Price Paid:  $800.00 from Q Audio

Summary:
I owned the NAD T752 receiver for almost 2 years before it died. I owned the lower model T743 for a day before returning it. The T752 always had a humming sound that could be heard between CD tracks and quiet passages in movies. I have read blogs and reviews on other NAD receiver product lines and it appears the humming was created from using lead based solder and cheap components inside the unit. The unit was repaired twice out of warranty, at two different repair shops, where the main DSP board was replaced in one instance. Next, the channels began to cut out intermittently and could only be reset by unplugging the unit. Half of the speaker channels eventually failed. Another circuit board (forget the specific name) was replaced the second time I sent the receiver in. Although the humming sound still existed even after these repairs. The problems could have been corrected had NAD product managers not cut costs to produce such an inferior product when compared to mid-level Denon, Arcam and Rotel brands. Heck, even a $300 Yamaha or Sony receiver would have been more reliable than the NAD T752. It is hard for me to fathom NAD ignoring production issues as this product line (T751, 752, 753, 754). I would not count on NAD fixing their production issues with the new product lines (T755, T765, etc.) if the same facilities and same product managers are being utilized.

If you are considering paying more than $1000 for a AV receiver, I would suggest looking at other brands. If you desire a "musical" receiver, consider a mid-line Integra, Marantz or Denon and buy a seperate power amp for the 2 front channels. The preamp boards in these brands are a lot better than NAD could ever dream of producing. NAD is an overpriced product with inferior parts. Ask yourself if you would by a BMW with a KIA engine.

Strengths:
Produces a warm, full bodied sound for 80 watts per channel x 5, 90 watts in stereo mode that will drive most speakers when the unit works.

Weaknesses:
Prevalent humming sound due to poor production methods, and design as noted by a previous audioreview poster. It doesn't take a genius to determine that quality control issues in production are the culprit.

Similar Products Used:
Denon 3800 series, Rotel.

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
An overpriced A/V receiver that uses a lot of cheap parts and poor manufacturing control to boot.

Strengths:
Brand.

Weaknesses:
Reliability and build quality.

Use a lot of cheap brand electrolytic capacitors (ever heard of Samxon and KOTEC ?) except for the 2x 10,000uF/80V United Chemicon SMH series electrolytic capacitors for the power amp filter.

The T752 has too many FR2 single-sided boards that utilized hundreds of jumpers. The solder mask is blue-green in color that mimic the more expensive FR4 board that they should have used all through out, nice try NAD. The front panel and DSP boards are the only FR4 double-sided plated through hole boards. The wave-soldered joints of the single-sided boards are inconsistent and not shiny, they will develop into bad joints in no time. NAD's marketing people saved a couple of dollars doing this but at what cost to their customers?

PCB connectors and heavy components have no structural support. The unit is not going to survive shipping or thermal cycling. Better units use glue or silicone to secure the parts.

NAD crammed 6 3-pin voltage regulators on a small area on the main backplane board with minimal if no heatsinking at all. The discoloration of the PCB and the extremely hot to touch heatsink is proof. 2 power Zener diodes are situated in a tight spot that is right beside 2 electrolytic capacitors. Units will develop erratic operation with the 2 85C rated electrolytic capacitors either leaking or drying up.

And the list goes on. Not what you would expect from a high end A/V receiver.

If you like the NAD sound and want to keep the unit, the cost to rebuild is going to be very expensive considering the sheer number of electrolytic capacitors to be replaced and the thousands of solder joints that have to be resoldered!

Price Paid:  $725.00 from SoundFX

Summary:
No qualms about this receiver at all. Can't be beat for the money. Can handle a 4-ohm load with plenty of authority. Very musical and I chose this after careful auditioning of many other brands. Only other I considered was Rotel. Some say receiver doesn't matter and they all sound the same. I don't agree at all. I have had this receiver for over a year and it has performed admirably without any problems.

Strengths:
Real power. It's rated at 80w/channel but a benchmark test discoverd an actual of 88w/channel with all channels driven throughout the entire frequency range. Good looks. Very musical. Simple to setup and operate. Nice remote.

Weaknesses:
While I can't hear the fan when it does run, I would rather own a receiver that was efficient enough to not require a fan.

Price Paid:  $999.00 from Ricks Accoustics

Summary:
I've owned this product for exactly 1 year and believe i've heard it through just about every possible condition.The NAD receiver is a great deal and overall good quality product. It delivers its full ratings in power output, as listed at 5x100watts. The great thing about its power output is that the receiver can be pushed to its limits without giving a hint of distortion. However, note that this receiver should be paired with a moderately efficient set of speakers...nothing short of 8 ohms. I've teamed this amp up with a pair of Paradigm studio 100's v.2, thinking that it would supply ample power to shake the house-big mistake. The studio's require large amounts of power, preferrably from a seperate power amp around 200w/channel. However, don't be fooled into thinking that this amp is not capable of high output, it just doesn't have the power that my speakers require or the levels a 23 year old would like....compound the fact that i live in a house and can blast my music anytime. Anyway, enough attention's been givin to the power output, the sound quality is what's most important!! In 2 channel mode, the sound is excellent in every way. Artists voices are clear, coherent, and give a realistic presence... As noted by reviewers of other NAD products, the NAD gives delivers a warm sounding characteristic. I love this quality in this amp because treble, and mid bass are not harsh, or overly bright sounding, what you do get is a well rounded off, smooth sound. The NAD replaced my old YAMAHA receiver which was great, until I upgraded my speakers. The YAMAHA had very decent sound and power, but it lacked the inner detail of NAD, the subtle little sounds that suprise you when you hear it. I find i 'feel' the sound, the emotion,and everything that you never new existed before. One of the greatest features of the NAD is that you can upgrade the power cable. I decided to purchase the Cardas Quadralink cable...what a difference! The amp now delivers extra current, and the presence in the sound is even more real. Along with the power cable, i decided to upgrade the interconnects to my CD player with Kimbercable Hero's-another $200 investment. With the two newly added sets of cables, its as if i'm hearing music through a new amp...achieving sound quality nearing that of seperate components. The good thing about NAD quality is that you hear a big difference in sound by simply improving your cables...because it's that good of a product.
For surround, and multi-channel audio the sound is nothing short of excellent. My speaker setup consists of Paradigm Studio 100's v.2 as mains, Sudio CC-470 v.3 as a center and Energy C-4's for rears. I'm using a Sony DVP-N4O0D DVD player ,and a Monster coax cable as an interconnect. The NAD provides excellent channel seperation and imaging, and the quality is top rate. Since owning this amp, i've purchased 4 DVD music discs and can't believe the quality i'm getting from them....my friends' jaws drop whenever they hear it.
Other than that, this amp is top rate in terms of features and upgradeability. It is capable of 7.1 surround when attached to an external amp, 12volt triggers, on-screen menus, a great sounding tuner with text support, enough ins and outs to drive you nuts and only the essential surround modes needed. Unlike, other companies like Yamaha and Harmon Kardon who cram every possible matrixed out surround mode possible, the NAD is gimic free and only offers surround modes you'd actually use. So all in all, this amp is worth every penny and then some. If you've been reading up on this product for quite some time...let me assure you, it's everything you're probably looking for, so audition it now and stop reading.

Strengths:
everything

Weaknesses:
-Big ass remote that eats batteries like no tomorrow.

Similar Products Used:
Yamaha