Naim DAC + Naim Nait 5i-2

The Naim Nait 5i-2 is quite satisfying for now

My source is a Philips CD750

I was wondering if i can use the CD player as a transport and hook it to a Naim Dac ( pre-loved ) - Yes. As long as the CD750 has a digital output.

Maybe i will get more synergy that way ?? - Between the Nait and Naim DAC ?

I want to continue to spin CD's and have no plans at the moment to go the Laptop route. - See my CD5XS point below.

I used to have a CD5XS before which was magical with Naim nait 5i-2 and i was wondering if i could re-create that magic with the CD transport + Naim DAC - Hopefully. If you want to create the old magic why not pick up a pre-loved CD5XS ?

Maybe investing in a better source is better than investing in a better amplification - at the moment. - Yes source first normally works best

Question 2 - Does the Naim DAC work well with other amps ? should i decide to have a "better"amp a couple of years down the road ?? - Yes it does. It's a decent bit of kit. Plenty of inputs, upgradeable with an external power supply.

If my thinking has any pitfalls - do feel free to point out. 

regards

mpw

MPW,

the Naim DAC would be an excellent upgrade to your CD750.  Get a decent coaxial s/pdif cable - no need to go crazy here as the CD750 may not warrant it - but at least something like a Belden 1694A or Canare, or Chord Codac or similar.  It will be a big upgrade on the standalone player, but bear in mind that your Philips CD750 will be the weakest link.  

Some years back, when the Naim DAC first came out, I did some tests with some different CD players as transports into DAC via a Naim DC1 coaxial cable.  The Philips based players (Philips, Marantz, Rotel etc.. ) were pretty good (preferable to a big Sony ES player for example) but moving up to a Meridian 200 transport was a big step up in performance.  It just removed a certain paperiness to the sound and seemed to move me closer to the impression of listening to a live performance. So worth bearing in mind for future upgrades.

james n posted:

The Naim Nait 5i-2 is quite satisfying for now

My source is a Philips CD750

I was wondering if i can use the CD player as a transport and hook it to a Naim Dac ( pre-loved ) - Yes. As long as the CD750 has a digital output.

Maybe i will get more synergy that way ?? - Between the Nait and Naim DAC ?

I want to continue to spin CD's and have no plans at the moment to go the Laptop route. - See my CD5XS point below.

I used to have a CD5XS before which was magical with Naim nait 5i-2 and i was wondering if i could re-create that magic with the CD transport + Naim DAC - Hopefully. If you want to create the old magic why not pick up a pre-loved CD5XS ?

Maybe investing in a better source is better than investing in a better amplification - at the moment. - Yes source first normally works best

Question 2 - Does the Naim DAC work well with other amps ? should i decide to have a "better"amp a couple of years down the road ?? - Yes it does. It's a decent bit of kit. Plenty of inputs, upgradeable with an external power supply.

If my thinking has any pitfalls - do feel free to point out. 

regards

mpw

Dear James N

Many thanks

The Philips CD 750 - does have a digital o/p

I have a philips CD960 too but thats been under breakdown ever since i got it a year ago. I thought it would be a masterstroke given the DAC inside and the CDM-1 transport but i am not so lucky here. 

A new or pre loved Naim CDP is out of question for me since i have burnt my fingers ( or rather my hands ) with the CD5XS ( which was repaired twice ) and the CD960 story.

Fortunately, the cheapest CD player for me the Philips CD750 is going strong so far and the entire lens assy is available new for a princely sum of USD 75 + freight . I realize the DAC here may not be as strong as the Philips CD 960 i have or the CD5XS i used to have.

Therefore the strategy of Naim DAC with Philips CD 750 and i can continue to spin my CD's and enjoy Naim synergy ( hopefully !! )

The asking price is GBP 1375 here in local currency and its a lot of money for me and so i hope to get it right.

Audition isnt possible - the seller is in a different city.

There are no Naim service centers here in my country and so the Naim DAC ( without any moving parts ) is at an advantage for my consideration.

I was looking to upgrade my amp but i realize that if my vinyl sounds so good and the CDP does not ( many times ) - i might be dealing with a source related problem than an amplification related one.

Thanks for reading and replying

appreciate your time !

best regards

mpw

Richard Dane posted:

MPW,

the Naim DAC would be an excellent upgrade to your CD750.  Get a decent coaxial s/pdif cable - no need to go crazy here as the CD750 may not warrant it - but at least something like a Belden 1694A or Canare, or Chord Codac or similar.  It will be a big upgrade on the standalone player, but bear in mind that your Philips CD750 will be the weakest link.  

