I run across NAD gear all the time and I admit, I can't resist trying them. I've owned at one time or another:

7600 Rec
7400 Rec
7175PE Rec
7150 Rec
7140 Rec
3150 Int
3155 Int
2155 amp
1155 Pre
2200PE Amp
4155 Tuner
4150 Tuner
5355 CDP
...and more I can't remember.

Some of it is really good like the 2200PE and 3150. And some of it is really bad like the 7600 and 7400.

I'm into Nad gear since the introduction of the classic amp 3020 in the 80's witch a still have in great shape. I also have - now heavily upgraded - the Nad cdp 5425.

A few years ago i bought the Nad C325 BEE amplifier, and the Nad cdp C521 BEE - also, heavily upgraded.
I always liked Nad and Rotel gear.

I don't own any NAD gear, but would love to tryout a 218 THX or 208 Power Amp. I have heard and read some good reviews of them.

the nad cd player I had "cant remember what model" was extremely neutral in sound, almost flat, and very unremarkable.

And the pre-amp that dingus let me use for a while had the same characteristics.

I didnt care for it at all.

elroy

True, NAD quality seems hit and miss. For example, the 3150 integrated has dual transformers while the later 3155 has a single tranny that is seems undersized. The 3150 feels heavier.

Never owned NAD but had a Proton amp that sounded great.

NAD, was a communal effort of several heavy duty dealers throughout the U.S. back in the early 80's. N= North, A=American, D= Dealers.

They pooled $$$ resources and created a marketing arm which they alone sold, the early products were well beyond competitive and in fact surpassed much to the breed of the period. Among their ideas was to include a soft clipping circuit, much like McIntosh....

On a scale of 1-10 , much of their gear was 8+.... Great Receivers, and Preamps. the rest well.... hit & miss

The nationwide commune is no longer..... Stay away from these units as parts are worst than scarce.

NAD translates to a lot of things but I have never heard of "North American Dealers." I know NAD to mean "New Acoustic Dimension." Techs who (frequently) work on them call then "Not Another Defect."

Agreed, very hit and miss. Some of the parts are very cheap like the trimposts for DC and Bias. Parts are not too scarce but if you have to buy from the NAD parts dept., it can be expensive.

Sold my NAD 3070 (same as the 3020 with a tuner) last year, it was one of those rare special things that they never seemed to capture again, not that they didn't build more great amps, but it was a no brainer against the competition.

Ian

I have a nad 521 BEE CD player and I used to have to C372 amp. The BEE is a great player, but it was easily surpassed by the Rega Apollo. It's almost unlistenable to now. It sounds muddy compared to the Apollo. Originally, I didn't think the Apollo so great, but A/B tests confirmed it.

the NAD acronym that comes to my mind is ball, nut, teste, and if you had more than one component, it is plural, ow, got hit in the nads.

elroy

Imo, it's not fair try to compare those units. The Apollo costs almost the double the Nad C521bee...............

.....but you would have to spend 10x the NAD to get a 10% gain in sonics (or so they claimed). Don't get me wrong, it held up reliably for 4 or 5 years so far and is great for an overly revealing/bright system. The Apollo is just another graet budget-minded item.

I believe the Apollo is a great cdp, but imo you don't have to spend twice the price to have - as you said - 10% plus in sonics. You just have to buy - Nad's same price - the Cambridge Audio Azur 540C.
I'd listen to it in the last Lisbon Audio Show and i was thrilled by it.

Features include the latest generation WM8716 24-bit/192kHz Wolfson DAC and Sony laser optics.