NAD T875 vs Elite VSX=94THX

[vin]

I was 99% sold on the Elite. I actually went into a local stereo center to look at the subs and the salesperson asked what I was using to drive the speakers. I indicated that it would be the Elite when he took me over to the NADS and started to explain their product and philosophy. Seems I am swaying away from the Elite... Just looking for some feedback on the NAD especially since it doesn't have all the features I previously thought were a necessity. All views appreciated .

 

[Seth=L]

I was 99% sold on the Elite. I actually went into a local stereo center to look at the subs and the salesperson asked what I was using to drive the speakers. I indicated that it would be the Elite when he took me over to the NADS and started to explain their product and philosophy. Seems I am swaying away from the Elite... Just looking for some feedback on the NAD especially since it doesn't have all the features I previously thought were a necessity. All views appreciated .

What speakers are you going to be using, do you have separate amplification, and what is the room size?

 

[AD_LIB]

there is a pretty significant price difference between these two units...the NAD from my reading may be the better choice if your most concerned with just amplification/audio...but at almost double the price i am not sure you are getting double the performance. Also the NAD is not the most asthetically pleasing item i have ever seen. Not that it really matters in overall but it is a factor.

 

[dorokusai]

I agree as connectivity will be better with the Pioneer Elite but the amplifier section is more robust and capable in regards to the NAD.

Do you need that? Seth brings up that question and it's important. If you're running bookends for 7.1, you'll have no issues but throw in a 4ohm load and that Pioneer may have some serious complaints with a full load.

However, I don't know how many comments I've read about problems with the NAD T series AVR's. I'm not saying you will have a problem, and I'm sure there are thousands of happy customers, but it's just not uncommon from my perspective.

Can you expound upon what you're looking for and what you are planning to run with the X brand AVR?

Mark
Polk Audio CS

 

[AD_LIB]

So far my 94TXH isn't complaining about driving my 4ohm rbh's...the amp seems really robust.

 

[fmw]

I agree as connectivity will be better with the Pioneer Elite but the amplifier section is more robust and capable in regards to the NAD.

This might be opinion rather than fact. The amps in the Pioneer Elites are what they are all about. They are amazingly strong for receiver amps. I've heard them drive 4 ohm speakers loud without even getting warm.

 

[3db]

This might be opinion rather than fact. The amps in the Pioneer Elites are what they are all about. They are amazingly strong for receiver amps. I've heard them drive 4 ohm speakers loud without even getting warm.

I think the Elite series will have no problems with 4 Ohms but I would give the edge to the NAD. NAD is the one company that over engineer's its power supplies/amp section. If it came down to just power, NAD would be the ticket.

 

[bandphan]

What speakers are you going to be using, do you have separate amplification, and what is the room size?

unless your room is massive or your speaker sensitivity is inefficient, the elite is a more than capable unit, and yes it can handle 4ohm loads, no problem.

 

[Janik]

NAD 875 vs Yamaha 94

NAD has far superior sound, but does't handle video processing as well as some other brands. It seems NAD has done this on purpose to concentate on what they do best: audio.

Not a problem if you are ok with bypassing the AVR with the video signal (direct connect DVD to HDTV), but if you want to use the AVR as a true AV hub, the NAD is not your choice.

 

[fmw]

NAD has far superior sound......

Can you tell me something about the tests you used to determine this?

 

[Janik]

fmw, I was lucky enough to get a demo of both units in the same showroom. All hardware remained the same, we just swapped AVR's. I had brought my own Norah Jones CD with me, so I knew very well what this sounded like on my own Arcam system. Oh yeah, I was allowed to bring in my own CD player too.

I just thought the NAD sounded better, it seemed fuller, with a little extra dimension to it.

 

[Thaedium]

I hate being the fanboy, but seriously. Janik, you've only cited a subjective opinion, not a DB test by any means. Power is power, if you were listening at normal levels there should be no differences heard. Far superior is a bold claim by someone who hasn't offered any evidence to that fact.

I'm not saying differences aren't possible, I'm just saying don't go making outlandish claims that lend no help to the OP.

 

[Janik]

I hate being the fanboy, but seriously. Janik, you've only cited a subjective opinion, not a DB test by any means. Power is power, if you were listening at normal levels there should be no differences heard. Far superior is a bold claim by someone who hasn't offered any evidence to that fact.

