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Review 4 of 38
Price Paid:
$280.00
from Canal Audio Summary: NAD has always been known for a no frills exterior design approach while concentrating on inner design. This CD player still impresses me with the way details are presented. The musical soundstage has both width and depth. There is no merging of instruments or vocals. Highs and lows sound very natural and have a straightforward characteristic to them. The mid's are just wonderful. Vocals sound as smooth as silk. And instruments sound realistic without a synthesized timbre to them.
While a digital output would have been nice to have, the analog output sounds clean. NAD seems to have taken care of ensuring that the D/A converters do their job in an unobstrusive manner. I think vinyl lovers would really appreciate the sonic qualities of this CD player which I am tempted to say almost has a tube-like quality to it.
There seem to be some good deals on used 522's (EBAY, etc.). I have not experienced (even once), the mechanical difficulties listed by other reviewers. And in fact, this model has no problems reading music CD-R's that I have recorded. Actually, even my 16-year-old Denon (DCD-1500) can read music CD-R's. If you're in the market for a basic, no-nonsense CD player and want to keep the cost down while enjoying audiophile qualities, the NAD 522 would be a gem for the money. Strengths: Detailed soundstage; fairly accurate musical reproduction. Weaknesses: No digital output. Similar Products Used: Denon CD Player.
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