NAIT XS 2 with Marantz CD6006 vs a used Naim CD player

seakayaker posted:

 

This is my first time using Naim and the dealer informed me that the NAIT and the Speakers will need playing time to burn in. I am impressed with the music right out of the box and wonder if there would be any incremental improvement with swapping the CD player.

There may be.  I'd look at the CD5XS as a perfect partner to your Nait. You could then add a Flatcap XS power supply later on to upgrade both the Nait and the CD5XS. The used players are good but mechanisms may not be available for all of them now - it's worth checking with Naim if you want to go down that route. 

Your system is new so i'd let it run in and just enjoy it. Go and take a listen to the CD5XS when you feel the need for an upgrade. No need to rush 

Yes, the Naim CD player sound is quite special, you should buy the Naim CD player.

Make sure you use a genuine Naim DIn-Din interconnect also.  

The £250 Marantz really has no place with the superb Nait XS and the ProAcs. The player you want is the CD5XS. Have a look around Naim dealers for an ex dem or used one and hopefully you can bag a bargain. 

If the aforementioned cd5xs(the natural partner with the nait xs/xs2)is a bit above your budget at the moment...still circa £1200 used then a cd5i mk2 (italic)can be found for attractive prices....I seen one go for around £350 the other week on that well known auction site....it's a fantastic wee player for that kind of  money and could well do you until funds allow for the xs unit.

I would not bother with a flatcap. I ran one with a Nait XS amplifier and a CD5XS for over 2 years. I took it out of the system when my cd player had to go for repair and never put it back. I could not tell the difference when the CD5XS returned and 18 months later would not the flatcap again.

If you don't have need for digital output the CD5X, predecessor to the CD5XS, represents even greater VFM on the s/h market. It's a sweet pairing with the Nait XS .

Ouch... you really ought to start looking for a decent CD player - CD5XS is the one to go for.

..... thanks everyone for taking the time to reply.

A unanimous recommendation to move on and find an appropriate Naim CD player.

seakayaker posted:

I have just purchased a NAIT XS 2 with a Marantz CD6006 and ProAc Response D2 Speakers.

Although from a budget point of view I could not purchase a new Naim CD player at this point in time, I have seen some used CD players, CD3.5, CD5i and CDX.

Any opinions regarding swapping out the Marantz for one of the used CD players?

 

IMO a CD5XS has two issues to deal with

One is price new

Second is its not a finished product as it can be upgraded with seperate power supply

Maybe a used CDX is just as good choice now you are thinking of invest big money but again the XPS is next step to get a finished product

Another great and much cheaper alternative is a Rega cd player

Not quite up to a Naim 5XS allthough I heard some people actually like Rega better, it may be down to own choice.

A new Apollo or second hand Saturn is no slouch and great maschines for quite a bit less money

With your setup I would forget the entry levels 5i players

Not trying to throw a cat among the pigeons, but lately I've been using a Rega Apollo-r into a 72/Hi/140/Totem Arros setup, and the cd player certainly isn't out of place in this context. My CDS2 is off to the doctor for some repairs, so when it returns, it will be interesting to see how much I have been missing. Or not.

The Rega seems to have everything that is important to me regarding cd playback. I am using it with a Tibia power cord, and a Flashback Cables RCA to Din Performance interconnect. Finally, the Apollo-r doesn't have the fiddly mechanism of the Naim players. Anyway, just some food for thought..

BB

seakayaker posted:

..... thanks everyone for taking the time to reply.

A unanimous recommendation to move on and find an appropriate Naim CD player.

Well, what did you expect -- in the Naim Forum... 

FWIW, I found that a used CD5X + FC2X handily beat my new-at-the-time Oppo BDP-95 for CD replay; the latter having a rather good reputation for same.  

I was prepared for the Oppo to win, or tie, at worst.  Big and pleasant surprise, though box count went up.

Your Marantz may be very good -- similar good reputation as Oppo, I think.  I would be interested in your findings.  

Best of luck.

Nick

This reminds me of my early Naim days, then I had a Marantz KI63 signature then introduced a Nait 3 into Dynaudio 40s. The Marantz stayed for around a year, good player really enjoyed the KI/Nait3 combo but then purchased a Naim CD3.5, marked improvement in every area.

As others have mentioned a CD5xs would be perfect and when funds become available go for it.

SK, Just enjoy what you have. CD5XS when the time comes.

The ProAcs look good speakers. Hopefully the electronics are are a decent rack.

