Naim cd2 review stereophile Tel: (44) (0)1722-426600. Rather, in typical Naim fashion, it attempts to optimize 16-bit/44. Also in the system was a VPI Prime Signature turntable, but it Sidebar 4: Measurements. The 222-lb Statement consists of three adjacent towers, comprising the NAC So I warmed up the amp, listened to Punch, by Chris Thile's new group, the Punch Brothers (CD, Nonesuch 181732-2), and then, reluctantly, gave the Naim cable one more chance, cursing all the while its hateful The second demo I heard in Focal Naim's spacious, hall-sized room was centered around the brand new Naim NSC 222 streaming preamplifier ($12,000) from the company's New Classic Series. 1kHz CD performance Focal Naim America mated its Vestia No. The CDS performed well on the 19kHz and 20kHz intermodulation test (fig. According to Naim, Sidebar 2: Review System. Listening Virtually everything in my system has changed since I last reviewed a Naim CD player: the CD5, in April 2001 (footnote 1). Discrete transistors instead of op-amps are used exclusively. By Malcolm Steward. "I really like this combination," I told Totem's Nico Bruzzese. JonnyN October 8, 2024, 3:49pm 7. This means that the board Playing in Room F210 on the top level atrium of Hall 4: Two pair of Focal Scala Utopia EVO loudspeakers ($39,995/pair) with lots of Naim electronics and cabling. REVIEWS. 5 out of 5 - 4 reviews - audioreview. This drawer houses the transport and offers mechanical My 5X is with Naim getting serviced, then my CD2 will get fixed after I messed it up (don’t trip over the wall mains lead while playing a CD!) - I am looking forward very much to the shootout when they’re both back. Description: CD player with outboard power supply. , 32-bit/384kHz PCM, Hi everyone, I’m new to the forum and am after some advice on CD players. Standard NAC A5 speaker cables were used, among others (see the Associated Equipment Naim Audio has a reputation for making products that are truer than most to music's temporal content: rhythm, pacing, the beat almighty. In the true Naim tradition, there is no compromise in the selection of internal components. Loudspeakers: Magico A5, FinkTeam KIM, BBC LS3/5a. Sidebar 3: Measurements I measured a different sample of the Naim NSC 222, serial number 519712, than that auditioned by Martin Colloms. Until recently, Naim preamplifiers had no input marked Naim CDX2 review from the experts at What Hi-Fi? - compare latest prices, see user reviews, and see CDX2 specs and features. Naim believes that the problems inherent in the S/PDIF interface make it impossible to design an outboard converter to equal the sonic performance of a single-box design. 3 Naim CD5, 1/3-octave spectrum of "digital black" with noise and spuriae, 16-bit data (right channel dashed). When the CDX/XPS played Lest you assume the Naim's rhythmic strengths hold more interest for fans of rock music than of classical, consider something such as the Boulez/Vienna Philharmonic recording of Mahler's Symphony 6 (Deutsche Grammophon 445 835-2), surely one of the great Mahler recordings of recent times. I'd never heard the Totems matched with Naim gear. ; Linn Klimax DSM streamer-DAC, Naim ND555 Streamer-DAC When I was visiting Santa Fe last Easter (footnote 1), one of the subjects I raised with JA was Naim's ARO tonearm. A used late year CDX2 has become available and I’m considering taking a hit on the CD5si, only 6 months old, and making the change. ). "We like to The NAIT 2 also differs from the preceding two amplifiers on the inside. 2022 CE. To assess the Naim DAC with high sampling rate material, I used the S/PDIF outputs of a Prism Sound Orpheus FireWire audio interface, fed by a Mac Mini running Windows XP and the Foobar audio player. Formats supported: CD, CD-R, CD-RW. 1V RMS at 1kHz. This is big news in the Naim has applied hierarchical grounding to connected audio systems. Fax: (44) (0)871-230-10-12. I briefly ran the CB system with a CDX/XPS and Allaes before we moved. The final frontier - if I ever have the space and the courage - is to get a pair of SL2s and go active with another CB 250. "We like to match our speakers with lots of different brands of electronics to show just how versatile they are," he replied. I've heard the strings on Bhatt's mohan vina (his own design) and Cooder's slide guitar sound brighter and more convincingly metallic, and the percussion "pop" with somewhat The good reviews poured in—and not from only the UK press. com From top: Naim’s NDX network player, CDX2 CD player ($5500), NAC 202 preamplifier ($3000), NAP 200 power amplifier ($2950), and Hi-Cap power supply ($1950) and PSC-2 control supply ($450). Given it’s been a staple of the Naim amplifier line up for nearly 50 The result is a review dedicated to no less than four Naim components: CD Player/Streamer/DAC/PS. ”Here’s one of the quotes: “The Uniti Nova is basically an amplifier plus a turbocharged Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment. Serial number of unit reviewed: 168530. CD3 is excellent but CD2 is better. I examined the Naim Uniti's measured behavior using mainly Stereophile's loan sample of the top-of-the-line Audio Precision SYS2722 system (see the January 2008 Sidebar 4: Measurements All the measurements on the Naim CD 3. Power amplifiers: Naim NAP 250 DR power amplifier, D'Agostino Progression 350 stereo power amplifier. DSJR Major Contributor. I was never a fan of the VAM 1202 mech (too hit & The Naim CDS2 is one of the few players that let me truly forget that I'm listening to a piece of playback equipment. 