CDS3/252 or CDS2/552?
Posted by: N. Mason on 02 April 2003
Back in the "old days", it was considered unthinkable to partner the iconoclastic CDS2 with any other pre-amp other than the NAC 52-the reference pairing until very recently. Now the new boxes are here and in a relatively short space of time we have a replacement reference CD Player, the CDS3. If memory serves me well, I believe we had to wait a year for the CDS1 to be replaced by the CDS2. Gleaming from various threads and Naim demos at Shows, it appears that prospective customers of the CDS3 are being encouraged, or are of the opinion to partner it with, not the new reference pre-amp but the model below. Perhaps this speaks volumes about the sound quality of the 252. As a very happy but slightly cheesed off owner of a fairly new CDS2, the 552 being the "soul" of the system, is the route for me. (not being a Teacher, I have limited funds) Has a comparison been made?
Posted on: 02 April 2003 by JeremyB
Not having heard the CDS3, I can say that the 552 could well provide an antedote to source first and may make you reconsider the advice to blindly upgrade the source. The difference between 252 and 552 with even a CDX is so emphatic it cannot be ignored.
Posted on: 03 April 2003 by herm
quote:
Originally posted by Stallion:
I'm still to be convinced if it will be as fundamentally better compared to the CDS2 as the XPS2 was compared to the XPS
(never mind the grammar folks, you'll figure out what it means)
quote:
It's CDS2/552 for me until, of course, I demo the CDS3
Trust me, Stallion, it won't take a year before you own a CDS3 and you'll give us lengthy reasons why it's the best. No offense, but as soon as a critical number of folks own a CDS3 you just won't be able not to get one.
About the XPS2, and why it is so good (and I'm sure it is), wasn't getting a good deal from the dealer what made you get it?
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Herman
Posted on: 03 April 2003 by herm
quote:
Originally posted by Stallion:
Of course, time will tell, but I know which one of us will be right before the year is out.
No offense, Stallion, but I said
a year. You're cheating already! So that means we're going to have a look at your sistem on April 3, 2004, and if there's a CDSIII in there somewhere, even a tiny little one, you're fried.
The 's' in offense ain't mine. It's the way many non-British users of the English language do it. Feel free, however, to help me with my grammar. We're all trying to be helpful here, aren't we?
Herman
Posted on: 03 April 2003 by N. Mason
Interesting comments. Marco's views on the XPS2/Power Supplies are noteworthy. There is a subconscious tendency to feel that when Naim replace a product, one is left the owner of a less worthy product-the CDS2 will always remain a great CD Player....CDI, CD3.5, 135 etc etc. The Forum is a wonderful vehicle for masquerading one's financial frustration within these semantic debates; long may it continue! Meanwhile I shall continue saving for my 552-by the time I get there, Naim's policy of continuous product improvement will no doubt reveal its replacement.
Neil