Some years back, when the Naim DAC first came out, I did some tests with some different CD players as transports into DAC via a Naim DC1 coaxial cable.  The Philips based players (Philips, Marantz, Rotel etc.. ) were pretty good (preferable to a big Sony ES player for example) but moving up to a Meridian 200 transport was a big step up in performance.  It just removed a certain paperiness to the sound and seemed to move me closer to the impression of listening to a live performance. So worth bearing in mind for future upgrades.

Dear Richard

Thank you

I wrote in to steven to check on the serial number of the Naim DAC

Do read my reply to James N and you will better understand where i am coming from.

The upgrade to the Naim DAC is not a possibility for me as i cannot afford them.

But with the CD playback petering off - one never knows if i may get a deal on a nice CD transport.

One can dream right ?? 

Thanks for reading and replying

appreciate your time !

best

mpw

MPW,

completely understand where you're coming from.  In which case, yes, a relatively cheap (but still good) transport into a high quality DAC makes a great deal of sense in your situation.  

8 years ago this dac retailed for GBP 2100 in UK

what should be a good win - win price now in 2018 ?

will this need to be recapped / serviced etc ??

I picked up a DAC in as new condition from a Naim dealer for £900.  Mine runs with an Olive XPS.

Sounds fantastic from both my streaming source (Arcam rPlay) and Naim CD5XS.

£1375 seem a high asking in my book even your budget are this.

Fwiw you might get better solution at lower price because nDac probably won't provide optimised performance using an old Philips drive.

For me its a bit like shooting after birds with canon balls and I would decline.

Your amp is fine, why not get something like a Rega Apollo/R or CD5Si cd player or a Cambridge CXC cd transport with a dac matching your budget ? Plenty of them out there and comes in at a lower price.

A couple of years back I tried some older Philips cd players as transport only (sorry can't recall what models) all of them failed to deliver satisfying performance, we much preferred other solutions consisting of various Naim, Rega, Roksan amo Players. In fact those Philips were better on their own as integrated players accepting their individual signatures.

I do know some old Philips cd technology are faved around but those vintage Philips players are nowhere near performance af old Naim players using much of the same parts. My opinion only and admittedly Naim players are much more expensive.

I did love the CD5i/Nait 5i combo.  It may appear dull and flat compared to the vinyl source, but I doubt the vinyl would have the same relentless drive.  With the right music it could really sing.  Sometimes it's nice to have the option of vastly different presentations.

The Chord Hugo or 2Qute are worthy options in your price range and could provide yet another type of magic.  Finding interconnects that fit is a bit of nuisance - the Hugo is particularly difficult.

Hello,

Am not considering a new Naim CD player ( explained in my earlier post )

There is a Metrum Octave Version 1 DAC also for my consideration

Apart from this, am not considering any DAC's as its a slippery slope IMO

The asking price of GBP 1375 is high for 8 year Naim DAC - and i will try and reason with the seller.

I do not like the RED lights on the Rega ( wont go with the Green on the Naim  )  and i do not want a Chinese made product and neither do i want to start a debate here on this 

I hope that explains why a large section of brands are not in my consideration.

I have experienced what synergy can do to a system - it can be magic !!

Thanks for the directions everybody !!

have a nice day and i hope to update / close this thread accordingly

regards

mpw

hastings posted:

I did love the CD5i/Nait 5i combo.  It may appear dull and flat compared to the vinyl source, but I doubt the vinyl would have the same relentless drive.  With the right music it could really sing.  Sometimes it's nice to have the option of vastly different presentations.

The Chord Hugo or 2Qute are worthy options in your price range and could provide yet another type of magic.  Finding interconnects that fit is a bit of nuisance - the Hugo is particularly difficult.

Dear Hastings

No system is perfect but  my vinyl playback is simply excellent.

Good enough for me to stop a Lenco L75 project after having all the components at home - post pone it .

The setup is modest pricewise

Akai AP D30 TT + Nagaoka MP30 + Lehmann Audio SE2 PWX phono - all pre loved

regards

any views on a CDP as a transport fed to a Metrum dac ( used Hex / Octave ) or new Onyx instead of  Naim DAC and onto Naim Nait 5i-2 ?

am traveling to Germany in a few weeks for a couple of days and have the chance to pick up an ex demo SN2 for GBP 1650

the condundrum is i can spend on 1 thing - either the source first or the SN2 first..

