Naim CD5si CD Player (2019)

A splendid and very recent CD5si CD Player from British Hi-Fi specialists Naim Audio. The CD5 series CD player was originally launched in 2000 and has undergone numerous changes up until 2012 when the CD5si was launched. It comes in “Classic” style casework and is a single-box CD player. As is the norm with Naim it has a novel design which features a CD transport that sits in a manually swing-out CD tray, with a special CD puck magnetically holding the disc in place. It comes in very good condition with one small mark on the top – please see photographs. It is supplied in original packaging, with remote control, mains & SNAIC cables, manual, cd puck, and our standard three month warranty.
Naim Say….
The CD5si CD player, especially when partnered with the complementary NAIT 5si integrated amplifier, sets a thrilling new standard for musical performance at our entry level.
With so much focus on audio streaming and downloads it might seem easy to forget the humble CD. But not at Naim Audio. After all, the CD is still by far the world’s most popular music format and for millions of music enthusiasts compact disc collections still constitute the heart and soul of precious music libraries. This outstanding machine, which replaces the previous CD5i, brings worthwhile performance benefits for users but retains the functionality and straightforward usability of the classic player. The CD5si is designed to be the best in its class, incorporating genuine technological advances to provide a thoroughly enjoyable musical experience.
The CD5si name may only differ from its CD5i predecessor by one character, but under the skin there’s numerous fundamental improvements and advances – each one aimed at extracting more music and enjoyment from every CD. To begin with, the CD5si digital to analogue converter chip has been upgraded to a Burr Brown PCM1793 – a device very closely related to the one used in the NDX high-end streaming player. The CD5si also benefits from a more stable DAC clock, higher voltage power supply rails, a revised analogue filter design and a brand new CD transport and laser optics. All these changes were driven by our relentless search for engineering reliability and sound quality, and the benefit of each change was confirmed after many hours of listening.
However, just as change can bring improvement, there’s often nothing wrong with sticking to your guns, so the CD5si retains all of its predecessor’s best features and Naim Audio trademarks. The unique Naim Audio swing-out CD drawer, laser tracking and digital error correction software, discrete analogue output electronics, and a die-cast, non-magnetic enclosure construction that helps ensure the electronics within can extract the most music possible from every CD.
Features:
Stiff, extruded aluminium casework provides excellent resistance to external vibration
High performance drawer and transport mechanism as with our premium CDX2 model, providing low resonance, low-inertia disc operation
Discrete digital and analogue power supplies for superior isolation of sound critical electronics
Specifications:
Audio Outputs
De-emphasis: ±0.1dB referred to main response
Line Outputs Fixed (level): 2.1V RMS at 1kHz
THD + N: <0.007%, 10Hz – 20kHz at full level
Load Impedance: 10kΩ (min.)
Output Impedance: 10Ω (max.)
Analogue: DIN, RCA
Frequency Response: 10Hz – 20kHz, -0.6dB at 20Hz
CD Formats: Red Book
Disc Compatibility: CD, CD-R
Power Consumption: 9VA (stop mode), 12VA (play mode), 16VA (peak)
Supply Voltage: 100V, 115V, 230V; 50 or 60Hz
Dimensions: 432 (W) x 301 (D) x 70 (H) mm
Weight: 5.9 kg

For a review from What Hi-Fi? magazine please click here