advertisement


analog CD sound

I have a Naim Uniti, which is effectively a CD5i, and I also had a Rega Apollo here a couple of months ago. Listening to both through the amp section of the Uniti, the difference was not great. Perhaps the Naim was slightly clearer and more focused (maybe the lack of an interconnect was a factor) while the Rega was a touch warmer, wider and more inviting – I could see why it might be described as 'analogue'. Oddly, it also smelt great. All in all, a nice machine and a world away from the original Planet, which I found murky. I'd have happily kept the Apollo but decided that sticking with the Naim was the path of least resistance. For now.
 
maverick20 said:
+1 for Meridian 506.24 and for me the 1st player (I have had others) that sounded analogue,
Click to expand...

Yes, I had a 2 box Meridian then went to the G08. really nice machine and un-digital in presentation, but still 'neutral' (read: CD-like) compared to my 2 box Lector valved unit which added colour, involvement and, well, analogue listening.
 
rushboy,

I know it's not what you asked about, but if you'd like a bit of warmth it's cheaper to do that with an equalizer than buying a fancy new CD player. I bought a Schiit Loki EQ a while ago and it's worth every penny when I need it, and very easy to bypass when I don't.

https://www.schiit.com/products/loki

Joe
 
Chefren said:
I'd try something from Audio Note like https://www.audionote.co.uk/dac0-1x, but don't buy blind. I didn't hear any AN DACs in my own system so don't take this as a recommendation, only as a tip on where to start looking.
Click to expand...

I’ll second that. I have (actually still have, must get around to selling it one day) a Naim CD3.5 with a good power supply and it’s very listenable but I found on extended listening sessions I would get fatigued before I was really ready to end the session. I realised I was looking for a sound I thought of as “analogue” but when I found it I realised I’d just been looking for something that gave music more realism and got me back to listening to all my music, not just what sounded best on what I had.

The result is I play CDs ‘till the wee hours of the morning without skipping tracks and sometimes find myself clapping at the end of an album, yes, I know there are probably tablets for that.

It wasn’t just the CD player to be fair, I’ve ended up replacing nearly all my kit with Audio Note but their DACs, even the ‘baby’ of the range mentioned by Chefren, really are worth a listen if you want to run digital files. I initially replaced the CD3.5 as main source with the Naim ND5-XS and added an AN DAC behind that. It was a dramatic improvement but the magic only really happened when I added an AN CD Transport, now I listen to little else. If you’re sticking with CD, their CD players share the characteristics and come up used at realistic prices occasionally.
 
Just seen “
Audio Note CDT Zero II CD Transport with Audio Note DAC 0. 1x
“ on Quoka.de via Hifi shark.... worth a look.
 
Lots of different opinions on what is meant by sounding analogue.

if you’re looking for a non fatiguing musical sound from digital I’d say there are lots of routes. A meridian 206 CD player or a linn DS or a naim CDS or a Melco server connected to a high quality USB asynchronous DAC.

you need to have a listen to a few.
 
silviffer said:
Get a dedicated transport and a Pink Triangle Dacappo DAC.
Click to expand...

It would be interesting to try a DaCapo again - back in the day, it struck me as rather more natural sounding than the norm for CD (which isn't saying much, I suppose, but was a particular surprise given that I wasn't a big fan of their turntables).
 
Steve,

Just one white LED to indicate power. Thankfully, it isn't blue, but I'd have preferred a red or green LED.

I'm serious about trying a Loki. It has made many screechy and thin recordings more pleasant to listen to.

Joe
 
I have a Naim CDS/ CDPS a great analogue sounding CD player problem being rare as hens teeth ! The downside short for spares but Mark of Witch Hat can repair them.

Regards,

Martin
 
JustJohn said:
I have a Naim Uniti, which is effectively a CD5i, and I also had a Rega Apollo here a couple of months ago. Listening to both through the amp section of the Uniti, the difference was not great. Perhaps the Naim was slightly clearer and more focused (maybe the lack of an interconnect was a factor) while the Rega was a touch warmer, wider and more inviting – I could see why it might be described as 'analogue'. Oddly, it also smelt great. All in all, a nice machine and a world away from the original Planet, which I found murky. I'd have happily kept the Apollo but decided that sticking with the Naim was the path of least resistance. For now.
Click to expand...

I can’t believe nobody else is interested in the smell. Tell me more.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top