Is this NAD for real?

organ
organ Posts: 4,969
edited January 2010 in 2 Channel Audio
http://soundstage.com/equipment/nad_c565bee.htm

"I?m not sure I knew exactly what to expect when I inserted the C*565BEE in my system, but I sure didn?t expect it to sound much like my reference CD player, a Simaudio Moon Evolution SuperNova ($6500). The SuperNova is of reference grade for both its build (massive, all-metal construction) and its sound -- the latter is basically beyond criticism. These two players weren?t similar in how they were built but in how they sounded -- when I closed my eyes and listened, I could swear that they weren?t just siblings, but identical twins."

This is a sub $1000 cdp from NAD. Sounding just like a 6.5k cdp?
Anybody heard this one yet?
Post edited by organ on
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  • organ
    organ Posts: 4,969
    edited January 2010
    lol you get what you pay for.
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  • heiney9
    heiney9 Posts: 25,165
    edited January 2010
    Zero wrote: »
    No, but I've heard the same kinda claims before... and well.. the ending is almost always predictable.

    Yeah, I'm afraid I'd have to agree. Many times there are subtle differences that are eventually noticed over time.

    H9
    "Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul!
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  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,194
    edited January 2010
    There really isn't anymore they can do with Cd output quality. All the very best DAC's have been made, the format has really not changed any and players have in my opinion peaked years ago.

    With all that said NAD makes great gear. Not the very good looking but performance is top notch. I like them as much for sound quality as Rotel. I think they can compete with anything at there price point. There CD players are top notch and sound fantastic. We carry NAD and I have yet to hear anything they make not meet Audiophiles level quality.
    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
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  • pearsall001
    pearsall001 Posts: 5,068
    edited January 2010
    mantis wrote: »
    There really isn't anymore they can do with Cd output quality. All the very best DAC's have been made, the format has really not changed any and players have in my opinion peaked years ago.

    With all that said NAD makes great gear. Not the very good looking but performance is top notch. I like them as much for sound quality as Rotel. I think they can compete with anything at there price point. There CD players are top notch and sound fantastic. We carry NAD and I have yet to hear anything they make not meet Audiophiles level quality.

    I think you nailed it pretty good there Dan. You really do have to take a step back & put some thought into how much of the selling price is wrapped up into cutting edge technology & how much of it goes to marketing, cosmetics, countless magazine adds, labor, bennies, etc, etc. The technology has not kept pace with some of the hi-end prices...not at all. A lot of guys still equate price with quality & companies take full advantage of that. Nothing wrong with that at all, every company sets out to make a nice healty profit. Some just do it better than others.
    "2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up.
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  • organ
    organ Posts: 4,969
    edited January 2010
    A lot of good points. Didn't think about all the extra stuff that goes into the design which brings up the $. Funny how my current cdp uses a DAC chip from the 80's and it's my fav one so far lol.
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  • Zitro
    Zitro Posts: 864
    edited January 2010
    NAD does make great equipment; even their entry level stuff compares respectably with other products in a slightly higher price bracket. My budget 2 channel setup is all NAD; my C520 is actually quite good for the price. I did an A/B comparison between that and my girlfriends dads more expensive Arcam and while the Arcam did have an edge in detail, resolution and presence, the NAD did a respectable job of doing its best Arcam impression considering the price difference. I wouldn't at all be surprised if there is some truth to these claims of it being a "giant killer" (NAD has had several of these in the past, after all), but of course you have to hear for yourself before you pass any judgement.
    - Jeremy

    Amps: Jolida FX-10, NAD 3045, NAD C320BEE, Sansui G-9700
    Speakers: Polk Monitor 7A's, KEF Reference 104aB
    Sources: ProJect Debut Carbon, Sonos streaming FLAC
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  • ben62670
    ben62670 Posts: 15,969
    edited January 2010
    A lot of people quote DACs, and specs when comparing different CDP's, but the analog section is often neglected. I am not voting one way or the other.
    Ben
    Please. Please contact me a ben62670 @ yahoo.com. Make sure to include who you are, and you are from Polk so I don't delete your email. Also I am now physically unable to work on any projects. If you need help let these guys know. There are many people who will help if you let them know where you are.
    Thanks
    Ben
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  • headrott
    headrott Posts: 5,496
    edited January 2010
    Gotta agree with the people who said that some of the best sound CD players came out years ago. I still have a Denon DCD-3000 that'll blow away many current CD players.
    Relayer-Big-O-Poster.jpg
    Taken from a recent Audioholics reply regarding "Club Polk" and Polk speakers:
    "I'm yet to hear a Polk speaker that merits more than a sentence and 60 seconds discussion." :\
    My response is: If you need 60 seconds to respond in one sentence, you probably should't be evaluating Polk speakers.....

