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Your thoughts on a Naim CD5 (original)

Thanks for all the response, very enlightening, i may give it a go as i could recoup funds if not suitable & i'm pretty sure i would not be dissapointed.

Both have been used from new from the same owner which always appeals to me, you at least know both have been looked after equally which is always a bonus in my book.

In response to Joe regarding the remote, send me a pm with postage cost & thanks for the offer btw, if it's not too expensive i will give it a go, why not.

ps/ to really put a spanner in the works i was offered the later i (non itallic models) for £675 including postage, if they are still available i don't know, it was a couple of months back., there are just so many varying views on them, some think the original are better, some think the i models were far superior, my reason for being on the fence.

I had a listen to the i models & thought the amp needed the volume pushing to at least 10 o clock to sound good, at low levels it sounded a little dull i felt, lacking oomph & was hoping the earlier 5 didn't need this.
 
ps/ to really put a spanner in the works i was offered the later i (non itallic models) for £675 including postage, if they are still available i don't know, it was a couple of months back., there are just so many varying views on them, some think the original are better, some think the i models were far superior, my reason for being on the fence.

I had a listen to the i models & thought the amp needed the volume pushing to at least 10 o clock to sound good, at low levels it sounded a little dull i felt, lacking oomph & was hoping the earlier 5 didn't need this.

Exactly my findings

the 5i amp need volume, then its a great amp even its basically a poweramp w/volume only

Funny the 5i/CD5i match it ok/good, in other combinations I find the CD5i somewhat awfull, peaky/screechy/flat and nowhere near CD5 level, guess it doesn't like beeing revealed too much
 
One other plus for the original Nait 5 is that it can power a Stageline without the need for an external Power supply, the 5i and its variants cannot.
 
The CD5, like the earlier CD3 (not the 3.5) is a cracking good and unassuming machine. It has a warm, liquid yet punchy and inviting sound, that is not out of place with much higher end gear.

I used a CD5 for example with a 52/135 and it was very very good. Adding a Supercap gave it much more depth, punch and inner resolution. A 3rd party non-Naim power supply should have similar results at a far lower cost.

FWIW, I preferred the CD5 in that system to a CDX2 that came shortly afterwards.

Plus if you are a bodger, the CD5 can be made into something that is REALLY special :D.
 
Ron, I think the CD5 is developed from CD3.5 not CD3 which is entirely different, others may comment
EDIT, thats not what you are trying to say either - ups sorry
 
Ron, I think the CD5 is developed from CD3.5 not CD3 which is entirely different, others may comment
EDIT, thats not what you are trying to say either - ups sorry
Yeah, i think the 5 is designed by the original Naim team, Roy George designed the original cd5 & nait 5 (along with the 2 & 3) i believe before the new team took over things & completely changed the Naim sound from a flowing free entity into a more robust, dogged, defined sound, tight & with everything in it's place, the sort of things you now hear spoken about the brand & certainly what i heard when listening to the cd5i/nait 5i, in stark contrast to my experiences with olive gear which sounded much more free flowing & expressive, but that's just me.

I was hoping, as they are designed by the original team, to be a move forward from this rather than a completely new sound as with the i range i heard.
 
The best combo here, IMHO of course, is the CD5 with the Nait 5i. I didn't find the volume thing an is with the 5i but then I suppose that depends on the speakers you're going to run with them...
 
Agree with everything that's bee said really. I very nearly bought a CD5 but then I asked to hear a CDX2 by mistake...

Rich
 
My mate has a CD5 in his office system and I am always amazed how good it sounds, it's connected to a Nait 5 the original model.
 
That's the system, i'm still pondering, i have a couple of hours to decide, if i was loaded with money i wouldn't hesitate but alas not.
 
I should mention that a friend of mine used a CD5 for several years into some huge Wilson Maxx2 speakers, driven by huge Krell monoblocks. Sounded great and not outclassed by the serious gear downstream.
 
I have owned this classic combination, both powered by HiCaps. It was a very good system. For the price you'll pay it's a no-brainer. Just buy it and should you not like it, which is very unlikely, you can easily sell it with profit. Now take the plunge!
 
If it sounds to good to be true?
It normally is !!
Been f***d over, the guy has them on ebay & wants to let the auction run now as the bidding has gone up

You were right mate, i was on standbye by the looks of things

Sent him the £620 also, now have to wait for god knows how long for the refund to return to my card from paypal

How did i fall for this bull, i need my head examining.

There are some nasty sh*ts around.
 


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