Got $1000-$1200 to spend. Have had a Marantz SR-7200 in past. Have PSB image home theatre speakers (C-60 center, T-65 fronts, sub-sonic 6i sub, T-5's in rear). Have thought of getting a newer Marantz (with video up conversion), but have recently started to think about NAD (since NAD electronic gear was recommended with psb speakers on the psb speaker website). Not really up on all the details ... just want a good a/v receiver for listeninng to music and movies (in that order, cause what is a movie without great sounding music ?) All opinions welcomed ...
You might want to PM Art Kyle, he's one of the posters and has a T763 NAD avr and I think he's been real happy with it. You can probably find him in the CD Players section, he hasn't been posting much in the Receivers section lately.
NAD makes terrible HT receivers. You're better off sticking with Marantz if you were happy with your 7200.
NAD has reliability issues, and you'll be lucky to not have issues with it.
anonymousII
Unregistered guest
Posted on
I would consider the Marantz sr-8500 if you like the Marantz sound. The past three model runs of Marantz are much better than the underpowered 7200 and it's siblings. The 8500 fits your budget if you check out accessories4less. The review in June's Perfect Vision magazine said it "reproduces subtleties with a sophistication that hasn't been surpassed by any AVR I've reviewed under $2000." You are in a price range that has a few good alternatives like the new Denon 3806, the NAD 763 and Elite vsx56 but for your needs it would be hard to do better than the 8500. I would own one myself if it had enough inputs for my system, but it doesn't. Give them all a listen if possible.
Anonymous
Posted on
yeah man listen to Paul, he's our designated forum buffoon, the reason he's so funny is cuz he doesn't know it yet.
Dwayno, another reason to talk to Art is because he's friends with a number of Marantz and NAD dealers in the NW who seem to be very candid with him regarding reliability issues of both brands' receiver models.
Paul may(?) be a buffoon, but he is right in this case. The reliability of NAD AVRs has been pretty terrible. And that's above and beyond the hissing problem most of them seem to exhibit. I evaluated the 773 when I was looking (as well as the Marantz 8400/8500), and there was no way I'd drop that kind of coin on a NAD AVR.
The NAD supporters will point out that ALL manufacturers have some reliability issues, and that's true. But when you consider how many units NAD sells around the world compared to the other manufacturers, the failure rate is ridiculously high. There's no question that the NAD AVRs sound great (except for the hissing), but IMO they're not worth the hassle.
> when you consider how many units NAD sells around the world compared to the other manufacturers
I'm curious: how many is that, exactly? I never thought of NAD as being some huge seller, certainly not any more than Denon, Marantz or H/K are. Can you post some comparative sales numbers for NAD versus the other manufacturers?
The only truly massive global audio maker I know of with confirmed reliability problems is Sony. NAD is dwarfed by the likes of Sony, Yamaha, Onkyo, etc.
No not true Eddie,you have to factor in their 2 channel and A/V gear.Nad is one of the best known names in audio worldwide,the 2 channel market in Europe is substantually larger than the US,they are a very old company,and they sell at every corner of the globe,Sony does to but who takes them serious for audio gear,except for maybe Marantz them and Nad have a huge selling geography, Onkyo isnt as well know as they were in the 70s and 80s prodomedietly known for their cassete decks and turntables.Denon was well known for their Car decks they made the best in the world at one time and they just got popular for their home gear in the last decade.Nad is a big legendary company with a lot of clout.
ok I'll take your word for it T-man, since you're in the industry. But do you really think NAD has a lot more reliability issues than its competition, outside of its AVRs a few years ago?
I have heard about it but never exoerienced it,My friend in California owns one of the last few Audio independent repair shops in the states,and they were always along with H/K,Onkyo,the most reliable receivers.He has a old Nad Pro Logic receiver,playing on a old Onkyo cd player hooked up tp the old legendary Daliquest speakers that we used to listen to 3 years ago,I just talked to him a few days ago to try and get some info on the Panny,and he still listens to the same setup while he is working everyday and he has never had to repair it and he said those 3 receivers are the most reliable I beleive him I used to see him working on all the other ones except for those with my own eyes.So whats up with the Panny Eddie?
TW, Eddie was right. NAD is well known but they don't sell at anywhere near the volume of most of the other companies he mentioned. NAD's primary reliability issue was their AVR's which is a very small volume of their worldwide sales over the last 5 yrs.
Please try to keep up. Ziggy was implying that in spite of there NOT being very many NAD owners globally, you sure do hear TONS of talk about their broken, buzzing, and hissing components.
Considering NAD doesnt sell much product, the amount of complaints you hear is staggering. Heck, there is a lot more chatter about broken down NADs than there is Yammi, and Yammi probably outsells them by a factor of 20.
I have heard about it but never exoerienced it,My friend in California owns one of the last few Audio independent repair shops in the states ===============
LOL You must be joking......
They're everywhere!!!
Heck, it was a small independently owned shop who rebuilt my CV cones. At least now I know 'for sure' that you dont know what you're talking about. Also, many of the companies who make inhome repair visits are independent contractors who work for small family run businesses.
I own NAD and PSB 2 channel gear. Ive owned some combination of the for about 15 years now. I cannot recommend them highly enough. However I would buy a NAD AVR. A few of the local dealers stopped carrying them because of reliability issues with the AVR's. The 2 channel stuff has had very few if any problems though. I'm not saying this as a NAD basher, but as a NAD fan.
If I were looking into home theater, I'd look into Marantz, H/K, and Arcam. If my budget were $1000-$1200, I'd save up an extra $300-$500 and go with the Arcam, hands down. Great music and movie sound quality, and very well built. I don't think too many would argue (except Paul) how good they are.
