CD Player/Transport Reviews

Naim CD5 XS CD player Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment

Analog Sources: Garrard 301 turntable; EMT 997 tonearm; EMT OFD 15 & TSD 15, Ortofon SPU #1S, Shindo Laboratory SPU pickup heads; Denon DL-103 cartridge, with/without MusiKraft body.
Digital Sources: AudioQuest DragonFly, Halide Design DAC HD USB DACs; Apple iMac computer (late 2015) running OS 10.12.1 & Roon v.1.2, Build 165; Sony SCD-777 SACD/CD player.
Preamplification: Auditorium 23 Hommage T1 & T2 step-up transformers; EMIA Phono transformer (copper); Sentec EQ11 phono preamplifier; Shindo Laboratory Masseto & Monbrison (2017) preamplifiers.
Power Amplifier: Shindo Laboratory Haut-Brion.
Loudspeakers: Altec Flamenco (Olé!).
Cables: USB: AudioQuest Carbon. Interconnect: Audio Note AN-Vx, Luna Red & Grey, Shindo Laboratory. Speaker: Auditorium 23. AC: Luna Orange, manufacturers' stock cords.
Accessories: Box Furniture Company D3S rack (source & amplification components), Audiodesksysteme Gläss Vinyl Cleaner Pro.—Art Dudley

COMPANY INFO
Naim Audio, Ltd.
US distributor: Audio Plus Services
156 Lawrence Paquette Drive
Champlain, NY 12919-4861
(800) 663-9352
www.audioplusservices.com
ARTICLE CONTENTS

COMMENTS
Ortofan's picture
Submitted by Ortofan on November 2, 2017 - 12:11pm

... Esoteric/TEAC Grandioso K1 or K-01X, the Marantz SA-10, the TAD/Pioneer D1000MK2 or D600 and the Yamaha CD-S3000.

supamark's picture
Submitted by supamark on November 2, 2017 - 12:58pm

Ole'!

lol

tonykaz's picture
Submitted by tonykaz on November 2, 2017 - 10:30pm

Of course there are outfits that only make superb products.

That said,

being an Audiophile mandates individual product selections from a wide range of offerings thought to be the best gear selection available.

Audiophiles are music System builders with their own individual design preferences.

Being an Audiophile is a Mix & Match Statement.

No Audiophile could be happy with an all LINN system, an all Meridian system or even an all Goldmund system.

"Audiophile Nervosa" is the Hobby part of being an Audiophile.

Don't try the Audiophile thing at the Chevy Dealer, they'll send you across the street to the Auto Parts store to hang out with the hotrods.

Hmm, it makes me wonder if the Enthusiast Network would tolerate the Review of a Complete "One Brand Music System" ?

Wouldn't that be a hoot.

Who would be willing to do such a thing ? It'd make for some interesting reading.

Tony in Michigan

supamark's picture
Submitted by supamark on November 3, 2017 - 9:25am

Compare several such systems. While there aren't a lot of mainstream companies that offer a full line of high quality stuff, I could see a real interesting "shootout" between:

Linn
McIntosh
Bryston (they do make a turntable)
Technics (their new TT's and speakers are interesting and well reviewed)

You could bill it in int'l terms - US vs Canada vs Britain vs Japan since all have a lot of successful high end audio equipment makers or in style terms since each company has a strong identity (and all but Technics have a sort of house sound). Is there a German or Scandanavian company that has a full line and meets Stereophile's review criteria for availability in the US?

tonykaz's picture
Submitted by tonykaz on November 3, 2017 - 11:43am

Of course a big Shoot-out would be a gigantic undertaking. Who could house such an adventure?, RMAF possibly?

Europe has lots of music system suppliers.

I'm kinda looking forward to having a go with Mark Levinson and his latest music system.

Just now, we're able to have Genelec and even Kii make their entire music system contained inside their Loudspeaker enclosure. Phew!

The Genelec even does Room Eq corrections.

Tony in Michigan

supamark's picture
Submitted by supamark on November 4, 2017 - 8:41am

I've still got my pair of Genelec 1031A's that I bought new in 1992. Right now just savin' up a li'l dough to have them serviced/refurbed by the Genelec rep in the US (lightning strike shorted one of the power supplies ~6 years ago) - that's one of the great things about Genelec, they still have the parts to refurb my 25 year old speakers to original spec's (early version, amps are discrete instead of IC's, w/ hand written serial numbers - higher peak SPL for better transients than later revisions). Their new pro monitors, besides the DSP and cast aluminum enclosures, show some very innovative thinking/design. Hell, all those waveguides you see now? Genelec was doing that in the 80's (and popularized it with the 1031/1030 models in the 90's).