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  • cnh
    cnh Posts: 13,284
    edited January 2010
    It would seem to me that a CD itself is an inherent limitation to what can be extracted, smoothed, processed, dejittered and so on...there have to be limits and, let's face it there are some absurd prices for Uber CD players that really can't deliver the goods because...hey...it's still a CD when all is said and done....it's sort of like claiming that upscaling a DVD with the best scaler is equal to a good Blu-ray 1080p...it just isn't and that's simply a real physical limitation...the information is NOT there.

    cnh
    Currently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!

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  • erniejade
    erniejade Posts: 6,321
    edited January 2010
    ben62670 wrote: »
    A lot of people quote DACs, and specs when comparing different CDP's, but the analog section is often neglected.

    I am 100 % with ben on this statement!!
    Klipsch The Nines, Audioquest Thunderbird Interconnect, Innuos Zen MK3 W4S recovery, Revolution Audio Labs USB & Ethernet, Border Patrol SE-I, Audioquest Niagara 5000 & Thunder, Cullen Crossover II PC's.
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  • madmax
    madmax Posts: 12,434
    edited January 2010
    There will always be new algorithms to manipulate the CD data so long as people are willing to pay for it. With much higher resolutions possible and people willing to pay over 5K for players I think that is where it should be headed, but doesn't seem to be. I'm seeing more market excitement in vinyl than high resolution digital.
    Vinyl, the final frontier...

    Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want... :D
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  • reeltrouble1
    reeltrouble1 Posts: 9,312
    edited January 2010
    I really never understood why value should be a consideration of Sound Quality, it really has no place, you either like the sound of the piece more or less than some other piece. Of course you either purchase it or not, no matter how much you like something sometimes it is just out of budget unless your named Rockafeller or some such person. I do believe it is quite possible to build a musically satisfying 2ch rig without getting into "uber-fi" gear, not that I would not love to enjoy all of what uber-fi has to offer, I most certainly would and place the priority for my pieces on getting the best SQ I can. Saves dough in the long run.

    I have some really good digital recordings and some really good vinyl recording, I think vinyl trumps digital based on what I hear in my rigs. I read about the NAD and have used and enjoyed NAD products, they should be applauded for their efforts and I would certainly not hestiate recommending to anyone thinking of a new source to check them out.

    The work Bob Thomas has done with digital is quite exceptional and evidence there is still room for improvement with CD/digital, of course at a price, Meridan's are not exactly overflowing and falling off the Goodwill Racks though, pretty much premium pieces. Mr. Thomas unlike many of his breathren has his degree connected to acoustical sound engineering which I suspect lends itself to a different initial perspective or vision starting point than the EE's.

    Last night I was reading where a noted TAS reviewer found all the rage of putting any old computer/transport in front of a quality DAC just did not deliver the digital SQ possible despite all the hoopla of the present marketing flavor of the year.

    Audio coin is precious and I believe in spending it wisely. Those companies who press the envelope and continually strive for the best with new gear are extremely important to the hobby and I hope they find a way to keep at it, I suspect they will or at least I hope they do.

    RT1
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  • Jstas
    Jstas Posts: 14,820
    edited January 2010
    mantis wrote: »
    There really isn't anymore they can do with Cd output quality. All the very best DAC's have been made, the format has really not changed any and players have in my opinion peaked years ago.

    I'm going to have to disagree with that statement. Mainly because DACs are not finished yet. How long did it take for 24 bit Burr-Brown DACs to filter down the consumer market from the high end? Before that, the multi-channel 16 bit 96 kHz DACs were what everybody thought was spectacular and the 24-bit BB's were "esoteric".

