The CDX - Pure Brilliance
Posted by: Andrew Randle on 14 July 2001
From
Mimik II/NAC 72/Hi-CAP/NAP 110/Kan II
to
CDX/NAC 72/Hi-CAP/NAP 110/Kan II
For the money, the Mimik II was a fabulous source that had its music priorities right. But, the CDX is in a totally different league. Once warmed up (at least 24 hours), the player reminds me of the Valhalla-ed LP12/Ittok/K18 combo that Chris Morton used to own. At last I'm managing to feed my Kans properly!
There is one teensie problem. Out of the box, the player didn't sound that much better than the Mimik II, and I nearly told the dealer to send it back (!!).
Bruce Woodhouse described it perfectly in an earlier post: "The tension mounts, the box is opened and the first disc plays-horror it sounds rather nasty!"
Be patient, the player needs about 2 hours before it sounds like anything worth the £2400 asking price. After a further day or two, the player sprung to life by another equally large margin.
This is so good.
One question. The player is brand-new from Naim, but the interconnect seems to be the Grey SNAIC (well it's grey in colour). Is this a Black SNAIC in disguise, or am I looking at a further £50 upgrade?
The next question is, given I'm using Kans, "to XPS or to 250"? With the heap of positive XPS posts recently it seems that my question may already be answered, but is the 110 enough for the Kans?
Andrew
Andrew Randle
2B || !2B;
4 ^ = ?;
I'm mounting the CDX on a Sound Organisation 2-tier fully-welded rack. At the moment it is sharing the rack with the amps, however next week I will receive another brand-new welded rack from the Sound Organisation.
To me, the Sound Org racks are fantastic (better than Audiotech) and inexpensive (£78 for the 2-tier) while presenting a blend of properties - kind of a half-way house between Mana and Hutter.
On Monday I will be resize some pictures taken from a digital camera. These will show the whole setup.
Andrew (who realises he could have just fallen into the rack-debate trap 
)
Andrew Randle
2B || !2B;
4 ^ = ?;
That there grey wire you have is not a SNAIC, it is an INTERCONNECT, presumably five-pin DIN. It carries the signal to the preamp. THis is Naim's standard issue to be used from the CD5, through the CDX up to the CDS2.
A SNAIC carries juice to and from the power amp back to the preamp, as well as the signal - this is a four-pin SNAIC. In addition you can have a five-pin SNAIC to use with a Flatcap, Flatcap2 or Hi-cap, or both if you connect a 'cap to the preamp. If you look at the back of your CDX, you'll see a grey plug about 3cm long. That is where the XPS would be connected, using another really dumpy lead whose Naim I cannot remember. You cannot use a Flatcap or Hi-cap with the CDX, you have to use the XPS, so all SNAICs are not applicable for use with the CDX.
It's always a nice day for it, have a good one
Steve
[This message was edited by Steven Toy on SUNDAY 15 July 2001 at 04:37.]
My David versus your Goliath, eh?
Although I'm sure I'll take you up on your Supercap advice... eventually.
Andrew
Andrew Randle
2B || !2B;
4 ^ = ?;
- to have a look. Naim don't miss a trick!It's always a nice day for it, have a good one
Steve
Congratulations on the cdx. I have no doubt that you will continue to be very happy with it.
I have used a cdx for nearly three years, and I think mine is superb. It was the first cd player that I had listened to that really involved me in the music. That includes the cds, cdi and cd2 – which incidentally is my order of preference of those players.
Although my turntable was still “better” it didn’t worry me, when I want to listen to records I can, but most new music was bought on cd and perhaps significantly I stopped searching out vinyl.
When I first got my cdx I ran it with 42.5/Hicap/250/sbls. I was conscious that my pre-amp needed improving. My pre-amp started life as an 1982-ish 42 that was modified when the .5 allowed it to be used with a Hicap. I had listened to a 72 before I bought my Hicap (well actually before I bought a new LP12/Lingo – but that is a side issue) and much preferred the benefit that the Hicap gave.
Before I bought my cdx I listened to the 102, but when it came to spending money it had to be an 82. It was a significant improvement for both cd and lp. The 42.5 was then able to rejoin its spiritual partner my 110, although until very recently they both resided in a cupboard!!
I’d used the 110 into Kan1s for more than 10 years before I bought my 250/sbls. I’ve used my 250 with the Kans, and I’ve used the 110 with the sbls.
I bought an xps three weeks ago. I very nearly went for a supercap due to the improvement to gave to both sources. On balance the xps was the logical choice, but it was close run.
Although I loved my cdx from the start, the xps is stunning. Cold out of the box it is better than the naked cdx in a hi-fi way - the first thing you notice is the extra detail and the tighter deeper bass - but as it warms up and settles down it is sooooo much more musical.
Inevitably you get used to the quality. I have bought loads of new cds in the last three weeks, and I’m tempted to find out how they sound on the bare cdx but I’ve not yet succumbed.
I’m still inclined to make the supercap my next purchase, but part of me is saying cdsII if I sell the cdx – although the cdx would work wonders with my system in my study.
I would advocate the xps as your next purchase – unless of course you plan to upgrade your tt and buy lots of vinyl.
Chris 