The CD555 is the best CD player, period.  BUT, an NDS with 2x555 DR power supplies fed by a Uniti Serve w/ a linear power supply and good ethernet cables (Chord Sarum TA) will be a better move.  I've owned both and streaming is a better sounding option, IMHO.  

I have the same opinion and have owned both, but the CD555 is a piece of art and that counts to  If you buy one you will not regret it. (If you don´t want an NDS.....)

Manu posted:

Sorry to break the party but Naim no longer make CD555, so no chances to get a brand new one...

Really? İt is still on the 2017 price list, one problem resolved then

Manu posted:

Sorry to break the party but Naim no longer make CD555, so no chances to get a brand new one...

Wow, No Ovators, No Reference CD player, no wonder I see a lot of them on the 2nd hand Market. 

Ebay, Audiogon, Canuck, etc......

What's next the Cdx2.2!!!! 

I know you are busy Manu, but when you get a chance, return your emails. 

Subject: SCDR

Basil Sturdivant, AKA Allante93! 

Emre posted:

I like cd players and my cd2x,  still buy cos,  specially I think it is a perfect time for classical fans for cd ownership, all those excellent box sets with good prices..

I own a 9 year old CD2X, that I bought brand new, using it with a tpxs and chord sta din to din, connected to my 272 which I am pretty happy..

But I always got my eyes on cd555, it is like a teenage dream something that a I can only dream of when it first released but now maybe I can, if I don't go to vacation or not buy any food for the family at least couple of years, still it can be done...

I know the second hand prices are low but not that low and cd players are not like amps they have moving parts and it will be a nightmare for me to buy a lemon one

Also not being in uk I have to find one there and pick it up, can not send by post etc, no second hand electronics can be imported to Turkey

Anyway second hand is a risky endeavour and they are not very cheap as well

So will it be a crazy thing to buy a cd555 brand New?  Can I get a very good discount for It from Naim, I am sure Turkish distributor will help but is Naim also discounting cd555?

I already have a 555psdr connected to my 272 that I can always use it and use txps with 272 for a year or two..

Sometimes I want to go for it and then I think are you out of your Mind?  

They are lot of good new cd players launched in the market with good reviews and 1/5 of the price of cd555 Hegel Mohican is interesting for example 

I also think buying a brand new cd555 and use it till one of use die.... it is a collectors item, a legend..

Am I being romantic on an old technology of reading 0/1?

What do you Think? 

Why not wait a bit? You've got a streaming system with excellent synergy, as well as a decent CD player already–surely there's some system optimization that could take things up to the next level?

I'm a software guy–I don't trust things that spin, so take my words with a grain of salt–but I'd be really surprised if there wasn't some room for improvement with the system you already have.

Alternately, newer products coming down the pike (knowledge of which I have none) might very well be better (if not more responsible) value for money.

372 

That a NDS sounds superior to a CDS3 is a matter of opinion with which I entirely disagree. 

Manu posted:

Sorry to break the party but Naim no longer make CD555, so no chances to get a brand new one...