NAD, a thing of the past?

[Floyddroid]

Are NAD fast becoming a thing of the past? I have always loved their stuff though I notice that not much is written about their kit with the exception of their high end gear. Discuss.:scratch:

[Manicatel]

Not really, NAD still make a decent range of gear starting from the budget end stuff, their C series amps sound good & their masters series are very good indeed.
Is it possible that as they use Sevenoaks for their main distribution, there is a bit of snobbery about them?
I don’t read any Hifi mags, so I don’t know what sort of coverage they get.

[Mystic Mac]

I think the duller than battleship grey theme of their C series stuff turned a few people off, including certain sections of the hifi press, and I can see their point. With the WAF factor that many have to contend with/consider means a dull industrial looking "ugly" box isn't going to be easy to place in a lot of households. NAD's overall image needs bringing into the 21st century. Imagine walking into a hifi dealer with a nad amp next to a comparably priced Yamaha, Cambridge etc and trying to convince an aesthetically conscious partner that the NAD was one you wanted to place in the Laura Ashley inspired living room....

However, I had a C356 amp, upgraded & modded by JS Audio which I enjoyed very much, and its the one bit of hifi I regret selling. My own affinity to them lead me to recently buying a NAD D1050 dac/headphone amp....very good to my crude and inexperienced lugs.

[icehockeyboy]

Never ever had the urge to try/buy NAD.


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[Cycleallday]

They have had a lot of publicity with their Bluesound streaming brand and very good it is too.

Mel

[narabdela]

I've always liked NAD stuff. Good, honest, sensibly priced gear. Their C338 amp has had good reviews, apart from 'What-Hi', so they must be doing something right.

[alphaGT]

Their Master Series gear is some real cutting edge stuff. All digital preamps, some unique circuitry, which got some good reviews when it was first introduced. I can’t speak for their lower level offerings, but I don’t see the company going anywhere? Unless they are having financial difficulties we don’t know about?

Russell

[Qwin]

I have a NAD Master Series M51 DAC as pictured.

http://www.jkwynn.co.uk/Pics/M51_Front+Back.JPG

Full 17" width, built like a Tank with a 15mm thick faceplate.
Fully balanced design, with plenty of inputs including HDMI, which has a pass through facility that lets you strip 2 channel audio out of the signal.

It was a Stereophile A+ recommended product from 2013 to 2017. With the vast number of DAC's being released during that period, I think that says a lot. It was only dropped from the list due to their policy of automatically dropping items three years after its last review. Apart from them loving the way it sounds, when it came to testing it..........

"NAD's M51 Direct Digital DAC offers measured performance that is almost beyond reproach. Color me impressed.—John Atkinson"

I can confirm from listening to it in my own humble set up, it's a very, very, good product.

[alphaGT]

I have a NAD Master Series M51 DAC as pictured.

http://www.jkwynn.co.uk/Pics/M51_Front+Back.JPG

Full 17" width, built like a Tank with a 15mm thick faceplate.
Fully balanced design, with plenty of inputs including HDMI, which has a pass through facility that lets you strip 2 channel audio out of the signal.

It was a Stereophile A+ recommended product from 2013 to 2017. With the vast number of DAC's being released during that period, I think that says a lot. It was only dropped from the list due to their policy of automatically dropping items three years after its last review. Apart from them loving the way it sounds, when it came to testing it..........

"NAD's M51 Direct Digital DAC offers measured performance that is almost beyond reproach. Color me impressed.—John Atkinson"

I can confirm from listening to it in my own humble set up, it's a very, very, good product.

Nice! I’d like to have a listen! I may have to look up the local distributor.

Russell

[GrahamS]

I have always regretted parting with my NAD356 amp. After crying in my pretzels for a year or so I replaced it with a NAD 326BEE, which is as far as my budget allowed at the time.

[Qwin]

Nice! I’d like to have a listen! I may have to look up the local distributor.

Russell

They are thin on the ground now. Although still listed as current on NAD's site, they only seem to be selling them from dealers based in the far east. I got mine as a final item, when its gone, its gone, from a German dealer a couple of months back.

[alphaGT]

They are thin on the ground now. Although still listed as current on NAD's site, they only seem to be selling them from dealers based in the far east. I got mine as a final item, when its gone, its gone, from a German dealer a couple of months back.

That is a real shame. I suppose there’s a lot of competition at this price point?

Russell

[Qwin]

They may be winding down before launching a new product, I've not heard anything yet.
Primare just launched a new range and their old stuff is being heavily discounted by dealers to clear the stock, bargains to be had.

[simon g]

Just bought a C388. Initial impressions are very positive. Technically and aesthetically the new Classic range is a departure from what has gone before.

[Mystic Mac]

Just bought a C388. Initial impressions are very positive. Technically and aesthetically the new Classic range is a departure from what has gone before.

Hi Simon,
Has your C388 got the Bluos module fitted? And are you utilising the onboard dac? Because it looks like a good way to reduce the box count.

[simon g]

Hi Simon,
Has your C388 got the Bluos module fitted? And are you utilising the onboard dac? Because it looks like a good way to reduce the box count.

Hi Justin,

No, I don't have the MDC BluOs module. I already have a Bluesound Vault. I'm feeding the optical out from that in to the NAD. Indeed, as I type, I'm listening to Chick Corea's 'Chinese Butterfly' streamed via the BS from Tidal. Steve Gadd's drumming has a really nice snap to it. Overall, an impressive performance from the NAD. It's a remarkably transparent amp, with a precise, defined sound. Not sterile but certainly not all warm and cuddly. Is the NAD as 'good' as my Perreaux DP32/100p? No, it's not, but it's not far off and the Perreaux duo is over £4,500!

I'll see how it goes over the next few weeks, but this could well be a long term keeper. I mostly listen via Tidal these days and I'm considering going Roon. The MDC module is a Roon end point, so if I I bought a module then the NAD would be a superb one box solution.

[Svend N]

Are NAD fast becoming a thing of the past? I have always loved their stuff though I notice that not much is written about their kit with the exception of their high end gear. Discuss.:scratch:

Steve, here in North America NAD seem to be going strong. Very popular. A lot of retailers carry them, and they are prominent as one of their core "bread and butter" lines. No sign of decline here. Perhaps it's a matter of marketing and distribution in the various countries? NAD is now a Canadian company, so proximity to local retailers and the large US market may be their focus now. They are well-regarded in the N-A audio press as well, right from their entry-level digital amps to their higher end stuff. As for design, their little 3020 digital integrated is a pretty cool looking unit -- not stodgy by any means. And, as others have noted, their Bluesound units are getting a lot of attention, for good reason.

Regards,
Svend

[Michael loves music]

Used Nad making a fortune on eBay I say a 3020 amp go for £80

[Michael loves music]

Saw a C520 CD player go for £70 !!