I was looking for a receiver around the $1,000 to $1,500 price point that didnt make too many compromisies in overall performance for the money. My home theater is seperate from my audio system, so I was looking at performance as a home theater component only. After checking the reviews here I sought out the Pioneer Elite VSX-26TX the Nak, and also gave a listen to Marantz. While the Pioneer had a lot of bells and whistles and a nice backlit remote it didnt knock me out - though it was better than any Pioneer I'd ever heard before. I also heard the $1,200 Marantz but it lacked energy and definition on soundtracks though it was smooth and warm. I ignored Yamaha completely since I was never particularly happy with my old DSP-A1000 and Yamaha sound has never really bowled me over. But the Nak is a very nice piece for the money. The sound is dynamic, transparent, and extended at both extremes with very good articulation on dialog. The unit is a breeze to set-up and adjust. In fact it's much simpler than most of it's competition and that suits me just fine. I find the extra sound processing modes of my old Yamaha and most of the current competition a waste of time and the added options just needlessly complicate routine operation. While high buck seperates can do better, I think you'd have to spend $2,500 - $3,000 to materially improve on this units sonic performance on soundtracks.
Oh yes, the system its used in includes:
Sony 46" rear projection
Snell J3s for fronts
Snell CC1 center
PSB Ambient II surrounds
Velodyne 12" Sub

I've been looking for a upgrade for my NAD Pro-Logic receiver. Finally I picked the Nak AV-10. So, what are the differences? Music is crisper but warmer; instruments like guitars and violins are now more vivid. Anyway, it's now a great joy to listen to music. What about the movies? I personally because Dolby Digital / DTS would certainly better than Dolby Pro-Logic. I strongly feel that the sounds are more discrete, well-distributed from different channels.
One little problem is the knob. Using the remote control, the knob has to travel a certain distance, but, hey, the volume has a big difference!

120 watt Stero & 150 watt dynamic range in DD all 5 channels

NONE

NO machine in the price range can beat the sound in Stero or DD 5.1 Simply a great reciever.

Similar Products Used:

Denon 3300

Very good sound quality, very detail

none

This Receiver is a very good one. i never heard any receiver at the same price at this one that can soun good as this one.
Before i brough this unit, i used Pioneer vsx-d608. It sucks!!!
Then i brought this unit to my house, wow, i liked it very much.

Great Sound

Did not identified any yet

The Nakamichi AV10 is truely a awesome reciever. I heard Nakamichi made top quality cass. decks. This is the first Nakamichi product I own. I do not regret a bit. Even I am paying a little more than many of the reviewers here ($1200). But the AV10 is definitely worth it. It's sound reproduction is very wamth, realistic. I have done a lot of research. No receiver under $2500 can come close to this incrediable machine.

Similar Products Used:

Denon 3300, NAD

Outstanding sound & simplicity of design

None

Have had the Nak for less than a week. Have not noticed the fan noise problem that others here have mentioned. I am experiencing some distortion on lower VHF channels. (Currently running rabbit ears for antenna. Next year will be the satelite dish). Not sure if the AV-10 is the problem or if it is in the cabling. Still testing. The dealer informed me that if it is the receiver, it is unusual and they will gladly do a switch for another AV-10.

Overall, the sound is fantastic. Easily beat all of the other contenders.

Therefore, a cautious 4 rating. Would be 5 without the distortion.

Similar Products Used:

First A/V Receiver owned. Tested the Pioneer Elite and Denon AVR 3300

Sheer power of the amplifier section, superb build and wonderful looks (very clean and the simple faceplate indicates "a taste of things to come"), great DACs

The remote !! Has to be aimed directly. Other than that, the binding posts should have been 5 way instead of 2 way. Other than that, it's damn fine !

This is a really great receiver. Most of my friends whom I invited over really thought the sound came from the Sunfire amp I had next to it (it was on to give the illusion !) Can't keep wondering why people complain bout the fan - it's very quiet in my unit. Also the use of two power supplies are a great plus, one dedicated to the center channel. Dialogue and movie sequences are now much more impactful and clear.

Great product Nakamichi !

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo TX-DS575, 777, DENON 3300, JVC RX-508V

I¡¦ve had the Nak AV10 for a couple of weeks now.

