How does NAD stand vs Marantz or Pioneer Elite?

[ChicagoLR3]

Ive been debating for some time what receiver i would like to power a home theater system. Up until now, I was largely debating the Marantz sr6004 or the Pioneer Elite SC-25. Granted I would save money going with the 6004, but with various sales the difference isnt as great as it once was. However, I just noticed today that a store by me is offering some NAD demo units for sale. They have a T765 for $899 and a T775 for $1399. I believe this is the same price a refurb unit would be.

I know NAD has a largely bulletproof rep, but are they hands down better than the Marantz or Pioneer units? I do like that the NAD units can be upgraded with modules. that would probably allow me to put off upgrading for some time.

lastly, since i also plan on buying a turntable, likely a pro-ject debut III, would the fact that the NAD units dont have a phono input change the balance of things?

 

[Cristofori]

Ive been debating for some time what receiver i would like to power a home theater system. Up until now, I was largely debating the Marantz sr6004 or the Pioneer Elite SC-25. Granted I would save money going with the 6004, but with various sales the difference isnt as great as it once was.

In my personal opinion, the Marantz may be the better choice. I can't speak for the Pioneer, but I've owned NAD stereo gear in the past and wasn't duly impressed. I was embarrassed to discover that my friends beat up, 25 year old Sony integrated amp seemed to perform better then the NAD 325BEE integrated I had! Also, a NAD CD player I had once bought sounded worse then the cheap Sony CD player I had, so I took it back to the store after a few days.

Not to mention that I think that the NAD stuff I had was as ugly as sin. Normally, I'd overlook that for performance and sound quality, but NAD failed to deliver in those areas for me.

However, I just noticed today that a store by me is offering some NAD demo units for sale. They have a T765 for $899 and a T775 for $1399. I believe this is the same price a refurb unit would be.

I've also noticed that there seems to be a never ending supply of discontinued and/or demo NAD gear out there for cheap, which may be telling me something...

I know NAD has a largely bulletproof rep, but are they hands down better than the Marantz or Pioneer units?

I think they are overrated, and no, I don't think they are "hands down better" then a lot of stuff out there.

I do like that the NAD units can be upgraded with modules. that would probably allow me to put off upgrading for some time.

I don't know what you mean by modules, but I've never owned any NAD HT gear.

lastly, since i also plan on buying a turntable, likely a pro-ject debut III, would the fact that the NAD units dont have a phono input change the balance of things?

As long as your OK with spending the extra $150 or so needed to get an acceptable phono pre-amp, and you have the room for one, then it shouldn't be a problem.

Good luck on your A/V receiver search!

 

[3db]

Ive been debating for some time what receiver i would like to power a home theater system. Up until now, I was largely debating the Marantz sr6004 or the Pioneer Elite SC-25. Granted I would save money going with the 6004, but with various sales the difference isnt as great as it once was. However, I just noticed today that a store by me is offering some NAD demo units for sale. They have a T765 for $899 and a T775 for $1399. I believe this is the same price a refurb unit would be.

I know NAD has a largely bulletproof rep, but are they hands down better than the Marantz or Pioneer units? I do like that the NAD units can be upgraded with modules. that would probably allow me to put off upgrading for some time.

lastly, since i also plan on buying a turntable, likely a pro-ject debut III, would the fact that the NAD units dont have a phono input change the balance of things?

NAD's new designs are modular in construction meaning you can reconfigure the receiver with different cards. Thats all I know from reading their web site. I haven't had any hands on expereicen with them.

AS far as power delivery goes, NAD is conservative in their power deleivery numbers meaning they'll push more than advertised and they are also 4 ohm stable which their warranty will cover unlike Sony, Yamaha's etc. NAD has also suffered from QC problems in the past so make sure the dealer will warranty theses receivers you are looking at. Get it in writing.

A phono stage built into the receiver is handy but if the NAD doesn't have one, can you can get a phono pre-amp from ProJect from what I read is quite respectable in its performance. What is your budget on the turntable? If I wqere you, I would see if you could pick up a used Xpression II or Xpression III . They are a much better table than the Debut (not that the Debut is bad) offerring a better tone arm whichh is fully adjustable meaning you can configure the tone arm to accept any cartridge. The Debut lacks that adjustability.

 

[ChicagoLR3]

Does anyone reading this have experience with the modular cards? it seems like a big bonus to be able to swap out video and sound processor cards every couple of years, instead of buying a whole new unit.

