New or Old CD Player?

imgoodwithtools OP189 posts04-10-2018 2:55amGeorge, or anyone else: What do you know about a Naim CDS II with external power supply?

The Naim CDSII uses the PCM1702k still a great R2R Multibit dac not quite as good as the PCM1704K which was the king, before the far cheaper to produce Delta Sigma stuff came along which "hobbled" Redbook.

This is better, the CDXII, it uses the PCM1704K with the PMD200 same as what's in the Linn Sondek CD12. and the Naim CD555. with lesser peripherals around it (eg: power supplies, buffers, i/v stage, ect) 

Cheers George

Is the Linn or the Naim more "analog" sounding?

Yes they’re both very analogue in their lower mid richness, without the bass getting thick/syrupy as tubes tend to do.
Good luck finding a the Naim 555 pairing under $10k though, also the Linn CD12MkIII, as there were not many of these, plenty MkI’s and II’s but it’s the III you want, if you can’t get the Naim pair.

https://www.stereophile.com/cdplayers/207naim/index.html

This was the a review of only the MkI with PCM1702 not the better MkIII with PCM1704’s +PMD200 (same as the Naim).
https://www.stereophile.com/cdplayers/86/index.html

Cheers George

imgoodwithtools
 only intend to play Redbook CD's and want a one-box solution.
 

If you want one box players, not dacs, these are the ones.
For finest Redbook replay, as there are no new players built around these dac chips, you want players that used the best implemented (at the time) 2R2 Ladder Multibit Dac in them, the PCM1704"k" selected.

These are my 3 in order, there are more.

1: Naim CD555 with 555 power base
2: Linn Sondek CD-12 MkIII version that has 4 x PCM1704K and PMD200 
3: Esoteric X-01

Cheers George