It easily walked a group test of CDPs up to £1500. Should anyone be interested. There's a Naim sampler CD on the front cover also. An added bonus for me is a review of one of my favourite speakers of all time, now reintroduced, the Ruark Talisman.

Cheers

Harry

Harry..thanks for that. I am particularly interested in the review of the Ruark's as I heard them at the Bristol show and thought they were stunning. The best sounding speakers at the show to my ears, especially as they were hitched up to an all Naim system. I am currently in the market for new speakers, and after hearing the new Tallismans at the show, they seemed to have done a vanishing act. I was unable to find a dealer in the UK with any in stock, but just last week I was contacted by Oranges & Lemons in London, who have just got a pair in. I am not someone who goes out and buys a product just because of the reviews, I prefer to be my own judge, but it will be interesting to read the review before going off for another listen.

Good luck with it Dadgad. I've just had my Mk1s upgraded to Mk2 spec by Ruark. Took them into the factory and collected fours later. Really nice bunch - can't commend them highly enough. This speaker is my little hobby horse - I don't think it got the wide recognition it deserved (despite good reviews) and I'm really pleased to see it back in Mk3 guise. And yes, they do sound fantastic with Naim gear. There's an Arriva review in the same issue - haven't read that yet.

Cheers

Harry

Dadgad,

If you're interested in any further ideas for a speaker upgrade, check out the 'Proper Dem...' thread here.

Regards,

JonR

Yeah Jon. That's a good thread and well worth a visit. Two potential issues with the Talismans - they sound bloody awful with less than 30 hours on them and my Mk2s must be biwired. Mk3 may be better with single wiring but I'd defenitely hear what they can do with four out the back - even on Naim gear.

Cheers

Harry

This is all very interesting. What do they do to upgrade the speakers? I'm glad to find someone else singing the praises of the Talisman's, Ruarks don't seem to me mentioned that often in other threads regarding quality speakers in the same price bracket, and this I couldn't understand. I listen to mostly jazz, acoustic folk and bluegrass, female vocalists, and classical, and the Ruark's seemed to really fit the bill for this type of music. Out of interest, what sort of money would a good pair of Mk1's, or even MK2's be, and are there many to be found. Although I had more or less decided that the MK3's were what I wanted, if I could save some money by getting the older models second hand plus the upgrade, then a flatcap for my CD5 could be included in the equation. I have heard what that can do to a CD5, and was planning on looking out for one as soon as I had the speakers sorted.

You just got me going on my second hobby horse! I'm a big lover of the CD5 but you won't believe what it's capable of until you cap it. I put a S/H refurb Olive Hi Cap on mine for £425 and got a brand new CD collection.

Upgrading the Talisman from Mk1 to Mk2 spec entailed replacing the metal tweeter with a cloth one and replacing the cross over. They also repaired a couple of minor chips on the cabinet. All wiring, bolts and gaskets etc. were checked along with the bass units - which didn't need anything doing to them. The overall characteristics didn't change much but the bass got tighter and more tuneful. It also got a bit louder but these speakers are easy to tune with wall and boundary placement, so I got the balance I wanted very quickly. Midband was open and sweet as usual. Top end resolved a lot - more than I thought was possible. Very impressive.

They asked me to tell them how I was getting on with them. I mentioned the bass change (I would call it an improvement) and put this down to the cross over. They said no. Because the treble is better detailed and more resolved the bass gets more room to work. Whatever. It still sounded bloody good once they were run in (30 hours).

I've seen Mk1s going for £2-400 on eBay. Now that I know what Ruark can do to them I wouldn't hestiate in buying an old pair in reasonable condition and taking them to the factory to get them tip top. In the unlikely event that the bass units are suspect it'll obviously cost more.

The Mk3s have a rear facing reflex port, whereas Mk1/2 have a front facing one. I don't know but I suspect that this could make them a bit more difficult to tune in the room.

Good luck with it. Let us know how it goes. Once my front end is sorted out we'll be having a good long look at the amps (but we're in no hurry). One thing I know is no matter what we end up with the Ruarks will still be on the end of it. I'm too biased to be objective - but at least I know what I like

Cheers

Harry

I used to run Talisman II's before I switched to Credos. I felt they were good but thought they needed a beefier amp than my NAP140 so off they went. I still keep up to date with Ruark stuff as I originally started out with a pair of Swordsman which were eventually replaced with some Sabres which I still have in my bedroom system. They're lovely too (non-ported) with the right kit.

I sold my Talisman II for a slight profit too - which was nice (£340 in cherry finish).

Harry - I'm gonna have to listen to yours at some point!

Cheers,

Steve

LOL! OK Steve.

Harry

Although Cd5i seems rather nice, there is at least one CDP beating it below 2000 Euros: it is the Meridian 507. The Meridian has all the nice things of the Naim, with little more smoothness, dynamic, deeper bass, more natural refined timbre. Both players feature the same high level of homogeneity but the 507 just goes one step further, but at a littel higher cost. Same price/quality ratio for both players; but it seems the 507 reaches a level where you will not want to change CDP again while you may miss a little thing with the Cd5i that may push you to change it soon or later...

Which one gets pride of place in your freezer then, Vincent?

The only thing that promped me to change was having the money available! But I didn't upgrade JUST because I could - there are plenty of other things queuing up for my money. I have great admiration for Meridian, but like Naim, they're not for everybody. I understand that Unison are also well regarded at this price point, I've never laid ears on one. let's face it, at that price they're all good (for the most part) but different shades of good. It's nice to have the choice.

Cheers

Harry

Hi Jon and HTK,

No Cd5i nor Meridian in my fridge; I promise. Only the CDx2 went into the fridge!

Regarding taste for Meridian or Naim, I see your point HTK. However, regarding comparison between the Cd5i and the 507, there are both the saim spirit in my opinion. The 507 is not so polite; it boogies like the Naim but it just go a little step further in everything. Therefore, I would be surprised (but interested) if some people would say they found cd5i more musical than Meridian 507; it should not be a question of taste here.

Cheers,

Vincent