This Nakamichi AV-3S is just the ticket for me... wow impressive... very inexpensive for the sound quality. Great clear neat sound. Bedroom running TV through this awesome Nakamichi. As a CD plug inn. (Directv) I'm listening through the headphones crystal clear and great separation! Wife near by so can't crank right now... ha ha.. but earlier today I did and I couldn't believe the sound from this inexpensive older Nak. Great to pass Tv through it too with a Samsung 45" an optical cable & adaptor to analog to the Nak. ($12 local online Walmart). It just sounds terrific, just got it yesterday can't say enough for the money!!! Custom quality speakers front 8" woofer 3 way midrange and tweeter. Rears(above the bed on a ledge) KLH monitors but great sound! I don't see them just hear them :-)

Load the base & treble full with loudness on and a choice of Natural, Hall or Stadium settings it's just great at Hall. The Samsung HTz became history in seconds after hearing the Nak. Sony, Onkyo & Sherwood are substandard compared to the Nak my opinion. The sound in stereo with this Nak is a distinctive spread rich and clean. I highly recommend these Nak units. I heard so much about in them in the 80's so I got me one and very happy with it, also just bought a second one for other bedroom. I have a Mcintosh 1900 which is so nice the sound in the livingroom, hard to replace! The Onkyo TX's not as good as these Naks. and will be moved to the garage from other bedroom where Nak is coming to. Nothing will replace the McIntosh 1900. Nak or the Mc Intosh? well, Mc Intosh $1400 used and the Nak $150 today's prices. I bought my McIntosh in 1980 and love it. I'm impressed with these Naks though having heard them in the 80's and 90's. I know sound fairly well. For the $ they are a gift!

I got the headphones on now and I don't feel like I'm getting off them any time soon. Ha ha.. The high and mid range are impressive and base well not as much but very good too and PLENTY of volume to crank up almost any speakers. Not quite like the McIntosh but close enough. The Nak a sure bet for very good sound for middle to high range listener, if you want something better you would have to spend BIG $ jump to a McIntosh or other new Pioneer or Marantz? If you buy one of these older Naks be sure to take cover off and with a blower blow it out (not plugged in) dust will fly out. You will have a more efficient unit in seconds. Cool Nak a buy for sure! Great volume much more than I thought NO distortion all the way up... loud clean & clear. Enjoy.

A marvellous piece of electronics, packed in beauty and style. No gimmicks, just pure qyality sound given this is a Pro-Logic (not DTS) standard receiver amp. Still compares very favorably modern amps...albeit the limitations on new technology and output due its age. Unfirtuntaely, nakamichi lost its standard of quality as reference products since late 1990s.....

No-nonsense design. Simple and effective. Good value. Very clear sound. Better output level than similarly rated receivers.

The remote controller

The guys at UBid somehow managed to get these receivers at very low prices. The only product it could compete with this one in the mass-production category would be the Harman/Kardons, at about three times the price of this one. Its solid metal finish looks much better than all the receivers with bells and whistles made of led's and plastic. This unit delivers a solid performance (at least for its price), with a warm and clear sound. (for the guy complaining about the "no bass" problem: the frequency "boosted" by the bass and treble controls are at the extremities of the audible range. (Clever and "purist" design, meaning only to flatten the response curve, not to distort it). It is only normal that there is almost no bass enhancement on a speker whose lower lower response limit is above 60 Hz. The main problem: the remote. Almost impossible to use, huge and very ineffective (does not work unless pointed s t r a i g h t towards the unit.) Also, it can't be replaced by a universal one. This is a quite successful attempt by Nakamichi to cover some of the "low-end" market. It delivers a more than fair bang for the buck.

Similar Products Used:

Several Technics, Akai, JVC and Pioneer amps/receivers.

Value

Display, Power oh yeah the cooling fan.

I also got it cheap from onsale sometime ago. Sounds great to me. 55W RMS, a little small but plenty enough for home use. I'm a pro-speaker. Don't pay big bucks for receiver. It's the speaker that makes difference.

