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Your thoughts on a Naim CD5 (original)

Lee T

Lee T

pfm Member
I'm currently on the verge of purchasing this player along with the matching 5 amp for a decent price (£600 all in including postage)

I was hoping to get some input from users of the original 5 as i have been reading it has a smooth, laid back sound (something i am surprised about being Naim), have users here also experienced this with this player & is the matching amp along the same lines.

Any input would be much appreciated.
 
I have this combination and don't think it sounds laid back at all. When I bought the CD5, I compared it to the Then current Arcam, Rocksan, Musical Fidelity etc. I replaced the Nait 5 with a Sugden A21a but substitute the Nait now and then.
Interestingly when the CD5i came out, reviews and forums said it was better than the original CD5, but the dealers I spoke to said it was not a worthwhile replacement. My CD5 is still in use and what was worthwhile was the addition of a FC2, though I sold it.
I would recommend the CD5.
 
spengenuk said:
I have this combination and don't think it sounds laid back at all. When I bought the CD5, I compared it to the Then current Arcam, Rocksan, Musical Fidelity etc. I replaced the Nait 5 with a Sugden A21a but substitute the Nait now and then.
Interestingly when the CD5i came out, reviews and forums said it was better than the original CD5, but the dealers I spoke to said it was not a worthwhile replacement. My CD5 is still in use and what was worthwhile was the addition of a FC2, though I sold it.
I would recommend the CD5.
Click to expand...
Does the nait 5 have the similar volume amount low down on the dial such as the nait 3 has or do you need to turn up the volume quite high before it starts to sing as with the newer 5i models,

i owned the 5i a while back & found it needed the wick turned up to get any volume out of it, compared to my Nait 3 it sounded very quiet though looking at the specs for the 5 it seems it has the same 75mv as the nait 3 compared to the 150mv of the 5i.

The original 5 line up seems to have been designed by the original naim team also, roy george who designed the 2 & 3, the newer seems designed by the new crop which didn't appeal as much to my ears. The deal seems to hard to resist hence the request for info.
 
I owned a CD5 for some years,it was my favourite cd player.I did find it a tad laid back after the CD5i i had before.However an old hicap cured that.Not heard the Nait5 so can't help there.I only sold it because being a lazy sod,i found i was using my Squeezebox Touch all the time.I wish i had kept it now,if only for the comforting green glow on the rack:)
 
Around 10 o clock is sufficient volume for me, but I don't listen loud. The Sugden really excels at low level listening, that's why I got it.
 
I owned an original CD5 for a number of years. I didn't think it could be bettered at its price point and somewhat above, which is why I bought one. It's a lot of musical fun but it is getting long in the tooth. I'm surprised that they are fetching that kind of money and I wonder what the mechanism will be like for fixing or replacing if it fails.
 
I was also wondering about the mech, i would need to contact naim to see if it's still available.

I currently own a Rega planet 2000 amongst other budget gear, the planet being easily the best of the bunch,

How would you say this may compare if you have listened to the planet 2000, i have found it extremely natural with oodles of clean top end detail, lively & expressive, one thing i do not want is a overly smooth, laid back sound, i have read from a few the 5 can sound this way, hence my reason for the thread.

This deal is quite good, these have fetched way over this including any postage cost on ebay, easily sell for £325 to £375 each without postage, i own a nait 3 which i do enjoy, the rega brio 2000 i own has a little more detail & tone but the 3 has more energy, i switch them around on occasion but felt this system, which was purchased from new from one owner seemed hard to resist.
 
I had a Naim CD5, a Nait 5 and a Flatcap 2x for a number of years. I wouldn't call it laid-back and it had plenty of welly in that I didn't turn the volume up past 11.

It's a fine combination and £600 for a CD5 and Nait 5 sounds like a good deal.

Jack
 
I did listen to the Planet 2000 and the Jupiter. At their respective price points I thought they were both winners. I was going for the Jupiter but just couldn't seem to get my hand in my pocket. Being unable to make a firm decision I returned the following week to listen again and was persuaded to also listen to a CD5. The latter just seemed to do music better. I wanted to dance as opposed to sit and analyse. It wasn't difficult to cough up. Great player.

