Naim CD player.. Poor quality??
Discussion
Hi, I am not very technical hence my post.
I have a Naim CD5i Cd player, a Naim 5i amp and a set of B&W speakers.
i think the sound is lush. In a discussion with a chap I know I was told my system is 'crap' and that the sound is poor as its old tech and that sound had moved on. I did not know what to say. I think it sounds great but has tech moved on and is streaming and digital stuff the way forward. I think this guys point was CD's are rubbish and hence so is my system.
Anyone technical here? What do you think? Would you agree with this guy?
I have a Naim CD5i Cd player, a Naim 5i amp and a set of B&W speakers.
i think the sound is lush. In a discussion with a chap I know I was told my system is 'crap' and that the sound is poor as its old tech and that sound had moved on. I did not know what to say. I think it sounds great but has tech moved on and is streaming and digital stuff the way forward. I think this guys point was CD's are rubbish and hence so is my system.
Anyone technical here? What do you think? Would you agree with this guy?
LOL...if it sounded great in 1985, it will sound great now. My son is 20 and loves classic hi-fi like you are lucky enough to own. He brings mates round to listen to vinyl and they are amazed at the fantastic sound. Keep the Naim, cos the computer based stuff will soon require an upgrade/new software/or will crash! 
Nope, nothing wrong with my system. He has not even heard it!
He's a programmer so god know what he was talking about, probabily comparing it to some hitec electronic form of listening to music. I suppose he was saying CD quality is crap hence my system is crap. I felt about 2in tall when he said that as I love the sound of the Naim.
Why would CD be rubbish (from his perspective)? Any ideas? Is CD a compressed format? I don't get it?! I think he is talking rubbish personally but i did not have the knowledge to counter his claims!
He's a programmer so god know what he was talking about, probabily comparing it to some hitec electronic form of listening to music. I suppose he was saying CD quality is crap hence my system is crap. I felt about 2in tall when he said that as I love the sound of the Naim.
Why would CD be rubbish (from his perspective)? Any ideas? Is CD a compressed format? I don't get it?! I think he is talking rubbish personally but i did not have the knowledge to counter his claims!
Maxf said:
Maybe he is comparing it to a higher bitrate source - more than likely he is comparing the quality of sound to the convenience of MP3.
Ask him what he uses!
I think he is talking about bit rates I suppose; he said CD is sAsk him what he uses!
t and its a dead music format.He does not have any hifi set up like I do! Uses a PC?!
I'd take a system like yours everytime.
My seperates system (NAD) is pretty low end but it can still play a tune far better than a PC.
Plus I like the tangible side of music. A CD or vinyl is something you can hold and cherish and read the sleve and admire the artwork.
Plus you can still rip it to iTunes for a mobile device.
H-Fi is very subjective. As long as you enjoy your system then nothing else is important.
My seperates system (NAD) is pretty low end but it can still play a tune far better than a PC.
Plus I like the tangible side of music. A CD or vinyl is something you can hold and cherish and read the sleve and admire the artwork.
Plus you can still rip it to iTunes for a mobile device.
H-Fi is very subjective. As long as you enjoy your system then nothing else is important.
Edited by B17NNS on Tuesday 16th March 19:36
CD may be a dying format in the long run - at least it's several orders of magnitude better than that mp3 sh*t the whole world seems to embrace as the gold standard in music consumption (all hail Steve Jobs who ditched his hifi 
). There was a time when CD was indeed a bit sh*te - ironically back then everyone was singing its praises and declared vinyl dead. Now that it's evolved to something that can be up there with the best vinyl replay systems (I'd be hard pressed to declare the superiority of one over another - ultimately I prefer vinyl but that's also because one can live their vinyl dreams on a relatively modest budget as there's so much excellent classic gear out there that will give the latest and greatest a run for its money if carefully set up and thoughtfully upgraded, while getting the best from cd requires a not insignificant investment in fast depreciating machinery), it's become probable that cd is being outlived by vinyl, the 'mass market' migrating towards downloads.
). There was a time when CD was indeed a bit sh*te - ironically back then everyone was singing its praises and declared vinyl dead. Now that it's evolved to something that can be up there with the best vinyl replay systems (I'd be hard pressed to declare the superiority of one over another - ultimately I prefer vinyl but that's also because one can live their vinyl dreams on a relatively modest budget as there's so much excellent classic gear out there that will give the latest and greatest a run for its money if carefully set up and thoughtfully upgraded, while getting the best from cd requires a not insignificant investment in fast depreciating machinery), it's become probable that cd is being outlived by vinyl, the 'mass market' migrating towards downloads. 
It seems to me that he either cannot afford a Naim system or the weight of his own opinions are severly lacking, so he has to jump on someone elses.
Your set-up may not be to everyones tastes, but it doesn't stop it being very capable and enjoyable. If he had any genuine enthusiasm or love for hi-fi, he'd already be aware of that.
Your set-up may not be to everyones tastes, but it doesn't stop it being very capable and enjoyable. If he had any genuine enthusiasm or love for hi-fi, he'd already be aware of that.
Lostprophet said:
Maxf said:
Maybe he is comparing it to a higher bitrate source - more than likely he is comparing the quality of sound to the convenience of MP3.