    DACs aren't audio equipment, they are computer equipment. They are found everywhere someone needs to transition an analog signal to a digital signal or vice-versa. There are DACs out there with much higher bit rates than 24-bit. Anyone who has ever been a sonar tech on a submarine or worked as a soundboard tech at a radio station can probably vouch for that.

    The main reason you don't see many DACs too much higher in bit rate is cost. DACs are expensive and not until about 3 years ago did the Burr-Brown units come down enough in price and up enough in volume did we start to see them at even the lowest levels of consumer purchasing.

    DACs aren't done. Especially with the advent of high bandwidth and higher resolution digital media. The DACs will have to get faster and higher bitrates to keep up with the media.

    I think CD players will eventually go away as more material comes out that can utilize the DVD formats. Or, whatever comes after DVDs for that matter. But, there is always room for improvement. The players can get better. The problem is that the CD media won't get better unless someone dumps money in to developing a new compression algorithm. But honestly, that's not going to happen when there is media out there that is just as cheap and handles more than 10 times the space and bandwidth that a CD handles.
    Expert Moron Extraordinaire

    You're just jealous 'cause the voices don't talk to you!
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  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,137
    edited January 2010
    reeltrouble1 wrote: »
    I have some really good digital recordings and some really good vinyl recording, I think vinyl trumps digital based on what I hear in my rigs.

    RT1

    Ted, when was the last time I told you that I love you!:eek:;)
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  • madmax
    madmax Posts: 12,434
    edited January 2010
    Jstas wrote: »
    DACs aren't audio equipment, they are computer equipment.

    No, they are the transition between digital and analog which means they must do both. ;)
    madmax
    Vinyl, the final frontier...

    Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want... :D
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  • madmax
    madmax Posts: 12,434
    edited January 2010
    hearingimpared wrote: »
    ted, when was the last time i told you that i love you!:eek:;)

    +1 :)
    Vinyl, the final frontier...

    Avantgarde horns, 300b tubes, thats the kinda crap I want... :D
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  • Jstas
    Jstas Posts: 14,820
    edited January 2010
    madmax wrote: »
    No, they are the transition between digital and analog which means they must do both. ;)
    madmax

    Um, that's not making sense to me. What do you mean?

    A DAC converts a digital signal to an analog signal. It's taking a digital signal of 1's and 0's and extrapolating an analog waveform out of it. That's all it does. It can greatly affect the quality of the analog information getting sent to your pre-amp, amp and speakers which in turn affects the music. That's why bitrate and cycles are such important figures for DAC selection. But it doesn't actually produce sound. It's not a source, it's a decoder or encoder...however you want to look at it.

    But a DAC is a number cruncher, not necessarily audio equipment. Just because one of the many uses is in audio doesn't mean it's audio equipment.
    Expert Moron Extraordinaire

    You're just jealous 'cause the voices don't talk to you!
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  • organ
    organ Posts: 4,969
    edited January 2010
    Is the "Ring" Dac still the latest one? Will probably take years before that gets trickled down to more affordable cdp's.
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  • pitdogg2
    pitdogg2 Posts: 25,447
    edited January 2010
    headrott wrote: »
    Gotta agree with the people who said that some of the best sound CD players came out years ago. I still have a Denon DCD-3000 that'll blow away many current CD players.

    And I have a Sony X33es player and the X55es both of these have run circles around players many times their price range and I'll continue to repair them (belts,caps and whatever) it takes to keep them running.
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  • pearsall001
    pearsall001 Posts: 5,068
    edited January 2010
    hearingimpared wrote: »
    Ted, when was the last time I told you that I love you!:eek:;)

    Now I'm having second thoughts about you coming over. :eek: I'll just put a partition up to squash any thoughts that might be swirling around in your head!! The one on your shoulders you pervert.
    "2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up.
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  • anhchungdoan
    anhchungdoan Posts: 760
    edited January 2010
    pearsall001 wrote: »
    Now I'm having second thoughts about you coming over. :eek: I'll just put a partition up to squash any thoughts that might be swirling around in your head!! The one on your shoulders you pervert.


