Where to go now, CD or Amp?

Posted by: NB on 05 December 2000

Iam starting to think about my next upgrade.

My system consists of Roksan Caspian CD, Naim 82/180 Amp with Hi-cap and my speakers are Ruark Equinox's.

If you had £2,000 to £3,000 to spend would you,

1 Upgrade the CD to Naim CD5 or a Naim CDx?
Which sounds better the new CD5 or the
older CDX?

2 Improve the amplifier to a Naim 250 or two 135's

3 Bi-amp the 180 with another 180 and a crossover.

What would you do?

Posted on: 05 December 2000 by Tony L

quote:
What would you do?

Listen to some better CD players, your amp is more than fine.

I would hear the CDX, the Linn Ikemi, the new similarly priced Densen when it comes out, and what ever else takes your fancy. Probably well worth trying to hear a second hand Mk I CDS too, as many people, though not all seem to prefer it over the CDX, expect to pay about 2K for a good one.

Tony.

Posted on: 05 December 2000 by Former member

Whatever you do, get a second hicap for the 82, a newish s/h one is about 350-400 GBP and worth it.

Then go audition some cd players.

Omer.

Posted on: 05 December 2000 by Dev B

Get a better CD player for £2k - a CDX or equivalent. You could also get a decent record player for te system if you still have records (s/h LP12).

Please don't add do anything with the amps, especially the preamp as it will make it just more revealing.

regards

Dev

Posted on: 05 December 2000 by Arun Mehan

I think the CDX is your best bet just because of the upgrade options. Don't forget about supports/racks

Go listen to some of the options though and make the final decision for yourself.

Posted on: 05 December 2000 by Former member

quote:
1 Upgrade the CD to Naim CD5 or a Naim CDx? Which sounds better the new CD5 or the older CDX?

NB,
Could it be possible that you missed some very recent threads??

This topic is been discussed quite extensively in both the "I need a new CD Player to go with my gear - all experiences welcome!" thread as well as in the "Super CD5 or Normal CDX??

You may find your question(s) already answered there but for the record; go for the 'old' CDX

Richard.

Posted on: 06 December 2000 by MarkEJ

I'm with Richard on this one. Having recently tried both the CD5 and a standalone CDX, I suspect that in your system, the CDX is the your best starting point. I also suspect that after the Caspian, you may find it quite a culture shock, and in your place would try to source the cheapest used example I could find, with the intention of XPS-ing it as soon as possible. Since used XPSs are virtually unknown, saving as much as you can on the CDX will minimise the budget overflow, while maximising the flow of music!

Best;

Mark

(I still don't like this
software very much)

Posted on: 08 December 2000 by Former member

NB you have done the best right for the foundation of your system: the 82. In my case I went for the CDX while I had the 102 but once I placed the 82 everything opened up. So, you can't go wrong with the CDX since you already have the 82.

ME-J is right it that the XPS is quite difficult to find previously owned. I had to purchase a brand new one stateside if I wanted one that bad, which of course I did.

I believe one can begin to gain the appreciation of the Naim formula with the CDX/82dualHiCap/250 combo. It seems to begin the Naim magic. There is something "right" about that synergy of those 3 components in creating the music (to my humble ears).

So, my vote is for the CDX. Hopefully this vote carries some weight as the "Vote" a month ago remains in contention here in the US of eh!

a day without music is like
a day without sunshine and wine,
the name for music is
Naim

Posted on: 10 December 2000 by Phil Barry

What do you want to change in your system? Or is this simply a new toy (in which case, congratulations).

If there's some aspect of the music you want to change, what is it? For example, if you're happy with detail but want more dynamics, then a 2nd 'cap, a supercap, or the 250/135s (500s!) are likely to be the best ways to go. BTW, a power supply isn't a very sexy upgarde - until you listen to it.

If you feel that the current CD spinner isn't getting everything off the CD, then improving the CD player is likely to give the best bang for the buck.

And there's always the used LP12 and many used records as an option....

Regards.

Phil