I think a conversation with the company or dealer or repairer who will have to fix it if it fails is well worth having. The reason I moved to a CD5 in 2001 was because my beloved Marantz CD94 had failed for a third time and was looking increasingly difficult to fix. After something like 13 years I couldn't complain (and I had bought it S/H). But I wouldn't want to be starting off from that point.
 
Having sat & listened this morning to my Rega set up i know what you mean, the nait i own has this feel also, it sort of grabs you & invloves you more than the rega which is more about analysis, i do feel like something is missing when the nait is taken out but still felt i wanted a little more & thought these may provide what is missing, they are still designed by the original crew as opposed to the newer stuff which didn't do it for me., i decided to sell my 3.5cd as there was little in it compoared to the planet so thought i would put the funds to something new.

I am pulling back & forth on buying it, £620, although a decent price at this current time for this is still a lot of money for me even though i could probably retrieve the funds if moved on.
 
I'd say if you allready have CD3.5 & Nait3, going CD5/Nait 5 might be a sidegrade besides a different look and easier upgrade w/PSU

On itself the CD5 is fine and upgradeable with sep. psu, albeit a bit long in tooth for that kind of cash (offcourse it will resell with little or no loss)

A Nait 5 fit between Nait 3 and 112/150 and very different to Nait 5i
Maybe you will find Nait 5 a bit more civilized than Nait 3 but it will not perform as polite and friendly as a Brio

The CD5 also very different to cost-down CD5i - just look inside the box you'll know what I mean

I would consider adding Saturn or Apollo to your existing Brio or Nait, they are great players IMO and worthwile upgrades coming from Planets
Depending on the speakers in use both the mentioned Rega and Naim setup in Q are great performers at their respective price levels
 
CD5 is a great player. It's still serviceable and we can get pretty much all the parts for it, unlike the newer variants. A very simple mod during a service also improves it a little.
 
I had a CD5 for a couple of years and it's excellent for the money they usually go for, especially when you include the ability to upgrade. Not necessary, it's nice to have the option.

I always found the nait5 a little laid back for my tastes. They had a different volume pot to the Nait 3 and 5i.

At the price try it and move on what you don't like.

J
 
It's amazing to me, blissfully ignorant as I am of such things, that a CD5 can fetch that kind of money. That's more than half of what mine cost new in 2001. I wish cars did that!
 
Harry said:
It's amazing to me, blissfully ignorant as I am of such things, that a CD5 can fetch that kind of money. That's more than half of what mine cost new in 2001. I wish cars did that!
Click to expand...

Harry

The £600 includes the cd5 and Nait 5.

J

Ps I think!
 
And a fair price for what you get

If condition is ok I'd just have that cd serviced when needed and the amp are made in limited period, who knows maybe they are going to be sought after ?
 
Hi Ragaman,

I had the Rega Planet 2000/Mira combo and exchanged it for a CD5/Nait5 system. I gather that you want your gear to grab you by the lapels, and the Naim combo will do that, particularly in comparison to the Regas -- which I found too polite. I'm confident that the Naim gear will do what you want it to do -- and it sounds like a good deal.

I still have my CD5 and have no thoughts about selling it on. It still sounds great. Earlier this year, I sold the Nait 5 and bought a Supernait -- mainly for the flexibility provided by its internal DAC. The Supernait is better, but not by as much as you would think. The switch highlighted for me how good the Nait 5 really is.

Lastly, I saw your post on the other forum about needing a remote. I have a non-working one left over from my previous system. If you want a project (it's probably very simple to fix) and are OK with paying the postage from the US, I'd be happy to send it to you. (The new-style remote that came with the Supernait operates the CD5, too -- which may be another option for you to pursue.)

All best,
Joe
 
I will join the ranks of glowing responses for the CD5. I use one in my office system with a FC2X and love it. I had it serviced with a new laser mech and at the same time had the small mod done, as mentioned by MJS. Having tried the Hugo a couple of times in the same system, it could not replace the CD5 in terms of music playing. A fine player that, with a psu, can really be satisfying long term.
 
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