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ellenza Unregistered guest | Hi folks, I am new here and just picked up on this forum as I was doing some research on NAD and Yamaha A/V receivers. After going thru this forum I seem to be getting the picture that though NAD is better from sound quality point of view, it lags behind yamaha in build quality. Actually I have to decide between the NAD T743, Yamaha RXV 540 and the Onkyo TXSR601. Though the onkyo beats yamaha in quality but from economics point of view yamaha is cheap. Could the people on this forum give some opinions on the 2 as compared with NAD T743 Thanks ellenza |
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Silver Member Username: JohnnyMissouri Post Number: 201 Registered: Dec-03 | Ellenza, Let me start by telling you that I own an NAD T762 and absolutely love it. So, I am obviously a bit biased toward them...but I am going to try to give you some proven, factual information so you can better make your decision. NAD receivers are known for being very conservative on their power ratings. The NAD 743 is rated with all channels driven simultaniously at 50w x 5. Most other receivers only rate their receivers with a couple of channels driven at once, so their power ratings are often inflated to a certain degree. So when the NAD says it has 50 watts per channel, it will hit that mark, if not exceede it. I am not sure for this model, but other NAD receivers have been tested by various audio magazines and have been found to actually reach 10-15% more power than they are rated for. NAD is also known for having a very detailed and inviting sound. While very powerful and very good sounding, NAD receivers do not typcially have as many "fluff" features as some other brands. NAD does not offer any of those "simulated sound fields" (such as "concert hall" or "jazz club"). NAD also does not offer an automatic calibration feature like some other brands do. If those types of features are important to you, then NAD is probably not for you. If you like features and aren't too concerned about power, Yamaha is for you. On some models, Yamaha does have an automatic calibration feature, but I don't think the one you mentioned does. Yamaha also has countless numbers of those "simulated sound fields". That being said, the sound of Yamaha receivers is known to be very bright sounding, sometimes even harsh sounding. While it is true that some of the higher end models seem to have tamed some of this brightness, the lower priced models such as the one you listed are still very bright. Paired with the right speakers, you may be able to get rid of some of the brightness. Also, unlike NAD, Yamaha is one of those companies that seems to artificially inflate their power ratings. See this thread for more information on Yamaha and power ratings. https://www.ecoustics.com/electronics/forum/home-audio/15269.html As for Onkyo, they are also known for inflating their power specs. To quote Hawk from another thread, "the Onkyo TX-SR900, a THX certified design rated at 125 wpc x 7 by Onkyo was bench tested by Sound & Vision magazine (June '03) and found to be only capable of 54 wpc when driving 5 channels. Now, that is pretty poor performance, especially for a receiver that is priced at $1500!" Power ratings aside, I used to have an Onkyo, and I must admit, I was pleased with the sound...just not AS pleased as I am with my NAD. :-) Once again, paired with the right speakers, and provided that you room isn't very big, the Onkyo might work for you. That being said, we really cannot give you a good recommendation without knowing what type of speakers you have/or will get. The proper matching of receivers and speakers is one of the most important aspects of getting quality surround sound. So, let us know what speakers you have so that we can better help you make an informed decision. |