CD5x with and without Flatcap 2x

Posted by: ink04 on 24 September 2017

This weekend I've tried my CD5x without being connected to the Flatcap 2x.

Having played through a number of cd's there's a noticeable difference once the Flatcap 2x removed. The sound is presented with a greater richness to the tone and noticeably more heft in the bass, with kick drum and bass a little more evident. Reconnecting the Flatcap made the sound appear a little brighter and leaner sounding but also lost the nice richness that I was getting without the Flatcap.

Im going to spend a bit more time listening without the CD5x connected to the Flatcap 2X, just to be sure of my findings.

Just wondered what differences other users may have heard having tried with and without an external power supply connected to their CD player.

Posted on: 19 October 2017 by Harry

For me it was bass tunefulness. I heard the bass actually being played, as opposed to the player plodding along. It didn't get heavier or flabby. It lifted off the ground and played tunes. HiCap on CD5 here, and auditioned on CD5X (which we liked but didn't buy).

I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of it came down to the room and partnering equipment. You never truly hear how your HiFi system plays, so much as how the room plays it. We spent years looking for more bass. Something which tended to cement our Naim loyalty is that better bass quality didn't overpower the presentation. Then we got to CDX2/XPS2 and the bass was too much, despite extensive speaker repositioning. It took an amp with more control to snap it back in.