Please don`t come round my house and beat me up but you can probably guess what I'm about to ask from the subject heading.
I'm not not sure how much Naim's top CD player is or how it sounds (can't afford and therfore why torment yourself) but do know thant Linn's cost a wapping pisstaking 12 thoooouusand pounds. Obviously, I'm in no position to affford either but purely out of interest,
What do people think of the Linn CD player, I mean it costs 12K, and it must be quite good since it is made by a specialist hifi company, but the question really is, Is it better than Naim's And if so is it worth 12K?

Puerly out of interest,

Moscow
PS I would just like to get a CD3.5!!!

I have heard a Linn Ikemi v Naim CD5(successor to 3.5)The Linn costs 2 grand and the Naim only £1125. The Naim won hands down in my system, better bass control and extension, more dynamic and tuneful, bigger and more focused soundstage. Add a Flatcap 2, a further £475, still cheaperthan the Linn and well...

I heard the full on Linn Anti-Klimax system at Novatel (~£60k i think or more !!!), the Series 5 system killed it.

Oh yeah, if there are any Linn-Lurker's 'here' get yourself a real system a Naim System.

naheed...

The CD12 is a very good player, with lots of sophistation, detail, control, etc. Compared to Naim's top-of-the-line, it's more polite. Naim's player reaches out makes you dance. Detail is also there, but you don't get quite the same level of sophistication.

The Linn player reminds me of a very cultured and well-mannered individual with their nose slightly upturned. In contrast, the Naim player is a little more ameable and fun. In either case, both players are very capable.

Ultimately, it's a matter of taste. The Linn player is more subdued, while the Naim is more exciting. Depending on your listening preferences, you'll choose one or the other. BTW, the Naim player is a little less than two-thirds the price of Linn's (here in Canada, anyway). Catch you later!

-=> Mike Hanson <=-

Smilies do not a forum make.

I made a posting on the much lamented old forum detailing my experiences with the CDS1 vs CDS2 vs CDX vx CDS/XPS vs CD12 all compared at my house one very, VERY long evening through my own DBL/Sixpack 135 system. The CDS2 was a very early production unit and since then has undergone very significan sonic upgrades, and was used with a gray Burndy to boot. Inspite of these 'limitations' the CDS2 as the best player of the evening, offering a truly balanced and effortless presentation. The CD12 sounded like someone had gone amok with tone controls, tipping up the treble, which did on some recordings inject a false sense of life. Cymbal taps however in no way sounded like the real thing, yet through the CDS2 there was that metallic post-strike shimmer and sheen that made things sound REAL. I preferred the CDX/XPS to the CD12. The CDS1 when used with a gray Burndy was tonally behind the CD12, sounding quite pinched and peaky in comparison, but when the Black Burndy was used rose above the CD12.
Seeing how much the Black Burndy improves 'even' the CDS1, I would imagine the latest versions of the CDS2 replete with Black Burndies would leave the CD12 even further behind in the dust.
Does the CD12 sound bad? No, by no means... in isolation it gave a very exciting and compelling presentation. But not in the same leagues as the CDS2, or even the CDS1 with Black Burndy.
We all know just how vital power supplies are, as the heft of an XPS or a Supercap will testify to. The CD12 is very lightweight in comparison... I would guess the entire player weighs less than a Hicap. And yes I know it has a Brilliant Switched Mode power supply. Which some users have felt to be a sonic downgrade from the more conventional power supply, as well as a source for degrading RF noise. I should mention that the CD12 was plugged into a dedicated circuit during that evening which the naim gear did not share, to fully maximise its potential within an otherwise all-Naim system.

Ron
Dum spiro audio
Dum audio vivo

http://homepages.go.com/~rontoolsie/index1.html

... and vice-versa

Andrew

Andrew Randle
2B || !2B;
4 ^ = ?;

I think, in terms of sources and indeed overall Naim outperforms Linn,probably down to Naim's sonic philosophy being more in tune with the emotions of music. However I prefer Linn speakers.I have heard their new Katans and they sound better balanced than Credos which sound cold and hard to me.

Actually it was a Ninka I heard not a Katan, which is a standmount, if anyone is interested.

I think Mike Hansen has it abolutely right.

I'd actually like to be able to have a CDS2 and a CD12 - though there is a very limited amount of music I'd play on the Linn, it is 'better' at some things.

But I can't. So it will be the CDS2 in 2001.

Similarly I heard the Genki when I bought my 3.5 - I heard the Genki first and thought that was going to be it. Then the 3.5. The main difference was that when playing Siegfreids Funeral March and Smell Like Teen Spirit on the Linn, I was impressed. On the Naim, my hair stood up on the back of my neck.

All depends what floats your boat. I have a mate (a cello player) who bought a new planet, and would have prefered a Genki if the expense could have been 'justified.' I appreciate and undrstand all the reasons for the choice. I just don't agree.

I thought all this Naim "missionary style" talk was a bit over the top. Then I heard the gear. Sometimes I wish I hadn't. But I can't go back.

Jonathan
"Then I saw her face....."