Recent moves by the record industry to introduce various forms of copy code protection on their CDs has been causing some compatibility issues with many CD drives.

As many of you may already be aware, these issues have also affected certain Naim CD players but we are pleased to report that we have developed a Chip upgrade for the CD3.5, CD5, CDX, CDX2, and CDS2 which not only makes our players compatible with these copy-protected discs but also brings with it an enhanced user interface and extended programming features.

The main issue with copy-protection is that the discs are not to the red book standard which our players have been designed to read. If you experience these problems and wish to play non-red book standard discs then the PIC Chip update is required for the Naim CD player. Once updated, some extra functionality is available on the player but more importantly, should the copy-protection codes change in the future, the updated player can be re-programmed via the Narcom or Flash remote controls to the latest codes.

An easy way to check the PIC type onboard a player is to switch on the player without a disc inside and then press and hold down the PROG button (making sure, of course that the Softkey is selected to CD) until the display shows a code as follows;

CD3.5/CD5/CDX/CDS2:
P103-108 & P501 = No Copy-Protection update onboard.
P109 = Copy Protection replay
CDc0101 = Copy-Protection replay and enhanced features enabled

CDX2:
P413 = No Copy-Protection Update onboard.
P414, P415, 0203, 0204, 0401, 0402, 0403 = Copy-Protection replay and enhanced features enabled

The update is supplied as a kit, which your dealer will be able to supply and fit for you.

The UK retail price of the update is in the region of £40. International customers should contact their dealer or distributor for pricing.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Adam Meredith,