NAD T773 V. Elite 56Txi

[pynchon]

I'm a newbie to hi-fi but have always enjoyed crisp clear audio...
I currently have mirage OM-10s as mains, an Outlaw LFM-1, a wharfedale Valdus center and wharfedale diamond 8.1 in the rear - am planning to upgrade front center channel to mirage OM-2 and add Mirage sats as L/R rear for 7.1 - my listening room is long and fairly narrow, open to the kitchen area.
My current reciever has to go...

Question - I have narrowed down receiver choice to Pioneer elite 56 txi ($1k) and NAD T773 ($1300) but there's no NAD dealer around and very few customer reviews. The magazine reviews for both are good.
Is NAD sound quality better than the 56 and worth the additional $300; or is the sound & image quality comparable and for less $ + I-link should I go with the Elite?
I'm dying with no power in the back - any insight would be greatly appreciated.

 

[hootie10]

Hi Phynchon,

Both receivers are excellent. However, I would give the NAD the edge as far as sound quality. If this is important to you, get the NAD. I personally think it's worth the extra $300 for you to be completely satisfied with your purchase. The best thing that you can do is listen to both if you have a chance. That way you will know if the extra money for the NAD is worth it to you.

Good luck with your search.

 

[pynchon]

thanks for the reply Hootie - I haven't had access to the NAD T773 - there's a marantz dealer and another store with the elite along with some other set-ups 1 per room, in town...
I defintiely liked the sound I heard from a 2 channel 100 W/ch Parasound amp being fed into Paradigm studio 100s... but the elite is set-up in another, lower-end room, and sounded nice if not as musically detailed as the Parasound set-up. I also heard a Rotel 1067 receiver, but it is 2250, which with tax is $1000 more than the 773.

My NAD inclusion came from the following logic:
1) If the NAD 773 is comparable in sound to the Rotel 1067 (which may be completely incorrect) then I'm all about the NAD.
2) I have heard that NAD's EARS processing is actually good unlike the "stadium; concert; etc." modes other receivers (Yammy) offer and new 773's have been updated with PLIIx - the rating of 110w is pretty on the $ to each of the 7 channels. It has 2 power supplies, and is a flagship receiver, which always seem to be made better than the other units (e.g., 59txi v. 56 txi) - I think the NAD is 53 lbs, which is quite a bit heavier than the 56txi

The Marantz I heard (playing Sting) seemed to provide uneven sound where the center speaker was very loud and the mains were way soft, which reminded me quite a bit of my old Kenwood I'm still using - but that very well could have been the set-up as the employee did not seem very knowledgable. Still, if I'm using that as the basis for how a similarly priced marantz (SR 8500) rates then I'd defintely go with the Elite. The employee also had to crank the volume knob on the marantz quite a ways to get sound from it. The sound itself was okay, but nothing to be overjoyed about.

I guess I have found out that there really are no answers, just more questions...

 

[nm2285]

I usually place NAD and Rotel in a similar category. It seems like the rotel is overpriced and the NAD underpriced in your area. They should be much closer. There characteristics are slightly different, the Rotel being more laid back, but in overall sound quality they're on par. My vote goes to the NAD.

 

[hootie10]

hello again,

If you liked the Rotel, i'm sure you'll like the NAD as well. They are slightly different sounding but you can't go wrong with either receiver (rotel or NAD). In fact, some people even prefer the NAD sound to the Rotel. It just boils down to personal preference.
The NAD T773 will definately please you for both HT and Stereo. Its a great receiver. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Good luck.

 

[T2T]

The NAD 773 features a toroidal power transformer. The receiver itself will produce a bit more heat than the Pioneer with their MOSFET amps will. I've heard the NAD with Klipsch speakers before. The sound and performance was quite impressive.

 

[pynchon]

I did locate a NAD dealer about 50 miles south - they don't have the T773, only the T743 set-up that I can listen to by appointment. Anyway I'm going to listen to it since it's the tiny (5.1/50wx5) version of the 773.
I did see where NAD receivers are reported to get hot... So even if I like the sound from the 743 enuf to plunge for its daddy I still probably won't know if fan noise from the 773 is an issue. Does anyone have a T773 who can comment on the fan noise/temperature of the unit - that is, is it problematic?

 

[Xsound]

go ahead and listen to the Eltie 56 as well. I did not get to audition the elite line (54) against the NAD, but the elite line has great sound. I am very please with my purchase. I know that NAD carries more "audiophile appeal," but the 54 really brought my monitor audio 700 golds to life. The NAD may sound better, but I would wager that many, not necessarily on this board, would recommend the NAD without having ever heard the Elite. Frequently the audio community sticks with what they love first, and what they know (or think they know) and hear/read second. Look at me, I am recommending strongly that you listen to the elite though I admit to never having heard the NAD. It's what I love.

My final recommendation is simply this: Check your needs & the inputs. Compare the sound. Compare the remotes and the user interface. If the sound is close, go for ease of operation and a remote/user interface that makes intuitive sense to you. In fact, despite risking my (chuckle) "audiophile status," I would probably sacrifice a little (very little) sound quality in order to get a user interface that I feel comfortable with.

 

[PENG]

I have listened to NAD's. They sound good but I am not sure if they sound better than the Pioneer Elite, Denon 2805/3805, or Yamaha RX-V2400/2500. The best way to find out is to do an AB comparison between the two, i.e. the NAD and the Elite in your case.