What CD player

Rega Saturn.  A wonderful combination with that amplifier.

Hope this helps, FT

Thanks FT! I thought of matching it with a NAIM player. Saturn works better you reckon?

If it's a naim CD you want ...and new..it can only be the cd5si ..the last in the range that is still available

If it's used

The world is your lobster !!

By the way 

The cd5si is a nice player...either new or used...but has no upgrade path

I would have thought it matched your level of kit very nicely ..as it stands

Was thinking of NAIM CD3.5 or CD5.

I use a Naim CD3 in a similar 32.5/110 system.  Old but still great and while its sound is a bit coloured compared to modern machines, its ability to engage you is hard to beat at any price.  Maybe too coloured for a Classical-only music fan (In which case look at a CD5 or CDX), but for all else, it's brilliant. Note though that Philips TDA1541A DAC chips can go noisy (IIRC the crown chips Naim used can still be replaced at the factory), and that good replacement CDM9/44 mechs are getting very hard to find (Naim can no longer replace these).  Luckily the CDM9/44 was one of Philips' best...

budget:   ...CD5X or CD5XS

blow the budget:   ...CDS2 or CDS3 [ + PS ]

Thanks, i checked on some reviews and it says CD5Si can be a bit forward sounding and can lead to listening fatigue. Is that right? I'm more in to Classical Music if that helps. 

If you are buying used, then a good condition Naim CDX2 will be lovely.

We have a Rega Saturn/Naim 72/hicap/140 in the family which sounds simply delicious.  As we are on the Naim forum, then a Naim CD player such as a CD5XS would be an excellent alternative, yet strangely we chose the Rega ...

Either make would serve you very well.

Best regards, FT

Thanks all for your advice, I will probably go for CD5 or CDX. Cheers!

The CDX with an olive XPS is a wonderful player.  We also have one of these in the family.  The Olive XPS is quite cheap to buy now because it is not suitable for many modern Black Naim classic players but it transforms the bare CDX for the better.  A strong recommendation, funds permitting.

Best regards, FT

Thanks FT, I will keep that in mind. Appreciate all your advice!

naim_nymph posted:

 

budget:   ...CD5X or CD5XS

Pfffff!! Cheek of it!!

Bernard Kurera posted:

Thanks, i checked on some reviews and it says CD5Si can be a bit forward sounding and can lead to listening fatigue. Is that right? I'm more in to Classical Music if that helps. 

Absolute cod's wallop - The CD5Si is a wonderful player with no listening fatigue whatsoever. Put a Hi-Line interconnect cable on it and it will have you hooked for hours on end with ALL genres of music.

What HiFi? give a very accurate review on the CD5Si if you have not already come across it. 

Even better, I suggest you pop to a dealer and go and hear one.

Stephen Tate posted:

Bernard Kurera posted:

Thanks, i checked on some reviews and it says CD5Si can be a bit forward sounding and can lead to listening fatigue. Is that right? I'm more in to Classical Music if that helps. 

Absolute cod's wallop - The CD5Si is a wonderful player with no listening fatigue whatsoever. Put a Hi-Line interconnect cable on it and it will have you hooked for hours on end with ALL genres of music.

What HiFi? give a very accurate review on the CD5Si if you have not already come across it. 

Even better, I suggest you pop to a dealer and go and hear one.

As an (ex) owner of a cd5si the last thing I would do is throw another £750 at it in the form of a hi-line

That money would be better spent on a higher range CD player and use a standard naim cable... IMHO

A genuine decent budget player is a marantz 6006 by the way

I've tried both the Lavender & Hi-Line on my CD5si and the Hi-Line is better, it gives a wider sound stage, smooths out any rough edges without taking away the excitement. Whether it's good value or not is down to the individual but for me it was a no-brainer. Once you have one, well you have one, like anything else I guess. I was merely pointing out that the CD5Si is far from fatiguing or being too forward. I do however remember my CD3 being a bit too forward and a bit relentless but great fun nevertheless.

Of course your right.... It is just a matter of perceived value ...and if you have one and it works ...all the better 

there are some great value pre loved hi lines around...

Thanks all for the comments, what hifi gives a five star rating for CD5Si. I just read. My options are CD3.5 and CD5X and I'm leaning more towards CD5 as I listen to a lot of classical music. Hi-line would be an option if it matches my budget.  

What HiFi gives a 5* review to a lot of things, it takes the price into consideration. The 5x is a better player, I picked one over a Saturn not withstanding my Rega amps at the time. I then had to upgrade my turntable (actually the Rega 300 tone arm) as the 5x made it sound rather grey in comparison.

I love my CD5x, with or without Flatcap2X.

I would suggest a CDX2 a very fine player, with upgrade potential in multiple directions for the future.

The CDX2 is rather particular about setup, the 5x is more tolerant and worked fine on my target rack. The CDX2 made high piano notes ring rather too much and didn’t time as well on the Target. It came into its own on Fraim, particularly once it was full Fraim.

Richard Dane posted:

I use a Naim CD3 in a similar 32.5/110 system.  Old but still great and while its sound is a bit coloured compared to modern machines, its ability to engage you is hard to beat at any price.  Maybe too coloured for a Classical-only music fan (In which case look at a CD5 or CDX), but for all else, it's brilliant. Note though that Philips TDA1541A DAC chips can go noisy (IIRC the crown chips Naim used can still be replaced at the factory), and that good replacement CDM9/44 mechs are getting very hard to find (Naim can no longer replace these).  Luckily the CDM9/44 was one of Philips' best...

Richard, what works better between CD5 and CD5X for classical music?

Thanks all for the comments.