Rotel vs. NAD; on par, or big difference?

[corysmith01]

I went to a buddy of mine at work the other day to talk to him about my potential next purchase: a Rotel 1056 receiver. I'm a relative newbie, especially when it comes to amps/receivers, so I value his opinion as he's been at it a while. He went on and on about the difference I'd see would be mostly found in the 2ch stereo mode when comparing the Rotel to my Onkyo TX-SR602. However, he posed the question to me: Have I considered NAD? The answer is no. I don't know much about them. He seemed to put them on the same level as Rotel and I was wondering how others feel about this comparison. As I see it, I've poked around and it looks like I can pick up NAD for considerably less than Rotel.

What's the consensus? Is NAD on par with Rotel? Or, would anyone argue that one is definitely superior to the other. My plan is to buy a new receiver within 2 weeks time, so any input is greatly appreciated.

 

[Doug917]

IMHO they are very similar in terms of quality. I have not listened to either brand in a couple years but I wasn't greatly impressed with either one. I always end up going with a bigger name, such as Yamaha, Denon, Marantz, or Pioneer. The bigger brands always seem to come with more features and bells and whistles. Rotel and NAD aren't bad sounding, I just don't hear a difference from the mainstream brands and feel I would be giving up useful features.

 

[TheBeholder]

Which NAD do you have in mind? NAD T773 is much more loaded than Rotel 1056, but it is more expensive. I guess, T753 is in the same class as Rotel 1056. I think that T753 offers less than Rotel, but its also cheaper. NAD T763 will offer more than Rotel (7 channels and more power), but it's more expensive.

In addition to the features there are also personal preferences with respect to the sound. To my ear, NAD (judging based on their stereo equipment) sounds smoother, while Rotels are often too bright to my ear, almost brittle. Rotels look and feel cooler: NAD is famous for its cheap plastic knobs.

 

[corysmith01]

I was actually looking at the T753, the one you mentioned. That's about as high as I can go...well, actually, the price point on the Rotel is as high as I can go, with the T753 coming in under that.

Decisions, decisions.

Aside from that, with either of these models/brands, am I correct in assuming that both would be a step up from the Onkyo TX-SR602, or are their benefits (particularly in 2ch stereo mode) negligible when compared to my Onkyo?

 

[jaxvon]

Yeah, darn those cheap plastic knobs. You might have to "upgrade" to a Reference Audio Mod Wooden knob, only $500

 

[TheBeholder]

Yeah, darn those cheap plastic knobs. You might have to "upgrade" to a Reference Audio Mod Wooden knob, only $500

Sorry for the off-topic - I'll stick with plastic, thank you.

Now on the topic - I believe that the improvement in the sound quality will be more than marginal comparing to the Onkyo. Can you take them home for a test drive?

By the way, I've looked up - Rotel has 7.1 processing capabilities but only 5 power amps. I.e. it can be extended to 7.1 by adding a stereo power amp if there is a desire. In this configuration it may provide a better sound in stereo (if the separate stereo amp poweres the front channels - I guess, it should be possible to configure it like this). It's another $400(Rotel RB-1050) or $600(Rotel RB-1070) bucks, I guess, but this expense can be postponed.