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Silver Member Username: DanmanQUEBEC CANADA Post Number: 668 Registered: Apr-04 | Looks like NAD is going into a new direction. I have heard of this company and they have mega technology so this should be interesting in the near future. http://www.avrev.com/news/0507/09.nad063.shtml |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 7232 Registered: Dec-04 | Thanks, Danman. All the digital is great, I wonder how the final D/A is accomplished, or is it up to the consumer to accomplish the feat with outboards? See, the main downfall of D and maybe Z type amps is the conversion. The description leaves me a bit cold, I wonder if the sound will, too? Depends on the D/A conversion, again. |
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Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 10395 Registered: May-04 | . "See, the main downfall of D and maybe Z type amps is the conversion." The "conversion" to what? Are these amplifiers dealing with a pure digital signal of 1's & 0's? If class Z amps are anything like class D and T, they are not producing or passing through a digital signal. Class D & T are nothing more than sophisticated analog amplifiers run by a high frequency rate switching type power supply. Or, so I've been led to believe. What have I missed? I haven't paid any attention to class Z products. . |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 7237 Registered: Dec-04 | The 'z' ad seems to accentuate all digital. My speakers do not play digital. The 'z' looks to achieve the analogue conversion at the exit door, or so the short press release is alluding to. She's so cooold, she's so cold cold like an ice cream cone. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 7238 Registered: Dec-04 | In particular, the digital feedback is questionable, unless the outputs are the D/A converters themselves. |
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Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 10397 Registered: May-04 | . "The 'z' ad seems to accentuate all digital. My speakers do not play digital." "In particular, the digital feedback is questionable, unless the outputs are the D/A converters themselves." It wouldn't appear the Zetech products are asking your speakers to play 1's and 0's. I still see transistors and MOSFET's in their web page literature. It does appear the feedback is in digital form, however, but I see no reason to consider than bad. Stop thinking cheap Technics CD player and start thinking DSD or >196kHz sampling potential. If done properly, I can see benefits to digital feedback. "NAD is a brand known for delivering audio products with outstanding performance ... ", is more my concern. Eh!, not so much, IMO. . |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 7239 Registered: Dec-04 | Although a child of the 60's I am not chained to analogue. How does the feedback become digital for interaction, afterall? If not another chain of converters, then the digital feedback would rely on dual balance comparitors(pat pend) to compare in and out. But the analogue out is not independant of load. Is the feedback considered global? Dunno. |
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Silver Member Username: Unbridled_idChicagoUsa Post Number: 187 Registered: Mar-04 | The company says it is aware of the potential of digital amplification in which the whole amplifier process is performed in the digital domain, and it adds there are fundamental advantages to the technology that include the elimination of digital-to-analog (D/A) conversions. Sounds interesting, seems digital amplification is the wave of the future. |
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Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 10408 Registered: May-04 | . Sounds like a $120 phono pre amp is all NAD will ever commit to. |
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Silver Member Username: DanmanQUEBEC CANADA Post Number: 669 Registered: Apr-04 | What do you mean Jan? |
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Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 10424 Registered: May-04 | . I think NAD all but abandoned analog years ago. The move to digital amplifiers doesn't suggest they will invest any further development funds into new products to support anything other than digital sources. As Paul Klispch said, "What the world needs is a good five watt amplifier." What the world also needs is a very good phono pre amp to partner with a Rega or similar entry level table at a reasonable price. It wouldn't appear to be coming from NAD. . |
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Silver Member Username: DanmanQUEBEC CANADA Post Number: 670 Registered: Apr-04 | I am not sure about that but I do know that after having a discussion with my dealer he told me that after talking to one of the NAD representatives, it was mentioned that the market is more and more difficult these days. He mentioned that of 20000 CD players sold, approximately 100 had some faults but with the Internet, people make it as if they have QC problems which is not the case. If anything, most highend gear percentage wise, has more problems than NAD but since it is a mass production company in the mid-fi category, it receives its share of internet abuse! A good example is their AV amps. Yes they had problems but my dealer said there is an easy fix and no more problems! However look on this site and you see some peed off people that have had numerous repeated problems. I don't know why they just did not go back to the dealer and work it out with them. He also said many people are buying from unauthorised dealers which does not help the situation. What am I trying to say from all of this? I think NAD is just following the trend of what sells. Analogue is something we enjoy but it is not for the mass therfore, they must think of survival. NAD has been much better at the entry level of phono inputs that other companies such as Cambridge Audio and the C162 comes with a phono input. Time will tell what Class D will offer us but I believe that no matter what, it will happen and maybe it will not be that bad. |
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Gold Member Username: ArtkAlbany, Oregon USA Post Number: 4735 Registered: Feb-05 | "What the world also needs is a very good phono pre amp to partner with a Rega or similar entry level table at a reasonable price." Couldn't agree more! |
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Gold Member Username: Stu_pittIrvington, New York USA Post Number: 1837 Registered: May-05 | Funny thing is, NAD sells two re-badged Rega turntables. |
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Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 10426 Registered: May-04 | . The original reputation of NAD was literally made around the 3020 integrated amplifier which was regarded as having a phono section with quality well above its price category. That was five years before CD's arrived, however. |
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Silver Member Username: Unbridled_idChicagoUsa Post Number: 191 Registered: Mar-04 | Greg Stidsen of NAD further commented, "The first product to include our new Digital Amp technology will be a Masters Series model that we believe will set a new benchmark for amplifier performance. This will be the first product in the world to use Zetex's patented Direct Digital Feedback circuit, and will debut new NAD proprietary features as well; Digital PowerDrive and Digital Soft Clipping. This product is now under development with production expected in early 2008. More details will be forthcoming as we approach the date of introduction. " |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 8128 Registered: Dec-04 | Soft clipping in a digital amp is a solid step forward. |
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Silver Member Username: Nickelbut10Canada Post Number: 109 Registered: Jun-07 | I think whatever they do, other brands will follow, and their products in the Masters line will still be a great sounding product for the dollar(By the way their Masters Series won Audio Product of the year). Stu you are correct, NAD's turntables ARE Rega turntables with NAD stamped on it. Perhaps their Phono pre amp is only a 120 dollar product. But for 120 bucks your getting a pretty decent product. |
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Gold Member Username: Stu_pittIrvington, New York USA Post Number: 2001 Registered: May-05 | I own a PP2. Its a decent product, and pretty well made. But, its not anywhere near the level of the "NAD" turntables and a correpsondingly good cartridge. |
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Silver Member Username: Nickelbut10Canada Post Number: 110 Registered: Jun-07 | Good point. |