    Come on now. This is 2010 and there is nothing wrong with "it" eventhough I prefer pretty woman to man. :rolleyes:
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,967
    edited January 2010
    pearsall001 wrote: »
    Now I'm having second thoughts about you coming over. :eek: I'll just put a partition up to squash any thoughts that might be swirling around in your head!! The one on your shoulders you pervert.

    Better watch him Phil, I have it from a good source that Joe has been practicing his reach around abilities at the local coffee house. Just sayin'.:D
    HT SYSTEM-
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  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,137
    edited January 2010
    reeltrouble1 wrote: »

    I have some really good digital recordings and some really good vinyl recording, I think vinyl trumps digital based on what I hear in my rigs.

    RT1
    hearingimpared wrote: »
    Ted, when was the last time I told you that I love you!:eek:;)
    pearsall001 wrote: »
    Now I'm having second thoughts about you coming over. :eek: I'll just put a partition up to squash any thoughts that might be swirling around in your head!! The one on your shoulders you pervert.

    The only thoughts I'm having is how to get that turntable me and Stephen have been conspiring to get into your rig!:eek: You jealous bastage!:D
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  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,137
    edited January 2010
    tonyb wrote: »
    Better watch him Phil, I have it from a good source that Joe has been practicing his reach around abilities at the local coffee house. Just sayin'.:D

    In my best Howard Stern voice; Hey nooooooow!
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  • pearsall001
    pearsall001 Posts: 5,068
    edited January 2010
    hearingimpared wrote: »
    In my best Howard Stern voice; Hey nooooooow!

    You dog you!!! :p
    tonyb wrote: »
    Better watch him Phil, I have it from a good source that Joe has been practicing his reach around abilities at the local coffee house. Just sayin'.:D

    Don't worry Tony, I've got Big Jake to keep an eye on him from the moment he steps thru the door. ;)
    hearingimpared wrote: »
    The only thoughts I'm having is how to get that turntable me and Stephen have been conspiring to get into your rig!:eek: You jealous bastage!:D

    I know Stephen keeps breaking my balls about when I'm going to get a TT. Not if I can help it my good man. :confused: But the pressures on. Hey Joe, Stephens new speakers (his own design & manuf) are getting reviews off the charts. They sound downright spooky good!! You need to get your ears on them.
    "2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up.
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  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,137
    edited January 2010
    pearsall001 wrote: »
    Don't worry Tony, I've got Big Jake to keep an eye on him from the moment he steps thru the door. ;).

    Yeah that big oaf took a bite out of my belly for scratching behind his ears.
    pearsall001 wrote: »
    I know Stephen keeps breaking my balls about when I'm going to get a TT. Not if I can help it my good man. :confused: But the pressures on. Hey Joe, Stephens new speakers (his own design & manuf) are getting reviews off the charts. They sound downright spooky good!! You need to get your ears on them.

    I can't wait to get up there with you.
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  • pearsall001
    pearsall001 Posts: 5,068
    edited January 2010
    hearingimpared wrote: »
    Yeah that big oaf took a bite out of my belly for scratching behind his ears.



    I can't wait to get up there with you.

    I'm shooting for this Sat...can you make it?
    "2 Channel & 11.2 HT "Two Channel:Magnepan LRSSchiit Audio Freya S - SS preConsonance Ref 50 - Tube preParasound HALO A21+ 2 channel ampBluesound NODE 2i streameriFi NEO iDSD DAC Oppo BDP-93KEF KC62 sub Home Theater:Full blown 11.2 set up.
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  • Midnite Mick
    Midnite Mick Posts: 1,591
    edited January 2010
    Don't know about that one but I had a NAD 542 in house. I know it is more their entry gear but it was horrible sounding.
    Modwright SWL 9.0 SE (6Sons Audio Thunderbird PC with Oyaide 004 terminations)
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  • shack
    shack Posts: 11,154
    edited January 2010
    Midnite Mick wrote:
    Don't know about that one but I had a NAD 542 in house. I know it is more their entry gear but it was horrible sounding.

    I liked the C542 and thought it was a very nice sounding CDP.
    "Just because you’re offended doesn’t mean you’re right." - Ricky Gervais

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  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,137
    edited January 2010
    pearsall001 wrote: »
    I'm shooting for this Sat...can you make it?

    Make it next Saturday 1/16 and I'm there.
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