Price Paid:  $0.00 from hifiklubben

Summary:
Well,since nobody wrote about the NAD 218 IN combination with Cerwin Vega DC1515, I will. I do know that the 1515 is NOT a speaker for classical so don't bother okay!!!My conclusion must that, the more power these speakers get, the better they sound. And I'm happy with the 218s. I have two of them,running bridged meaning i have 700 watts in 8 ohm on each channel=tinnitus ;-). I'm into Drum & Bass, house etc. Even though most people say that CV are bad for anything else than death metal I don't agree. I used to have a couple Altec Lansing's with 100% titanium mid and high and these definitely were better with classical. If it has to be concert-like and with the somewhat same dynamics this is a great combination. the test's say that, in combination with 218thx the spectre down at 25Hz(and this at high SPL levels) is possible with this speaker and I must say that expiriencing a live recording is truly an awesome thing. With the plenty of power provided by the two 218s the sound is not too "strung" and the detail is really good. But your nabour will definitely dislike this setup. I run as follows: 2X NAD 218THX running bridged with soft clipping on( 700W dynamic on each channel). Rotel RT8708X preamp. NAD CD512 CD player. Rega Planar 3 turntable. Taralabs signal cable and Taralabs bi-wiring speaker cable. VM acostics stands. All together this IS the rig for rock, techno, funk, metal and yes, ANYTHING that requires powerful dynamics. if you like it loud the 218 thx will do the job.

Strengths:
SOUND-it can play anything and can will sound good with almost any speaker and ohm load. I did try to them in bi-amping mode and this made the speakers sound like they weren't Cerwin Vega (better I mean) but then again I missed the in-your-face power that a bridged 218 will deliver- it's the tightness of the bass that misses that little extra push.

Weaknesses:
I had one the 218s repaired.....something in the netpart broke due to a power probelm or something (the explanation from the dealer was actually a little cryptic i think) He said somthing about the ohm load (running biwire brdge is quite tough for the amp 2 ohm and lower will happen often) but it's supposed to be able to handle the bridge mode. I can't think of anything with more power in the same price range. can you? Rotel has got a model with 2X380W in 8 ohm but sadly this model can't be bridged

Similar Products Used:
Sadly power speakers like the CV 1515(dual 15"(bas replex), dual 5,5", single 1" and single 3/4" turned backwards) is a 90's phenomenon...If you are familiar with home speakers in the same class/power

Price Paid:  $1200.00 from El Palacio de Hierro

Summary:
It´s a very clear and smooth power amplifier, It's is sound transparent and aereous. The noise is below the listenable and you can hear for a long period without any haering fatigue. I´m more than pleased with it, my other power amplifier it's a Stasis and I prefer the Nad.

Strengths:
Very musical, strong but not harsh.

Weaknesses:
Remote power on. WBT connetors for the speakers. it could use a second pair of speakear connectors in order to biwiring.

Similar Products Used:
Nakamichi TA4 with a Stasis topology

Price Paid:  $0.00 from local classified

Summary:
First, this is my first dedicated power amp so i am no expert. However, I can describe the incredible improvement the NAD made to my speakers. This amp is used to drive the front 2 speakers of my home theater and of course, 2 channel sources. My speakers are Polk RT2000p, while no hi-end speaker, it is a very nice set ($2000 retail). Now, the towers have built in 200watt amps powering 2 8"woofers so BASS was never an issue. The mid and high ranges were the problem...a bit muddy and not as defined as I hoped. So, my assumption was the speakers were not receiving enough CLEAN power, although they were powered by a 90wpc Denon AVR receiver. Boy, was my assumption dead-on! Once the NAD was connected..unbelievable difference...much more than expected. The highes were clear, detailed and more open..mids were clear and there was a destinct separation from the woofers. The soundstage increased and when eyes are closed the singer(s) seems to be directly between the 2 speakers (14' apart)..so they disappeared. Home Theater was also improved..so much so i had to re-calibrate to adjust the increase of power. wow, it's too bad most Polk speakers are saddled with Home Theater recievers because once given enough clean power they completely transform into a fantastic mid-level speaker. Denon AVR-2801 Denon DVD-1000 NAD 218 THX Technics CD changer Polk RT2000p front Polk CS400 center Polk RT15i rear AudioQuest Ruby Interconnects AR cables throughout Hitachi 50" analog RPTV

Strengths:
power galore easy setup solidly built XLR and RCA inputs Soft Clipping (probably never utilize) Integrated handles bridgable to 700watts!

Weaknesses:
no 12v trigger for remote on/off conservative looks small binding post openings for direct cable

Similar Products Used:
1st amplifier

Price Paid:  $850.00 from A&B Sound

Summary:
I read an eailier review that said somthing like this "this is a good amp but if your are to buy another one,save your money, sell you old one and up grade." So I saved lots of money with the antisipation of purchasing a Bryston 14Bst. I took my Nad 218 THX into this high end stereo store and set it up beside the Bryston. The dealer was great. He left me alone for a couple of hours with $1000 cables,$2-3000 cd players,a Bryston 25 preamp and a set of JM labs Electra 936 speakers. Well when it was all over I thanked the man for his sound room, and gave him a tip. To his surprise he said that know one has ever done this before. With my amp under my arm and on my way out the store, I murmured "know one has ever saved me $6500 Canadian before. I paid $1288 Canadian for the Nad,it was a demo. The sound of the Bryston was better to my ears but just ever so slight. I found the Nad to be a bit brighter which I quite enjoy and found the Bryston to have a hauntingly clear presence. Outside of the obviously better constructed Bryston, the upgrade wasn't worth it to me. Well I was all dress up with no place to go so I went to Ebay and bought another Nad 218 THX and now run mono blocks. I cannot believe the difference in the sound quality, clarity and the volume that is so effortlessly achived. Each amp now runs a pair of PSB Stratus Gold/Goldis in a biwire series configuration. WOW. I love sound know but,out of curiosity,I may purchase another set of biwire cables to run the amps in the stereo mode with one amp driving L/R Golds and the other driving L/R Goldis. To the fella who recommended to upgrade, I thank you for giving me the idea to do test other products against the Nad. In closing I would like to say that for the money they are worth it.

Strengths:
In the mono mode, Versitility; Power; Clarity; Dynamics; Stage like presence

Weaknesses:
Not as well biult as the Bryston 14B st

Similar Products Used:
Bryston 14B st

Price Paid:  $1000.00 from Now Audio Video

Summary:
A fine two channel audio amp for music or home theater. Even after auditioning several other more expensive amps, I chose this one because I couldn''t discern the difference enough to justify the extra $$. I use a Creek passive preamp and an Arcam Alpha 9 CD source (w HDCD decoding), and some fine quality Transparent cables/interconnects (unbal RCA). Believe it or not, two Boston Acoustics T930s bring the tunes to my ears. Panamax 1000+ surge prot/line cond. All of this makes for a inexpensive, powerful, dynamic system with great imaging (in my 15x17 vaulted room).

Strengths:
Clean power with soft clipping. I can open it up to %80 power and get clean sound. More than than that and I''m overdriving my mid-fi Bostons. Balanced and unbalanced interconnects.

Weaknesses:
Front handles don''t allow human hands to grab them. Must be there for looks.

Similar Products Used:
Receivers. Demo''d Bryston and Arcam.