Cristofori, you had said you didnt think NAD was worth it, but with the lower prices on a demo unit, would your view point change?

 

[Kaz-maN]

Does anyone reading this have experience with the modular cards? it seems like a big bonus to be able to swap out video and sound processor cards every couple of years, instead of buying a whole new unit.

Cristofori, you had said you didnt think NAD was worth it, but with the lower prices on a demo unit, would your view point change?

Most of the connections on the back of the T7xx series equipment are on modular cards. Now internal I can't say, but the back panel has some modular cards. Its good if you need extra hdmi's or a new connector type comes out that you need. From what I heard though, is that cards cost quite a bit of money.

Do not listen to the person who says NAD sounds like crap. Listen for yourself and make your own conclusions. I couldn't tell you how marantz sound, but from what I heard they are nothing more than rebadged denons. I personally think the NAD is very good. I don't think its the best, but definantly a good start. The only thing I can recommend is trying to go out and sample the brands you listed.

 

[Chicagorep]

My vote is for Marantz

 

[jostenmeat]

They have a T765 for $899 and a T775 for $1399. I believe this is the same price a refurb unit would be.

You are correct about refurb price for the first, but Spearit shows a much higher price on the T775.
http://www.spearitsound.com/nad/nadspec.htm?gclid=CL3w8LfOmKECFRhqgwodxl9vpw

I know NAD has a largely bulletproof rep,

Actually, they don't. In fact, some people would argue the opposite.

I do like that the NAD units can be upgraded with modules. that would probably allow me to put off upgrading for some time.

I have also heard that they are very expensive. I can't say for certain, but I don't think they are very quick to produce new modules, either. I forgot what I asked, when I sent an email query to NAD a couple of years ago, but they said, "nope, no plans".

My nutshell: NAD, very good with amplifiers, but might be iffy with anything else.

Which leads me to think, find a receiver of choice, just make sure it has preouts, and if you ever want to add an amp, you can then add a NAD, or other brand of choice.


*What is interesting about the T775 is that it sports a third Audyssey curve, the NAD/Paul Barton curve. I have read that it allows for more natural HF rolloff at the LP, and that while it still smooths the bass response, it still allows more room gain. Of course, you still get the Flat and Audyssey curves, that you would get with Denon or Onkyo. I don't know about Marantz, because they don't use the XT version of MultEq.

I am under the impression that the T765 doesn't sport this. The higher end stuff does, like the T175 pre/pro or T785.

OK, I looked at the Audyssey site, the T765 doesn't even have MultEQ, let alone the XT version. Therefore, IMO, T775 >>>> T765.

The T785 and T175 get you Dynamic Volume and EQ to boot. If there is an upgrade module for the T775 for these things, my guess is $$$$.

 

[allargon]

My understanding is that NAD delivers lots of power but has horrible, horrible reliability issues.

ChicagoLR3, did you consider a separate amp from Emotiva or a receiver from Cambridge Audio? If those don't interest you, I'll also vote for the Marantz.

 

[jostenmeat]

ChicagoLR3, did you consider a separate amp from Emotiva

I cannot think of a brand that has caused more grief to Audioholic members than Emotiva. I'm not saying that there aren't happy owners here too, but I find it ironic, nevertheless.

 

[anamorphic96]

NAD used to have many QC issues with there HT receivers but this has largely been resolved. There 2 channel equipment has not had nearly as many issues as the HT gear and tends to be very reliable.

As far as the comment about there being a alot of refurbs on the market. Well I can find sites that sell refurbs of Marantz, Denon, Onkyo, and even Yamaha.

I will agree that NAD is priced on the high side for what you get. But it's not bad quality by any means. NAD has never been a feature leader to begin with.

 

[j_garcia]

I couldn't tell you how marantz sound, but from what I heard they are nothing more than rebadged denons.

You heard wrong. VERY wrong.

IMO, NAD used to be an excellent brand that is now plagued by quality issues.

I had an issue with my Emotiva amp and they replaced it at no cost to me.

I also wouldn't really put Pioneer Elite in the same category at Marantz either. I've listened to their TOP models and was less than impressed.

 

[jliedeka]

I own both a Marantz and a NAD receiver. Both have been good for what I use them for. The Marantz powers my living room which is my main system. The only gripe I really have with the Marantz is that the subwoofer crossover is one frequency for all speakers. That forces me to cross higher than I want to until I get my new speakers.

