I've got an NAD T752 surround receiver, about 3 years old. Recently it stopped working correctly -- it would go into Standby mode (yellow power light on), but wouldn't power up fully.
I dropped it off for repairs last week, today the repair shop called and told me that this was a power supply issue. They said it would cost about $375 to fix.
Does $375 seem reasonable? It's about 50% of what I first paid for the unit -- which means it's still cheaper than buying a new one, but I wonder if I'm being ripped off.
That's probably about right WillD, you see the power supply and the output transisitors are the most expensive components of a surround receiver, unfortunately there is a huge disparity between what the manufacturer pays for a transformer and what you will pay since they buy in mass quantity and get a significant discount in cost per unit. Replacing the transformer and ps caps should not be a tremendous undertaking provided the soldering is done right,I am a ardent supporter of silver soldier for audio applications.
I am fully sympathetic to your cause since this is a case where manufacturers fleece the public since that transformer probably costs the maker 20% of what you will pay and they probably have a decent supply laying around for repairs anyway. And you will also pay heavily for labor. I hope the repair goes well so you can get back to the music!
Decide how much you like the NAD. Recently NAD has been getting mixed reviews on this forum, mainly for their reliability and build quality. However, as the pundits are fond of saying, we shouldn't have gone in but we are where we are right now. You are at the point where you can spend money repairing the NAD only to have other problems later, or possibly not. The repair warranty is probably only 30-90 days. Or, you can scrap the NAD and move into a better product with a warranty.
I think ER made his case a bit too strongly considering we all expect a manufacturer to put together a product in a different manner and at a lower cost than a repair shop can manage. If you need a new transmission in your car or a new condensor in your HVAC system, it will cost you more than what the manufacturer paid simply because you are paying someone to do the work by hand in a one off situation. So, don't think the repair shop is ripping you off. You might wany to get a second opinion on the repairs. Or you might want to just cut your losses and move on.
The AV receiver market is very poor, IMO, in terms of reliability. Products are sold based on features and on paper specs that don't reflect the quality of the product. Ask the repair shop what they think is reliable gear at the present time, keeping in mind they probably don't service all manufacturers. And what is reliable might not be the sound quality you want. Otherwise, several of us have had good luck and are happy with the Outlaw brand sold over the internet. They are not without their own quirks, however.
Jan's right. The NAD T7X2 series Receivers had by far the most problems NAD has ever had. Although they also sold a tone of them, but still. The price you were quoted is probably with two hours of labour and NAD charges 60 dollars an hour. I know this because I had a T762 fixed once( That was two years ago and it still works perfectly, perhaps I was a lucky one). NAD, they say, have fixed all problems with their new T754 series. But hey, their new, and a lot of them havn't hit the market yet. IMO...and again this is only MO...I would consider a new receiver. If you love the sound you are getting now, I would look at the new T754, as dealers and NAD themselves claim problems are solved. But...as Jan says, every receiver company is having their problems. NAD unfortunately sells more recievers then most companies, so of course your going to see more of the A/V problems posted. Outlaw is a very good brand to look at. I dunno what to tell you....I hope for the best.
You might want to consider an extended warranty on your next purchase. Most of the fuctions in an AV receiver are controlled by a large scale microprocessor, which is what often fails in such products. Like your power supply problem, if the microprocesor fails, you'll spend as much repairing as replacing the unit.
Most AV receivers are built using integrated circuits for signal processing and function control. IC's are not capable of withstanding the constant barrage of small surges coming at them thru the AC line and the larger interruptions from storms. If you do not already have a very good surge protector, I would suggest you make that investment also.
Things break and no manufacturer is immune to problems. But these are a few things you can do to make your investment less costly.
Like Nick suggested, NAD is acknowledging the issues and claims to have rectified them. Repairing the unit is fine, but if the things have a shaky track record, then...
And as usual, Assface Wiley connot read the words on a page.
Dennis- What Jan said about getting a extended warranty and buying a power center or surge bar is key to a receiver lasting a decent amount of time. Jan informed us about microprocesors, which is exactly what went on my T762, fortunately for me It was under warranty at that time. It came with a 2 year warranty and when it died it had roughly 8 days left on it before I would of had to spent roughly 650 bucks to fix it.(puke). I actually took a drive down to Lenbrooke myself(only an hour or so away) to make sure I got it there in time for warranty repair. Which again, having the extended warranty sure would have been nice at the time.
Will - Although having my old reciever die SUCKED, NAD were very very good in supporting me.Realising that I drove it down there, and took a day off to do so. They pushed my unit to be fixed that same day. I went for lunch and went to the park. Came back and that same unit has worked ever since as good as my T763 does. I sold it to my friend, and he uses it to this day. But if I would of had to spend the money for it, lets just say I would of had the T763 a few months earlier.
What the hell are you doing? Jan responded accurately and succinctly to the OP in his first response. His second response simply added to that in terms of how to proceed going forward. Your outburst is a completely unwarranted attack designed purely to bait him. If you don't have anything constructive to say then say nothing. If you do have something to say that's constructive and points to the thread, say it!
I am very disappointed with your contributions to this thread, and most pleased that Jan has not taken the bait.
You know what Wiley, I feel real sorry for you - you poor sod! Except when you leave the bodies around when you go postal - then I won't, nor will anyone else. For pete's sake man, get a grip and go make a friend somewhere. Buy a dog, a doll, anything - just something to pat and make you feel at peace with yourself. Otherwise your outlook doesn't look good.
Let's see if we can get this thread back on track...
Will, I recently had an old NAD amplifier repaired for $100. I know nothing about electronics, but repairing an amp is probably cheaper and easier than repairing a receiver. All that is to say that $375 is probably fair. Depends on how much you like the NAD I guess.