Naim CD 5
What Hi FI Dec 2000
NAIM CD5
CD
Player For
Striking levels of insight;real rhythmic drive;powerful bass A
new product from Naim is attention-grabbing; a whole new range is a major
event. Not for the Salisbury-based company the relentless annual product
cycles of the Japanese majors: it launches something new only when it has
something to say. But, even by those standards, this new Five series is a
major statement. As
you may have seen from last month’s review of the Nait 5 amplifier, this
range brings a whole new look to Naim’s entry-level line-up. Not that
the company’s legendary build quality, both within and without, has been
compromised in any way – the materials, and the ways in which they are
used, are still as classy as ever, but the styling is much more
contemporary. Particularly
striking is the new shape Naim logo, which lights up when the product is
powered up. And while the use of the company’s familiar swing-out loader
arrangement might suggest this is a CD3.5 in a sharp new suit, nothing
could be further from the truth: this is an all-new player. As you can
read in our Five Easy Pieces
panel, the basics are all changed. In
use, the CD5 presents only one problem to anyone not planning to connect
it into an all-Naim system, and that’s in its use of a DIN socket for
analogue output. Fortunately suitable DIN-to-phono cables aren’t hard to
come by - Naim dealers should
be able to supply one, and several of the well-known British cable
companies can make up something suitable. That’s
good, for more than ever the entry-level Naim player deserves the
attention of a wider group of buyers than just those looking to build a
one-brand system. It has a sound that’s distinctive, combining superb
speed and impact with weight and complete control, and by the standards of
its price-competition has a rare ability when it comes to heightening
listener- involement. It’s all a far cry from the ‘mad rock machine’
reputation with which past Naim products have been ( largely unfairly)
saddled: whether with the taut orchestrations of Aaron Copland on Michael
Tilson Thomas’s The Modernist
disc or driving pop rhythms of Robbie Williams’ current set, the Naim
locks into the music with dependable accuracy, and always sounds faster,
crisper and able to deliver more than most of its price rivals. Voices
and instruments are beautifully realised by this player, too. Antonio
Forcione’s percussive acoustic guitar ( recorded live on Naim’s own
label) has glorious snap and impact, plus a lustrous sense of timbre,
while the lush orchestrations of Nelson Riddle on Linda Ronstadt’s
shimmering Round Midnight double
album of standards benefit just as much from the way the CD5 gets you
right into a recording. Of
course this can make it less than forgiving, and when it’s fed a heavily
processed recording the Naim reveals what’s going on in all its
unfettered nastiness. However, this isn’t a player to restrict you to
nothing but audiophile discs. Instead this is real-world player, but one
capable of raising a smile even with familiar material. In the Nait 5 Naim
has a great new amp, and in the CD5 a player every bit as good: used
individually they are striking value. Put them together, and prepare to be
dazzled… Five Easy Pieces
Naim
prefers to keep things simple and get it right: the transport mechanism is
a Philips VAM1205, complete with a highly accurate Hall-effect motor; the
swing-out loader means the whole transport is kept as one unit, giving it
greater mechanical integrity than most conventional drawer-loading
systems; control software is all in-house, and the digital to analogue
conversion system is 18-bit 4X oversampling; a large dual-winding toroidal
transformer provides separate power for the digital and analogue sections;
finally, the combination of heavy, non-magnetic casework and internal
suspension gives good isolation from mechanical and electrical
interference.
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