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New member Username: MtwhickoryPost Number: 1 Registered: Jul-04 | I read discussions from several of you about the similarities of these two receivers and wanted to get your opinions. I am downsizing my separates (ATI 1505 w/ Sony SDP-E800) and getting a quality receiver. I like the reviews of the Arcam (laidback, intelligible dialog) and can live with its shortcomings. The NAD can be found for much less and has more features but I have seen several reviews mentioning problems with quality/reliability. I also looked at the B&K AVR202 but ruled it out because it doesn't have 6ch inputs for my Pioneer Elite DVD. Also, I used to have a Reference 10 with an AV5000 and felt the sound was a bit too harsh/bright for my tastes. I have Definitive Technology BP2006 speakers with matching center/surround. I am sticking to a strict budget of $800 or less. I have seven (previous) years of A/V sales experience so I am familiar with almost all brands (McIntosh, Proceed, Krell, Sony, Denon, Yamaha, etc). Any thoughts might be helpful but I would prefer to limit discussion to the NAD, Arcam, or B&K receivers since I have narrowed it down to these. Thanks, Michael |
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Bronze Member Username: GoldenarrowPost Number: 78 Registered: Jun-04 | Michael, I do own a T752, just bought it a little over a month ago (an open-box demo unit at a reliable dealer with full manuf. warranty). I did have a weird problem right away. When I first played anything, FM, DVD, CD, the front display would blank out completely for one second, the audio would cut out for the same duration and then come back on as if nothing had happened! I had to "reset" the unit a few times to factory defaults. I then decided to leave it on for 6 days straight. The problem would happen every 3 hours or so for the next 36 hours. Then the problem disappeared. Strange. I also hear a hum in my subwoofer that is only there if the sub amp is "on" but the circuit in the T752 is NOT being used, as in a stereo-only recording of an SACD, for instance. But, once the circuit kicks in, like in a true 5.1 recording and uses that sub output, the hum goes away! I think there may be some sort of design thing going on here. I have not taken it back to the dealer because I don't use the sub amp when that line output is not being used, so I never hear the hum. I only noticed it when kneeling next to the sub when I was examining cables. In other words, I usually keep the sub "off" anyway, my front speakers can handle music down deep enough and I LIKE not having to use a sub for everything. I have no experience with the Arcam or B&W units you are looking at. I like the sound of the NAD, the 80 watts of power are a total joy (very clear musically, could be a tad more aggressive with movies [probably a DSP function] but I am more an audiophile than a moviephile anyway, so it fits my uses). And those 80 watts can get very, very loud! I like the learning remote, nice and logical and simple, not "fancy". I like that it has 8 analog inputs, not just 6. It is amazing what it would cost to try to replicate those 6 or 8 inputs with a passive pre-amp! I also like that the bass/treble tone controls work with the analog inputs. I like that the bass management crossover can be set from 40 - 200 Hz in 20 dB steps (I set mine at 60 Hz, my surrounds can go down to 53 Hz if necessary). The bass management does NOT work when using the 7.1 analog inputs. I like EARS for any low-resolution stuff in stereo, most times better than NEO:6. I don't like that the internal audio DAC's are only 96 kHz, not 192 kHz like the newest latest and greatest stuff out now. But I found out later that DVD movies and music discs can only be recorded to a max of 96 k anyway (and I think that is stereo, not multichannel). I am satisfied with the DD-EX and DTS-ES surround. It would have been nicer if the DTS-ES were Discrete as well, but Matrix sound good enough for me now anyway. I wonder, do you know if the Arcam and the NAD units share the same power amp circuits and construction??? Seems like I read somewhere that NAD builds part of the Arcam at their factories. I like the NAD, it is not giving me anymore problems and I never had to take it back to the dealer. It is good, solid, practical and sounds great. I wanted to get the T753 but could not afford it. Have you auditioned the Arcam, B&W, and NAD all side-by-side??? goldenarrow |
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New member Username: MtwhickoryPost Number: 2 Registered: Jul-04 | goldenarrow, I've decided not to get the NAD because of all the problems I have read about. I am going to get the Arcam AVR200. I'm hoping the reliability is better with the Arcam. Here is the link showing the similarities. http://www.smr-group.co.uk/components/avr100.html As far as your sub issue goes, back when I sold AV for a living we used to have pretty good success with "cheater" plugs(three-prong ac to two-prong adapter, i.e. gets rid of ground loop) to get rid of some hums. Good luck. Michael |
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Bronze Member Username: GoldenarrowPost Number: 80 Registered: Jun-04 | Thanks for the tip on hum. |