Rest of system: NHT 3.3, AC2, Atlantic Tech 254 dipole rears, two Citation 5.1 amps, Adcom GDC700 CD changer, Denon DVD3000.

Previous ¡§prepros¡¨ used: Angstrom 200/205 (4 mos ago), Sherwood 9080, Denon avd2000 (most recently).

NAK SOUND:

„h 2 channel music, via analog bypass, is quite good; but perhaps not quite as clean as the Sherwood¡¦s or using the Adcom¡¦s variable outs direct to the power amps. IMO, this might be where the nak has the sonic advantage over other receivers¡Xthe quality of the analog section.
„h I have direct TV and amazed that I have more detail compared to the sherwood and denon; the nak is very crisp and lifelike.
„h I also like the Natural Mode and use it 100% for DSS. The weakest part about watching DSS in DPL is the ¡§mono result from the center channel.¡¨ Well, the Natural mode defeats the center channel, and can be described as a subtle enhancement, added ambiance to stereo. IMO, as useful than Denon¡¦s 5 channel stereo.
„h DTS and AC3 performance is good also, on par with the sherwood and denon; doesn¡¦t blow me away like the angstrom did.
„h I tried driving my NHT 3.3s directly with the nak, and the sound was harsh, thin, a little uneven compared to my citation amps (I¡¦m sending 300-400 citation watts to each 3.3). The citation sound is fuller, more dynamic and powerful ¡V as it should be considering the 2 citation amps retail at 3 times the nak!
„h The citations drive the 3.3s and AC2, and the AV10 drives rears (and later a 2nd pair in kitchen via speaker B).

ERGONOMICS

„h The faceplate and remote is designed the way I like ¡V no menus, all functions accessible by ONE button (stereo, ac3, dts, dpl, natural, test tone, level control, speaker size, rear/center delay, etc). The av10 is so easy to use, I think our moms can do it ¡V press DVD on faceplate, press play on dvd player, auto-detects, bingo. No big selector knobs, menus, or unnecessary buttons to ¡§understand.¡¨ My fiancee has no problems using my system now.
„h The Nak will turn ON if you press a source input (ie, CD or DVD).
„h Different speaker settings by mode. Crossover for small speakers is 80hz. I disconnected my nht sub as I don¡¦t need it with my 3.3s in a 13x15 room.
„h Remote is learning and easy to use. I use my Cinema 7 to control dss, dvd, vcr. The Nak controls volume, other nak functions, and my adcom cd (which the cinema 7 can¡¦t). I sometimes listen to CD while surfing direct TV, so the 2 remotes work for me.
„h Other useful features: LFE (low frequency attenuation to reduce the low bass for movies, ie for night time) and Dynamic Compression (also for night-time viewing).

In all, I¡¦m happy with the AV10, it does all I want it to do quite well. The Onkyo 777 was 2nd on my list, but I couldn¡¦t find a local dealer with one. And, in my case, I would NOT benefit from the extra features Onkyo brings: mains-in, 6 channels input, and 5 channel stereo (I like the Natural mode). The backlit learning remote might be nice though!

Similar Products Used:

Previous ¡§prepros¡¨ used: Angstrom 200/205 (4 mos ago), Sherwood 9080, Denon avd2000 (most recently).

The Nak AV 10 sounds realy super !!!! the switching is absolutly tooo good !!! DTS / ProLogic / DD modes switched automatically. Sounds great. A must for a hometheater. ( Although I'm using it for the music only as opf date with the CENTER speaker setting set to "OFF", before the B&W 601's & CC come in for the surrounds !!! )
Go Ahead & buy it !!!

The system consists of :
Receiver : Nakamichi AV 10
Speakers : B&W 805V ( Please on STANDDESIGN stands & conected to the NAK AV 10 with the MIT Terminator 4 [ BiWire ])
DVD/CD/VCD : Samsung 907

This Nakamichi AV-10 is great one.I strongly recommend it to all of you who want good quality of music and Home Theater. Actually, I would buy the same one even if it were stereo music only.
I don't have DVD player yet. Now I only use stereo and pro-logic, and I'm VERY VERY happy with it.
Stop your research now, and go get Nakamichi AV-10.

Speakers:
Mission 75 series
Also have Mission 77 series
And NHT