Bang for the buck. Very good detail.

Skipping (even on mint CDs) and tracking of scratched ones (I don't mean of heavily scratched ones! I mean ones that track OK in other players).

This is for the 521i, by the way. A great CD player, especially for the price. Matched with my Plinius 8200 MKII and Cabasse speakers, this unit really shines. I have compared it to a number of other newer players (Rega Planet) and older ones (California Audio Labs, Marantz) and found the NAD to hold its own. These other players do outperform the NAD in terms of staging and overall definition, but if cost is a factor, then the NAD is a great value. The one problem I have had is with occassional skipping. I have seen this reported elsewhere, but have never found out what the problem is. Also, scratched CDs don't always work well with the NAD.

Similar Products Used:

Rega Planet CAL Marantz

Good sound for the price. I personally like the looks and operation of it. Very clean and simple. My Sony is a pain in the ass compared to this.

I have no complaints.

I was building a budget music system for my computer room and needed a CD player, my goal was to build the entire thing for under $800 - which I did! I picked up the NAD c520 from audiogon and am thrilled. Running it with a Marantz pm7000, Canton Nestor 403's and good wiring/interconnects. Not the best gear in the world, but it sounds pretty damn crisp and musical to me. The only real CD player I can compare it to is my Sony DVPs9000es DVD palyer which cost 12 times as much and decimates it... but that's my home theater and I don't tend to use it much for music. I can't compare it to a slew of other high end products, but for the bucks if you're looking for a beginner/hi end cd player I can't see how this isn't a great deal. Plays my CDRs well. The tray is flimsy, but whatever. It works.

Similar Products Used:

JVC P.O.S.

Build quality, Sound, Remote, Timing

Detail, when you play your music loud the player turns harsh.

Although it haven't listened to my Nad C521 for a while (I sold it 9 months ago)i still have an opinion about the player I want to share with you. In the short time we spent together (exactly 12 months) I never had any problems with the player. The only reason why I sold it was cause of the so called "mismatch" with my new stuff. I think this player is a great source when you own an amp and speakers of the same league. If not, the rest of the chain will painly show it's shortcomings

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Many players, but most of them at a much higher price point

Virtually everything. Accuracy, detail, depths, balance.

lacks focus which leads to lack of soundscape creation.

Bought 521i early July($420 australian). I have always read good reviews on them from What Hi-Fi magazine, the one which I agree with a lot(going through actual gears they have gone through and judging it myself, comparing the two). Great in both detail and depth and generally speaking a really solid and well-balanced player. Not good enough to the extent where it can virtually create a soundscape but at this price you can't ask for more. Turn it on, it rocks with any sort of sound. Plus it can reveal your system fairly thanks to its accuracy and balance.

Similar Products Used:

Marantz CD5000

sound quality, styling, ability to play lightly damaged discs

new backlit LCD display (I guess that's what it is)- NAD what wre you thinking?

This is a review for the C521i model which was introduced this year (2002). I purchased this player because of the positive professional reviews for the C521 and the styling. I can say I don't regret my purchase($400 Can.)- the player looks and sounds great. However what bugs me is the new LCD type display instead of the flourescent type that the C521 and my C420 tuner have. It's difficult to read with certain angles, distances and light conditions. Even though it can play a damaged disc that I have (that's the improvement over the C521) that a C541 loaner had difficulty with I would rather have the flourescent type display. You might consider searching for a C521 or C541 instead of this model.

Similar Products Used:

NAD C541

all.

I don't know anything.

The Nad 521 is an excellent cd player.

Similar Products Used:

Rotel,Arcam,Marantz.

Sound, warmth,"audiophile" touches

None major at this price.

This is for the NAD C521 ( current model). A better player than most in the price category, and the one above, you would have to look at $500 or over for a better unit. The people at NAD know how to make a decent and affordable CD source. Unlike other players which I feed into the dAC''s of my HT amplifier, I use the internal converter on this one through a pure stereo "audiophile" kit, with very warm, musical, and at the same time "accurate" sound. Looked at Denon ( 485), Yamaha ( 596), and Arcam 72, which would be the upgrade from this NAD, at triple the price. Will work well with a variety of amplification.

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Yamaha, Sony

Simple (uncluttered) look, operation. Well behaved. Clean, engaging sound. Reasonable (good, fair) price. 2-year parts and labour warranty. Reads CD-R. Build quality / drawer seems OK to me... some reviews have been critical.

Don''t know of any, apart from fact it won''t read CD-RW.

This review is for the NAD 521 CD player, successor to the NAD and predecessor to the NAD 521i. Price quoted is $US. I paid $329 Cdn. I should point out that I wanted a single disk mechanism after having bad experiences with a magazine-style CD player. I''m pretty picky by nature and not always happy with my purchases. I have no quibbles to make on this one. I won''t go into audio detail, other than to say that I bought the unit a few hours ago, hooked it up and am very pleased with the sound. Bass appears tight, highs are not shrill; good detail and projection... I never heard the breaking waves in ''Yellow Submarine'' before today. I am listening to the ''sound'', not concerning myself with monitoring the ''equipment''. I am pleased with the price paid; reduced to clear before the arrival of the NAD 521i. A tip of the hat to John McManus, store manager, for steering me charmingly in the right direction. Re: Overall Rating... It''s not ''far better than imagined''. After reading positive reviews, I had high expectations and have not been disappointed. Perhaps criteria in popup need fine-tuning.

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Best not said.

Incredibly natural sound, especially on piano and organ.

Cannot read past scratches that my old Denon takes in stride. The "flimsy" tray is not a weakness.

Went looking for C521 based on a few good British reviews, but was not available in Hong Kong. Tried the C520 and C300 combination on my small Epos 11''s, but they sounded so good, I switched out my old Denon and now use NAD on my big Epos 22''s. The sound is crisp, clear as a bell, but not harsh or brittle. Much better than some of these reviews would lead you to believe. I have had no skips, but the error-correction circuitry is not robust, and it is sensitive to dirty CDs and any visible scratches.

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Denon, Onkyo, Kenwood CD players

price,digital output

no tubes in the output stage

Sounds great,highs tend to be a little sharp,depending on recordings.Good depth good soundstage,it''s not a $3000 player but who cares i have gone that route before and i could only listen to select cd''s. Save your money and enjoy the music. I did review the 541 and the arcam cd 72 and my personal opinion you have to spend more than a $1000 to hear a huge differance.

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micromega stage 1 and 2 , ead 7000 series 3