Naim or Cyrus

[admin_exported]

Hi to all

I have a pair of B&W CM7's and cant decide between the new Cyrus 6 dac with Cyrus CDT transport or the Naim nait 5i and the Naim CD5i????

I listen to all forms of music from Pink floyd to hip hop, blues and reggae.

My main concern with the two amps is the wpc 40 for the Cyrus and 50 for the Naim. Is that enough to give my speakers all theyneed to thrill me?

I am not into very loud music just low to medium levels. I harldy ever listen to my Iphone through my stereo but feel the cyrus will give that future proof option being a DAC.

Any ideas or other suggestions?

 

[chebby]

You are looking at the thick end of £2K for the Naim seperates. You are also interested in streaming/DAC etc.

The NaimUniti 2 is £2795 and you get FM and DAB and CD and DAC/streaming etc and 70w per channel.

(Alternatively look for ex-demo deals on the 'original' 50wpc NaimUniti whilst there are still some around.)

 

[kungula]

I cannot tell you if the suggested Cyrus or Naim can drive your speakers. Anyway it should be tight and you will not be happy eventually. The Naim Uniti 2 suggested is probably a much better choice. I am personally looking at the Superuniti with the Neat Elite SX speakers. My CDM 7 SE are for sale.

 

[mitch65]

I am not a cyrus fan but love Naim so for me they are like chalk and cheese, you just need to find out your own preference. I know from experience that Naims quoted 50wpc sounds more powerful so that should not be an issue.

Chebby mentions ex demo NaimUnitis which offer excellent value for money (I know because I bought one) and offer streaming as a future option.

Cyrus offer the same sort of thing so there are plenty of options to consider......lucky you, this is the fun part! :rockout:

 

[gregvet]

Hi to all

I have a pair of B&W CM7's and cant decide between the new Cyrus 6 dac with Cyrus CDT transport or the Naim nait 5i and the Naim CD5i????

I listen to all forms of music from Pink floyd to hip hop, blues and reggae.

My main concern with the two amps is the wpc 40 for the Cyrus and 50 for the Naim. Is that enough to give my speakers all theyneed to thrill me?

I am not into very loud music just low to medium levels. I harldy ever listen to my Iphone through my stereo but feel the cyrus will give that future proof option being a DAC.

Any ideas or other suggestions?

I have never got on with Naim, but love the clean Cyrus sound, as long as it is partnered with kit that doesnt make the overall presentation too bright. Spendor/PMC work particularly well IMO. I cant comment on the Cyrus B&W combo tho.

Personally if I was looking at a system right now with that kind of budget, I would go for the Stream XP and an Xpower, with a NAS if you dont already have one, and just stream music. I dont miss my CD player since going the straming route. Any cheap disc spinner will do, as long as it has a digital output, if you absolutely have to play CDs directly.

The system i have suggested would be in a different league to the 6 Dac plus CDT IMHO.

 

[Crossie]

There are some very good deals for Cyrus 8XPd which should give 70 wpc - Moorgate Acoustics do great deals on Cyrus gear. :dance:

Do listen first, as Cyrus and Naim are quite different in sound presentation.

:beer:

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks to all.

Some very good advice and stacks to absorb. I am swaying towards the Naim but keep hearing about "the Naim sound" my local has offered me a take home and test (money upfront of course). I also have a long standing 10% discount with the store which takes me up to my £1700 to £1800 limit.

Whatever I get in the end if it does not match my speakers I hear that my B&W's could get me around £700 on the bay which could be put towards a better matching set of speakers.

With regards to streaming it is something i have always hated the though of but feel it may have to be a future consideration.

After considering the rega r and matching cd player or the same in Roksan kandy I played a bit of devils advocate and looked at the Cyrus and Naim.

Once again thanks to all

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks to all.

Some very good advice and stacks to absorb. I am swaying towards the Naim but keep hearing about "the Naim sound" my local has offered me a take home and test (money upfront of course). I also have a long standing 10% discount with the store which takes me up to my £1700 to £1800 limit.

Whatever I get in the end if it does not match my speakers I hear that my B&W's could get me around £700 on the bay which could be put towards a better matching set of speakers.

With regards to streaming it is something i have always hated the though of but feel it may have to be a future consideration.

After considering the rega r and matching cd player or the same in Roksan kandy I played a bit of devils advocate and looked at the Cyrus and Naim.

Once again thanks to all

 

[jimmy.cross]

Hi,

I spent quite some time figuring out a good amp for my CM7 about one year ago. In the end I narrowed my list to the Naim Nait 5i and Roksan Kandy mk2.

The Naim Nait 5i with my CM7 sounded terrific!!! The Roksan was lacking detail in the bass, and it never went as deep as the Naim.

In the end I went for the Naim Nait XS-2 because I got some extra cash >) , but the difference is not night and day.

Just one tip: The CM7 have a wild bass, so I was inclined to used the supplied dumpers for the bass port, but with those on, it felt the bass was too weak. I had a budget van den Hulst Snowline speaker cable. When I changed to the Naim Nac5 cable, that was night and day! and I have always been very skeptical to spending (a lot of) money in cables.

The bass presence was suddenly perfect to my ears deep and punchy, whereas the mid-range was more entertaining.

I hope this helps! But I don't think you can go wrong with the Naim, don't even look to the 50W tag on the Naim. It drives the CM7 easily at low volumes.