Great speaker, great amp, needs a better front-end IMHO.  And maybe try Tellurium Q Black speaker cables?

CD players are really coming to an end, with such a fine speakers and amp do them a favour and get into the world of steaming audio, its not at all difficult now. The kit available these days really is 'plug and play'

As you've just purchased the XS it'd be rude of me to say get a SuperUniti, as that's a SuperNait2 with built in NDX streamer. So I'd say get an ND5XS to partner the XS2 and a decent NAS drive. This way you'll have access to on-line music services too. You could even start tracking down high res versions of your favorite albums/artists.

spacey posted:

CD players are really coming to an end, .....

Repeat it enough times and I suppose it will happen!

+1 for the rega Apollo. Great CD player, nicely built and not bad value. I just bought one for a second system with the Brio amp. Very impressed.

Any Naim CD player will be a great choice,  CD5XS being the obvious.      However I'm 100% in agreement with Spacey,  CD is nearing the end of life,  although I'm sure it will remain the choice for years to come,  now might be the time to stop, count to ten & consider were you want to go.   Naim have reduced the model count dramatically in the last year & Linn stopped making them as long ago as 2009,  all reflecting sales of the medium.     With a Naim network player you get streaming from your own NAS loaded with all your 16-bit CD collection,  then you can purchase all your new music on-line in high def 24-bit PCM or DSD,  the whole thing is so easy & very convenient.  Add to that streaming from one or other of the web services such as Tidal & Spotify & further iRadio (Niam web radio) with tens of thousands of stations from all around the world.

spacey posted:

CD players are really coming to an end

I'd say that's a streamer's provincial view of reality. There's quite a number of high end CDPs currently being manufactured and plenty of folks that prefer to spin silver discs. I wouldn't touch streaming if you handed me the required components with complete "hi res" files of my current physical library. Last thing I want is subjugation to a smart device in order to relax with my music.

joerand posted:

spacey posted:

CD players are really coming to an end

I'd say that's a streamer's provincial view of reality. There's quite a number of high end CDPs currently being manufactured and plenty of folks that prefer to spin silver discs. I wouldn't touch streaming if you handed me the required components with complete "hi res" files of my current physical library. Last thing I want is subjugation to a smart device in order to relax with my music.

+1

Mike-B posted:

Any Naim CD player will be a great choice,  CD5XS being the obvious.      However I'm 100% in agreement with Spacey,  CD is nearing the end of life,  although I'm sure it will remain the choice for years to come,  now might be the time to stop, count to ten & consider were you want to go.   Naim have reduced the model count dramatically in the last year & Linn stopped making them as long ago as 2009,  all reflecting sales of the medium.     With a Naim network player you get streaming from your own NAS loaded with all your 16-bit CD collection,  then you can purchase all your new music on-line in high def 24-bit PCM or DSD,  the whole thing is so easy & very convenient.  Add to that streaming from one or other of the web services such as Tidal & Spotify & further iRadio (Niam web radio) with tens of thousands of stations from all around the world.

Not if you detest anything to do with computers like I do. The need to set up a NAS drive and home network then ensure your back up policy is adequate to cover the inevitable hard drive failure doesn't equal easy & convenient to me. Hours of frustration more like. It's ok if you know what you are doing but I have no inclination to learn something that really doesn't interest me. All IMO of course.

In all reality its waaaay more relaxing. simply pick up your iPad, scroll/find the artist/s, press play, chose maybe 1,2 or even a full afternoons worth then sit, relax and enjoy.......   Getting up to change the sides of an LP or go to a CD rack, spend time looking the disc, then think about what you want next etc... that's not a relaxing way to listen IMHO.  

Marksnaim posted:

 

 It's ok if you know what you are doing but I have no inclination to learn something that really doesn't interest me. All IMO of course.

That exactly why it's not a medium for you.. I'm giving the advice to the OP!

This isn't really the place to start discussing the pros and cons of streaming. The OP wanted advice on a CD player, and there have been some good suggestions. If I wanted a new shirt, I wouldn't want people banging on that it's really trousers that I need. Some people like to play CDs, and there's nothing wrong with that, and no need to foist alternatives on them. 

spacey posted:

Marksnaim posted:

 

 It's ok if you know what you are doing but I have no inclination to learn something that really doesn't interest me. All IMO of course.

That exactly why it's not a medium for you.. I'm giving the advice to the OP!

Beg pardon. Just expressing an opinion. Forum etc.. Wasn't the OP asking for advice regarding CD players?