NAD T 748 7.1 3D Receiver Preview

[guitarguy]

NAD Cheap Shots

Wow - some unfounded (IMHO) shots against NAD here.

I've had good experiences with their products (an integrated amp most recently), and as an engineer I would say they are well designed and built.

I do agree they need to get Audyssey into their entry level AVR's to compete better.

As noted they tend to under-rate their power specs and they divulge output into all (e.g. 5/7) channels driven simultaneously, which puts them at a disadvantage marketing-wise compared to the Denon's/Onkyo's/Yamaha's/Marantz's/Sony's/Pioneer's of the world. Honesty hurts sometimes.

As far as sound quality, subjectively I've had trouble matching the NAD sound with the more mainstream brands. The sound is really quite addictive.

 

[M Code]

Wow - some unfounded (IMHO) shots against NAD here.

I've had good experiences with their products (an integrated amp most recently), and as an engineer I would say they are well designed and built.

I do agree they need to get Audyssey into their entry level AVR's to compete better.

As noted they tend to under-rate their power specs and they divulge output into all (e.g. 5/7) channels driven simultaneously, which puts them at a disadvantage marketing-wise compared to the Denon's/Onkyo's/Yamaha's/Marantz's/Sony's/Pioneer's of the world. Honesty hurts sometimes.

As far as sound quality, subjectively I've had trouble matching the NAD sound with the more mainstream brands. The sound is really quite addictive.

Not possible to get Audyssey in the 748...
The 748 uses the Cirrus Logic CS49700, and it does not have enough MIPs resources to run Audyssey and DTS Master Audio..
So to have these features NAD needs to step up to the just released triple core CS49800..

Just my $0.02...

 

[guitarguy]

Corrections

This "preview" and some of the comments here have some incorrect info.

1. The receiver's OSD is transmitted over HDMI
2. The receiver supports DTS-HD Master Audio
3. There is no relation of this model to any Harman Kardon model that I'm aware of
4. This AVR has pre-outs to support the addition of an external amp and 12v trigger, something some competitors lack at this price point

Definitely not everyone's cup of tea without Audyssey and more power.

 

[Scumfrog]

After living with the T748 for a few months I must say that I am very happy with my purchase. I demoed the unit with a suite of PSB Imagine speakers and was quite impressed. It clearly sounded more powerful than the specs given. Nice video processing as well-both 3d and 2d. My system consisits of Thiel CS2s for the mains, a Kirksaeter center and Kirksaeter towers in the back. A mirage sub handles the bass. Using the pre-outs, a Crown Macro Reference drives the Thiels. This combo provides a wonderfully satisfying experience for movies and music. Surround processing is precise and convincing in my large family room. The sound is, too me, neutral to warm. Blu-Ray movies and concerts are stellar. I feel that Im enjoying a performance -not watching/listening to gear. Equally or maybe even more impressive is 2 channel audio performance. The preamp section seems to match nicely with the Crown amp. Smooth and non fatigueing, the music really comes through, The Thiels really sing! I cant wait to upgrade my Samsung 3d player or add a seperate higher quality source component. BTW calibration was not too difficult. Using a Radio Shack spl meter-thanks Audioholics-I was enjoying music and movies in under an hour. If one has efficient speakers, the NAD is a fine option. With additional power via an external amp, it reaims a great option. As always, trust your ears.
Good listening!
Mike
BTW asny recs on a source upgrade?