Sound of Naim cd 5i italic


In my never ending pursuit to try every cd player only
on this planet for $2000, I was curious on the sound
and reliability of the NAIM cd 5i (italic).

I do not have a local dealer and I like toe tapping resolving players. I have had some Exposure cd players and was curious if the sound is the same.
I run two different cd players in two different systems.

It would be hooked up to a Mcintosh MA 6300.

THANKS FOR OPINIONS AND HELP.
klaudio
You should also check out the new Creek Destiny player IMO. Very resolving and very toe-tapping.

I find the older Naim 5i a bit dark on top which might not work with some systems. I assume the new italic version is quite similar.

I have had many players in this price range. See my system page for more info and feel free to ask me questions.

You got yourself a great amp, by the way.

Arthur
In the post above, Arthur wrote: "I find the older Naim 5i a bit dark on top which might not work with some systems. I assume the new italic version is quite similar."

Based on my experience, I'd say that assumption is not accurate. I own the CD5i-2 (the "italic"), and owned the original CD5i before. The new CD5i-2 is a significant improvement over the original -- less of an electronic edge to the sound, warmer, fuller, more natural sounding, lively but not edgy. The difference surprised me -- I had both players on hand for a few weeks and was able to make direct comparisons. Maybe it has to do with the new DAC (Wolfson) in the later model? In any case, while Naim has only distinguished the new model from the old model by italicizing a letter, they have in practice produced (in my opinion) a significantly more musical and engaging CD player.
You might be surprised by the sound of the Music Hall 25.2 - certainly not in the $2000 range but a good player nonetheless!