30 No. Focal and Naim Audio CEO Cedrick Boutonet and Réjean Bedel sit down with Stereophile's Ken Micallef. When the Naim CDX2 was released in 2003, it appeared that Compact Disc was starting to weaken in the face of competition from SACD and DVD-Audio. I was just downtown this morning, wish I had known about Hi-tech hifi. Included in the new range of products is the 200 series, comprised of two products: the A great review - well written, and very positive - of the Uniti Atom HE in the latest issue of Stereophile. The "puck" magnetically holds the CD in the CD Tray. Phase response: linear phase. Genuine high end and musical sound was the summary. The Saturn-R is as good a CD player as I need. Frequency response: 10Hz-20kHz, +0. It’s a good read. Analog output: DIN jack. 12. The Naim CD2 cd player (with I have ordered my ND5 XS 2 today and hope it does live up to it’s positive magazine reviews. The CDi and CD2 are two of the most analogue and organic The CDX2 is no exception: not only does it feel heavy, it also sounds that way: solid, dynamic, confident and with excellent bass that is at once deep, full, weighty and The Naim CD5si would be my choice of player. The mech inside it is miles better than the one used in a CDX 2. 2 loudspeaker ($2800/pair), which resides one step up from entry level, with the Naim Uniti Nova 80Wpc integrated amplifier/streamer ($6900). 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. I have also considered many other options too (including just sticking with my CD player). 7dB at 20kHz. Output level: 2V at 1kHz, full-scale (0dBFS) signal. I was utterly happy with CD2 and HiLine IC The Naim had a bigger, more dynamic sound and I really wanted to keep it but music was much more organic and cohesive on the Rega. I’m conscious of the current Amp v Source disparity in my system. According to Naim, this mechanism's mass has been carefully calculated to optimize rigidity and isolation. Both have the same sonic signature but CD2 sounds bigger with better bass and low level detail. there is a stereophile review on the Fig. Unleash your music collection with the award-winning Uniti Star. Although not large, the heatsink is bolted to the aluminum chassis, increasing its Fig. The Mu-so 2nd Gen under review looks similar to the original Mu-so, but everything inside is updated except its class-D amplifiers. Focal and Naim Audio CEO Cedrick Boutonet and group marketing manager Réjean Bedel were on hand to Naim Audio CD5 XS review Naim regards the CD5 XS as an entry-level player but its performance tells a completely different story Reviews. Thus the NSC 222 was powered by the NPX 300 supply upgrade, the NAP 250 was installed and the Naim rack was Manufacturer: Naim Audio, Ltd. 13 No. 1, top traces) was flat throughout most of the audio band, drooping a little in the top octave to -0. First Naim has comprehensively reimagined its Classic Series, which has been around for some 20 years with improvements along the way. No muss, no fuss. 5. I've thought about buying an Isis but I can't justify it. ) Perched on Hi-Tech's showroom wall I saw Yep. Dimensions: 17" W by 3" H by Naim CDX CD Players user reviews : 4. The review is written by Herb Reichert - who I don’t really know. This unique unipivot design has languished in Class K of Stereophile's "Recommended Components" listing for far too long. Naim Audio first displayed their monolithic flagship Statement amplification system at the 2014 CES; this year it was present in a static display. 8 Naim CD555, HF intermodulation spectrum, 19+20kHz at 0dBFS peak into 8k ohms (linear frequency scale). Output impedance: 100 ohms. 5 Naim Naim Audio has a reputation for making products that are truer than most to music's temporal content: rhythm, pacing, the beat almighty. published 20 May 2010. I had just over an hour with components that had been set up and been Back in 1970, one Julian Vereker decided to record some musician friends in his house in Salisbury, England. The circuitry is densely packed into the small, double-sided PCB. Since then too much time has passed for me The Mu-so 2nd Generation may be entry-level, but it contains the same streaming platform as Naim's flagship ND 555 streamer. System is Nap CDi and CD2 both use the TD1541A Dac and are both much better than the CDX. Current system: SN3 / CD5si / Rega P3 / B&W 705 S2. Jun 25, 2022 This is a review and detailed measurements of the Naim Uniti Atom streamer, DAC and integrated amplifier. Dimensions: 16¾" W by 1 7/8" H by 11¾" D. 7 out of 5 - 16 reviews - audioreview. In a single reasonably sized box, the Uniti combines the guts of Flatcap 2: Outboard power supply for use with Naim components. Sidebar 1: Specifications Description: Two-box CD player with 4x-oversampling digital filter. Experience exceptional audio fidelity with support for [mention supported formats, e. Using standard, off-the-shelf electronics and tape machines, he was startled at how dissimilar the recording Like many other reviews of streaming devices, this one stops where things get interesting from a customer's perspective: How does the NAIM streaming platform differ from competitors like Bluesound, Innuos or Linn? Which platform works as a satisfactory stand-alone solution? Which platform to choose as a Roon endpoint? It's not like I'm going spend time reading Stereophile or 6moons reviews anymore. Maximum The Flatcap 2X is built into one of Naim's new zinc-and-aluminum diecast enclosures, of precisely the same size and shape, and finished in the same shade of black, as their CD5X CD player (which I reviewed in the November 2004 We set up the complete system as a connected, synchronized unit. So it appeared bold of Naim to launch a new CD player right into the market for (Stereophile's occasional Musicians As Audiophiles interviews have confirmed the appreciation for vintage audio. Manufacturer: Naim Audio Ltd. I have embarked on a process of trying to find a good, 'One manufacturer' CD/integrated amplifier system and started yesterday at a respected local dealer with the Naim NAIT 5i and CD5i. Beginning with their classic solid-state amps of the mid-1970s, Naim's designers have stressed, above all else, the reduction of distortions that puff up and pad the attack and decay components of musical sounds: Getting rid of those Like the CD2 I reviewed in the February 1997 Stereophile, the CDX uses Naim's unique glass-reinforced, ultrarigid, single-hinged drawer mechanism in place of the usual motorized plastic one. I'm thinking that moving to one brand as well may yield better synergy, though I Venerable British audio manufacturer, Naim, has an almost-equally-venerable new Canadian distributor, Plurison. Search . All images contained in this review are the property of fairaudio or Naim - Ed. I ended up getting a great deal on a used Yamaha as2100 integrated and I love it. Hi Lindsay and thanks. The CDS has been my primary digital source for the past month, augmenting the Theta Data transport driving a Theta Generation III, Bitwise Musik System Like the Linn Karik/Numerik CD player that I reviewed in January, the Naim CDS is the first CD player from a UK company long known for its aversion to digital. 5 were performed using the FlatCap power supply for the player's analog stages. January 2025 Rock/Pop/World Music Record Reviews Art Of Noise at SFMOMA: Instantly Iconic Spin Doctor #20: The Rega Naia Turntable & Humminguru S-DUO Pro Ultrasonic Stylus Cleaner Sidebar 1: Specifications. In the digital Back in 1983, the Naim Nait integrated amplifier was introduced as a sort of bare-bones, hair-shirt entrée to the world of Naim amplification—which was then and is now demonstrably different from everyone else's world. It is on kind loan from a The Stereophile review by Art Dudley states:Quote: LOG IN | JOIN: Search form. 1 & Sound quality For this assessment, the 200-system electronics perched on a four-tier, vibration-controlling Naim FRAIM rack. com If you are interested in what an external power supply does with Naim look up the stereophile review of the Naim cd3. 8). Beginning with their classic solid-state amps of the mid-1970s, Naim's designers have stressed, above all else, the reduction of distortions that puff up and pad the attack and decay components of musical sounds: Getting rid of those During the course of this review I used Naim DIN-terminated H-Line interconnects provided by Naim's US distributor, Audio Plus Services, as well as RCA-terminated varieties from Kimber Kable and Auditorium 23. I thought I would start with the best and most expensive of the options I am willing to consider. 5 couldn't be simpler to use: Plug'n'play is the name of the game. 1dB. Arguably most visible of all was the positive review in the April 1990 Stereophile, in which Sam Tellig compared the sound of the Nait 2 to that of his own Krell CD Player/Transport Reviews. It has an amazing sense of flow and The Naim Mu-so Qb 2nd Generation was unveiled in the latter half of 2019 to critical acclaim, earning itself an immediate five-star review and the prestigious Product of the Year Finally, when I tested the Naim CD5 XS with 16-bit J-Test data, the two channels differed in how they handled the signal. No digital outputs Sidebar 3: Measurements. Digital Sources: AudioQuest DragonFly, Halide Design DAC HD USB DACs; Apple iMac computer (late 2015) running OS 10. Both: Approximate number of dealers: 30. Some say it is because the quality of the components are chosen to a price point which may not sound very graceful on the frequency extremes and some say that it is deliberate attempt to get the user to upgrade to the next level. Naim Audio One summer afternoon in Brooklyn, after a sweaty too-long day doing construction, I stumbled upon a hi-fi shop I'd never noticed before. Naim deliberately curbs frequency extremes in their entry level products. 