Any forum member who has experience with Naim's new DVD player? I'm referring to both audio and video performance of the DVD5. Curious to know how it compares with other high-end DVD players. I wonder how it would compare with Linn's new Unidisc 2.1 - the more affordable sibling of their flagship Unidisc 1.1. Have read in the Internet that a modified Soney 9000ES can outperform the Linns. Anyone can shed any light?

I did have a chance to see and hear a few DVD's on the DVD5 in October at a local dealer's show. He had a pre-release version.

The picture quality was outstanding ... maybe the best that I have seen from a DVD player. The sound was also very good. However, there was not a chance to do any direct comparisons. The unit had to go back to the Naim right after the show.

Bob

Yes I had a brief watch on Saturday just gone. Not a proper one and not really even a little listen, but just a quick 20 minute watch. I didn't want to have a long watch as I knew it may be dangerous.

Anyway the DVD5 looks like my CD5, just as I remember it from the Bristol show, the draw comes out straight like a conventional CD player rather than a Naim CD5 swing action draw which looks odd at first looks. I looked a bit closer at how it worked. First impression was that the draw looked flimsy for a £2350 player, but hey lets not pre judge here! So had a touch and waggled it up and down a bit and hey, who would have guessed it, it feels flimsy for £2350 too! Any how who cares I’m here to watch and listen not to be picky.

Right, so ‘Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship Of The Ring’ goes in, cool Naim menus I said to the guy demonstrating it, yes he said, as the film started, he then quickly flicked to a landscape scene of The Shires with hills and green fields etc, you’ve all seen this film right?! Wow!!! Now that’s a bloody good picture!!! I asked if the DVD player was feeding his 42” Hitachi plasma from the upscaler card via the digital DVI-D feed, the guy said no, the upscaler is not out yet and his plasma does not have a DVI-D or HDMI input. Bloody hell!! That picture was absolutely amazing. The scene has so much depth and looked 3D, as if you could put your hand into the screen and touch the scenery. Not just the scenery at the forefront looked sharp and 3D, but all the scenery. Next he flicked to the scene from where they are in the corn field. The characters were stood in a corn row and you can see down the gap in the row, f*cking hell, this is an amazing picture and I am only watching this through component progressive scan! I can see the corn plant leaves at the front of the scene as clearly as if it were a scene out of ‘Ice Age’ or something, and what’s more, the mid and rear scenery are just as clear! After this I had to leave, as had shopping duties to get on with, which was a shame, but I told him I will be coming back in a week or so, when he gets his new Pioneer screen with digital input. As I walked out I said to myself, I really don’t need a new DVD player as I have a perfectly descent Panasonic DVD/HDD recorder, but it is tempting! Anyway got home later, made myself a coffee, sat down and put on ‘Lord of the Rings – The Fellowship of the Ring’, hmm, something’s not right here, went and got the full remote for the plasma so I could check/tweak the picture from the advanced menus, hmm, strange, everything was ok. Then it twigged!!!

Anyone who is thinking of getting a DVD player MUST go and see this player in action. Anyone who is not into DVD or is a bit of a sceptic, MUST also go and have a look at this player. You will not believe what you are seeing on screen.

When your dealer gets his screen, I suggest you compare the component prog-scan output of the DVD5 against the DVI output. I've heard tell that many plasma screens don't implement the digital input particularly well and that you can get better results from a player that does it well in the box. I haven't done the comparison myself, but it would be an interesting thing to test.

Regards,
Frank.
All opinions are my own and do not reflect the opinion of any organisations I work for, except where this is stated explicitly.

quote:

---

Anyway the DVD5 looks like my CD5, just as I remember it from the Bristol show, the draw comes out straight like a conventional CD player rather than a Naim CD5 swing action draw which looks odd at first looks. I looked a bit closer at how it worked. First impression was that the draw looked flimsy for a £2350 player, but hey lets not pre judge here! So had a touch and waggled it up and down a bit and hey, who would have guessed it, it feels flimsy for £2350 too! Any how who cares I’m here to watch and listen not to be picky.

---

I spoke to a Naim Rep when he was here in Vancouver for a local dealer's fall show. He said that they would have liked to have use the same type of manual drawer that they use on their CD players, but the DVD pick-up head is to big to fit, so they had to go with a automatic drawer. They test about half a dozen that are on the market. They chose what they think is the best of those.

I had a chance to watch the DVD5 for over an hour at this same show ... "Master and Commander", "Nora Jones" in concert and a couple of other DVD's. Everyone was remarking about the clarity of the images.

I definitely need a new DVD player. I have am outdated Pioneer DVL90 (DVD/LD/CD player). Today you could get a better player for a fraction of the cost I paid for it. Before the DVD5 came along I had settled on the Arcam FMJ27A. Although the Naim is more expensive than the Arcam, I think it may be worth it because it appears to be a better unit. For one thing the Arcam has the chroma error, while the Naim does not ... using Faroudja technology.

Bob

[This message was edited by HiDef Bob on Wed 08 December 2004 at 15:36.]

[This message was edited by HiDef Bob on Wed 08 December 2004 at 15:37.]

Early this evening I had an impromptu dem of a DVD5/AV2/200/175 whilst passing through my local hi-fi store.

Passing through became 2 hours!

Watched parts of the 2nd Matrix, Master & Commander and Home Range I think it was.

The picture was stunning and the sound was so unbelievably crisp, with gunshots and cannons coming and going all over the place.

The proof is in the pudding when I get to play with one at home for a couple of days.

This should be an interesting dem as the system demmed with today is mostly what I have at home.

Will let you all know what I think, if it's that good, you'll all know that I've put an order in!

Steve.