Roksan setup vs Naim setup

[admin_exported]

I think I've finally narrowed down my choices to these combinations:

Roksan Kandy K2 CD player + amplifier OR

Naim CD5i CD player + Naim Nait XS

Can anyone share the characteristics of these two set-ups?

What if I increase my budget to accommodate a Roksan Caspian M Series CD player + amplifier? How would that stack up against the Naim combination?

 

[chebby]

I assume you have got down to these two options through listening to them.

Spending this much money £2k+ with a dealer should get you a home demo of both with your own speakers and in your own listening room.

No-one is going to agree on Naim vs Roksan and I cannot help. (Not heard any Roksan for many years.)

 

[Thaiman]

jtein:
I think I've finally narrowed down my choices to these combinations:

Roksan Kandy K2 CD player + amplifier OR

Naim CD5i CD player + Naim Nait XS

Can anyone share the characteristics of these two set-ups?

What if I increase my budget to accommodate a Roksan Caspian M Series CD player + amplifier? How would that stack up against the Naim combination?

Not much in it I would guess, I never heard the K2 but was very impress with the whole Caspian M set up I heard ealier this year. As for Naim, I believe they start to sound very good from supernait (or Nac 202/nap200) upwards. so not much help from me then!

 

[Anonymous]

chebby:I assume you have got down to these two options through listening to them.

Spending this much money £2k+ with a dealer should get you a home demo of both with your own speakers and in your own listening room.

No-one is going to agree on Naim vs Roksan and I cannot help. (Not heard any Roksan for many years.)

Thanks for the reply chebby but......errrmm......home demo is unheard of in Malaysia http://www.postsmile.com/

I'm not looking to debate which set-up is better but just want to know what the characteristics are of each setup. So it would be great if you could share why Naim won your hard-earned income http://www.postsmile.com/

 

[Anonymous]

Thaiman:Not much in it I would guess, I never heard the K2 but was very impress with the whole Caspian M set up I heard ealier this year. As for Naim, I believe they start to sound very good from supernait (or Nac 202/nap200) upwards. so not much help from me then!

Thanks for your reply......any input is greatly appreciated.

 

[chebby]

jtein:
Thaiman:Not much in it I would guess, I never heard the K2 but was very impress with the whole Caspian M set up I heard ealier this year. As for Naim, I believe they start to sound very good from supernait (or Nac 202/nap200) upwards. so not much help from me then!

Thanks for your reply......any input is greatly appreciated.

I do not agree with Thaiman, but I would not dare argue the point (about Naim not sounding very good until Supernait or NAC202/NAP200 upwards). He is probably right. I have only heard my Nait 5i/CD5i and the Nait XS and the Naimuniti

He listens to hifi on a far higher plane than I could ever dream of and is a bit of a guru around here. I happen to love the sound of my system - and bought what I could afford - but his experience 'trumps' mine when it comes to the 'high-end' stuff.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I have the Roksan Kandy K2 CD player + amp and am very happy with it. Not heard the Naim though.

What speakers do you have and what size of room are you listening in?

Cheers, Dan.

 

[Thaiman]

chebby:jtein:
Thaiman:Not much in it I would guess, I never heard the K2 but was very impress with the whole Caspian M set up I heard ealier this year. As for Naim, I believe they start to sound very good from supernait (or Nac 202/nap200) upwards. so not much help from me then!

Thanks for your reply......any input is greatly appreciated.

I do not agree with Thaiman, but I would not dare argue the point (about Naim not sounding very good until Supernait or NAC202/NAP200 upwards). He is probably right. I have only heard my Nait 5i/CD5i and the Nait XS and the Naimuniti

He listens to hifi on a far higher plane than I could ever dream of and is a bit of a guru around here. I happen to love the sound of my system - and bought what I could afford - but his experience 'trumps' mine when it comes to the 'high-end' stuff.

