HT receivers - NAD?

[Fidelity4Me]

<font color='#000000'>I am looking to purchase an HT receiver with an emphasis on 2 channel sound. &nbsp;I just went a little crazy and obtained B&amp;W CDM 9NTs and matching center after comparing to many others. &nbsp;Based on articles here and elsewhere I will string it all up with 12 gauge OFC stranded cable for now. &nbsp;I knew that my 10 yr old Sony receiver would be next to go. &nbsp;I have looked at Rotel's RSX975, Denon's 3803, and NAD's T762 in the ~$1k range and am open to suggestions. &nbsp;I am leaning toward the NAD based on brand reputation and good power in this price range. &nbsp;I will A/B it with others before any purchase, however -
&nbsp;When I sourced the B&amp;W's from the NAD on a particularly dynamic track, the receiver would click mid-song, as if switching around the amplifier's configuration. &nbsp;Their guides mention a loudspeaker load-sensing and -switching feature that I assume was kicking in and changing from 8 to 4 ohm and back. &nbsp;Could have been inferior wiring in that particular room (switching gear) at the &quot;high-end&quot; shop. &nbsp;The receiver also seemed a bit quiet considering its power rating. &nbsp;I'm hoping this was all caused by a glitch in that particular room, but thought I would solicit experience and opinion responses here.
&nbsp; A techie friend also suggested I might want to match the surrounds to the center and mains for similar voicing and dynamic power draw characteristics. &nbsp;I thought about &quot;saving&quot; in the surrounds because I would hate to spend good money just to hear the 0.5% of a movie recorded to those channels but I do not want to miss out on the overall experience after plunging in thus far. &nbsp;Any and all suggestions are welcome.
&nbsp;Currently loving this website, Thanks!</font>

 

[Guest]

<font color='#000000'>I'm going to point you to a rather long (&gt; 6 pages) thread about the NAD T762.

T762 thread

I leave it up to you to decide whether or not they are having quality control issues with the product, IMHO they are having a few problems, and I'm not sure they are solved yet.

If there is something you don't quite understand, just ask.</font>

 

[Fidelity4Me]

<font color='#000000'>Bruce,
&nbsp;Thank you. &nbsp;Very informative thread you pointed out. &nbsp;Thought I had read most of the NAD info through my Google search, but certainly missed that one.
&nbsp;I have to wait on funds right now, so I'll just bug the dealers here and A/B receivers on my own speakers until I find the unit that sounds best with them without acting up on demanding passages. &nbsp;BTW I am reviewing Denon 3803, Rotel RSX-1065, NAD T762, a Yamaha &quot;Natural,&quot; and a Pioneer Elite. &nbsp;Any other suggestions for a HT receiver with a two-channel signal as rich as the Rotel and at least 100 x 5 continuous (the B&amp;W CDM 9NTs are apparently greedy) in the &lt;$2k range?
&nbsp;Many thanks.</font>

 

[Guest]

<font color='#000000'>What are the specs on you B&amp;W CDM9NT speakers?

I can't remember, are they 4 Ohm speakers?  If so, I'm afraid I wouldn't actually recommend only a receiver.  I might suggest an additional 200watts per channel stereo power amp (this you could buy used) just for the CDM9NTs and let the receiver handle the center and surrounds.

This means you will need a receiver that has L&amp;R preouts.  Typically they are right next to the L&amp;R amp inputs on the receiver and there are small &quot;U shaped&quot; metal jumpers that connect the two together.

You can pull out the jumpers and use the preouts with normal interconnects to drive a separate stereo amplifier connected to the CDM9NT main speakers.

If the speakers are hard to drive (4 Ohm speakers are), you may not get the quality of music you really want without close to 200 WPC (and &gt;45 amps peak per channel, is desirable) &nbsp;in amplifier power.</font>

 

[Fidelity4Me]

<font color='#000000'>Bruce,
&nbsp;Again, thanks. &nbsp;The B&amp;W's are 8 ohm (50-200w), but a bit piggish for power. &nbsp;They did not really shine with any of the Japanese receivers I checked over the weekend. &nbsp;The NAD straight into the B&amp;W's sounded pretty good (and I think the switching sound I previously heard was the receiver losing the digital CD signal mid-song and switching over to analog), but I think I remember the Rotel having punchier bass at reasonably higher volumes (I suppose it should for $2k). &nbsp;(I believe the Rotel does and I know the NAD has preamp outs.) &nbsp;My current thought process is to run either some 12 gauge shielded (with ground) or twisted pair speaker cable this weekend and upgrade my interconnects in preparation for an in-situ comparison of the Denon, NAD, and Rotel on my system in my home once that bonus check clears.
&nbsp; &nbsp; Just for kicks I may demo a set of Rotel separates if the dealer doesn't mind my borrowing them for an evening as well. &nbsp;Will those be adequate to give a sense of the benefits of separate units or do you recommend a different brand or certain minimum power rating? &nbsp;Do you have a specific receiver or &quot;separates&quot; recommendation and a best price? &nbsp;Thanks!
&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Paul</font>

 

[Guest]

<font color='#000000'>Paul,

I think you are doing the right thing (in-home auditions) with the NAD and Rotel. &nbsp;I think you will find a good match for your system with either one, it just depends on which one you feel offers the best sound and operational features for your needs.

