Naim CD5i vs Rega Apollo

Hi Guys,

Newbie here and recently bought a Naim Nait 5i-2. The Rega Apollo has been running in my system and thought this combo sounds fantastic. However, the dealer is willing to give me a shot at Naim CD5i if my mind makes up otherwise.

So, apart from synergistic between Naim equipments, will this CD5i doing justice and improve my system sound compare to the Apollo and Nait 5i-2? Just found out that Naim/Rega combo has been widely matched by many around the globe. All thoughts are welcome. Thanks.

Since the dealer is willing to let you give it a shot, take the Naim home, listen and decide for yourself. I don't think you need to let anybody tell you how to think, right?

Just try to get a run in unit, that's all.

Thanks for your advice.

I am just trying to save the hassle to bring in & then return kind of stuff. I know this is the best solution but would like to seek others opinion on this as well. Another problem is they do not have run-in unit. All their demo units are xs series. High end stuff

I dare say that the CD5i would be significantly better than the Apollo. I went from Apollo to CD5XS and it was like night and day. The Apollo was terribly digital sounding in comparison.

But from Apollo to CD5XS is a big jump indeed. The price differential is already more than double so naturally expects it to be better in any aspect.

Mikapoh wrote:But from Apollo to CD5XS is a big jump indeed. The price differential is already more than double so naturally expects it to be better in any aspect.

Then you shouldnt be comparing them. You should compare apple with apple.

I home audition Saturn and it is not digital, not sure about Apollo. I believe Rega cdp should not be digital as they are also TT manufacturer and will not tweak their cdp to sound digital.
Just my opinion.

Fully agree with S8. I`m a Saturn user and auditioned the Apollo and frankly, it is miles ahead of it`s competitors at their price range. Maybe you perceive bright as sounding digital because if partner with unsuitable amplification and speakers, it tends to dig too deep and as we know, too much of everything is not good. Looking forward for a shootout between the Saturn,Naim 5i, XS and Arcam CD37. Anybody intrested?

I have been listening to the Rega Apollo for quite a while and very satisfied with its performance. Compare to my previous lower NAD C521bee, I feel nad sounds warmer than the Apollo! Ongaaron is right to say sometimes a CDP digs too much it can be perceived as bright or digital. The Apollo sound is so detailed that I once think NAD has warmer sound or more analogue re-production. Guess different ppl has different perception on hifi sound.

My curiousness suddenly bug me when the dealer allow me to swap the Apollo with Naim CD5i for a price of less than RM1.5k. I am just wondering how effective is this Naim characteristic comparing to the Appollo/Naim 5i-2 combo. I know best solution is to bring them home to audition but would like anyone to shade some lights first.

I think I know what is the meaning of digital sounding and I have not confused it with brightness. I moved from a Cyrus CD6s to the Rega Apollo and at that time, never noticed the digital sound in either of those players. But when doing a head to head comparison with the Naim CD5XS which I now use, the digital sound became quite apparent. This opinion was shared by more than one pair of ears who were involved in that comparison.

I guess this is the reality of hifi... Ignorance is bliss. I was quite happy with the Apollo until I pitted it against something better which then exposed all its flaws. That is not saying it is not great or maybe even the best at the price range. I'm sure if i put my CD5XS against a Metronome or Esoteric or Wadia, it will make it sound like a dud. That's why I sometimes turn down the hifi shops' "kind" offers to let me take home something more than I can afford to audition. Once you know how much your system is lacking, it makes it quite hard to listen to it anymore, and then you are left with no choice but to beg, steal or borrow to upgrade.

Naim, Rega & Cyrus are all British and they all have similar "house" sound. If you like one, chances are you will no dislike the other, however their detailed attributes may differs, eg Naim is more dynamic (if you like it, if you don't like that becomes right-on-you-face), Rega will present all the details more subtlely, more cultured sounding but not losing out anything. All depend what you prefer. Given the chance, no harm try it out to decide.