The CD5 XS uses every possible development from earlier and more costly Naim CD players to help establish it as the reference entry-level CD player. The drawer and transport suspension is borrowed from the CDX2; a low inertia, resonance-controlling device that ensures rigid coupling and mild damping without adding to the task of the drive servo mechanism by increasing rotational inertia.

The die-cast zinc and extruded aluminium casework is a development of that used in the existing 5 series and results in an inert case with great resistance to pollution from external vibration.

The CD5 XS continues the trend of the latest Naim reference products by including RCA phono sockets alongside the traditionally used DIN sockets. RCA phonos allow easy connection to non-Naim amplifiers with a variety of interconnect cables allowing fine-tuning of the sound which is potentially beneficial when used in a budget non-Naim system.

The CD5 XS CD player has probably seen the most changes on the journey from its CD5x predecessor. Almost every element, with the exception of the mains transformer and the disc mechanism, is new or significantly revised. Fundamental elements including the  critical analogue circuitry have been updated to extract yet more music from every CD. Also new in the CD5 XS is the inclusion, for the first time on a Naim CD player, of a transformer coupled digital output that provides the choice of digital or analogue signal output.

Improving on the award-winning CD5x was a tough ask, but through scrutiny and refinement of every last engineering detail, the class-leading Naim CD5 XS delivers newly dramatic and vibrant music.