The DAC will be easier to carry back on a plane .. but a SN2 is tempting as well.

mpw posted:

any views on a CDP as a transport fed to a Metrum dac ( used Hex / Octave ) or new Onyx instead of  Naim DAC and onto Naim Nait 5i-2 ?

am traveling to Germany in a few weeks for a couple of days and have the chance to pick up an ex demo SN2 for GBP 1650

the condundrum is i can spend on 1 thing - either the source first or the SN2 first..

The DAC will be easier to carry back on a plane .. but a SN2 is tempting as well.

In your position, I think I would still go for the NDAC, your idea of using it with a CD transport seems sensible. I can see why you would be tempted by a Supernait, but I would improve the source first.

If you want a box that is easy to transport, I would also consider one of the Chord DACs. These are a great deal smaller and lighter than an NDAC. Quite a different sound, so you would ideally want to listen to one, as well as a Naim DAC, to see which you prefer.

Thank you ChrisSU.

I am perfectly happy with vinyl playback ( same naim nait 5i-2 )

I just shelved a Lenco L75 project with a Linn tonearm as i realized i was very happy with my present vinyl combo and nothing more to do there for me.

Its the CD playback i want to improve.

One area of improvement can be the CD player or CDP + DAC combo while the other can be better CD media.

But better CD media - there is nothing i can do to improve that.

Everyone likes a nice beefy amplifier and so do i. 

The SN2 at GBP 1800 in Germany is to be compared to GBP 6000 i am asked for here in Mumbai.

Thats my predicament.

The other predicament is

a. Will the SN2 - be at best an incremental improvement ? I say this as i use an active 10 inch DiY sealed subwoofer with Naim nait 5i-2 and it covers a lot of the LF for me. 

My merlin speakers are 87dB and the lowest impedance ( stated ) is 6 ohm only.

I like their sound. 

b. Given the above - maybe money is better spent on an excellent DAC into which my CDP can be used as a transport.

The twist in the tale is an under repair Philips CD960 which needs a new CDM1 mechanism and i know that will push my present CD750 back into storage and maybe i would not have to buy a DAC at all. That reverses the story and now getting the SN2 makes more sense.

Auditions are impossible.

regards

You are in a tricky position if you can't demo anything! Is there no way to book a listening session with a dealer while you are in Germany? Alternatively, if buying used, can you sell any kit that you buy if you're not happy with it when you get it home? Looking at that SN2 price, you might even sell one on at a profit!

I guess one advantage of the Supernait is that the upgrade would benefit your vinyl source as well as digital.

Good luck with your decision. 

In your shoes I would chase down that Supernait and worry about the dac later.  DACs go in and out of fashion so fast - yesterday's model will always be available for cheap.  And I bet you'll be suitably impressed with it over the 5i - even with the cheap cd player. 

Hi MPW.

I have a Metrum Octave Mk1 and find it to be an excellent DAC.  Currently its used with a 92/FC2/90 combo which is probably not so far off your amp in capability/presentation, and its sound is very pleasing in that set up.   For me, its actually preferable to the CD5, where the bass was a bit overblown (at least in my system).

To put some further perspective on it, it notably improves the sound of an Oppo 105 via co-ax or optical connection, with more energy, detail, and bite but no glare.

Whilst I'm sure the nDAC would be a notable step up again, and depending on the price of the Metrum you're looking at (£400-500 ?), I think the latter may well offer a better VFM proposition in the context of your CDP/transport.....

Hope that helps,

K

ChrisSU posted:

You are in a tricky position if you can't demo anything! Is there no way to book a listening session with a dealer while you are in Germany? Alternatively, if buying used, can you sell any kit that you buy if you're not happy with it when you get it home? Looking at that SN2 price, you might even sell one on at a profit!

I guess one advantage of the Supernait is that the upgrade would benefit your vinyl source as well as digital.

Good luck with your decision. 

 

Thanks !

I will have about 45 min with the SN2 at the dealers in Germany.

I’m sure a dealer will be able to make the Supernait sound great in a demo. Can he also let you hear an NDAC/Nait5 so that you can make a comparison, both using a similar source to your CD player?

the demo is with a Harbeth 30.2 with auralic as a source

will try and carry couple of CD's as well

regards

Just to update - i bought an ex demo Naim SN2

The audition or the checking out the features of the amp was with the Harbeth 30.2 and PMC 25.21

I tried the headphone out as well besides checking out all the inputs..

source was Naim 272

regards