NAD C545BEE vs. others

rimbaud65

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Don't know what to do, since my NAD C521BEE stopped working last week. I've had it approximately 6 years although I don't know exactly at the moment. All of sudden it started to squeak a little bit and then I tried with another CD, which started as it should but then it jumped and stopped also. Since then it can't recognize any CD and displays "No disc" after a while. After talking to someone in a shop I've been adviced it's probably the laser, and that would probably cost 1 500 SE which amounts to 223.604 USD. First of all, do you agree with the laser analysis and would it make sense to replace that? Of course it's hard for anyone to say.

The natural thing is to start looking for another player. My question is for those who might have knowledge of it:1) How does NAD C545BEE compare to NAD C521BEE, is it a big improvement? 2) How does NAD C515BEE compare to NAD C545BEE, is the later worth the extra money? 3) In light of problems reported concerning NAD C545BEE does it still make sense to send the old one in for repair? 4) As a matter of fact, are there other alternatives out there you would recommend other than various NAD:s?

By the way, I have the NAD C320BEE amplifier.

Thanks for advice you might have concerning this.
 

matthewpiano

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It would be good to know what the rest of your system is, but by way of general response I'd say look at the Marantz CD6003. It is a cleaner and more convincing sounding player overall than the NAD and the build quality is superior too. The Cambridge Audio CD players are also excellent - look at the 550C and 650C as options.

If 2nd hand is an option you could do even better. A Marantz CD63SE KI-Signature, Arcam CD73T, or Marantz SA7001 would all beat those budget options if you find one in good condition.
 

rimbaud65

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The amplifier as I said is the NAD C320BEE, so whichever CD player has to go with that. The NAD C521BEE is considered as a particular suitable match. I have a Rega P3-24 Turntable. The speakers are the Audio tronic CM3
 
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Anonymous

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I would audition the nad first. It has a good review from what hifi . Build and sound quality can't be that far behind from the likes of marantz. May cost you less too.
 

Tibor

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NAD 515BEE has a very very good musical sound, but has a poor quality, is noisy spinning the disc, so try rather Denon DCD 710AE, Cambridge 350/550C or used Arcam 72, 73 from ebay.

I have also NAD 320BEE, very good for that money, keep it.
 
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Anonymous

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We're talking 545 here. May have a better sound and probably is fault free too. I have the 565. No issues with my player. Jaxwired has the 545. Maybe he can put in in his 2 pennies worth?
 
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Anonymous

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I have the nad 542 cd player, which sounds v similar to the 545. I used to have an Arcam cd73T and changed it for the nad as i feel it is the better player. Taughter punchier bass giving a more exciting sound,but apart from that it was difficult to tell them apart. The arcam is a highly regarded player, and i really liked it but wanted a harder hitting sound, so that will give you an idea of how good the nad is. I rate it more highly than the marantz 6003 or cambridge audio 650.
 
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Anonymous

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Tibor:

NAD 515BEE (...) has a poor quality, is noisy spinning the disc

I got the C515 and couldn't disagree more. Silent spinning the disc and build quality on par with my C326 amp.
 
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Anonymous

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I'm surprised no-one has stated the obvious: clean the laser and drive assembly before doing anything else.

Disconnect the unit from the main, wait for a while then take the cover off. Clean the lens extremely gently, and, then the moving parts. You'll need to re-lubricate and check all parts that should move, can ,before replacing the cover.
 
T

the record spot

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Another shout for the Marantz 7001 here, either the stock or the "KI" version. Fabulous player; as far away from "digital" sounding as you can get, a touch lean in the bass, but complement it with suitable speakers and amplification and this is simply not an issue. Had mine for over two years and am consistently impressed by it still.
 

Tibor

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ÿ You are lucky, my Nad C 515BEE went wrong 2 times ÿin the first year, and after 2-3 hours of use became noisy spinning the disc, I sold it rapidly.Probably the Nad replaced the weak Sony mechanism in the latest series, I suppose.
 

matthewpiano

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I had a C545BEE for a while and I've owned a C521BEE for a long, long time. For me, the C521BEE is the better player, but neither come close to the Marantz CD63SE. I do plan to upgrade my CD player in time and the minimum I will be going for to improve on the CD63SE is an SA7001/SA7003 or something like an Arcam CD192, Audiolab 8000CD, or Exposure 2010.

The other CD player I can wholeheartedly recommend if you don't mind used is the Rotel RCD-965BX. On a par with the CD63SE, it is very involving and musical indeed. I still have one tucked away and fully intend for it to get further use at some point.

As for reliability, the C521BEE ended up quite flaky after a LOT of use, but I've had several NAD items (amps and CD players) and never had any issues with them.
 

jaxwired

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I love the sound of the C545. It has a very clean, attacking sound with bags of detail. Very lively sound which I think mates especially well with NAD integrated amps. I preferred the 545 to the 565 and also to the Rega Apollo. IMO the C545 competes with more expensive gear and is the real deal. Regarding NAD quality, I did have problems with my first unit and NAD eventually replaced it with a brand new unit and this one has worked perfectly for the year+ that I've owned it.

I have no plans to replace it. But then, I'm also in the process of moving to a music server.
 

rimbaud65

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Actually I repaired my NAD C521BEE this time for the price of 1 400 SE (211.049 USD). The laser was down to 30% they told me so it was in a pretty bad shape. This was done mostly to save some money now and still be able to play, but I'm still planning to replace it later on, in a couple of years or whenever it might be. I've never been much of a cable fetischist but since I went with repairment this time I bought some cables to see if some improvements could be noticed compared to those junk cables I had. My CD-player and amplifier is now connected with QED Performance Audio 1. My cassett deck is connected with Aragaon 5055.

For the future I might go with NAD C356BEE (alt. NAD 326BEE) and NAD C545BEE, but it's obviously not decided yet. Some new NADs might be in the market by that time. I end of with a general note. I've had NAD most of my life, started at the beginning of the 1980s with my first NAD stereo. Since reading now what people in general think, atleast those who opine, it seems to be a contention that NAD has detoriated to a point from what NAD was before. Is that a fair statement, or is that just a wrong impression I'm getting?
 

stephennic

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matthewpiano:I had a C545BEE for a while and I've owned a C521BEE for a long, long time. For me, the C521BEE is the better player, but neither come close to the Marantz CD63SE. I do plan to upgrade my CD player in time and the minimum I will be going for to improve on the CD63SE is an SA7001/SA7003 or something like an Arcam CD192, Audiolab 8000CD, or Exposure 2010. The other CD player I can wholeheartedly recommend if you don't mind used is the Rotel RCD-965BX. On a par with the CD63SE, it is very involving and musical indeed. I still have one tucked away and fully intend for it to get further use at some point. As for reliability, the C521BEE ended up quite flaky after a LOT of use, but I've had several NAD items (amps and CD players) and never had any issues with them.

Hi,

I have a marantz cd63se, I tried the 7001, I found it more forward sounding but it wasnt as musical as the old 63se. The arcam cd73t was nice but it didnt have the nice mids and sparkly top end of the 63se. Its only when i went as high as the creek evo and rega apollo, consonance cd 120 linear did I finally found as musical machines. I bought the consonance cd120 linear but I kept the 63se as i couldnt part with such a musical involving machine.

Cheers

Steve.
 

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