RADAR is a price search engine. We link to the original listing — we never sell direct. Transactions happen on the source site.
• System Overview – The Naim Audio CD 5XS and Flatcap2 Power Supply, introduced around 2010, provide an upgradeable CD playback system combining Naim’s precision transport design with a dedicated outboard PSU for improved musical timing, detail, and dynamics.
• Refined Digital Transport – The Naim Audio CD 5XS features a low-resonance drawer mechanism, discrete clocking, and precision servo control, delivering exceptionally stable disc reading, enhanced timing accuracy, and smoother high-frequency performance.
• Flatcap2 Power Upgrade – The Flatcap2 supplies dual-rail regulated power to the CD 5XS, significantly reducing noise and enhancing microdynamics, improving tonal purity, bass definition, and overall natural musical flow.
• Scalable Naim Architecture – With upgrade paths across Naim’s PSU ecosystem, the system allows enthusiasts to move toward higher-level power supplies, ensuring long-term system growth while retaining the CD 5XS’ signature rhythmic precision.
• Dimensions – CD 5XS: approx. 432 mm (W) × 70 mm (H) × 314 mm (D). Flatcap2: approx. 432 mm (W) × 70 mm (H) × 300 mm (D). Both fit standard Naim rack configurations.
• Weight – CD 5XS: approx. 6.4 kg. Flatcap2: approx. 5.5 kg. Solid steel chassis construction minimizes vibration and supports quiet power delivery and stable digital performance.
Generating expert take…
Naim Audio, a cornerstone of British hi-fi excellence, traces its origins to 1973 when Julian Vereker, a self-taught engineer, racing driver, and music enthusiast, formally incorporated the company in Salisbury, Wiltshire. Vereker's journey began earlier, in 1969, experimenting with tape recording and sound-to-light boxes before designing his first power amplifier in 1971. Amid the British hi-fi industry's recession, he secured a pivotal contract with Capital Radio, blending entrepreneurial grit with a passion for authentic sound reproduction that challenged conventional wisdom.
The brand specializes in premium integrated amplifiers, power amplifiers, preamplifiers, digital streamers, DACs, and compact music systems, often featuring built-in amplification for streamlined setups. While not delving into speakers—beyond a historical foray—or headphones and turntables, Naim emphasizes modular, upgradable components that prioritize pace, rhythm, and timing (PRaT), a signature sonic philosophy rooted in the "source first" approach alongside contemporaries like Linn.
Naim holds a commanding position in the high-end market, revered by discerning audiophiles for its handmade, innovative systems that deliver emotional musical engagement over mere specifications. Now part of VerVent Audio Group following a 2011 merger with Focal, it exports to over 45 countries, sustaining a cult following for resilient, influential designs that transcend economic cycles.
See all Naim Audio listings on RADAR.