Let me explain a little, Cheb. I am not an expert at the range and mainly listen to the set up around dealers/show or mate's house. The Nait set up I heard was good, pacey and exciting. The problem with Naim in the lower range is that they try to keep the house sound from the higher range into their budget range which, to my ears anyway, never sound quite convincing.
Naim's house sound mainly rely on pace, rhythm, and timing and very little on soundstage and imaging, the higher you go up the more details you can hear and also the grip and control is nothing short from brilliant! However the trigger down version just don't quite have enough power to grip speakers like the way...say, Rotel can or soundstage is not quite widely impressive as similar price Cyrus. Having say all that if you get what Naim's sound is all about then nothing else will be quite good enough! I do miss Naim's sound on certain tracks even now! So Chebby, don't worry or take offence on whatever me or other people say, as long as you enjoy the music - that's the main purpose of owning Niams.

 

[plastic penguin]

Thaiman:jtein:

I think I've finally narrowed down my choices to these combinations:

Roksan Kandy K2 CD player + amplifier OR

Naim CD5i CD player + Naim Nait XS

Can anyone share the characteristics of these two set-ups?

What if I increase my budget to accommodate a Roksan Caspian M Series CD player + amplifier? How would that stack up against the Naim combination?

Not much in it I would guess, I never heard the K2 but was very impress with the whole Caspian M set up I heard ealier this year. As for Naim, I believe they start to sound very good from supernait (or Nac 202/nap200) upwards. so not much help from me then!

Only heard the entry-level models, but it really depends on what takes your fancy. Both Roksan and Naim are very forthright sounding, but from personal experience, it will come down to speaker choice. Roksan is a little easier to accomodate, whereas The Naim don't appreciate very bright or aggressive sounding monitors.

 

[Anonymous]

danmo:Hi,

I have the Roksan Kandy K2 CD player + amp and am very happy with it. Not heard the Naim though.

What speakers do you have and what size of room are you listening in?

Cheers, Dan.

Hi Dan,

My listening space where I intend to situate my gear is 5.45m x 5.0m. It's not an enclosed room but an open space which adjoins a 2nd living room and dining area. If I take these into account, then it would be 15m x 10m! Ceiling height is at least 5.5m.

I haven't got any speakers yet as I'm building my system from scratch. What speakers are you using?

So Dan, mind telling me the reasons why you are very happy with the Roksan set-up? Is it the rhythm, timing, stereo imaging, musicality, clarity, detail or what?

Cheers.

 

[plastic penguin]

jtein:danmo:Hi,

I have the Roksan Kandy K2 CD player + amp and am very happy with it. Not heard the Naim though.

What speakers do you have and what size of room are you listening in?

Cheers, Dan.

Hi Dan,

My listening space where I intend to situate my gear is 5.45m x 5.0m. It's not an enclosed room but an open space which adjoins a 2nd living room and dining area. If I take these into account, then it would be 15m x 10m! Ceiling height is at least 5.5m.

I haven't got any speakers yet as I'm building my system from scratch. What speakers are you using?

So Dan, mind telling me the reasons why you are very happy with the Roksan set-up? Is it the rhythm, timing, stereo imaging, musicality, clarity, detail or what?

Cheers.

What speakers are you intending to buy or have?

 

[Anonymous]

plastic penguin:What speakers are you intending to buy or have?

At first I thought of the ATC SCM11s but I don't know whwther it will be sufficient for the size of my listening space. I'm also considering ProAc Studio 140, Bowers & Wilkins CM7 and the ATC SCM40.

 

[plastic penguin]

jtein:

plastic penguin:What speakers are you intending to buy or have?

At first I thought of the ATC SCM11s but I don't know whwther it will be sufficient for the size of my listening space. I'm also considering ProAc Studio 140, Bowers & Wilkins CM7 and the ATC SCM40.

When I heard the ATC SCM11's with Nait5i and Cyrus 6SE it sounded tremendous, more ballsy than the Kandy K2. If you like a slightly easier (use the word loosely) listen then the Roksan would be the safer choice (just).

Can't comment on the other speakers. What is your room size?

 

[Anonymous]

plastic penguin:When I heard the ATC SCM11's with Nait5i and Cyrus 6SE it sounded tremendous, more ballsy than the Kandy K2. If you like a slightly easier (use the word loosely) listen then the Roksan would be the safer choice (just).

Can't comment on the other speakers. What is your room size?

As written above, my room size is 5.45m x 5.0m. It's not an enclosed room but an open living room that adjoins a 2nd living room and dining area.

