Come on you digitalians!

Cheers Julian and Mr Perceptive. A 200/203's possible and there's a fair number around, but I'm really not keen on the two-box route. Will consider it seriously if the first round of auditions draws a blank.

Julian: how different is the CD5 from the 3.5? It's the same DAC and output stage as far as I can see. I wouldn't mind hearing one if it is better, as I do like the pull-out transport on these Naim players. I thought about adding a hicap (can't see any point adding the Russ Andrews job as it has no resale value at a later date, and a flatcap as a full-width component would necessitate serious rack changes, which I don't want to get into), but they're simply overpriced, even in the secondhand market. A big transformer in a heavy box isn't worth £350-£500, regardless of the improvement it makes. It would also make the 3.5 closer to a £1K player, which breaks the strict budget. Still, I will give the CD5 a go as well.

Cheers

-- Ian

 

ian,
from what i understand the 5's psu is beefier and better regulated plus there is better internal isolation. i'd definately give the pp3 a try if i were you, you can send it back after 60 days if you don;t like it for a full refund (less postage of course but that's about 7 quid) and it's 1/2 way between a flatcap and a hi-cap. the hi-cap really is the mutts nuts though, but i can understand your reluctance to drop that money on a power supply.
the other thing you may want to try is putting the cd3.5 on a seismic sink, to me it damped the prat that i liked on the cd5 but others have noted that it works really well on the cd3.5

cheers


julian

 

I think the 3.5 may have gone by tomorrow evening (I have a couple of potential buyers coming to see it) so I probably won't get a chance to try the PP3. If it doesn't sell tomorrow, I may temporarily pull the ad and give it a go, just so I know one way or the other. Unless you've got a spare hicap you want to lend / give me?

Seismic sink: too tweaky for me. Not into playing with air bladders and the like. No doubt they work, but for me the hifi has to work in a normal living space with the bare minimum of fuss and minimal expense on isolation, cables, mains, etc. Call me shortsighted if you like, that's just the way I am.

-- Ian

 

PMSL at kettle lead gag.!!

ALSO - whats this bit about ''if I were still a punk'' ??? Did you used to have dayglo hair and bovva boots?

£700.... I'd be trying to demo (havent heard every one of these BTW)

1) CAL sigma II and a clocked TEAC transport.
2) second hand Primare 30.2
3) ICON audio's tubed upsampled modified marantz. sounded nice (NB Its not made by ICON but they are the distributor)
4) ex-dem quad 99? might be worth a listen, supposed to be good.
5) an Xbox - well, it has its fringe benefits...



Chris

 

sorry ian both my psu's are in full use and the thought of no music fiulls me with terror.
if you can sell it for the money you want then go for it, but the pp3 was definately better than a 'bare' cd5 and even beat the flatcap in most areas.

i think icon distribute the AH! njoe tjoeb modded marantzes. which by all accounts are cracking players if you like that kind of thing.

had a look at central audio's pages and they've got a meridian 506.24 and a 507 for just over your budget so with a bit of haggling you might get it down to 700?

cheers


julian

 

Ian, you could have a go at the cheap, simple but quite effective isolation suggestions I have made in the cheap isolation? thread, under the heading Door stops and balls. They might sound dumb but they work. The squash balls do much of what the air bladders do.

Steve

 

Julian wins the prize. If I sell this 3.5 tomorrow night and that 506.24 is still available by then, that's the one I'm going for.

Right, none of you buggers are allowed to gazump me, OK?

-- Ian

 

Just out of curiosity Tone, in what ways does the Planet 2000 suck then? I think the bare original Planet has a bit more oomph if a bit less refined? I know it's no Wadia but it's not THAT bad surely?

I'd get my Planet Mk1 clocked, but the lid's noisy on some discs, so I'm going to go the whole hog and get something different in the next couple of years - maybe a Densen or Naim (or whatever else seems in the running at around £1k)...

 

No wonder you still don't rate CD Ian

Digital deserves better than this

 

I've always quite liked the Planet 2000 but when we compared it (as a transport) with Tone's Wadia there was a big difference. The Wadia had more life, more presence, just more really. Hopefully Tone's reclocking the Planet for me will give it a little more. Steve

 

Dom, The planet doesn't suck in the sence you feel, It's all a question of what your reference is, and I'm a bit spoilt, plus my Wadia isn't exactly as MR W intended
The orginal planet has far less room, for psu and such like, the newer one is 24/192khz and uses a wolfson chip with rega written on it .
I prefered the older one we had here the other day, not as much detail or openiness, but more focused image and drive.
The respond very well to mods, as the basic units shall we say, are basic we'll leave it like that.
But lets see what Steve feels when he gets his back, as ultimately only he can say ok Dom. Tone

 

Really? What's wrong with it? I've never heard one, but I'm assuming it must be pretty decent. Tell me more. If it's no good I'll stick to plan A.

-- Ian

 

Whatever you buy, a good PC is a must, if Shunyata is too expensive, get the VDH Mainsstream or the Eupen, even less money, but darker than the VDH...

 

dont listen to the beatings of the kettle drums!



Well, ok, I'll admit power cables are worth a try... thats as far as I'll go though... I remain thoroughly and repeatedly unconvinced. If it works for some, its worth trying for others. Have you tried them in your own system mate?


Cheers
Chris

A commited member of the 'power cables are bollocks' camp.

:MILD:

 

Chris, fear not, power leads are not where it's at, as far as I'm concerned.

-- Ian

 

Hi Ian,

<groans of 'change the record' you boring *******>

Which I shall ignore. Get a Mana rack for all your gear. It WILL perform better. Once set-up, it requires no maintenance. The seismic sink is a total waste of space & money.

The Naim CD5 is not quite as nice as a CD3.5, so that would be a small downgrade.

 

I use VDH Mainsstream for the player and the processor, they improved more on the player, and I tried it on several players, better bass, extended dynamic range, etc...

I also tested the Eupen, but found the sound duller, less treble extension, Michaelab preferred the Eupens...

 

Bub, kudos for your consistency old bean.

lowrider, thanks for the suggestion but mains cables are not something I have much interest in exploring. I'd like to start the process by getting a CDP I actually like rather than worrying about power leads and the like. My experience of power leads, mains conditioning, fancy interconnects and the like has not convinced me that any of them represent significant musical improvements for the things I listen for. Doesn't mean they don't work for other people, of course.

-- Ian

 

Ian, honestly. It's true. I know everyone thinks I am insane. Borrow one.

 

You are insane, clearly, but I don't doubt it works for you and others. There's obviously something in it. One day soon I will try a Mana wall shelf for the turntable, when I've worked out where it's going to go once the room is redecorated. Frankly I'm skeptical about any isolation solutions for other components, but never say never.

-- Ian