 

[kungula]

Hi,

Just one tip: The CM7 have a wild bass, so I was inclined to used the supplied dumpers for the bass port, but with those on, it felt the bass was too weak. ...

that depends basically on the size of your room. In 6x5 metres room the bass is well under control if you do not place the speakers too close to the wall.

 

[Paulq]

I am swaying towards the Naim but keep hearing about "the Naim sound"

I am currently looking at the Uniti 2 as an option to replace my Linn Classik/Majik setup that I have had for many years. The appeal of the Naim is the one box offering that has pretty much everything I want plus the standard of the CD transport and DAC in it - I am currently trying to set up a demo but in my neck of the woods 3 dealers have this week told me they can't do it next week as 'Naim are on holiday'.

What??

Anyway, as I have a long standing affiliation with Linn I am also looking at their Majik DS but on paper the Naim seems a better offering. Like you I keep hearing about the 'Naim Sound' and plan to listen to it myself. However, how can it be described (particularly compared to Linn if poss). Is it warm, neutral, bright?

I have looked at the Arcam Solo Neo also but something tells me it's not quite what I am looking for.

 

[kungula]

the Majik DS or DSM is really a fantastic machine which I like very much. But if you still need a CD player a Naim Unti 2 is probably the better choice for you. If you can afford it have a look also at the Superuniti which sounds still better than the Uniti 2.

 

[Anonymous]

Jimmy.cross

Thanks for this very helpfull it's nice to hear from somone who has auditioned the pair.

 

[jimmy.cross]

Thanks for this very helpfull it's nice to hear from somone who has auditioned the pair.

It took me a while to find a good match for my CM7.

 

[NHL]

Definitely Cyrus (have auditioned both).

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks to all



I had a listen to both today and have gone for the Naim hopefully it will be with me by wednesday.

I enjoyed the sound of the Cyrus but when i was on my way to the Naim stockist my ears felt a bit tired the cyrus also didn't give lower volume thrill like the Naim.

Once again thanks to all.

 

[mitch65]

Thanks to all



I had a listen to both today and have gone for the Naim hopefully it will be with me by wednesday.

I enjoyed the sound of the Cyrus but when i was on my way to the Naim stockist my ears felt a bit tired the cyrus also didn't give lower volume thrill like the Naim.

Once again thanks to all.

:beer:

 

[John Duncan]

Good call...

 

[Anonymous]

Amp and cd player is set up and sounds great.

I do have a question to ask about the volume control on the amp I can not move it very far before it is way too loud.

Is this a running in thing or have I wired it wrong?

Anything above a quarter way up is party level music to me which is a suprise due to the big speakers???????

My yamaha rxn600d which the B&W came off used to be cranked up to -25db and be bearable.

 

[plastic penguin]

Amp and cd player is set up and sounds great.

I do have a question to ask about the volume control on the amp I can not move it very far before it is way too loud.

Is this a running in thing or have I wired it wrong?

Anything above a quarter way up is party level music to me which is a suprise due to the big speakers???????

My yamaha rxn600d which the B&W came off used to be cranked up to -25db and be bearable.

The Nait 5i is a very ballsy amp. The spec sheet specifies 50 watt per channel but my experience I'd rate it more like 80-90 watts.

Yes, if it's a new amp it'll need running in. Ah, also, make sure you keep it switched on...

 

[Anonymous]

Same problem as you with the "sensitive" volume control.

I bought a second hand Naim Supernait to replace a failing Technics AA amplifier and whereas the Technics was a comfortable listen up until the halfway point on the volume dial the Supernait is comfortable until about a quarter of the way around then seems to become very loud.

This seems odd considering the Technics was a 100 watt amplifier whereas the Supernait is "only" 80 watt.

The setup in both cases were the same source (Pioneer SACD) and speakers (Epos ES14) with only the amplifier changed.

Would seem to be one of the oddities of Naim amplification setups...

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for this.

It is a bit weird. I did crank it up to halfway last night playing darude's sandstorm and the speakers lived to tell the tale.

I think my lounge is a bit small for big floorstanders with Naim kit as they sound better at lower listening volumes another 5ft away from my current listening position.

I am nit picking but don't like the naim logo on my amp not being as bright as the cd player. Other than that I notice after swithcing the amp off the light stays on the amp for an age. Is that another Naim amp thing?

 

[mitch65]

Thanks for this.

It is a bit weird. I did crank it up to halfway last night playing darude's sandstorm and the speakers lived to tell the tale.

I think my lounge is a bit small for big floorstanders with Naim kit as they sound better at lower listening volumes another 5ft away from my current listening position.

I am nit picking but don't like the naim logo on my amp not being as bright as the cd player. Other than that I notice after swithcing the amp off the light stays on the amp for an age. Is that another Naim amp thing?

It's a Naim thing.

 

[plastic penguin]

Thanks for this.

I think my lounge is a bit small for big floorstanders with Naim kit as they sound better at lower listening volumes another 5ft away from my current listening position.

I had issues running along similar lines: The Nait physically gave me a headache using the RS6s. What size room do you have?

 

[Anonymous]

Congrats on your choice and enjoy.

I guess that the volume control will stay that way, but in my experience a new amp does need running in, often for some weeks or more..... an initial rather brighter tinny sound will give way to a more relaxed warmer sound as it runs in. So just listen and enjoy and report back in a few weeks how it sounds!