CDi
Posted by: Richard Paget on 18 September 2000
Sorry, I know lots of recent posts on cd players--but little chatter on the CDi
I've been offered a CDi for £800 s/h
The current price for
S/H cd3=£500
S/H cd3.5=£700-800
Would any of you choose a CDi over a CD3.5?
Concerns I have are that I vaguely remember transport problems on the first CDi.(although the one on sale had a new transport 18months ago.
How do even naim cd players cope with age the 3.5 will obviously be much younger?
There is no facilty for add upgrade power supplies on the cdi is there?--does a CD3.5 flatcap leap frog a cdi
From my (limited) hi end cd player auditions 4 yrs ago--my impression was the difference was all tonality and presentation rather than huge differences in areas of detail,separation and soundstage--that you may find in top flight turntable auditions????
CD3.5 has been described as very rhythmical and slightly upbeat(hope to audition one soon)--probably more my style than the relaxed and silky approach. is the CDi--laid back?
(I choose naim gear and the LP12 for their immense natural rhythm and imagery over competitors--I felt they were near but not quite the best when it came to the detail-much less important)
Any thoughts would be greatfully recieved
Cheers Richard Paget
PS where in Hammersmith is the show next weekend and is it tickets only?
I can't remember all of the details, but I beleive there are two transport variants for the CDI as well... this was on the old forum. If I can find more in my archives at home, I'll post later. In the mean time, any of you CDI fans shed some light?
Rico - musichead
I disagree with 'woodface' I'm afraid. I find the CDi to be a little restrained and lacking in vitality by comparison to a 3.5. I would not go for a 3 if possible. The price you have been given seems to me to be a little high for a CDi, although it has had a new transport in its favour, I guess.
I prefer the more vital 3.5 in standard form, let alone with a power supply added on.
Regards,
Frank.
I'd go with the CDI if it comes with the original CDM4 transport (as found in the CDS). Nicking some info from Vik, this was replaced by the CDM9-PRO in later versions. Never heard this later version, but I remember comments from several dealers at the time saying this later version was not as good. For me comparatively the 3.5 sounds lightweight.
Personally I prefer the more laid back presentation on the CDI to the CDX. For me the only worthwhile upgrades from the CDI (in the Naim range) are CDS, CDX-XPS or CDSII.
Your risk is that if the mechanism goes, then you will probably get left with a worse-sounding machine, assuming Naim can replace this with something else. My CDI is still going strong, although for some reason it's never been a fan of cold weather.
David (hopefully getting his hands on CDSII tomorrow).
The transport of my CDI gave up recently (after 7 years of intensive usage); MusicLine (the German distributor) changed the old CDM4 for a newer CDM9Pro. Although not cheap I am very happy with the result; the sonic differences are rather marginal.
Can't comment on a comparison with CD3(.5) as I never heard one. But cannot imagine that CD3 is better than CDI, since I found my CDI to be close to the CDX (in a direct comparison).
Aljoscha
I own a CDM4-ish (original transport) CDI. I did not audition against the 3.5 in my system, but hearing the CD3.5 (w/o power supply) in several other systems I'd be really surprised if you preferred the 3.5.
For me, the 3.5's enthusiasm is somewhat skin deep, the CDI's enthusiasm comes straight from the music, it's enthusiatic when the music is enthusiastic, and it's slow and majestic when the music requires. It's more versatile then the 3.5, and that's the sign of good hifi.
You did not mention the context of the system, for the higher preamps I really think you'd prefer the CDI.
I should stress, though, that I found the CDI to be quite sensitive to what it sits on. On an SO stand it could sometime sound both nasty and restrained, which is disappointing to say the least.
Better supports and electricity helped that, and a single piece of M*** suits it very nicely, now I totally forget about hifi and enjoy the music.
Omer.
I'd have said your prices were somewhat on the high side.
If you're interested in a low-mileage CD3.5 from a dealer give these people a ring.
Martin
P.S. Ignore the ex-dem list - it's a bit out of date!
I had one for 3 yrs then stupidly sold it to beat the 'disease' and buy a computer !!!
Funnily enough - the computer that I bought with the cash helped me to get a job with more money so then i could buy more naim gear .......
Oh by the way Ricahrd go for the cdi - its a bit pricey £800 though.
naheed...
I have had a CDI for a year which I bought just over a year ago from a dealer - and I paid just over £1000 for it so £800 sounds like a pretty fair deal to me given it has had a new transport fitted.
IT's a superb CD player and is only bettered by a CDS1 or CDS2. I had a CD 3.5 on loan for a week just before I got the CDI and once the CDI had warmed up properly it was a league above the 3.5 - in particular its scale and portrayal of acoustic space was significantly better.
You won't regret either but the CDI will quash your desire to upgrade for longer.
Jonathan
Bas
I had never listened to it, so we connected it to the system which was being demoed. It was a full Linn system (Wakonda, 2xLK240, Ikemi, 5140), so I expect the CDI was not giving its best because it was not playing in its own team. However the comparison with the Ikemi was interesting.
We agreed that the Ikemi (which wad been powered on for the whole day) offered a more detailed and refined sound, while the cold CDI had, in my opinion, a better timing and a more 'live' sound. What really surprised us is the deep and controlled bass of the CDI, that the Ikemi doesn't really have. Of three people listening, I (naim user) and another one (ex-naim and ex-linn user, TAG McLaren A/V user at present), would prefer the CDI, while one (Linn user) would prefer the Ikemi.
Maybe I'll borrow the CDI for a home demo and make a direct comparison with my 3.5 with and without a HiCap.
Stefano
David