My thoughts about NAD, they deliver solid amplification but are a bit iffy as HT receivers. I saw a recent review on one of the newer ones and it was clipping whites and blacks too early. You may not actually notice that in real world programming but I like to have equipment that gets in the way as little as possible.

I wouldn't count on being able to do much with modular input cards. A few companies have tried that and either failed to come out with new cards or cannibalized their own sales and eventually stopped doing it.

I couldn't really get a feel for what your priorities are. There really isn't a best receiver, just receivers that fit your needs better than others. I wouldn't rule out Denon or Onkyo receivers at this point. It comes down to what you need it to do. Do you need video processing? Do you need 4ohm stable amplification? Do you want lots of surround sound modes? etc.

Jim

 

[jeffsg4mac]

Both NAD and Adcom are a shell of their former selves in the mid 80's and 90's. They refused to keep up really at least in their receiver and processor lines. I still have an old NAD HT receiver that I use in the garage. All of the NAD amps I have ever owned, and I have owned 5 or 6 of them, had issues with their relays and channels going out. The HT receiver I have in the garage has channel issues. All the Adcom amps I ever owned never had an issue and I still have one a 535II.

My point is I would stay away from NAD. Go with Marantz, Denon, Onkyo or Yamaha. Or go separates like Onkyo pro/Integra pre/processor and Emotiva or some pro amps like Behringer EP2500/1500's.

 

[3db]

Both NAD and Adcom are a shell of their former selves in the mid 80's and 90's. They refused to keep up really at least in their receiver and processor lines. I still have an old NAD HT receiver that I use in the garage. All of the NAD amps I have ever owned, and I have owned 5 or 6 of them, had issues with their relays and channels going out. The HT receiver I have in the garage has channel issues. All the Adcom amps I ever owned never had an issue and I still have one a 535II.

My point is I would stay away from NAD. Go with Marantz, Denon, Onkyo or Yamaha. Or go separates like Onkyo pro/Integra pre/processor and Emotiva or some pro amps like Behringer EP2500/1500's.

Thats old information. A quick check on their site will show that they too carry all the pertinent features now. Pertinent being latest codecs to support HI-DEF.

How many problem have been reported on this site with Emotiva?

 

[GO-NAD!]

All of the NAD amps I have ever owned, and I have owned 5 or 6 of them, had issues with their relays and channels going out.

All of them!? I've had my C372 for a couple of years now, without a problem. Hope it stays that way.....

 

[ChicagoLR3]

For the longest time i was going to go with a UMC-1 with an xpa-3 or 5, however, the issues with the UMC have forced me to reconsider. I like the idea of doing separates, but there just isnt many affordable pre/pros on the market.

The one thing that stood out to me is that there really isnt many reviews of NAD products out there. I read one on the T775 on AVguide the other day, but it wasnt really raving about it.

Does anyone know if Marantz is planning on updating the 7000 line anytime soon? i like the feature set as it seems to be more on par with the SC-25, but its 2 generations old at this point.

 

[j_garcia]

Marantz usually starts the new lines in the fall, but the higher models can take until early the following year to come out.

 

[jeffsg4mac]

All of them!? I've had my C372 for a couple of years now, without a problem. Hope it stays that way.....

Yep all of them. They all had issues. Only brand I have ever owned that had issues like that. I also had a a friend send me some of his older NAD stuff that I was going to use to power subs and they had the same issues.

 

[jeffsg4mac]

Thats old information. A quick check on their site will show that they too carry all the pertinent features now. Pertinent being latest codecs to support HI-DEF.

How many problem have been reported on this site with Emotiva?

Yes looking at their current lineup they seem to have sort of caught up. Take a look at this pre/pro $4500 are you freaking kidding me? and no balanced outs? The Onyko pro/Integra DHC 80.1 blows that thing away for less than half the cost. Integra now has the DHC 40.1 for $1200 that is more capable than that NAD.

I stick with my original statement. NAD has lost focus of what they used to be and are behind the times at least from a performance vs price stand point. They did not used to be like that.

 

[GO-NAD!]

Yep all of them. They all had issues. Only brand I have ever owned that had issues like that. I also had a a friend send me some of his older NAD stuff that I was going to use to power subs and they had the same issues.

Hmmm, not very comforting, to say the least. Oh well, I just hope mine keeps going.