I originally thought of Cyrus CD6SE but after reading about the problems encountered by several people here I'm having 2nd thoughts about the Cyrus. My priorities are good soundstage, detail, precision, transparent but yet musical sound. The only thing keeping me on the Kandy K2 is the built-in MM phono stage.

 

[Evlampi]

Jtein .. what is the maximum budget for an amp?

 

[plastic penguin]

jtein:plastic penguin:When I heard the ATC SCM11's with Nait5i and Cyrus 6SE it sounded tremendous, more ballsy than the Kandy K2. If you like a slightly easier (use the word loosely) listen then the Roksan would be the safer choice (just).

Can't comment on the other speakers. What is your room size?

As written above, my room size is 5.45m x 5.0m. It's not an enclosed room but an open living room that adjoins a 2nd living room and dining area.

I originally thought of Cyrus CD6SE but after reading about the problems encountered by several people here I'm having 2nd thoughts about the Cyrus. My priorities are good soundstage, detail, precision, transparent but yet musical sound. The only thing keeping me on the Kandy K2 is the built-in MM phono stage.

My living room is 18' x 13' and I can accomodate both Stand mounters and towers. Unless you play at disco levels the Naim will be fine, but the Roksan will give you a little extra output.

 

[Anonymous]

Evlampi:Jtein .. what is the maximum budget for an amp?

I guess I'm prepared to spend a maximum of 1,500 quid for the amp.....similarly for the CDP

 

[Anonymous]

Has WHF ever done a shootout between a Cyrus vs Roksan vs Naim systems in the £1,000 plus range? I'd love to read one!

 

[plastic penguin]

jtein:Has WHF ever done a shootout between a Cyrus vs Roksan vs Naim systems in the £1,000 plus range? I'd love to read one!

Yes, November edition. Cyrus 8XPD, Nait XS, Roksan Caspian and Moon i-1. All just above the Grand mark.

 

[Sliced Bread]

plastic penguin:
jtein:Has WHF ever done a shootout between a Cyrus vs Roksan vs Naim systems in the £1,000 plus range? I'd love to read one!

Yes, November edition. Cyrus 8XPD, Nait XS, Roksan Caspian and Moon i-1. All just above the Grand mark.

If I remember rightly, they were all considered very good.

 

[Evlampi]

Jtein for 1500 i believe Nait XS is your choice - much better than the 5i, and upgradable.

And if you find a second hand Supernait for that budget ... all your troubles will be gone

 

[plastic penguin]

Evlampi:

Jtein for 1500 i believe Nait XS is your choice - much better than the 5i, and upgradable.

And if you find a second hand Supernait for that budget ... all your troubles will be gone

Ooooo nothing like a recommendation. All the amps in the Nov test are quality, but there are others omitted that would, IMO, do just as good a job, if not better.

Leema Pulse springs to mind.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi,

I am in a smaller room than that, just bigger than 3m x 2.5m

Have PMC GB1i (small floorstanders).

The kandy K2, to me, gives a detailed sound with very good imaging (speakers are towed in bit too) bass is quick and punchy and the mid and treble have lots of detail (partly due to the speakers)

If the budget could go to 1500 for amp and same for cd, i would reccommend going for a cd player with a pre and power amp, then next step would be to get another power amp and bi-amp the speakers.

I've heard good things about ATC, but never heard them. You could look at the PMC FB1i (about 2k though).

I think for your budget you could prob get the Roksan caspian m-series cd player, pre amp and stereo power amp.

Try get a demo somewhere of a few systems, Roksan, Naim, Cyrus and Primare come to mind as good for that money.

Good luck with it, hope you find something you like.

Dan.

 

[Anonymous]

plastic penguin:Yes, November edition. Cyrus 8XPD, Nait XS, Roksan Caspian and Moon i-1. All just above the Grand mark.

Thanks.....alas, the Nov issue has not reached Malaysian shores yet

 

[Anonymous]

Evlampi:Jtein for 1500 i believe Nait XS is your choice - much better than the 5i, and upgradable.

And if you find a second hand Supernait for that budget ... all your troubles will be gone

Thanks Evlampi for the recommendation. I'll need to listen to the Nait XS vis-a-vis the Roksan Kandy K2 and the Cyrus 8XP. What frustrates me most is that hi-fi outlets are not accessible where I'm residing and I'll have to travel 200km to another city to listen to demos.