It sounded great when it worked! Very smooth highs and tight bass, warm feeling

Even when it was working it was very sensitive to scratched disks or CD-Rs (this is characteristic of NAD players) It stopped working and even after repairs it doesn't work

This cd changer definitely sounds fantastic. It is very characteristic of NADs warmness. It was a perfect match to my C740 reciever. It was always finiky about playing cds that weren't in perfect condition. The problem was that I got this B stock which means that it was one that someone returned after not liking it. The warranty is about 90 days with it instead of a year and in the beginning it was fantastic but after about 6 months it started skipping like crazy and it got to the point where it couldn't read cds at all. I took it in to get repaired and spent $150 and it worke again for about 6 months and the same thing happened again. I called NAD and they said it was out of warranty so they wouldn't fix it.

smooth sound

remote control has a few missing features

Have enjoyed this CD player for many yrs and it is the smoothest sounding unit in this price range. Have a single sony and this one for parties, and I use this one more as a critical listening unit than the sony. It fits nicely into my system with Ultra Link interconnects. Perfect mid-fi unit and sounds far richer than this price range.

My system now:
Bryston BP4 pre
Adcom 535 amp
Adcom 2535 amp
JBL Control 5 speakers
JBL Control SB5 Sub
NAD CD 523
Sony CD/DVD

Similar Products Used:

sony,technics,denon

Hopes were dashed as I went from the vastly superior 522 (single) to the 523 (carousel), because I was searching for a carousel with 522 sonic quality or better. Hower, the construction was admireable. It should work (as such as it does) for quite some time.

I recently purchased the NAD 523. I have benn very satisfied with it. My system consists of a PSB speaker system wired with tara labs cables, a Denon AVR rec, toshiba SD3109 DVD, and Audioquest jade IC.
Build quality is excellent. ergonomics are excellent. the remote is not very good. Sound quality is very good when compared to models within the same price range. Disc changing is fast and the player works flawlessly.

I compared the NAD with models from Sony, Pioneer, Denon, yamaha, Onkyo, Technics and Marantz in the same price range. When compared to the other models i kept coming back to the NAD. detail, percision, warmth, imaging and soundstage was all there. While the NAD is no Krell or wadia it is well worth the cost and better than the compitition.

Recently replaced a mid-range Yamaha player with the NAD 523. This player is heads and tails above the Onkyo, Marantz and other Yamaha machines that I auditioned. It is clean, quiet and produces excellent sound staging and range on a variety of music choices. As I broke in the machine the sound only improved and although I can't confidently use the discriptive language found in other reveiws, most importantly I have not experienced listener fatigue or any harshness emanating from the 523. For the money, true value from a company that has always done me right.
Part of the following set up;
NAD 304 integrated amp
NAD 412 Tuner
Paradigm Reference 60's v. 2
DH Labs T-14 single wired
DH Labs BL-II interconnects.

Clean design, straightforward operation. Sound is good but Harman Kardon 8550 or Rotel 951 better for the same $$.

returned to dealer - right channel distortion. Replaced with HK FL8550

I bought this unit on strength of several reviews in British Hi Fi magazines. The sound was good but the right channel developed a distortion that seemed to get worse over time. I returned to the dealer and upgraded to a Harman Kardon FL 8550 (for and extra $20 CAD). What a difference! The HK has dual Bur Brown 20 bit DACs and an HDCD processor. There is simply no comparison between this and the NAD for the same $$.

Similar Products Used:

HK FL 8550, Rotel 951.

Build Quality, Sound, Perfect match to NAD T760

Remote

I was looking for a multi-play CD player. I have always liked NAD, and the 523 does not disappoint. The sound is detailed and clear, build quality great, and the utility very high. I will keep this CD player for years to come. Some drawbacks are that it does not have a digital output or HDCD compatible. I guess this will be added sooner than later. It does play CDR's as well!

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha

A remarkably reliable CD player -- plays every disc I own perfectly, even the CD-R discs. Sound is clear, but not overly engaging. The remote is the only drawback; it's a piece. Toshiba uses the same one for their VCR's. It has about a 30 degree TOTAL field or operation.