Ask him what he uses!
I think he is talking about bit rates I suppose; he said CD is sAsk him what he uses!
t and its a dead music format.He does not have any hifi set up like I do! Uses a PC?!
CD is a dead format in that the likes of Flac files could be argued to be much more convenient. However, convenience is the only advantage; they won't sound any different. A Flac file will sound exactly the same as a CD (assuming similar spec equipment used {i.e. both have good DACs}). However, CD is still the de-facto standard and the only people likely to argue against CDs are vinyl aficionados.
Edited by wiffmaster on Tuesday 16th March 19:56
wiffmaster said:
Lostprophet said:
Maxf said:
Maybe he is comparing it to a higher bitrate source - more than likely he is comparing the quality of sound to the convenience of MP3.
Ask him what he uses!
I think he is talking about bit rates I suppose; he said CD is sAsk him what he uses!
t and its a dead music format.He does not have any hifi set up like I do! Uses a PC?!
CD is a dead format in that the likes of Flac files could be argued to be much more convenient. However, convenience is the only advantage; they won't sound any different. A Flac file will sound exactly the same as a CD (assuming similar spec equipment used {i.e. both have good DACs}). However, CD is still the de-facto standard and the only people likely to argue against CDs are vinyl aficionados.
Edited by wiffmaster on Tuesday 16th March 19:56
OP, your friend is in all probably a technical luddite proving that a little knowledge is largely a dangerous thing.
I find the Naim sound a little unforgiving and bright personally but it's folly to suggest that just because it's old it's crap.
As far as I'm aware our ears haven't received much in the way of upgrades for some time.
I find the Naim sound a little unforgiving and bright personally but it's folly to suggest that just because it's old it's crap.
As far as I'm aware our ears haven't received much in the way of upgrades for some time.
It just sounds like he is talking rubbish.
CD probably is a dead format in the short to medium term. But it isn't compressed, or crap. We'll replace them either with tiny SD cards or downloading, depending probably mostly on the users' rights and their understanding of them. Then, bitrate will go up, but in truth there isn't much further to go that anyone can genuinely hear.
CD probably is a dead format in the short to medium term. But it isn't compressed, or crap. We'll replace them either with tiny SD cards or downloading, depending probably mostly on the users' rights and their understanding of them. Then, bitrate will go up, but in truth there isn't much further to go that anyone can genuinely hear.
Unfortunately your "friend" is a prat. He was probably one of those who thought CD when it came out trashed Vinyl, MP3 is fantastic and HDD systems will trounce all. He may even have a Class "D", (the latest underdeveloped fad), amp and think that's fantastic.
The fact is that Well built Hi-Fi will "sound" good whatever the technology used and however old it is. CD is a method of getting Music into the system as is Vinyl, Tape, Cassette, DAT, Minidisc, Memory cards and Hard drive's. All have their good and bad points but these days providing you have a "good" player all will reproduce Music to the best of it's ability.
I listen to music and built my Hi-Fi around it. Hence my Amp is Valve based, (no doubt your "friend" will be enraged by that), but my digital Disc System uses FPGA chips to run a DAC program, an expensive and advanced solution that He probably would love. For me it's a case of I love the sound it produces and to be Honest that is the point!!!!!
The fact is that Well built Hi-Fi will "sound" good whatever the technology used and however old it is. CD is a method of getting Music into the system as is Vinyl, Tape, Cassette, DAT, Minidisc, Memory cards and Hard drive's. All have their good and bad points but these days providing you have a "good" player all will reproduce Music to the best of it's ability.
I listen to music and built my Hi-Fi around it. Hence my Amp is Valve based, (no doubt your "friend" will be enraged by that), but my digital Disc System uses FPGA chips to run a DAC program, an expensive and advanced solution that He probably would love. For me it's a case of I love the sound it produces and to be Honest that is the point!!!!!
telecat said:
Unfortunately your "friend" is a prat
Unfortunately I think you maybe right. He also thinks iphones are ‘st’ and designed for idiots and a few other things which I think I will neglect to post on here. Generally it appears he’s quick to knock good things people have. It’s possibly a sign of insecurity? Not sure why I let this prat get under my skin; I suppose I was wrong to give value to him. The remarks were made in front of another friend and so I thought I better check up on the validity of his remarks. I got the tech info I needed and there are a lot of good posts to my initial question. It’s very interesting to read what music lovers think about modern tech. Many thanks for the response.
I do love the Naim, I tested Arcam, Rotel, Regal and Cyrus. I just found the Naim to be most capable from the systems I tested, each to their own sound though I suppose. I think I might downsize my B&W 603 S3 speakers to another set of B&W’s!
Edited by Lostprophet on Wednesday 17th March 10:35
Plotloss said:
I find the Naim sound a little unforgiving and bright personally but it's folly to suggest that just because it's old it's crap.
It's not even old is it? I had a listen to the Nait 5i and CD5i when I bought my current system. It wasn't for me, but it wasn't crap.Of course, he may be very into hi-fi and therefore be one of the vehemently anti-Naim brigade who patrol hi-fi forums. Most amusing.
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