N272 and best way to play CDs

Well, if you use a good transport and an NDAC then it will sound pretty good, but my word that is a lot of money to spend on playing the exact same music in a slightly different way.  

Why do you want a CD player?

I would go for the CD5XS, as opposed to a CD transport. Feed its digital output into the 272's DAC. If after a while you see that you are mostly streaming and not playing CDs directly, then a stand-alone player (CD5XS) will be easier to sell or to use in another system.

Jan

You could try getting a shoebox, painting it black with a little slot on the front, and every time you want to play a CD, play the ripped copy instead. It sounds the same and you'll save a fortune. 

Solid Air posted:

... Why do you want a CD player?

Exactly.

The only option I would bother with is the Oppo. But all this fretting over options is like asking "Should I use gum, patches, or one of those vapey things?" Just kick the habit, don't swap it. I stream but have a back-up plan, the blu-ray.

I am having wonderful replay with a CD5 XS on.. NDS/555DR. The NDS onboard DAC is really exceptional. Consider nDAC/555PS as a very close alternative while of a different presentation. All this doesn't really make a strong case for the 272. 

Chag -

Except that he has a NAC-N 272 / XPS-DR and NOT a NDAC / 555DR.

Just use the Marantz UD8004 you already have as a transport into the 272 for temporary CD playback, and rip to the NAS for better quality when you have time.

Agree with Huge. 

CD5xs is the only other option I would consider and only if you desire to build an all Naim setup which seems unnecessary.

Regardless of how good the 272 DAC is, I would try the CD5xs analogue output too. (if you went down that route) Often the DAC and analogue output stages are matched for a certain synergy. I expect the 272 to sound better but would test rather than assume.

fernar posted:

How would the Oppo 105D feeding into a NAIM DAC compare vs a NAIM player feeding into a NAIM DAC?

 

 

Oppo 105 is Ok.

I think I must have tried all the options you've mentioned in your post, as I happen to have (or had) all the players + nDAC.

If you are seriously contemplating using a CD player, than get the best one you can afford. 
As to wheter it's better to use an oboard DAC or an external one - it's a matter of sound preferences rather than outright quality.

I tried: CD5XS, CDX2.2 with and without nDAC and power supplies. The only option I haven't tried is a CD5XS with a power supply.

To my ears the sequence would be something along those lines:

CD5XS > CDX2 > CDX2 + XPS > CD5XS + nDAC > CDX2.2 + nDAC > CDX2.2 + nDAC + 555PS (ok - this is a bit extravagant on its own, but I also feed my nDAC with an NDX).

Coming back to your question. If you wanted to have a fantastic, but a bit extravagant set up, I could imagine something along those lines: N272 + XPSDR and CDX2 + XPSDR (using analogue output into a pre-amp).

Adam

272 is an exceptionally wonderful bit of kit, designed to play music on its own. Why complicate things and add boxes when all you need is to accept this and play the tunes you most hold dear.

Fernar,  

If you have any Blu Ray player handy, start with that.  I found that a CD5X beat an Oppo BDP-95 handily into my 112/150 system.  Never tried the Oppo into a DAC.

So pleased am I with the CD5X, I keep it mothballed for a future system, after I sell the CD555 one day, to a keener, younger audiophile.

It is all rented, ultimately, isn't it?

Nick

When the Naim DAC first came out there was quite a bit of experimenting with various CD transports feeding it. The Meridians cam out as a favorite. This was before any of the Naim players grew a digital out. have a search for those old DAC threads, Richard Dane was the main protagonist.

In your profile it says you have a Marantz UD8004, which according to reviews is a £2,500 bluray and CD player with 'stunning sound quality'. Given that the 272/XPSDR is an excellent way to stream music, and you have the Marantz which can play CDs with 'stunning sound quality', I'm baffled as to why you'd need anything else. Surely you are already set up for the occasional play of a CD? Apologies if I'm missing something. 

Yes, all transports are definitely not equal and try enough and you'll find one that does that special thing that transcends all the others. For me it was a meridian 200 transport connected via dc1 to the naim DAC (then powered by an XPS2, now a 555ps). Nothing I have tried then or since has taken its place. The slightly tricky thing is that I tried another 200 unit and it didn't have the magic. That one floated the mains so maybe that was the issue.. Anyway, have fun.. 

Thankyou for all you feedback - the only reason I dont like using the Marantz for CD playback is that it takes age to bootup from stand-by to being ready to play a CD.... and I thought that by having a dedicated CD player, this would give me chance to move the Marantz player nearer the TV and just have a dedicated hifi rack... and with this move the opportunity to get better CD playback sound quality....

However as people have stated maybe I should just stick to streaming vs adding extra boxes for the few times I feel like listening to CDs... the suggesting about a black cardboard box with a slot made me laugh... :-) 

Second hand cd2x, with a different SQ from 272 still to enjoy, thats what i am doing

fernar posted:

Thankyou for all you feedback - the only reason I dont like using the Marantz for CD playback is that it takes age to bootup from stand-by to being ready to play a CD.... and I thought that by having a dedicated CD player, this would give me chance to move the Marantz player nearer the TV and just have a dedicated hifi rack... and with this move the opportunity to get better CD playback sound quality....

However as people have stated maybe I should just stick to streaming vs adding extra boxes for the few times I feel like listening to CDs... the suggesting about a black cardboard box with a slot made me laugh... :-) 

 

 

 

The only reason I can think of to add a CD player would be if friends often came over with their stuff for you to listen to (and which you don't want to rip for ethical and legal reasons, of course). Otherwise, I can't imagine why you'd want all those things cluttering up your listening space. Embrace the new!