As far as receivers go, I believe you can score one that will not only do all the things you need it to do these days and sound great to boot for less than $3,000. That being said, a solid separates system will run you at least that just to start and will quickly go up should you want it to actually know what HDMI or Dolby TrueHD is. Those types of processor/amplifier combos can cost as much as $5,000 plus on the low side. So what’s a consumer to do? How can one achieve the sound quality of a separate audiophile grade system while still being able to take full advantage of the latest state of the art video resolution and audio codecs? Try the NAD T785 A/V Surround Sound Receiver reviewed here. Retailing for $3,999 the T785 is on the higher side of my before mentioned receiver budget, yet lower than my budget separate system. However it provides you with all the latest connectivity whilst retaining NAD’s signature audiophile quality sound in a single, no compromise chassis.

Keeping in the NAD tradition the T785 features a wonderful NAD sourced, PowerDrive internal amplifier with twin Holmgren Toroidal power supplies capable of churning out a real 120-Watts per each of its seven channels. In stereo mode the amplifier’s output increases to 150-Watts per channel with a dynamic power envelope capable of generating a peak 250-Watts into eight Ohms if the source material calls for it. While 120-Watts may not seem like much since there are numerous $500 receivers claiming equal if not higher ratings, keep in mind that when NAD releases a power rating they can back it up in a real world setting whereas other manufacturers cannot. Also, should you manage to push the T785 to its limits or worse, its breaking point, NAD’s soft clipping technology is built into the T785’s amplifier circuitry ensuring you won’t damage the T785. If the T785’s internal amplifiers aren’t beefy enough, you can add any number of separate amplifiers to the T785 through its 7.2 preamp outs.

Aside from the T785’s power it boasts quite a list of features, which, if I’m honest, makes it more with the times than many of NAD’s previous receivers. For starters the T785 has four HDMI v1.3 inputs and one HDMI monitor out. It can accept native 1080p source material (actually its internal processors can support resolutions as high as 2048 x 2048) as well as ingest uncompressed audio such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio. The T785 can switch between various HDMI sources as well as up-convert legacy or SD sources to 1080p. The T785 also supports Deep Color and xvYCC Color Space.

The T785 also features Audyssey’s MultiEQ XT Room Correction software with custom response curves developed by NAD specifically for the T785. Along with the Audyssey’s auto EQ and setup, the T785 features Audyssey’s Dynamic EQ and Dynamic Volume. As I said before the T785 can decode and playback the latest uncompressed audio formats such as Dolby True HD and DTS Master Audio as well as all previous incarnations of the two surround sound formats. Along with the surround sound formats the T785 is XM satellite radio ready (subscription and module sold separately) and can interface seamlessly with your iPod via NAD’s own iPod dock (sold separately). Also, the T785 can serve as the hub of a very straightforward, basic, multi-room (4 zones) audio system.

High Points
• Considering the history of previous NAD receivers versus the competition, the T785 may be the first NAD receiver to have more features and connectivity options than any similarly priced mass-produced receiver on the market. Oh, except the T785 actually sounds good and is reliable to boot.
• The T785 is built like a Panzer tank and runs like a Swiss watch. It is about the most trouble-free, easy-to-use, intuitive receiver I’ve encountered in a long while.
• The T785’s internal amplifiers are so good and so musically right, that unless you’re willing to fork over some major dough I wouldn’t look to separates if you can afford the T785.

Low Points
• The layout of the back of the T785 is neat however the locations of some of the connections make cable management a bit of a chore.
• While far more powerful and chock full of goodies, I wish the T785 looked more like its little brother the T747.
• The T785 can run a bit warm so be sure to have adequate space above and to the sides of its chassis to allow for proper ventilation.

Conclusion
$4,000 is hardly cheap these days, however the NAD T785 A/V Receiver is so close to capturing everything that is special and aspirational about a high-end separate system that four grand begins to seem more like a bargain. While not as sexy as the T747 the T785 is just as easy and straightforward to use and sounds every bit as glorious as an NAD product should. The T785 is quite possibly the only home theater receiver with a true audiophile soul.

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NAD T785 A/V Surround Sound Receiver Reviewed

I’m not going to mince words; the Cary Audio SLP-05 is one of the finest preamplifiers I have ever heard. And I’ve heard many. It’s rare when a single component can impart such a profound impact on the performance of a system, but the SLP-05 took my system up a notch, maybe three.

The $7,500 SLP-05 is Cary’s statement preamplifier and offers nearly everything an audiophile could want in a no-compromise unit. It’s a two chassis design, which isolates the noisy 5AR4 tube rectified power supply far away from the delicate audio circuitry. The power supply chassis is adorned with beautiful, blue backlit, analog needles indicating plate voltage and current, and a single large knob which powers up the circuitry within.

