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Review 2 of 3
Price Paid:
$0.00 Summary:
I had the chance to put the hand on this unit (since it's no longer produced because the dealer told me the unit was too expensive for the market to be a very good seller) Also, he sold me this one to be used more like a CD player than a DVD (I was looking for a CD only...). It was supposed to beat the NAD C521bee CD and even the C542 and I had this at a price lower than the c542! So why don't take it a try??? After 5 months of owning this CD, I can happily tell you this unit really outperforms my expectations. It really sound better that the C521bee, removing all "bzzz" you can hear in voices to much more natural "sss", the unit is revealing you all subtile infos recorderd on the cd, and sound actually closer to the reality than everything I had to listen. Also featuring an IEC power cable connector, to allow you to change the cord; I'm experimenting now a Maxicable. The biggest improvement was increasing precision of the sounstage / imaging. I remember listening to a track of Jack Jonhson In between dreams, track number 12 I think, the music starts, we hear a guitar between center and right, and a little later, Jack begin to sing in the same position!!! Wow. Perfect. I would be able to go at this spot and playing guitar!!! Also during this track, you can suppose he is outside because you are supposed to hear the traffic... Not very easy the fisrt time... And I don't even talk you about Diana Krall... hmmmmmmm!!!!!!!!!! The bass, the drums, the cymbals, the piano... Just listen to The girl in the other room, track 9; if you don't find diana krall performing live in front of you, maybe it's time to upgrade! I hear all movements of its mouth, is breath, it's real! the piano is center to the right, guitar, center to the left, a bit more to the left in a spot, and diana in center (I personaly thing is voice in travelling a bit from center to the right, maybe it's just echo..., or maybe this unit can tell me diana were looking to the right while singing!
Also a good CD player need good equipment to perform it's best:
-Musical Fidelity A3.5 int. amp
-B&W DM603 S3 floorstanders
-Audioquest CLS Type 4 bi-wire speaker cables
-Maxicable Power cable for CD and AMP
-Tributaries Silver series SCA interconnects
-and the NAD T562 CD/DVD/MP3 player
A very nice kit! Strengths:
I like the look of the unit, simple, with good proportions, CD playback is actually it's biggest quality; pure, natural, non-fatiguing, and not too warmed; there's a neutrality that I apreciated. I listen also to DVD, pictures and sound is both excellent but since I have a stereo system, use this unit more like a CD player. I like products with IEC power cord connection (= change), a touch the c542 do not have... Standby mode allow unit to be always ready to run (allows 10 to 15 minutes to have the best image possible), build quality. All metal, and if you remove the cover,you will see...nothing; all laser devices and mechanism are kept in a big sealed chrome-plated box with a big NAD logo on the top! The opening of the plate is smooth and sound not cheap. Remote is glowing in the dark, that's a nice idea, it's not drinking batteries and you can easily find the remote during night sessions. and it's shape is good on hand Weaknesses:
Yes it has weakness... first, it's slow, really slow, Until you load a CD, or DVD, it take from 5 to 15 secondes to starts... If you press skip button to change track, sometime it take 5 secondes to change, so you press and press again and you finish on track 10 intsead track 4, example. Also, it automatically go to standby mode after 8 min of non-use; a nice touch if you forget the unit, but we can get unit warming all day without playing. not playing DVD-audio (I can't find one anyway!), MP3 menu hmmm, least well designed thing on this unit. A half screen that showing you example: "1-Diana Kra~" so if you have 10 music beginning by this title, you don't have access to the song title... anyway I don't use it And to finish, when you turn on standby mode, TURN OFF THE VOLUME OF THE AMP, the transfo/condo parts are big enough to give you a nice "PUF" of current directly in your speakers (mine in the left speaker), so if the volume of the amp is too high, it may smell burned speakers... Anyway I think it's written on each pages on the user manual, so remember! Similar Products Used:
-Nad C521bee
-some Rotel demo'ed
-some Technics models
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