Description

The Naim CD5i represents the ideal entry point into the world of British hi-fi, offering superior sonic performance thanks to technical solutions borrowed from the award-winning 5 Series. This hi-fi CD player integrates a Wolfson Microelectronics digital-to-analogue converter selected after rigorous listening tests, ensuring detailed and engaging music reproduction. The transport uses Naim's renowned CD drawer with clamp system, which ensures an optimal disc reading environment by reducing vibration and improving data access.

The construction takes up the refined aesthetics of the 5 Series, with chassis in die-cast zinc and aluminum extrusions that form a rigid case, offering excellent immunity to external vibrations. The playback and control software is developed in-house by Naim, the same as used on the flagship CD555, reflecting the company philosophy that recorded music can be as exciting as live performance. What is the best entry-level CD player for a hi-fi system? The CD5i responds with a combination of simplicity operareliability, construction and sound quality that sets new standards in its category.

The player is equipped with DIN and RCA phono outputs , allowing for flexible connection to various types of amplifiers and audio systems. The linear frequency response from 10Hz to 20kHz (±0,1dB – 0,5dB) and distortion of less than 0,1% guarantee tonal and dynamic fidelity across the entire sound spectrum. How to connect an audiophile CD player to the amplifier? The CD5i offers balanced outputs with a maximum impedance of 10Ω, ideal for interfacing with integrated amplifiers like the NAIT 5i, creating a design synergy that maximizes the system's performance. The included remote control makes daily management easy, while the plug-and-play design makes installation quick and easy, even for those new to quality hi-fi.

Specifications

Integrated DAC	Wolfson Microelectronics
CD mechanics	Naim CD drawer with clamp
Weight	5,7 kg
Trim	black
Dimensioni	W 43,2 × H 7 × D 30,1 cm
Alimentazione	115V, 230V (50 or 60Hz)
Frequency response	10Hz – 20kHz (+0,1dB – 0,5dB)
Harmonic Distortion (THD)	0.1%
Rapporto S/N	80 dB
Analogue outputs	1 x DIN, 1 x RCA phono
DAC chip	Wolfson Microelectronics
Cabinet material	die-cast zinc with aluminum extrusions

About the brand

Naim Audio was born from the work of Julian Vereker, who in 1969 started Naim Audio Visual and in 1973 formed the company Salisbury, in Wiltshire, where it is still based today. Vereker led the company until his death in 2000. In 2011, Naim merged with the French company Focal-JMLab; the group, then called VerVent Audio Group, was acquired in 2026 by the Belgian company Barco, which announced it would maintain the identities of the two brands.
The first devices were the NAP 160 power amplifier and the NAC 12 preamplifier. The name was made above all with the NAP 250, a power amplifier presented in 1975, whose design remained the basis of Naim power amplifiers until the arrival of the NAP 500 in 2000. In 1983 Vereker designed the first BORN, a 13 watt per channel integrated amplifier in a small box chassis that changed the way we looked at integrated amplifiers; from there came the NAIT 2 (1988), NAIT 3 (1993) and on up to the NAIT 5si of 2013. In 1989 came the CD player CDS, in 2009 the line United, which combines digital source and amplification in a single device.
Enthusiasts distinguish the series by their appearance: "chrome bumper" for the black aluminum models before 1989, "olive" for those after. Naim has always preferred DIN, XLR, and BNC connectors to the common RCA sockets, and designs its components to work together, often with separate external power supplies: when buying used equipment, it's therefore worth checking to make sure you have the right connecting cables.
For those who buy used, there is a concrete advantage: Naim claims to be able to repair almost all of the products it has built and recommends having equipment older than ten years old factory-serviced.
Da Audiocostruzioni We often see used and vintage Naim gear: the ones available are on this page. You can see and hear them in our Carpi showroom or order online with shipping. For any questions, just email us.