If at some point you think you need more power for the B&amp;W mains, you can add a stereo amp for little cost.</font>

 

[gene]

<font color='#000000'>If I may offer my 2cents, I personally feel that in your price range the Denon AVR-3803 is far superior to its competition given it is a scaled down version of the 5803. &nbsp;It has qual dual differential dacs in stereo mode, no other receiver in this price range and mostly well beyond does this. &nbsp;If you feel the amp lacking, you can always add another. &nbsp;Better yet, if you are only running 5CH, you can reroute the other two channels to biamp your fronts. &nbsp;I am doing this with the 5803 now, into inefficient 4ohms speakers and I don't miss my Klipagon amp one bit. &nbsp;Don't discount the quality of a good receiver.

Your B&amp;W's are not as power hungry as you may believe, and depending on your room size, and listening conditions, the receiver may offer enough power for your needs. &nbsp;

I used to be stuck on absolute power until I placed an oscilloscope on the output of my speakers are realized how little average power I was using, even when blasting my stereo. &nbsp;IMO, never trade noise floor for power. &nbsp;So many so called high end high power amps today are nothing more than noise generators IMO. &nbsp;I will be writing an article on this shortly.</font>

 

[Fidelity4Me]

<font color='#000000'>Follow-up: thanks for all the comments, gentlemen.
&nbsp; &nbsp; I tested the Yamaha RXZ1, NAD T762, Denon 3803, and Rotel 1065 (yeah, that's about $8k of equipment borrowed for the night), all directly into B&amp;W CDM-9NTs with a digital coax connection from an older Sony CD player. &nbsp;The Yamaha had lots of power, but did not exhibit control over the speakers. &nbsp;The Denon and NAD were very similar sounding, so I would likely have chosen the Denon for its features. &nbsp;The Rotel, however, clearly sounded better with these speakers. &nbsp;Not surprising, considering they are co-marketed and such, but I was biased AGAINST the Rotel as it was twice the price of the NAD and Denon. &nbsp;It is worth the difference. &nbsp;I am waiting to be able to afford it.
&nbsp; &nbsp; An acoustic double bass passage clinched this victory: there was seemingly limitless dynamic range available at all volume levels. &nbsp;When we cranked it up, I had no desire nor need to turn it down, even though it was quite loud. &nbsp;Musical. &nbsp;Open. &nbsp;Beautiful. &nbsp;No distortion, no irritation: the preamps and power source were clearly superior to the other units, to both my own and a friend's ears. &nbsp;This graduation to a new level of audio snobbery was not intentional (I had already purchased a Denon assuming it would be &quot;good enough&quot; for the money), but I am now unwilling to compromise the performance of great speakers with an &quot;adequate&quot; receiver.
&nbsp; &nbsp; I am very pleased that I tested these in my own home at my own pace. &nbsp;There's no real substitue for it. &nbsp;Now I have proven the differences to myself and done what homework I can. &nbsp;I have extended my budget to the breaking level, but am pleased with where I am ending up. &nbsp;What surprises me is everyone else's amazement that I was willing to go through &quot;all this work.&quot; &nbsp;Each store indicated that they were fine with it, but people rarely took them up on the chance to demo units. &nbsp;This is a big chunk of money for me, so I was certainly going to hear differences for myself before putting down cash. &nbsp;If your stores are willing, I highly recommend letting your own (and a trusted friend's) ears guide you. &nbsp;Thanks for your shared insights and enjoy those blissful melodies...</font>

 

[Guest]

<font color='#000000'>Congratulations on the Rotel!! &nbsp;Another successful in-home audition. &nbsp;I agree this is the only way to find out what you really like when integrating something new with your current system and room.</font>

 

[gene]

<font color='#000000'>Those Rotel receivers appear to have quite a meaty amp. &nbsp;

One of my first experiences with high end audio many years ago was with a 2CH Rotel amp . I was astonished by how much better my system sounded when I preamp outed my old Pioneer receiver in favor of the Rotel amp. &nbsp;My next step was to taking home a Rotel CD player. &nbsp;Woa! The sound got even better! &nbsp;Man did my old JBL speakers sing!

After those experiences I became an Audioholic and the rest was history &nbsp;

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