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NAD CD Players

F

fleasbaby

New Member
Hi All,

I am in the market for a CD player....second-hand or new will do, I'm not fussy...I was wondering if anyone had opinions on NAD players, particularly the vintage ones from the eighties (there seem to be plenty for a decent price on ebay).

Given I will also be looking for a new amp, and it would be nice to have one designed both visually and technically with said CD player in mind, are vintage NAD amps any good as well?

Any directions away from NAD would be welcome, they are just a starting point for me :).
 
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Stay away from anything complex NAD. Their single-disc players are good but the changers are hangar queens.
 
Hi,
I have a NAD 5425, and it sound's really nice. Tracking is ok if the disc is
heavily scratched there a slight skipping problem sometimes, but I don't
think it happens on all models, my model was made in "89" so it's up there.

Tube
 
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I had a 541i. Sounded great, but it died early and repair costs exceeded the value. My local dealer saw so many NAD cd players and AV receivers come back for repair he stopped carrying the entire line. I strongly suggest you look elsewhere.
 
Advice duly noted and taken.

Other thoughts included Onkyo's TX-8255 amp & receiver and their C-7030 CD player...anyone have any nightmarish tales like the above for Onkyo?
 
Weird to come across this thread right after starting the thread I just did. Check out my thread "I'm frickin' excited!".

The lower C 521BEE can be had for cheap and I have absolutely no complaints with mine.
 
I would be surprised if there were reliability issues with the current Classic BEE (Bjorn Erik Edvardsen) line. Design and build quality are quite high on those.

Inside my C565BEE. Note the upgraded caps and shielded torodial trannie. Wolfson DAC and Burr-Brown outputs.
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I've been very impressed with the Cambridge Audio line of CD players and integrated amps. I almost wish I was starting over just so I could buy these.
 
i have a nad one i will be testing soon and i will take apart to see what transport is in it ..i am hoping to see a Philips one with the swinging laser much better than rails ..many top end players are fitted with Philips they will play cdr and i think cdrw
 
I just sold an NAD c521BEE for parts and not working because the transports are finicky. Found a Cambridge Audio 540C V2 to replace it and I'm not looking back.

prisoners said:
I've been very impressed with the Cambridge Audio line of CD players and integrated amps. I almost wish I was starting over just so I could buy these.
Click to expand...
 
4 digit NAD's are what you are looking for. Incredibly warm. I use the word "warm" loosely with audio gear because few gear actually has a warm sound. My favorite NAD player is the 5220. It has a great sound. The 5420, 5355, and 5325 are great as well. Just make sure the transport is working, or you are SOL.
 
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I have a 545BEE and the sound quality is quite remarkable for what the player costs. I bought one as a demo for about $300 and I've been quite happy with it. If it only had digital inputs like my CA 740C, I'd still have it on my #1 heap.
 
I know NAD has a bad rep, but own a receiver and CDP anyways. The Cd player is the 5100, sounds ok for an old cd player, but functions crazy slow.
 
Hi,
Just got my NAD 512 off ebay for $9.99, it sounds great, but had a loading
problem which I just fixed, I switched the transport clamp on the upper part
of the transport with one from a NAD 5425, I just made sure I didn't use the
magnet from the 5425 it was to strong, the magnet from the 512 is a little weaker.
So I just used the top part and it works better now no more false starts. I'm lucky
I had the other NAD parts to use.

Tube
 
tube-a-lou said:
Hi,
Just got my NAD 512 off ebay for $9.99, it sounds great, but had a loading
problem which I just fixed, I switched the transport clamp on the upper part
of the transport with one from a NAD 5425, I just made sure I didn't use the
magnet from the 5425 it was to strong, the magnet from the 512 is a little weaker.
So I just used the top part and it works better now no more false starts. I'm lucky
I had the other NAD parts to use.

Tube
Click to expand...

See? I am not too excited at the prospect of a fixer-upper. I am happy with old, I am happy with second-hand...I am even happy with maybe fixing a turntable (Lord knows I did enough of that with my SL1200 to get it up and running). I am not particularly enthused by the idea of tearing apart a CD player though...and I have been watching ebay for NADs lately (go ahead, crack a joke :)) and an alarming proportion are "parts only" or "slightly defective"....think I am going to steer clear.
 
Hi,
I just luck out that it was only $9.99, and I was able to figure it out, I'm sure NAD
makes great stuff, Like all company's there's lemons. On ebay you have to watch what
you get on all audio stuff. Last week there was a guy selling the same player for $40.00
and it had the same problem it would load or not load. Anyway I'm sure you can get
a good used one, there out there.

Tube
 
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