Top CD player wanted

[Edward]

I wonder if the psu in the Opus is set to a fixed voltage which is fine for the UK range but perhaps slightly outside or near the borderline of the Spanish range?

[Macca]

The Spanish leccy did cross my mind too. But that seems unlikely. Fact is we may never know so as Eddie says, best to draw a line under it. Nobody's lost life or limb after all.

[farflungstar]

I'd like to welcome Eddie to the forum, and agree that this whole business is best left in the past.

I will say a couple of things, firstly that I'm very disappointed that ups left it out on the doorstep - it shouldn't be delivered without a signature, that never happens here, not with UPS which is why I always use them.

Second, I don't think you're paying the return postage, I paid it and after speaking with PayPal they said nothing about you being charged for it and I didn't ask for it. As yet no refund has been issued so I don't know the situation.

As for the channel imbalance here's what I did. When I took it to try on one of the school systems I heard the same thing and was beginning to doubt my hearing as it was the only variable left before going to a techie etc. So I took 3 students from another classroom, plonked them (a bit non-plussed) in a perfect linear line between the speakers, pressed play (using a class CD which is a mix of speech and music). Then asked for feedback. All of them asked why the majority was coming from one side. They are teens with much younger ears than my own.

I have no explanation, a loose connection, I don't know. However, towards the end of the process with PayPal Eddie was a gentleman about it. I'm sure if he hangs around here he'll be a valuable member.

Adey

[westsounds]

The priority postage to get it to Spain was included in the refund, and that has come out via PayPal yesterday my side. Case closed.

I do have some relief in all this, that I don't have a screwed up high-end CDP here now to sort out, or possibly skip.

[walpurgis]

Eddie. Glad to meet you (as it were). It would be good if you stick around. We have a friendly place here and all are welcome .

[Mike Reed]

Hi Marco

This sale was done in anticipation of getting funds toward the eventual purchase of a naim CDP, nDAC and a big power supply to accompany it to accommodate my unhealthy growing obsession for naim boxes

Eddie

Don't understand that bit, Eddie. Have you been convinced that a Naim CDP (unless the 555) and p/supply is a better fit within your system? Your use of the adjective 'unhealthy' may be truer than you think; financially at least. Subjectively for my part, musically too.

Maybe the air in 'Little England beyond Wales' gives Naim kit the edge. I took my 01, large aerial and amplification etc. to my (then) flat in Saundersfoot many moons ago in great anticipation. Not a dicky bird emanated from my tuner. Back to my trusty ghetto blaster ! It's wild down there; beautiful, but wild !

Re. the transaction, it would appear that no explanatory clarification is forthcoming for this most peculiar situation vis a vis the CDP. Lots of scratched heads, I guess, including mine. If we weren't at opposite sides of the country, I'd love to hear the Opus side by side against my (valved) Lector. A friend brought his recently acquired 1990s top end Wadia round, and despite the obvious qualities of the Wadia, the 'dryness' of the presentation was clearly evident. I think your Opus enjoyed a similarly high regard in its day.

[westsounds]

Don't understand that bit, Eddie. Have you been convinced that a Naim CDP (unless the 555) and p/supply is a better fit within your system? Your use of the adjective 'unhealthy' may be truer than you think; financially at least. Subjectively for my part, musically too.

Maybe the air in 'Little England beyond Wales' gives Naim kit the edge. I took my 01, large aerial and amplification etc. to my (then) flat in Saundersfoot many moons ago in great anticipation. Not a dicky bird emanated from my tuner. Back to my trusty ghetto blaster ! It's wild down there; beautiful, but wild !

Re. the transaction, it would appear that no explanatory clarification is forthcoming for this most peculiar situation vis a vis the CDP. Lots of scratched heads, I guess, including mine. If we weren't at opposite sides of the country, I'd love to hear the Opus side by side against my (valved) Lector. A friend brought his recently acquired 1990s top end Wadia round, and despite the obvious qualities of the Wadia, the 'dryness' of the presentation was clearly evident. I think your Opus enjoyed a similarly high regard in its day.

That's interesting reading Mike. And yes 'Little England Beyond Wales' is 100% correct as you put it been known as that for as far back as I can remember. Been permanently living in Pembrokeshire for 20 years now, and as much as I like aspects of it (and not so much others) I'm a city boy at heart. Whether I would feel the same way if I moved back to a city now is another thing. But your right Mike, it can be/is a wild land/seascape. Like the land that time forgot, some of it

On the naim front, I have heard the better naim digital only for limited auditions. The CD555 would be a bionic stretch for me which will problem never happen, a well used CDS3 would be a greater possibility. I was going to start with a naim DAC though and work from there, power supply etc, suitable transport, naim don't have that many. In an ideal world I would have just sat down and compared it at a dealers with the Opus, it may even be a case of the Opus is better, they all use similar chipsets PCM1704's. I would rather live with one for a bit though, A/B comparisons are not always the best to evaluate. As much as I like the look I don't really want naim boxes for the sake of naim boxes, it makes absolutely no sense financially long term (and it might take me a time to get there), even though I am strangely drawn when I now see them, especially a stack. And, I do really like what they've done with the sound of their newer post olive series. Among other things here I have some naim amplification which I cant see myself ever parting with simply because how it plays music, and as always I want more of it.

And the Wadia you mention also liked to use the 1704 chipset if I'm not wrong.

[Mike Reed]

For what it's worth Eddie, I had my first Lector (2 box) with my 552/135s/ProAc R4s and it stunned everybody who heard it (in their system on one occasion, too).Replaced the very fine Meridian G08. Even the change of 135s to valved mono's didn't change anything. Now I'm all valve, with the 4 box Lector and big ESLs; still complete synergy, and I couldn't see me reverting to a s/s CDP, however good.

Having said that, a dealer dem. of the CDS2 or 3 (I forget), the Linn CD12 and another CDP in my home in 2000 left nobody in the room in any doubt about the superior machine. By quite a margin for musicality par excellence, it was the CD12. At £12K then, however, it really wasn't on the cards !!! The same Naim CDP didn't acquit itself that well at a subsequent dem. at Grahams in north London, either, In an all Naim system BUT with big B & W speakers (not a good match).

[mikeyb]

This might seem stupid but was the same cable used each time it was tested when the imbalance was noticed?

Could that even be a reason?

Just thinking out loud.

Ps: and no, I’m not trying to continue the ‘discussion’ just curious to get to the bottom of it.

[struth]

lower mains in spain maybe... seems most likely as it happened in 2 different systems. just glad its not faulty