The Audio chassis is linked to the power supply chassis by an eight-conductor umbilical using Kimber Kable oxygen-free copper conductors. Protruding from the top of the chassis are eight 6SN7 dual triode vacuum tubes, two of which are dedicated as a Class-A push-pull zero feedback headphone amplifier. The remaining six operate in a true balanced configuration providing buffer and gain functions. Volume is controlled by a high-precision Alps potentiometer and the rest of the switching functions utilize gold-contact single-throw switches and solid-seating rotary switches to maximize sonic integrity. A wide array of single-ended as well as XLR inputs and outputs allow for easy integration into any system.

Home theater owners and environmentalists alike will appreciate the Cinema bypass feature, which is automatically engaged when the unit is powered off. This passes audio signals through the preamp to your HT processor while saving electricity and the tubes for material more rewarding than Dumb and Dumber or Smokey and the Bandit, two personal favorites. The included remote control will vary volume and mute the system, that’s it.

Listening to the SLP-05 was an absolute thrill. A few words, which came to mind while listening, include transparency, quickness and openness. The SLP-05 seemed to have absolutely no limits on frequency extension, high or low. Bass was deep, tight, powerful and wonderfully detailed. Treble was delivered with a speed and purity which I have not heard before, and which I was shocked by, to be quite honest. No tubed preamplifier is supposed to be this extended but the Cary was, and then some. The midrange is where the tube magic lives, so they say, and the Cary did not disappoint with some of the most natural, beautiful vocals I have experienced. They were rich and smooth with layer after layer of texture. Warm is not an adjective I would use however, but most of you were probably expecting it. Warm would lead one to believe that the Cary imparts a euphonic glow on vocals, but it doesn’t. It is absolutely natural and only delivers what the artists’ vocal cords were able to produce at the time of recording.

The goal of any high-end component is to recreate the magic of a live performance, and my system has never come closer than with the SLP-05 in the signal chain.

High Points
- The SLP-05 is easily in the top two or three preamplifiers I have ever heard, at any cost. It is transparent yet rich, quick yet powerful and a complete joy to listen to.
- The Cary imparts a soundstage that is wide, deep and extends far beyond the constraints of my listening room. If you like your music big, you will love the SLP-05.
- The Cary is a very flexible preamp allowing it to seamlessly fit into any audio system regardless of complexity.
- The build quality on this preamp is as high as any unit I’ve had pass through my system and it will no doubt last a lifetime.
- I love the understated elegance and classic touches such as the exposed tubes and analog meters on the front of the unit. When in operation there is a beautiful arc of glowing blue LEDs that stretches across the two units. Someone obviously spent lots of time tweaking knob positions to make this happen.

Low Points
- This is a big one and may be a deal killer for some consumers considering the SLP-05. The remote control only controls volume and mute. If you want to listen to a different input you are getting up from your chair and walking to your gear. If you want to turn the unit on or off you are once again walking to the preamp. To handicap such a wonderful piece with such a limited remote control is a shame, as many will simply not consider the Cary because of it, in spite of its staggering performance.
- The two chassis unit takes up quite a bit of room with the large exposed vacuum tubes on the top of the audio chassis. If you are running short on space the SLP-05 may be a tough fit.

Conclusion
In case you didn’t notice, this preamp impressed the hell out of me. It’s open and clear and completely gets out of the way of the music yet somehow is rich and refined at the same time. Sonically, there was nothing that I was left pining for, honestly. The remote control is a big deal to most as we have become accustomed to absolute convenience and the Cary’s remote control does not pamper at all. In the end however, the inconvenience is quickly forgotten as soon as the music begins playing (besides I could stand to burn a few more calories anyway). If you are looking for an absolute state of the art preamplifier – do not buy anything until you have spent some quality time with the SLP-05.

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Cary Audio SLP-05 Preamplifier Reviewed

There are your big-box mass-produced receivers; then there’s NAD. NAD started off as an affordable audiophile solution that carved a niche for itself somewhere in between the high-end boutique brands of the day and the growing number of mass-market manufacturers that emerged in the early 70’s. Early on, NAD gained a reputation for their no-nonsense approach to designing and building gear, an approach that remains to this day, which has resulted in some of the most reliable and beloved audiophile products of all time.

With the boom of the home theater market in the nineties, NAD began making home theater receivers and DVD players that were always a notch above the competition sonically and in quality, yet always seemed a generation behind when it came to features. Well that was then…this is now: introducing the NAD T 747 A/V surround sound receiver. The T 747 retails for $1,299 and is a true seven-channel receiver boasting 60 Watts across all of its seven channels. I know what you’re thinking: 60 Watts seems a bit low. Before you write off the T 747’s modest power, keep in mind that many manufacturers arrive at their inflated power rankings by a bit of electronic slight of hand, a trick that looks good on paper yet in practice has found many 100-Watt claims to actually be 45-Watt realities. So when NAD says the T 747 is rated at 60-Watts continuous you know it’s a real number. Now, if you’re listening to music or watching TV in stereo, then the T 747’s power output rises to 110 Watts. While higher power ratings are sexy and more power usually means better quality, I assure you, I’d take less power from NAD than more from anyone else.

