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NAD question

S

steelglam

Super Member
Hi,

I've been looking for some old NAD stuff but I am having a real difficult time figuring out the differences between the various models from NAD's website and google searches. I've even asked NAD themselves, and all they do is either send me a flyer that does not have all of the info. that I'm seeking or they say no literature exists on the model. Frustrating!

Anyhow, I'm interested in an NAD preamp that has all of the following basic capabilities:

1. Phono stage with moving magnet and moving coil capabilities and selectable impedances

2. Inputs for phono, CD, tuner, tape 1, tape 2

3. Tone bypass/defeat switch

4. Mono switch

These are the basics that I want. It would also be cool if it had an extra set of inputs (auxiliary or otherwise) and two sets of preouts, but those functions are not absolutely necessary.

With that in mind, can anyone point me to an NAD separate preamp, an NAD integrated amp with preouts, or an NAD receiver with preouts that has the above capabilities?

(FYI: From the investigation that I've done, I've tried to figure out if the 1300 preamp, 1155 preamp, 1240 preamp, 3400 integrated amp, or 7155 receiver has these capabilities, but in each case I've not been able to figure it out completely.)

Thanks in advance for any insight.
 
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The 3150 has what you are looking for except that the CD input will be labeled AUX. The amp section has dual transformers, which makes it one of the better ones.
 
SoCal Sam said:
The 3150 has what you are looking for except that the CD input will be labeled AUX. The amp section has dual transformers, which makes it one of the better ones.
Click to expand...

Thanks, SoCal Sam. I just did some searches on the 3150, as it was not one I had looked into yet. It looks like it has everything I want except a tone bypass/defeat switch. Is it one of those preamps where it's just the case that when the bass and treble knobs are in the 12:00 position, the preamp's tone controls are completely bypassed? The reason I ask is that all of the other NADs that I've looked at had an actual tone defeat switch, but it doesn't appear from the pictures that I found that the 3150 does. But perhaps I missed it.

As for the dual transformers in the amp section, that is a cool feature. Although I have two amps that I like a lot already: a Bryston 3B and a Yamaha MX-1000. So, not sure that I would use the NAD's amp section, especially since the power output is on the lower end and my speakers are pretty inefficient (I've tried powering them with 80-150 WPC before and they struggle). The reason I'm really interested in an NAD is for the preamp, either separately or in the form of the preamp section of an integrated or a receiver with pre-outs.
 
Steelglam,
Have you checked out the 1300/1700? The latter has a tuner and a remote but otherwise is the same pre.
Tom
 
3140 is basically a lower powered version of the 3150/3155. 3140 go for a lot less than the more powerful counter part.
 
albowlly said:
Steelglam,
Have you checked out the 1300/1700? The latter has a tuner and a remote but otherwise is the same pre.
Tom
Click to expand...

Thanks, Tom. Yeah, I have looked into the 1300, and it did seem to have the basics of what I was looking for, but I was not 100% certain.

I have two follow-up questions:

1. If one were looking for a flexible NAD integrated preamp with, most importantly, good sound and an excellent and versatile phono stage, is the 1300 the best way to go? Were there any NAD preamps considered to do everything the 1300 does but better?

2. If the 1300 is the way to go, which NAD integrated amps and/or receivers contained the basic 1300 preamp? The reason that I ask is because in the process of looking for a 1300, I would also keep my eye out for the integrateds and receivers that contained this pre as suitable substitutes. (As long as they have preouts, of course.) I now understand that the 1700 is the 1300 + a tuner and a remote, so I will keep that in mind. Which integrateds or receivers contain the basic 1300 as their preamp portion?
 
Picking up from the last set of questions that I posed in my response to albowlly:

1. How do the 1130 and 1155 preamps compare to the 1300? For what it's worth, I've noticed a number of comments from other sites about the discrete phono stage of the 1130 being highly desirable. Does the 1130 best the 1300's phono stage? Is the 1155 inferior to the 1300? Perhaps I should ask the question about the phono stage in a thread in the "Turntables" forum.

2. Which integrated amps correspond to the above pres? I'm referring to ones such as the 3130, 3140, 3155, 3300, and 3400.

3. Which receivers correspond to the above pres? I'm referring to ones such as the 7130, 7140, 7155, 7250PE, and 7400.
 
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I can't answer any of your above 3 questions, but the 1240 preamp has all the features you listed except the tone defeat.
 
Perhaps this is the one you need :

NAD6300Mog1300M_2.jpg


I have not actually put it to good use yet, but thats simply because I`m looking for a powerful poweramp to partner it with.. I`m hoping to move it into my main system soon!!
 
Pstraums said:
Perhaps this is the one you need :

I have not actually put it to good use yet, but thats simply because I`m looking for a powerful poweramp to partner it with.. I`m hoping to move it into my main system soon!!
Click to expand...

Pstraums, yeah it seems like the 1130 and 1300 are both recommended, so I'm trying to figure out the differences between the two.

From what I can gather now, it also seems that the 1240 and 1155 are lacking some of the features that I am looking for in a preamp, so I think I'll cross those off of my list of ones to look for.

I'm also trying to figure out which NAD integrated amps and receivers contain the basic 1130 and 1300 preamps.

I've got two nice powers amps--a Bryston 3B and a Yamaha MX-1000--that I'll be looking to hook the NAD up to.

Let me know your impression of the 1300 once you move it into your system.
 
I`ll do that :)

I think this one looks like it has a lot of 1300 in it! (and it`s a receiver I`d like to try myself).. sure LOOKS powerful (and at 2x150 it`s a "modern" monster receiver in my book) :)

borrowed image, not mine :(
76006.jpg

(c)Univera (polkazoid) :)
 
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I think the one to go with is the Monitor Series 1000. It has everything you ask, plus SUPERIOR build quality and parts selection to the others mentioned. The volume control alone was better than anything NAD had used up to that point, and the whole unit was built for NAD by AMC (the GOOD AMC, not the ones who made the Gremlin).
 
The information you seek just took a couple of minutes to find on the Nad site. The 3400 is a combination of the 2400 monitor series power amp (100wpc) and the 1300 pre amp. I have a 2400/1700 combo that I used as my main system until recently. It will push 4 ohm loads with no problem. It's a really nice sounding combo.
Tom
 
albowlly said:
The information you seek just took a couple of minutes to find on the Nad site. The 3400 is a combination of the 2400 monitor series power amp (100wpc) and the 1300 pre amp. I have a 2400/1700 combo that I used as my main system until recently. It will push 4 ohm loads with no problem. It's a really nice sounding combo.
Tom
Click to expand...

Thanks, albowlly. Although now I just feel dumb, since you found the info. so easily. I seriously scoured that site and could not find it. Where did you find it? I even sent a message to NAD via their support center, and their response only consisted of sending me the product fliers, which were not helpful. Of course, at the time I did not inquire specifically about the 3400, but rather the 3300, 3130, 3155, and the 7155. I could not find the info. I was looking for on those models (in other words, which pre they consisted of).

Anyhow, I'll definitely keep my eyes out for the 3400.

Seems like a bunch of folks now have told me to go with the NAD Monitor series line. From what I've been able to gather so far this evening, the 1000 pre, 1300 pre, 1700 pre + tuner, 3400 integrated, and 7400 receiver belong to this series. There are probably others too that I have not yet found. Interesting that the 1130 pre is not part of this series, but that one has also been recommended for its phono stage.

Thanks once again!
 
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