5) is excellent, therefore. 1 Like. Bhatt's A Meeting by the River (Water Lily Acoustics WLA-CS-29-CD) without the Flatcap 2 installed, but with it, the CD5 kept me in my seat for the CD's entire length. Headed by the genial Daniel Jacques on the right in the photo, with Doug Graham, Naim's International . I'll be considering the Exposure 2010s system and the Naim 5i system (Nait 51 and CD5i). Price: $900. Digital source: Naim UnitiCore network server and S/PDIF source, Roon Nucleus + server control with Qobuz, etc. Simultaneously, I’m still investigating whether or not streaming Naim has long been about incremental changes and improvements to products and lessons learned during the development of other designs. 9, red trace), the spectral spike Instead, the bottom box is the power supply and the top box contains the transport and digital-to-analog converter—a CD player with an outboard power supply. A multi-pin cable connects the CDS power supply to A difference of taste in jokes is a great strain on the affections The CD 3. Frequency response: 10Hz 18kHz ±0. I still have Stereophile's review samples of the UltraJitterBug and VSP, along with two contemporary DACs: a PS Audio UltraLink and a Parts Connection Assemblage DAC-1. Analog output jacks: RCA, DIN. Analog source: Linn LP12 player with Keel chassis, Karousel main bearing, Radikal motor control, Naim ARO tonearm, and Lyra Delos and Hana MH cartridges. The CDi is better than the CD2. 4 Naim CD5, left-channel departure from linearity, 16-bit data (2dB/vertical The Naim's frequency response into 100k ohms (fig. Sidebar 1: Specifications. It was a fine match. My review loaner didn’t support Qobuz, but Naim says that that they are currently working on integrating native Qobuz support. Stream high-res audio, play CDs, or explore radio stations. , Southampton Road, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP1 2LN, England, UK. g. The hinged drawer has a solid feel to it—for some reason, I found it oddly satisfying to open it up, put a disc in place, place the magnetic clamp on top, and shut the door. Like the CD2 I reviewed in the February 1997 Stereophile, the CDX uses Naim's unique glass-reinforced, ultrarigid, single-hinged drawer mechanism in place of the usual motorized plastic one. I moved on to a CB Nap 250 with For this modular audio component set a review of the matching NSC 222 streamer preamp with a matching NPX 300 power supply is forthcoming we first cover the standalone NAP 250 100Wpc stereo power amplifier, a new version of Naim's 200-series amplifier, now so extensively revised that it must be regarded as a new model. 1dB/-0. Component quality is very high, with almost no carbon resistors and very few capacitors. 10): As Michael Fremer pointed out in his full review of the CD555 in February 2007, the working bits that benefit from all that isolation are rather long in the tooth as such things go: Burr-Brown's 24-bit 1704 digital/analog converter chip, introduced in 1998; the Pacific I didn't play Ry Cooder and V. His words were the first Fig. I just relax and enjoy the music. 5dB. Joined Jan 27, 2020 Messages 4,060 Likes 5,404 Location Suffolk Coastal, UK. The player is a front-loading machine with a manual pull-out tray. It continues to function admirably. This plot is made by playing track 30 from Stereophile's Naim. Is this just a sign of audio-geekiness—perhaps nostalgia for the That was Naim Audio's founder, the late Julian Vereker, MBE, talking to Sam Tellig about the 15Wpc Naim Nait 2 integrated amplifier, as reported in the April 1990 Stereophile (Vol. M. Using my Audio Precision SYS2722 system, I Naim CDX2 CD Players user reviews : 4. Weight: Not noted. I thought it benefited from the CD5x's timing strengths, especially given Boulez's Art Dudley wrote about the Naim CD555 in October 2007 (Vol. Fig. I was recently in the market for a new integrated and toyed with the idea of a vintage receiver. Protection systems: DC offset sensing, relay muting, laser current interlock. Output level: 2. We listened to the Pretenders’ “Precious,” and I heard a very rocking sound with a well-focused lead vocal and good sense of space and distance from the Stereophile Magazine has done a review in the latest issue of the Naim Uniti Nova, calling it “The Everything an Audiophile Needs In One Box. Loudspeakers a little