The Naim 'sound'


i have an accuphase cdp which on the whole i like a lot but sometimes i wish it was more dynamic in its presentation of the music. overall though i feel it gives me plenty of detail and a real sound. i have also thought about a naim cdp but for every person who seems to love the Naim 'sound', there seems to be someone else who hates it with a passion and thinks the 'sound' Naim creates is false. the main criticism seems to be that yes, it does give you a very dynamic explosion of sound and is very fast but that it misses a lot of the musical and that the naim 'sound' is actually quite artificial. i would be interested to hear if people agree or disagree with this argument. i have not done a direct comparison yet between an accuphase cdp and the naim cdx2(which is the player i would be thinking about)but whilst i might sometimes crave a bit more dynamism from my accuphase, i would not want to sacrifice the accuphase genuine sound for something that may be slightly artificial
merseyboy
My experience with Naim gear is not positive. I would desribe the sound as relentless and electronic.
one has to consider the older naim players vs the newer players. the 2 box cd player, vintage 1994 is the best cd player i have ever heard. i would agree with reb1208 regarding players of the last 5 years.
I just heard a "Naim" super system with all the top tier goodies with Wilson Benesch speakers and Nordorst Odins.I was speechless.Naim has the emotion/passion/heart and slam that is as close to the human expierence as possible.I have gone through German/Italian and American tube pre and amps.Nothing comes close IMHO.Don't beleive me.Just go out and listen.
I truly dislike Naim products, especially the amps. They are pleasant enough alright, which is the problem right there. They play it safe by trying to not color sound at all, but instead imbue the gear with 'dynamism' which is just a brightened flattness without real depth or emotionality, IMO.

Having said that, I think that their best gear are the CD players. The ones at the very top are wonderful but horribly overpriced (15-30 grand). I prefer about 20 other players at that price.

Then again, I am a tube guy, which is an opposing aesthetic altogether!
I had long experience with Naim sound as well as Accuphase & Esoteric.
If you want a more dynamic, detailed sound, the Esoteric can give you that. However the mids of the x-03 or the X-05 is not as beautiful and seductive as the Accuphase DP500s.
Naim sound is very rythmic and toe tapping, mids is quite good as well & its very musical (gets right to the heart of the music), but to get the most out of the Naim cdplayer,they have to be plugged in 24/7 and placed on really good stands.
I can live with all three of them but each has its own strenght and weaknesses.