Aside from the T 747’s power output, it plays host to a variety of modern features aimed at the home theater enthusiast. For starters the T 747 has four HDMI inputs with Repeater Function, meaning once the audio/video signal hits the T 747’s internal circuitry the two are split and only the video is sent to the display via the monitor outputs ensuring a clearer signal. All legacy video signals are upconverted to 1080p via the T 747’s internal Faroudja DCDi processor and sent to your display via its HDMI monitor out. The T 747 can also decode and play back, via its HDMI connections, the latest uncompressed surround sound formats such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master Audio as well as all previous incarnations of the two surround sound formats. The T 747 even features NAD’s own EARS surround, Enhanced Stereo and Dolby Virtual surround modes all geared toward pulling the best sonic performance from lower quality recordings or two channel source material.

The T 747 also features auto setup and room calibration via its internal software and included microphone. Previous NAD receivers used Audyssey’s room EQ and setup software; however the T 747 seems to have parted with the norm and uses a proprietary system unique to NAD.

While clearly a home theater receiver, the T 747 has a very musical soul and is also aimed at today’s modern music lover, which means iPods and satellite radio support. The T 747 can interface with an iPod in a variety of ways, first by less sophisticated means via a simple stereo to mini jack cable, or through one of NAD’s iPod docks (sold separately). Using NAD’s IPD 2 Dock you can pull up all of your iPod’s meta data and control it using the T 747’s remote, not to mention watch and upscale iPod video on your home theater display. The T 747 is also XM Satellite Radio ready and can serve as the base of a very simple, yet easy to operate, multi-room or zone audio system.

High Points
• While NAD has always been about performance, it’s nice to see a bit of sex appeal in the T 747’s Spartan lines.
• The T 747’s claims and features work as advertised with no drama or hiccups day in and day out.
• The T 747, like all NAD products, possesses that signature NAD sound; controlled, poised, never artificial and authoritative. There is a natural ease to the sound the T 747 produces. It is never fatiguing, harsh or enhanced through an overly ripened midrange or sweetened treble. The T 747 is the Abraham Lincoln of receivers, it cannot tell a lie.
• Dynamically the T 747 is a rock star proving 60-Watts per channel is more than enough juice to get the blood flowing.
• Mates wonderfully with a wide variety of source components and loudspeakers.

Low Points
• The T 747 lacks a bit in the digital audio connection department (outside of its HDMI inputs) with only two coaxial and two optical inputs at its disposal.

Conclusion
NAD has always been a safe bet if you’re in the market for a well made, high performance, affordable solution to anything audio/video related and their latest receiver, the T 747 is no different. For just under $1,300 retail the T 747 provides you with everything you’ll need and then some to get the most out of today’s HD formats and portable music devices. I highly recommend checking it out before spending any money on a mass market receiver.

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NAD T 747 AV Receiver Reviewed

The NAD C 725BEE stereo receiver is the type of product that I am naturally drawn to by a company that figures strongly in my history. Most of my college years were spent with a NAD receiver providing the soundtrack. This new unit is a no-nonsense two-channel receiver, which strives for sound quality over DSP trickery and functions that the average consumer will not use. This is classic NAD. The $799 NAD C 725BEE is the top offering in the NAD hi-fi receiver line and is targeted at those consumers who may be considering separate two-channel components, but prefer the convenience of a single unit.

It’s obvious that designer Bjorn Erik Edvardsen, whose initials are prominently displayed in the model number, chose to focus his efforts in all the right places, namely the hardware. Peering down through the top of the unit, the first item I noticed was a massive torroidal transformer, flanked by an equally impressive array of capacitors that reminded me more of my old Proceed HPA 3 amplifier than any receiver I’ve ever seen. The rest of the circuitry also bristles with high-end features, such thick copper buss bars, high-quality discrete components and lots of beefy transistors. NAD rates the C 725BEE at 50 watts of continuous power into eight-ohm loads and is stable down to one-ohm loads, with peak power output of well over 200 watts. This receiver was designed for anything you want to throw at it and to never break a sweat while doing whatever is asked of it.

The tree-hugger in all of us will be pleased to learn that NAD has embraced the green movement wholeheartedly with this receiver. In standby mode, it consumes less than one watt of electricity and is manufactured without the use of any heavy metals, adopting RoHS standards well before it becomes law. The audio purist will notice the defeatable tone controls and soft-clipping circuit, as well as pre-amp outputs should you decide to add one of NADs separate amplifiers in the future.