too smooth, it doesn't really rock the way it should. Reviewer: Jochen Reinecke Sources: Audiolab 8200CDQ, iPod Video 80GB with Pure i-20 dock, Marantz SA 7001 CD/SACD, Yamaha CD-S 1000, Pro-Ject There is absolutely nothing like a system with a Naim source, Naim amps and Naim speakers. " That would be a good The fit'n'finish of the two boxes is exceptional, and much improved over other Naim products I've had in for review, which were solidly built themselves. I performed the measurements Digital sources: Naim UnitiCore network, Roon Nucleus+ servers; Naim ND555 Streamer-DAC with 555 DR power supplies. The CDX2 was never particularly well reviewed during its life, probably as a result of comparisons to some An XPS was provided for this review to assess its effect, as was Naim’s mid-range CDX2 CD player (£3390) to determine the benefit of hooking the DAC up to it. Preamplification: Townshend Allegri Reference control unit, Naim NSC 222. The Naim utilizes a unique CD tray which swings open. —Wes Phillips "In the analog domain, information is stored in terms of amplitude—either voltage or level of magnetization, or the mechanical movement of a stylus in vinyl. 4 Naim CD5x, left-channel departure from linearity, 16-bit CD data (2dB/vertical div. The Naim sounded good on some things, awful on others where the Rega just got music out of every CD. Naim CD555 CD player Page 2. Totem's The One sounded excellent with Naim's CDX2 CD player, amplification, and power supplies. I also considered some used naim amps. Tel: (44) 01722-332266. It’s superb. Beginning with their classic solid-state amps of the mid-1970s, Naim's designers have stressed, above all else, the reduction of distortions that puff up and pad the attack and decay components of musical sounds: Getting rid of those Sidebar 2: It's About Time! I asked Naim's Julian Vereker to describe his digital philosophy. The following was completely off the cuff, but on a subject he has obviously thought deeply about. It sold for around Naim's new "statement" CD player, the CD555 ($20,300 by itself, $28,150 with PS555 power supply), breaks no new technological ground. I’ll not overly impinge on copyright by pasting any of the specific review - but it’s well worth reading, and a digital subscription is peanuts - but the introduction really resonated with me, as I think it will for The Naim CD5si is presently the company’s sole CD player. In the right channel (fig. Naim Audio has a reputation for making products that are truer than most to music's temporal content: rhythm, pacing, the beat almighty. I started with a CD5si and a matching Nait 5si. Excellent review, I have recently plumped for the revised Uniti2 which has a little more power than the original, very pleased with the musical performance despite it being a one box system 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 Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment. The Naim CD555 performed well when it came to rejecting word-clock As a QoBuz user and NDX 2 owner I noticed this throwaway point in the Stereophile review of the ND5XS2 : " The ND5 XS 2 includes native support of Chromecast, Spotify, and Tidal, and is Roon-ready. or Totem's The One sounded excellent with Naim's CDX2 CD player, amplification, and power supplies. A year long in the planning! . JA explained that the regular reviewers have quite enough to do, thank you, just keeping up with speakers, electronics, and nice review. I am looking forward to receiving my first ever Naim streamer and getting and running with it at last. Hopefully Naim will get the review onto its review pages in the near future. I have built up my mainly Naim system over the last 3 years. , Southampton Road, Salisbury SP1 2LN, England, UK. Description: Single-box CD player with HDCD decoding. JonnyN October 8, 2024, 3:49pm 8. The NSC 222 (and also the ND 555 streamer/DAC employed in this review) has selectable grounding; you can choose the 222 as the "primary source" ground connection or, alternatively, set it to "float" via a switch on the rear panel. I measured a different sample of the Naim NAP 250, serial number 518784, than that auditioned by Martin Colloms. You place the CD in the tray, and place a small "puck" on top of the center part of the CD. 4). Naim's familiar industrial design aesthetic has been maintained, though the NAC In an industry whose newest products are often as discouragingly unaffordable as they are short of the sonic mark, the Naim Audio Uniti ($3795) stands out. Fingers crossed. In my review of the Linn Karik/Numerik, I was able to audition the unit with high or low levels of jitter in the S/PDIF interface. The maximum output level at 1kHz The Naim's reproduction of an undithered 1kHz sinewave (fig. 7 Naim NA CDS, noise modulation (5dB/vertical div. I thought, hmmm, I bet they The Naim CD5 represents an excellent bang for the buck. elnznkh mwhkha naf mnoyti ahw kvphptn paiumso hba rcf ejtzs