That's one thing I don't see mentioned when talking about active speakers - passive x-overs seem to dull transients a smidge more than active x-overs.

It's not just Genelec with room correcting DSP, Dynaudio professional has been doing it for well over a decade (as has Genelec). I'm really surprised it's taken as long as it has for Dynaudio to release active monitors into the consumer market. In the pro audio near/mid-field monitor market, everyone follows what Genelec (and to a lesser extent Dynaudio) does. Barefoot Sound is another company to keep an eye on with their MicroMain and MiniMain systems.

Those new Kii speakers do sound intriguing, but I'm still not sold on moving D/A to the speaker - I don't want to have to replace my speakers when new/improved digital tech comes out and I don't want my volume control in the digital domain. Hell, I'm still running a pair of (partially rebuilt) Boston Acoustics T1030 speakers from 1990 (their last acoustic suspension flagship model) until my Genelecs are refurbed.

Man, I really miss acoustic suspension speakers being common... the bass is so much better. My T1030's bass is the best I've personally heard in a full range speaker, but I've not heard the Magicos - I'd assume their S3 and up models are better in the bass than my "90% of a Matrix 801 at 20% of the price" T1030's per the review in Audio Magazine (I think by Tom Norton, wish Audio was still around though many of their reviewers are here at Stereophile and Sound&Vision).

tonykaz's picture
Submitted by tonykaz on November 5, 2017 - 6:09am

including B&O are exciting.

Not for the "hair shirt audiophile" who needs to ponder various Amps, Wires, Trusses, room treatments, room placement, peer approval.

I can imagine a listening room that only has two loudspeakers and no rack full of gear, the listener controls the speakers from his iPad. Just as we see Mr. JVS doing in Jana's video of Jason in his home system. hmm.

I want us to have what Jason has, without the fussy, a DSP music system.

Tony in Michigan

ps. the new "1" Genelec series is for the Consumer. ( in colors )

supamark's picture
Submitted by supamark on November 5, 2017 - 7:20am

https://www.genelec.com/studio-monitors/sam-coaxial-studio-monitors (their "The Ones" point source range, really interesting design)

I didn't think they had a consumer version yet. I've always wanted a pair of their long discontinued S30C compact 3 way active with ribbon tweeter. The 1031A was the pro version of the HT208, mine are in the original wood veneer (w/ discrete amps) instead of the textured finish (and IC amps) of the later "producers version".

tonykaz's picture
Submitted by tonykaz on November 5, 2017 - 11:21am

Yes, I think I am pointing to these 1's with their DSP.

Seems like all of the technically ( engineering ) capable, European Music Companies ( i.e. B&O thru Genelec ) are moving in this direction.

From here ( I suspect ), we'll see the Smart Phone entry level music System ( like the LG Tone ) with the Genelec type speaker being the Up-Grade .

Tony in Michigan

spacehound's picture
Submitted by spacehound on November 3, 2017 - 12:16am

And I would also describe it as 'realistic', you have nailed Naim's approach 'down to a T', so to speak.

Three points:
1) Even the entry level Naim CD players are so good one wonders if they are competing with themselves? I realise that they are 'covering the market' with the variously priced players, but owning an earlier lower cost one I wonder if the differences between them is worth the extra cost.
2) At this price I don't see many adding the external power supply when even the lower cost power supply is almost as expensive as the player itself.
3) Using the Naim 'manual' CD tray is in fact much quicker than using the usual self-loading ones. And it never jams. Don't lose the puck :)

Tony in Michigan:
I don't think you would be in any way disappointed in an 'all Naim' system. I have just that with two exceptions, a Chord Dave DAC, mostly used via USB from a computer (I will no longer buy expensive DACs that use someone else's 5-10 dollar 'off the shelf' chip to do most of the work, which I see as merely implementing someone else's ideas as best you can), and Tannoy speakers.
And I arrived at Naim 'accidentally', I did not start off with Naim in mind. But now it's Naim CD player, phono stage (for my rare ventures into vinyl), pre and power amps, and 'streamer'.

I have no connection with Naim other than as a customer.

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