I was disappointed in some of the aesthetics of the C 725BEE. First of all, the display window no longer features rounded ends, which have been a long-standing, instantly recognizable NAD styling signature. The window has been replaced by a far less interesting rectangle display. Secondly, the receiver is only available in graphite. I much prefer the traditional NAD gray, which in my mind defines the brand.

The Hookup
Setting the NAD up in my system was simple. It only took a few minutes to get up and running. While making the necessary connections, I noticed a few unexpected but appreciated surprises. First, there are large speaker binding posts on the back of the unit, which accept spade and banana-style connectors, which was great, since I bi-wire my Aerial 10Ts with both. They were easy to grip and well-spaced, so large cables could be used without fear of shorting. Second, there is a switched AC power receptacle, which can come in handy for controlling external devices in your system.

When connecting the optional IPD 2 iPod docking station, I was especially happy to see that my iPod’s text showed up on the front display of the receiver. This made finding the track I wanted easy, even from across the room. All iPod functions are easily controllable from the well-laid-out remote control.

Performance

I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect from the NAD, especially considering how demanding my Aerials are, with their low efficiency and even lower impedance swings. My speakers are tough to drive and wimpy amps need not apply. I decided to throw caution to the wind, jump into the deep end and hope for the best. I loaded And Justice For All from Metallica (Elektra) into my Esoteric player, turned the volume way up and cued the song “One.” As soon as Lars began to hit the bass pedal on his drum set, I knew the NAD could deliver the goods down low. Bass drum hits were deep and tight, delivered with force that thumped in my chest. As the song grows in complexity with the addition of a second bass pedal, James Hetfield’s angry vocals and guitar overlayed with a wailing solo of Kirk Hammett, the NAD never lost composure or became congested. I was impressed, as this classic, perhaps best-in-class heavy metal record, isn’t engineered by David Chesky, if you catch my drift. It often sounds thin and lacks dynamics, despite the dynamic, demanding nature of the music. This said, the NAD C 725BEE lived up to the musically meaningful torture test, earning top sonic grades.

Never happy leaving well enough alone, I wanted to see just how far I could push the receiver before I found its limits, specifically to test the soft clipping feature of the NAD. It wasn’t until I turned the volume to what seemed like 11 that I started to notice a harshness creeping into the upper frequencies. Next, I engaged the NAD’s soft clipping circuit to see if it worked as advertised. It did and, to my surprise, the harshness completely vanished, even at full output. I kept this feature enabled, because I heard no reason not to, and it allowed for more extended jam sessions at typically ridiculous decibel levels. Purists might scoff at this idea, but I listened with the soft clipping on and off and it only helps, never seeming to hurt the sound.

After assaulting my senses with Metallica, I moved to the other end of the spectrum looking for some simple, stripped-down music. I loaded up “All Apologies” from Nirvana’s acoustic performance on MTVs Unplugged, which has been on heavy rotation on my iPod lately. What struck me was how realistically the NAD was able to recreate the live performance on my demanding speakers. Describing a live performance is difficult, but your ear instantly knows it when it hears one, and mine were fooled. Listening to Kurt Cobain on such a raw recording is still eerie to me; I remember watching this performance debut on MTV back in the day. The NAD could make the highs sparkle and capture the three-dimensionality of the acoustic setting, as only an audiophile amp-preamp combo should be able to do. I was captivated.

In sticking with a nostalgic era of music for me, I grabbed Out of Time by R.E.M. (Warner Brothers) and selected “Shiny Happy People,” which features Kate Pierson from the B-52s. Pierson’s sexy, somewhat raspy voice soared at louder levels in my room. The track has great texture. With the NAD C725 BEE, you can hear into each layer if you want to put your musical attention into the song. If not, the warm highs and solid dynamics make for a highly pleasant musical experience. I could see a love affair brewing with this receiver.

Low Points
If you are a vinyl lover, be aware that the C 725BEE does not provide a phono input. This shouldn’t be a deal breaker, however, as NAD offers the PP2 MC/MM phono preamp as an accessory for a reasonable $129 investment.

I mentioned the looks of the unit before. NAD is clearly trying to do something visually different with this new series of products, yet the concept is so retro that I can’t help but wish for the old NAD gray look. You could argue that I am stuck in my ways.

Conclusion
The $799 NAD C 725BEE was comfortable with every type of music I could throw at it, sounding better than any receiver should, especially at this price point. It was powerful yet refined, like a megabuck high-end stack of equipment without all the fuss and pretensions. It’s designed with the environment in mind and by people who understand music and know how to reproduce it properly. If you are a music lover and looking for a receiver with the heart of separates, the NAD C 725BEE may be just what you are seeking. It’s hard to imagine anybody doing a music-only receiver better at the price.

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NAD C 725BEE Stereo Receiver Reviewed