Many of you have considerable experience of Naim to share with a Naim newcomer. So, please, which one is the "warmer" sounding player of the two, CD5i or CD5italic?

They are both very nice amps.
What is your source and speakers?

I suspect the two sources in question are the CD5i and the newer CD5 i...

quote:

Originally posted by munch:
They are both very nice amps.
What is your source and speakers?

Even nicer cd players I would have thought

No coffee yet this morning, Munch?

quote:

Originally posted by munch:
They are both very nice CDPs
What is your amp and speakers?

OK

quote:

Originally posted by Tomahawk:
Many of you have considerable experience of Naim to share with a Naim newcomer. So, please, which one is the "warmer" sounding player of the two, CD5i or CD5italic?

The newer version got better specs on the DAC and bettered audio signal paths, so it surely sound a little more nicer.

I'm a CD5i owner for 2 1/2 years now, and I can't complain about anything. It's not a player that I could qualify as warm sounding, but it does a good deal of efforts at trying to let you believe that you're not listening to a record. The bigger Naim CD players are simply better at setting up that illusion.

Bye.

To answer your question, the newer cd5i-2 is a warmer sounding cd player.

Thank you Jake. We have CD5i & Nait5i (both non-italic) and have just changed to MartinLogan Clarity loudspeakers. The sound is great except for classical strings that we find too cold. Hence the idea of changing to CD5i-2.

Hi,

I doubt that a change to the CD5i-2 is gonna do it. If you now get a cold sound since changing the speakers, surely it's the speakers that sound cold.

P.S If you are going to change cd players i would do it in leaps and bounds, such as a CDX2, instead of side grading.

That's my tuppence.

Regards, Steve

Hi,

Welcome to the forum by the way. If I were you, before I considered changing any of my boxes I would try and ensure they are working as best they can in my listening environment.

Are you using Naca5 speaker cable?

How is your equipment sited? Hopefully you haven't got one box on top of another, ie. the boxes are on some kind of stand where they are physically separated.

If the answer to those two is 'yes' and 'properly', then I would be talking to my dealer about damping in my room (ie. is the room very reflective with lots of hard surfaces?) and considering a Hi-line interconnect between the CDP and the Nait.

Regards, Chris

Notwithstanding the above - it's always a good idea to check everything first and that you use NACA5 - I would suggest auditioning a CD5x.

I found the CD5i was great for rock, but fell through for my preferences on jazz and acoustical. The CD5x was a revelation, even bare (no Cap) it just handled all music brilliantly.

Very recently I heard the CD5i-2 and it is way better than the CD5i, more refined and capable, so kudos to Naim for bringing that out at the same price point as the predecessor. CD5x is still in a higher class though, but also significantly more expensive.

Arrange a demo, bring your own CD5i and compare.

Good luck!

quote:

Natural Ambience Compensation NAC
(Natural Ambience Compensation) driver
NAC (natural ambience compensation) increases the amount of reflected high-frequency energy in the room, which can be particularly useful for broadening the coverage area of a small electrostatic speaker in a home theater system with a large seating area. The NAC driver – a superb 1-inch soft-dome tweeter – operates in parallel with the main drivers and can be switched on or off according to listener preference.

extracted from the martin Logan web site.

Is the room a modern minimilist design ? hardwood floors, etc ?

regards

Peter

Are you looking for more warmth or a less bright sound edgy sound?

Definitely play around with the room first. If you already have carpets then look at something soft behind your listening position and behind the speakers. I usually do both before a serious listening session- a couple of wool blankets are ideal for testing purposes.

CDX2? Just go for a 555...but you will probably still need a few basic room treatments to 'warm'things up a bit.

Personally, I don't think the CD5i-2 is warmer. I just think of it as being a better, more homogenous solution. It's not particularly warmer sinec that would imply a less than neutral approach in the form of an Arcam CD player. No, the CD5i isn't warm and neither is the CD5i-2. Both are very good players indeed, but the 2nd version raises the game that bit extra to take it well beyond the performance of the rega Apollo which was snapping at the heels of the original CD5i.

Where the CD5i-2 really scores over the CD5i is its engaging sense of involvement - it engages far more than the original, and the original was no slouch!

Thank you all. We changed from the room filling but slightly dark sounding Dynaudio Focus 140 to the ML Clarity to get more detail and speed and certainly got it. Cable: Naca5 is out of the question. Who can keep that stiff thing in place without using 2" nails - and a guard. Equipment: Side by side, no problem. Room: Walls of wood but the room has a Scandinavian look meaning not too many furniture, no big armchairs, no thick carpets or heavy curtains and large bookshelves have been replaced by tailor made CD shelves. Then one window and 7 framed lithographs (glass!). By writing it all down I realize the obvious - dampen the room! So my wife will start looking for large pillows, I for a used/demo CD5x - and maybe a fat cat...

Don't know how much is down to the other bits (NAIT 5i, ELAC 310's) but the CD5i
of mine seems to excel with drums and acoustic guitars.

quote:

Originally posted by Tomahawk:
Cable: Naca5 is out of the question. Who can keep that stiff thing in place without using 2" nails - and a guard.

So what speaker cable do you use?

It can make a difference for the worse.

quote:

Originally posted by daddycool:

quote:

Originally posted by Tomahawk:
Cable: Naca5 is out of the question. Who can keep that stiff thing in place without using 2" nails - and a guard.

So what speaker cable do you use?

It can make a difference for the worse.

Supra Ply 3.4

quote:

Naca5 is out of the question. Who can keep that stiff thing in place without using 2" nails - and a guard.

Why don't you really exaggerate?