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Sony Receiver

The Nakamichi av3 is probably the best low cost receiver avalible I paid $299 dollers for it at Frys.The sound quality is very good and could probably compete with just about any Yamaha or Denon recevier.If you can still find this receiver you should definitly take a minute to listen to it.

Great Sound. Easy Setup and access.

Noisy Fan and poorly designed remote.

I have been using listening to the AV3s for almost a year.
I am very happy with the receiver and love the its sound crisp and clear. This is a replacement to a 15 year old Harmon Kardon receiver. I loved my Harmon Kardon and was disappointed to see it go. I was looking to purchase a new one, but was disappointed to see they were even more overpriced than my previous purchase. Still I had planned to buy one until I came across the AV3s on a online auction. The price was incredible for a Nakamichi and I jumped at it before thinking. I was impressed with it right from the start. It reminds me of my old Harmon/Kardon. It was plain without the gimmicks and a fantastic sound.The AV3s does not have all the lights and buttons other receivers have. Who needs them (Maybe the Style concious). What you want is a great sound and the AV3s delivers. I would reccomend this to anyone.
There are only 2 drawbacks. First the fan is fairly noticible at low levels. It can be distracting, but I am getting used to it. The second is the poorly designed remote control. I never had one before for a receiver and thiught it would be handy. NOT. Whover designed the remote could not have design the receiver. It is poorly laid out, huge as remotes go (I couldn't lose it I tried)and is not compatable with any other remotes on the rest of the system.
I can only detucta half star for the minor annoyances. If you see for under $200 buy it is a steal. Enjoy. I give it 4 1/2 stars rather than 4.

Similar Products Used:

Harmon Kardon

Excellent Stereo/Pro-Logic receiver. Real clear, accurate sound with good power. Quality heft and weight (24lbs); very similar in appearance to Nak’s current line of digital receivers. I got it a couple of weeks ago, and have sampled all sorts of music and movies, though I mainly bought it as a stereo receiver. Never-the-less, it’s great with everything. Night and day difference over the usual brands you normally see in this price range. Based on Home Theater’s review of the AV-10, I tried out the Natural DSP mode which derives surround channel info from two channel music sources, and was quite pleased with the added dimension of surround sound it adds to CDs. I haven’t tried Stadium or Hall settings yet, as everything has been such a pleasure to listen to thus far. Agree with the other reviewer here on the tuner - definitely needs a booster. Also, be sure to use with quality cables. Seems to be enough on the market right now to get both cheap and brand new, so why take a chance with an open box (aka - someone else’s bad luck return)? Quality + Value = 5 stars

The detail on the mids and highs are great. I couldn't believe what I was missing after hooking this up and dumping a Kenwood. The design is also sleek and attractive, much like there integrated amps. High quality binding post connectors and a dedicated cooling fan make it that much sweeter.

Just purchased this receiver after doing extensive "research" (talking to Best Buy and Circuit City personnel). Found a really knowledgeable one at Fry's who recommended this for what I need. A simple receiver to power a turntable (I'm an LP collector); CD-R; and cassette deck. I don't care about DVD and HDV - I'll be dead before that's the norm. Just want good sound that doesn't break after two year's use.
This unit is simple and functionally easy (but why can't they make the buttons and id's bigger for us 50+ folk) Hey, the boomers need glasses! The power is solid and sound is great - but, my ear's aren't, so take that for what its worth.

The price was $229. If you are looking for good basic components to play your old Lawrence Welk Accordion favorites, or want to listen to the screechings of Mariah Carey, you won't go wrong with this one.

Next on the list will be CD-R and Cassette Deck purchases. I'll be sure to post the good, bad and ugly.

Bought this unit new from Onsale @ $136.00 (a 1 hour auction) and I must say that it screams for that price. I have a sub (which is good) but the mid and highs are extremely crisp in center channel mode. Bottom line...New Nakamichi for under $150.00...all day everyday.To the guy from Bahrain...how about some beautiful land here in Southern Florida (in the Everglades section)...great price.