[TomH]

Knew I should have run from this site. Now my CD player is worth more than my old car and I own a $300 amp the size of a hard disk drive - and I have never heard anything that sounded this good before. Thanks all.

The Lite seems to work extraordinarily well with the Naim - more and tighter bass than with the ARCAMs I tried, without the least offensive sibilance and a huge soundstage and gobs of punch. Highs are clean and not overemphasized with Senns or 225s (though the signature of each remains apparent). Worth a listen if you have a Lite or a Naim and get your hands on the other piece.

 

[clarke68]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TomH Knew I should have run from this site. Now my CD player is worth more than my old car and I own a $300 amp the size of a hard disk drive

LOL - you broke my own personal overriding budget principle: that my audio gear will never cost more than my car.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TomH The Lite seems to work extraordinarily well with the Naim...

Always seemed to me these would be a great match, ever since I first started reading up on Naim. Probably never be in the cards for me, though (refer to overriding budget principle above), at least as long as I'm still driving my '93 Corolla.

Glad you found a system you're happy with...now flee while you still can!

 

[TomH]

I always believed if my car was worth more than my audio gear I was driving too much money - but a CD player?! That seemed sacriligious to a vinyl/tube nut until I heard the synergy with the Lite.

Your instincts were right - it is a good combo.

 

[Mikey01]

The Naim CD5i and the Apollo (birds of a feather ect.) will make a huge difference in all systems.

 

[Garbz]

yeah was going to say. THere's no synergy there. Naim cdplayers are just da bomb!

 

[tyrion]

I don't think I've ever heard a Gilmore lite but I do have the Naim CD5i and in my system it is up there with the Berendsen CDP-1 I owned. This is especially true with my speaker rig which uses a Naim Nait 5i integrated amp. I've used the CD5i with a Raptor, Stealth and KGSS and it sounds great out of all of them. At $1700 retail, it's an excellent choice.

The question I have now is since I believe in the synergy of the Naim products, how will a Naim Headline sound in my system.

 

[TomH]

I'm curious about the Headline, too. But first to try the Nait with speakers and driving the Lambda Pro through SRD-7 Pro. I heard from my dealer that the Naim amplifiers utilize the inductance of the speaker cable somehow, so they are checking suitability with the SRD-7, will post the response from Naim when I get it.

BTW, the Micro/DM to my ears does not do what the Lite does with the Naim dynamics and bass, though it sounds good with other less expensive sources I have swapped through. With the lesser sources and also with ARCAMs, I prefer the Micro's sweeter character.

More fun for sure than polishing a new car while listening to i-spuds, IMO.

 

[tyrion]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TomH I'm curious about the Headline, too. But first to try the Nait with speakers and driving the Lambda Pro through SRD-7 Pro. I heard from my dealer that the Naim amplifiers utilize the inductance of the speaker cable somehow, so they are checking suitability with the SRD-7, will post the response from Naim when I get it.

I am using System Audio SA1730 with my Nait 5i/CD5i and I am amazed by how nice it sounds. From what I read I thought I was going to sacrifice detail for musicality with the Naim gear. I was willing to go that route if the system was truly as musical as people claim. However, I find this combination to have plenty of detail. I've had a number of different integrateds in my system from the Rega Mira 3 to the Sophia Electric EL34 and Cayin A-50t and the Nait blows them all away. I believe the synergy with the CD5i using the din cable is in part responsible for the differences. It is truly wonderful to listen to. Sorry for the OT.

 

[TomH]

I am increasingly finding that amount of detail is less an indicator of enjoyment than how the details are presented. This may be due in part to the lack of a reference point and the huge variation in recordings. Listening to different redbook digital sources, I found the amount of detail to be similar, but heard huge differences in how they were presented. IMO the stronger analogy is with musical instrument selection rather than reproduction equipment optimization (past a certain point).

 

[fishski13]

tom,
glad you find the cd5i to your liking. i tested the headphone waters with a g-lite/sr225 combo fronted by my cd3.5 before buying a headline2. with similar values in music reproduction, naim, grado, and gilmore all make excellent hi-fi. enjoy.

 

[bobbyk]

Having owned a full Naim Audiophile set up for many years. I was always told "Stick with Naim, you'll have synergy problems if you don't!"

Well I didn't and in my experience if you think carefully about the sound you are looking for, and take the characteristics of each of your components into consideration, you can sucessfully combine a Naim source with other companys products.

Good on you!

 

[kuma]

Quote:

I was always told "Stick with Naim, you'll have synergy problems if you don't!"

Well, sometimes you would with their amplifiers with a wide open preamp since a Naim power amp needs a bandwidth limited preamp to keep themselves stable. ( a tube pre can work well, if a listener is into that sort of things )

In the case for their source, you can mix them with other brands more succefully. Altho, I found that in order to get the best out of a Naim source, it's best to use their preamp.