I'm not saying differences aren't possible, I'm just saying don't go making outlandish claims that lend no help to the OP.

My apologies, you are correct.
Would the court please strike my subjective opinion from the record?

 

[fmw]

It's OK, Janik, consider it stricken. You might want to do a little reading about placebo effect in audio. It affects all of us and gets down to the heart of audiophilia. We will think the product we prefer sounds better or the product we think should sound better in a subjective listening test - or worse, we will think the one that someone tells us sounds better. Also we will prefer the slightly louder of the ones we hear every time if they aren't level matched. Listening tests are a fairly complex subject unto themselves and listening to components in a dealer showroom isn't really very meaningful.

Two competent amplifiers like these two will sound the same if you don't know which one you are hearing and if the test is conducted properly. In other words they will sound like the source only louder. The idea is to design an amplifier that has no sound of its own. That is a fairly trivial thing for a manufacturer to do and most of them do it.

There are other aspects to amplifer performance other than sound, of course, and some of them can be important in some situations. Output power and the ability to drive lower impedance loads (strong power supply and great heat dissipation) are a couple of examples.

 

[Janik]

fmw, I couldn't agree more with everything you say, and can only add that after years of listening to a lot of "quality" audio systems, after extensive reading & learning what the specs mean and the important qualities to look for, after trying to make oneself aware of all the little system and room interactive complexities that exist and the subjective audio physiological traps one can easily fall in when evaluating systems.. at the end of the day one has to be able to trust their ears to assemble a system that they will truly enjoy listening to for a long time... especially with their eyes shut.

 

[fmw]

fmw, I couldn't agree more with everything you say, and can only add that after years of listening to a lot of "quality" audio systems, after extensive reading & learning what the specs mean and the important qualities to look for, after trying to make oneself aware of all the little system and room interactive complexities that exist and the subjective audio physiological traps one can easily fall in when evaluating systems.. at the end of the day one has to be able to trust their ears to assemble a system that they will truly enjoy listening to for a long time... especially with their eyes shut.

The good news is that the psychology of hearing helps us there as well. Familiarity breeds comfort with audio systems. They tend to sound better to us as time goes on. You may be familiar with the common audiophile belief that systems "break in." It is we that do the breaking in.

 

[dorokusai]

This might be opinion rather than fact. The amps in the Pioneer Elites are what they are all about. They are amazingly strong for receiver amps. I've heard them drive 4 ohm speakers loud without even getting warm.

Of course it's an opinion, that's what he asked for. The Elite series is a standout from Pioneer, just like Sony ES, Integra, NAD Master, etc. I have no argument with you in that fact and never stated they couldn't run a 4ohm load. I've owned alot of vintage and modern gear and NAD has always produced a very nice power section from my perspective, way back to the 2200PE('86 for example).

The last Pioneer gear that stands out to me is the SPEC series from the 70's and naturally some other pieces but when the HT revolution started.....the silver age flame went out. My buddy Rick has a silver Pioneer sickness and it's beautiful The black fascia killed audio during that time and it was directly reflected in the guts and cost effective circuit design. I'd buy an older silver age piece of gear quicker than I would MANY pieces from the mid-80's to the mid-90's from the heavyweights of Japan.

Fast forward, Pioneer invents the Elite series to compete with a higher end product and have a statement line of electronics. Awesome! I dig it, I've heard it and I'm just stating my opinion.

Viva la KLH!

Mark

 

[chadnliz]

If you are serious about sound, its NAD all the way......they really over build the gear the manufacture, also re-sale is going to be heads and tails better with NAD and if you are the type that changes gear every couple years this may be a concern. Also NAD will be ready for most speakers you may grow into avoiding future purchase if you keep gear long term.

 

[dorokusai]

FMW - Don't read any tone into my reply....just talking out loud. I was cranky last night for some reason

Mark

 

[Keyser_Soze]

Hi Everybody,

I'm thinking about picking up the Pioneer Elite VSX=94THX but was wondering if it would have enough power to drive my old Mirage M3 speakers. I know those speakers were very good ones at the time and sucked back a lot of power. With all the changes in tech, are they still considered good or should I bite the bullet and get some new front speakers. Thanks.