Just scored a Caspian CD Player for Peanuts; would a Nait XS be a nice match?

[admin_exported]

I just scored a Caspian cd player for a quarter of the retail price, which of course will set of a chain reaction of upgrades...

I could get a Naim XS for less then a half the retail price.

How would those two get along?

My speakers are the EB 1 and I mostly listen to Indie and Rock.

Regards!

 

[plastic penguin]

I dunno, but from personal experience Naim are rather picky out partnering other brands. The problem is the speakers: fabulous as they maybe, you won't hear the best from the Naim and Roksan unless you upgrade the monitors. Just a personal opinion.

 

[Anonymous]

A Nait XS at less than half price? Buy it and sell it. Use the cash to get a Primare I30 or ATC SIA2. Possibly even the new Caspian.

 

[drummerman]

Funny, the advise given by both igglebert and plasticpenguin ...

Buy the XS, sell it ... the EB's not good enough ...

I can't comment on the likelyhood of the pair working well or not (nor, I have to assume, can the other two), but the XS is a very good product and if you can get it at the price you say, a no brainer. Similarely, the EB had very good reviews and at the end of the day, the room will play a big part and hifi is a personal thing. Buy, try then decide.

As always, my opinion only.

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah, it was a funny suggestion really. Only your auditioning will tell whether it works for you. I was heading for the idea of a profitable exchange to fund a better amp.

 

[Craig M.]

rjes:
I just scored a Caspian cd player for a quarter of the retail price, which of course will set of a chain reaction of upgrades...

I could get a Naim XS for less then a half the retail price.

How would those two get along?

My speakers are the EB 1 and I mostly listen to Indie and Rock.

Regards!

nice! my favourite cdp.

i haven't heard an xs, but strictly from reading reviews, i think it could match the caspian quite well.

buy it, as igg says, if you don't like it you might actually make money selling it on.

 

[Anonymous]

Well, the caspian is in the house. It came with a HUGE power chord labeled "Magic Line"

I have not tested it thoroughly but did a short comparison via Grado SR-60i cans through the Nad C326BEE.

The Marantz CD6003 held its ground quite nicely.

The Marantz was connected via a cheap 4m long interconnect while the Roksan was connected with a Atlas Equator.

So I must have hit a point where the Nad become the limiting factor....

 

[Anonymous]

Well I have done some better listening and it seems like the headphone out was the culprit.

Voices sound a lot more sensitive and have more feeling to them. I guess that would be the added dynamic capabilities of the more expensive player (vibratos don't only come along as a change in pitch but also as a fluctuation of volume).

The sound stage is better defined (on some CDs even each cymbal and drum can be positioned).

Complex music is tidier and does not resolve into a mess when things get really hot.

The bottom end is tighter and better defined. The marantz is probably also a bit warmer.

The music seems to flow more naturally somehow

Sibilance was sometimes a problem but less so now.

Conclusion:

Well I am comparing the Marantz against a CD player that costs 3-4 times more thorugh a amplifier that costs 300 pounds. The difference was not night and day. The Marantz must be an exceptional product and the ipod compatibility is really handy.

I hesitated too long and so the Nait XS was gone when I got around to contact the seller.

But.... I did score a Nait 5i for half price ( it is about the retail price of a new NAD C326BEE). Cant wait to test it against the Nad.

 

[cse]

Are you going to keep the Marantz then, or the Caspian. I have the Caspian amplifier, which is excellent.

 

[True Blue]

When you going to spill the beans about where the Naim half price sale is?