Stu, I never commented on the quality of ARCAM. The only thing I said about them was that they looked like toasters, and had no features or capabilities compared to other receivers.
Art Nad sells at a high world wide level of products, I never said that they sell the most but them and Marantz and Onkyo are sold in all parts of the globe.Nad doesent sell as many in the US as they sell in Asia and Eurpoe, Nothern Africa they also sale pretty good in Austraila and South America,but the sell a little more than those 2.I was just pointing out the geography of their sales.
Rotel AVR's had the same rep NAD's are now suffering after the failure of their RSX965. Which I will add is the best sounding AVR I've ever heard at any price. However it had much higher failure rates than the NAD's. Now they build one of the most reliable products on the market and all is forgiven. Oh how fickle we are. I will remind you that I have 2 friends who own NAD/Marantz stores and one of them is an authorized repair shop for both. I also have a friend who owns a Marantz/Denon/Rotel store (among their low end brands). The NAD/Marantz stores both say that there are Marantz models with more reliability issues than any of their NAD's. The Marantz/Denon/Rotel store says that Denon and Marantz are both less reliable than the Rotel's. Even at that I really had to be convinced to buy the NAD, which thankfully it's sound did quite well.
Tough call...which one have you listened to? Whihc model NAD? Which model Rotel? Everybody's taste is different. What you are doing here is trying to spark more debate and flamings instead of really getting anywhere productive. Furthermore you really should start your own thread instead of hijacking this one!
Both Rotel and NAD make a great product that matches up well with Paradigm. It will be a matter of taste which matchup you like best. Listen for yourself, only your ears can decide what sounds right to you.
I'm sorry anything that hisses like NAD is not a great sound to me. As far as reliablity usally when there is this much discussion regarding it there is some degree of truth to it
hey reginald smith, who are these people that yuo can lump intot he general category.what makes you the authority on NAD? do you do audio marketing reasearch and analysis or did you just pull that crap outta yo own butt?
Let's be honest here NAd does not have a stellar reputation for the quality of it's a/v recievers. That being said it does have a very good rep for 2 channel. I do not have an allegiance to any one brand I like what i like and thats it. I will admit yammy's amp section is weak. Pioneer is pretty close but not quite as good. The Nad equipment i heard i found to be overly warm. But there again these were MY PREFERENCES. the problem with some people on this forum is once they champion a brand god forbid if someone else likes something better. Instead of realizing what really turns you off about that product is exactly what i like about it. None and i repeat none of these are perfect in the price range we spend. And honestly the only that would be perfect is a live concert at which you are present
anonymousII
Unregistered guest
Posted on
Reginald, I agree with your statement about some posters getting upset if someone like another brand better and that no product is perfect. Very correct. Some do one thing better than another and so forth. We all have different needs and it is a good thing there are several good brands of receivers to choose from. There is no "best" brand for everyone. The vitriol on this board gets to the ridiculous point way to often.
Paul - I know you didn't comment on the quality of the Arcam - sound or reliability. I meant you didn't like them because they were 'featureless toaster ovens.'
Wow how vague,I didnt know looks became the new standard for judging audio gear,but Paul I guess that explains why you have what you have,looks are the most important thing though right?(Gessssh,gimme a break)
jd powers
Unregistered guest
Posted on
reginald smith--you did not answer the question.I couldn't care less about whic brand people like. what iw ant to know is where did you get the information about a certain brands reputation and quality. what kind of research data do you have in making claims like that. or are you just getting this from forums, oh we all know how accurate and reflective of consumerism forums are.
fact is you are just guessing, you have no data you have nothing, you are pulling this crap outta your butt.
Paul small audio repair shops arent everywhere,what makes you think that?You can go to 20 stores and buy new CVs in a metropolitan area their may only be 2 real audio repair shops in the same area,and TV repair shops arent the same as audio repair shops you ignorant child minded Bufoon!
I was talking about authorized service centers, and they're everywhere. Many even make house calls, and yes.........Most are run by small business owners.
You should really think before you talk. The small shop that rebuilt my CVs was an 'official' CV repair center(listed on the CV website), and needless to say, they also held the same distinction for several other brands too.
You sure have a lot nerve telling someone they should think before they talk,go back and read the posts dude,What is it with you do you just read what you want to or do you just dumbly stumble on to these questions?
Note I did not say I have access to Nad return rates for warranty problems. I doubt if they release them. I mean most manufactures don't. However i do read a lot of forums and talk to as as many people in the industry as i can. Becaus it is my passion. I am willing to admit i have no statiscal info. All i am saying is they do not have a stellar reputaion for quality in a/v recievers. Their sound does however by most accounts excel. This rep may be undeserved but i have found with most products when they get a bad rep there is usally some truth and some fabrication involved and this bears consideration and investigation when making a purchase. However let's not act like it doesn't exist because you are a fanboy of a particular brand.
JD Powers
Unregistered guest
Posted on
so i was right, you were guessing and you made it sound like you were an authority, good for you. could'nt care less about any brand at least i don't pretend to be in the know like you do.
Not gusseing just stating the obvious they have a less than stellar rep whether deserved or not. Not pretending to be an authority on anything except being broke. you can denigrate me but that still won't change the fact of thei rep for a/v receivers i personally never posted any opinion concerning them until i had listen to one with an open mind.
By the way MR. powers no matter how you attack me i will not attack back. I do not visit forums to engage in sniping at other people. I did not know much about NAD or Rotel and was wanting to find other peoples opinions concerning them before i made i my purchase unfortunately at that time i couldn't find a local NAD dealer. As it turns out i probably wouldn't have bought it anyway as i prefer a different sound than they produce.