|
|
Click here to find out what Naim have
improved on the new CD5i-2!
|
I'm
a great fan of the original CD5 - just like me, it's stylish, slim,
and guaranteed to deliver top notch performance every time (I don't
care what my wife says).
However,
there was always one thing that bugged me about the player.
It didn't relate to the performance of the machine which is beyond
reproach, rather to its price point within the market place. What
I mean is that the CD5 was supposed to be Naim's entry point CD player, but it cost a hefty £1200. Yet all of the rest
of their 'entry point' equipment costs well below £1000 per
unit. I often worried that the price tag of the CD5 actually
put some people off buying a complete Naim system, because it pushed
the budget up further than many first time customers were prepared
to pay.
So
you can imagine my delight when Naim first told me that the company
was working on a scaled down version of the CD5, which would retail
for nearly £400 less than its big brother.
 That
delight was only compounded when I heard the CD5i for the first
time - it's superb!
Here
we have a machine that sets a new reference point for detail and
musicality at this price. On the outside it is identical to a CD5,
enjoying the usual superlative build quality and elegance of the
Naim Marque. However, it's on the inside that things start to get
really clever. What Naim have done is to use every possible development
from their earlier (and more costly) players to ensure that the
CD5i punches way beyond it's weight. A good example of this is the
drawer and transport suspension, which is borrowed directly from
the £3150 CDX2. The CD5i also utilises the same Naim-developed
replay and control software as their awesome £8575 CDS3 player.
You
have to say that this advanced specification level isn't exacly
what you'd expect to find at £850!
However,
there has to be a down side because you obviously can't get a quart
in a pint pot - so what have Naim left off the CD5i that you would
normally get with a CD5? The answer is simple - they've left off
what many first time buyers will never use, the upgradability. So
you can't improve a CD5i with a Flatcap 2, but it doesn't really
matter because the "I-want-to-buy-a-complete-entry-point-Naim-system"
customer wasn't going to do that anyway! They've also simplified
some of the circuitry, so that a standard CD5i doesn't sound quite
as good as a standard CD5.
Having
said that, it still sounds miles better than anything else in its
class and is perfectly capable of bringing out the best from most
amplifiers retailing in the sub-£2000 bracket. Which brings
me to another interesting point, because I suspect that many CD5is
will find their way into non-Naim systems, simply because they sound
better than anything else. Naim must also be aware of this, because
they have decided to equip the CD5i with phono sockets as
well as the usual Naim DIN output. This means that customers who
already own non-Naim equipment and have invested in a good quality
phono cable can buy the CD5i without having to go through 'the change'.
I've
been selling Naim for 20 years and I think this is one of their
most significant products for some time. It re-asserts the brand
in the critical sub-£1000 category and it catapults them straight
back into the media spotlight.
This is a Ferrari for the masses - everyone should have one!
|
