A SPOT OF COLOUR

Paul Miller finds his ear pleasingly bent by Naim’s distinctive CD Player.

Our review of the high-end, high-cost NACDSII CD player back in HFC 188 indicated that Naim was finally moving out of its enclave and embracing a broader compatibility with alternative systems and components. No longer was it necessary to cosset a new Naim player with Naim amps and speakers: this product stood on its own two (or four) feet and took on all comers with confidence. This is a philosophy that is clearly spreading down the range, and a trend reflected in its more affordable slimline range of separates, including the CD5 player reviewed here.

The guts of the CD5 are clearly based on the earlier CD3.5 (see HFC 188), including a CD loader that’s equipped with Philips’ VAM1205 transport and lightweight puck that holds everything in place. And yes, you still have to pull the radial drawer out of the CD5, load the CD and push it home before enjoying the music. A motorised CD eject mechanism remains the stuff of dreams for Naim users…

Nevertheless, thanks to the significantly upgraded front panel and sculptured appearance, few people would disagree that the CD5 is a markedly more modern and stylish-looking product than the box-like CD3.5 which it replaces. These enhancements are more than aesthetic, for the improved rigidity of the casework is said to cut down on microphony. Also, do not be concerned if the rear sockets feel a little “wobbly’ when connecting us as they, and the entire motherboard, are supported on compliant mounts to further reduce the effects of vibration from the outside world. It’s this board, along with the retractable transport, that you release by removing the two transit bolts when unpacking the player.

Naim’s new, illuminated badge is particularly attractive and the green hue is chosen to complement the LED display and four (track skip, play, stop) function buttons. A matching, system remote has multifunctional keys which communicate with Naim’s CD players, amplifiers and tuner, offering extra widgets like fast cueing, repeat, pause, direct track access and program play. Switching the CD5’s limited four-digit display from track to time mode is also accomplished via the remote.

As ever, the CD5 lacks any sort of digital output while the analogue outputs are routed via a DIN socket. If the CD5 is destined for use outside a Naim system, then DIN-to-phono adapter leads will be available from your dealer. An adjacent socket allows the internal PSU to be bypassed in favour of an external Flatcap 2 supply. Experience showed this to be worthwhile upgrade with the older CD3.5. Then again, a key enhancement to the CD5 includes its more sophisticated power supply with separate digital/analogue transformer windings, rectification and regulation. Lessons have evidently been learnt from the high-end NACDSII, though the CD5’s low 0.001 per cent distortion and moderate 102.5dB S/N ratio are basically defined by the choice of a Philips TDA1305 hybrid DAC.

Nevertheless, Naim’s thoughtful implementation keeps jitter down to an insignificant 180psec while its proprietary analogue output stage is capable of driving the wildest of interconnect designs. Here, too, we find that Naim’s special 7-pole filter not only provides a slight (-0.6Db) treble roll-off but also bites very deeply into the sort of ultrasonic noise (1) that can cause a harsh and grainy sound with some amplifiers. However, this filter kicks in just outside of the audioband (2) leaving a rising noise floor within our audible range (3). The ‘rippled’ distortion (4) is what remains after digital rather than analogue filtering, incidentally.

Sound Quality

Whereas the NACDSII was arguably the first Naim player capable of being slotted into a wide range on Non-Naim systems, the CD5 seems keen to retain a foot in both camps. This ‘hesitancy’ has its repercussions. For example, Earl Klugh’s Move sounds well balanced with sax and strings that are acutely detailed, but the interplay between instruments is methodical rather intuitive. This is a shift away from Naim’s traditional outlook: although the music is better composed and certainly more finely detailed than might have been anticipated, there is slight blandness or flatness in its delivery of what would otherwise be strong midband-orientated vocals and instruments. Similarly, the strings that run through Cassandra Wilson’s Right Here, Right Now are depicted with a deal of detail, but her voice lacks the same focus and projection- just as the very treble octaves are very subtly rolled-off. So the musical picture is very tidy but slightly restrained. This overwhelming sense of control and composition kept Prokofiev’s Symphony 1 in D surging along with a realistic spirit and yet without allowing the gusto of the violins to dominate. Here at least was a genuinely realistic sense of musical power and dynamics, achieved while still lacking extreme treble ‘airiness’ and stage ‘depth’.

By now, the obvious strengths of the CD5 were becoming clear to our (blind) listening panel who requested a selection of traditionally ‘difficult’ CDs. Would the CD5 maintain a tight rein in the face of extreme provocation? Ocean Colour Scene’s Profit in Peace can so often descend into a fatiguing cacophony with less ‘together’ CD players. But with the CD5 at the helm, the bass drove along strongly with drum and bass guitar crisply differentiated. Similarly, the vocals retained their power with sufficient composition to remain articulate. Once again, there’s this loss of top-end air and pizzazz, but the music still retains a meaningful ‘busyness’ that seizes your attention from track to track. Our listeners concluded that there was some obvious manipulation on the part of the CD5, but if this was some kind of sonic confidence trick, then we were all quite content to be hoodwinked!

Conclusion

Unlike the earliest Naim players, the CD5 is smoother and very polished sounding but, for all the obvious detail, its delivery might seem a little wooden. Naturally, combined with the typical forwardness of a Naim amp/speaker combination, any reticence on the part of the CD5 is likely to be swept away. But there is undoubtedly some program-dependence at work here for, at its best, the CD5 sounds both dynamic, vivid and compelling. With other discs, it could be the CD equivalent of Baywatch or Hollyoaks: good lighting, smart sets and decorative actors, but not entirely believable as an all-round performance. Then again, the CD5 is nothing if not distinctive. And at a time when the market is being flooded with bland-sounding DVD players, I’m all in favour of some colour and musical licence being injected into the hi-fi market.

Rating 7 stars

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