NAD C545BEE

d_a_n1979

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matthewpiano:I'm playing around again

Stop it and leave things alone...
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Anonymous

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test it with a cd that has been well produced/recorded and one that you know very well

the problem could also be that perhaps you moved the speakers recently? ... I find that if I move my speakers just slightly, the sound changes slightly
 
T

the record spot

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Careful Matt, this is not a path you want to go down!

All systems will add colour.

Sit back, enjoy it for what you have. If anything, there is probably no such thing as getting the "real" thing from your kit. You either need to be in the venue where the original recording was made, or can play around with the master tapes in the production studio.

Anything else is at best a decent approximation.

Accept the colouration and if not, search on some of your posts over the last couple of years, or look at your spare kit selection and have a bit of a think!

Joking aside, it's all about compromise and you need to do less of that with a lot of entry level kit now than we probably used to twenty years ago. Bear in mind a lot of your recordings will have some added bits and pieces thrown in during production, so even the best classical performances in terms of recordings won't be a faithful reproduction; close but no cigar if you will.

So I hear your frustration, but your choice is either to either accept your lot and handle the compromise, keep switching your existing collection, or continue or the ultimately unsatisfying treadmill of box swapping. Only you can decide which is right. As ever, it's down to knowing the sound you want.
 
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Anonymous

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Tricky one this. You'll always find the flaws in the kit you have. I lived with a Roksan Kandy MKIII CDP for some years and found that the slightly undefined bass just annoyed me. It took a change to the MF to sort that out. There are times I miss the way the Roksan added some pep to rock and pop so I guess the trick is to focus on the positives!

One way to tune such bloom is to try some different cables.

I'm going to shut up now...
 
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Anonymous

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Maybe a silly response but have you tried just turning the bass down a touch on the amp or blocking the bass ports on the speakers? Don't forget theres always the CA 340C!
 
A

Anonymous

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Hmmmm ... think Matthew may be gearing up for an upgrade soon and possibly auditioning a Rega Apolo soon?
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T

the record spot

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Too much bass in the NAD? Marantz SA7001-KI I think...
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stephennic

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Hi,

Maybe the bass is a little ill defined - perhaps try a leaner sounding interconnect or put supports under the NAD player.

Maybe a consonance cd-120 linear
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matthewpiano

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the record spot:Too much bass in the NAD? Marantz SA7001-KI I think...
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I think Marantz is certainly the way forward with the CD player. I've been trying my old CD52MkII SE this evening and, the inclination to very occasionally have a skipping hissy-fit aside, it sounds superb. Very open, natural and musical. My better half commented on how much more realistic and live it sounded and completely echoed my own thoughts. The transport is much quieter than the NAD to boot.

Whether I can afford an SA7001-KI at present is another matter. I wish I knew what was causing the issue with the CD52. The transport is lightning-fast and very quiet, it just seems to have a mad moment of skipping every now and then, usually no more than once in a whole CD. I think I may end up having to seek out another older Marantz for the time being - a CD50, CD52, or CD63 of some description. I have still got a Rotel RCD965BX but it doesn't sound as good as the Marantz.
 
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Anonymous

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the record spot:Too much bass in the NAD? Marantz SA7001-KI I think...
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I second that emotion...
 

stephennic

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Hi,

I had a NAD 542 cd player, I found it okay but it was not as musical as my old marantz cd-63se. I sold the NAD kept the marantz and also bought a consonance. I even had a cambridge 640c v2 it - had detail galore but at the expense of musicality.

I think the old marantz just has that musical midband that brings life and naturalness to many recordings and has an openness to the sound too. I even found the newer budget marantz machines not as musical as my old marantz.

Cheers,

Steve.
 

jaxwired

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Well, granted that I did add a separate DAC awhile back, but I've been using the C545 for at least a year and long before I got the DAC, so I'm very familiar with it. I love the C545. In my opinion it's competitive with more expensive gear. Very detailed and open sounding. I do not find it bass heavy in the slightest. WHF also commented on a less weighty bass, the opposite of your complaint.

A couple months ago I bought an Rega Apollo and I ended up sending it back. I liked the NAD better. Alot better. Although I love the rega build and it's top loading mechanism. I wanted very much to like it.

I sort of agree with igglebert that all gear has flaws. Really I find it's less the fault of the gear than the music. Some music is produced with prodigious bass, other music is super bright, other music is bass light. How can the same gear make all of it sound fantastic? When I had B&W CM7s, whenever I listened to super bass heavy R&B, the boomy bass would drive me nuts. But the speakers where jaw dropping with vocals or acoustic guitar.
 
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Anonymous

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Nads,Thats an interesting comment, in what way do you find the BEE kit differs?
 

Sabby

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I recently listened to the Marantz SA7001-KI at a dealer and found it very sterile, uninvolving and very digital sounding. It totally lacked in emotion and feeling, just cold and digital. You certainly don't have to worry about it sounding bass heavy, quite the opposite in fact. The Nad 545BEE may not be perfect, no hi-fi equipment is, but it definitely sounds more involving and natural than the Marantz.
 
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Anonymous

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georgejack:

matthewpiano:I'm playing around again at the minute and have started to feel as though the NAD CD player adds extra bass to recordings that isn't actually there. Does anyone else find the same?

I agree, I find the same 'added bass' with all NAD equipment whether a CDp or amplification.

I also notice this with NAD gear. It's nothing bad, just different. I think it helps many lean-sounding speakers. It can be overbearing when partnered with the wrong gear (or playing bassy tracks) though.
 

dave_k

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From what i've read of NAD cdps, i'm thinking of getting one for my system to prop up the bass a little, although i don't know how much of this slight lack of 'oomph', especially at low volume, is down to me using my blu ray player as a cdp and if a dedicated cdp, regardless of make, would pep up my system a little.

Expect a thread starting sometime for cdp recommendations lol!
 

Cypher

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The last time I heard a C326BEE amp the bass was very nice.

Neutral ? I don't know but I liked the sound and that's what counts
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nads

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jrwight:Nads,Thats an interesting comment, in what way do you find the BEE kit differs?

been a few years since i did the test but I was wanting to replace the Old 3130 and just found the BEE kit wrong to my ears. changed to a NON BEE Nad amp and CDP and it sounded right. i think the words i would use was fussy and added to.
 

batonwielder

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plastic penguin:
d_a_n1979:matthewpiano:I'm playing around again Stop it and leave things alone...
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Concur with d_a_n. Leave it....leave it....
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Mess with it...mess with it...

I'm just curious to see what he will end up with next.
 

d_a_n1979

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plastic penguin:
d_a_n1979:matthewpiano:I'm playing around again Stop it and leave things alone...
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Concur with d_a_n. Leave it....leave it....
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You are looking for a perfect sound - there is no such thing as THE PERFECT sound.

Am sayin nutthin no more...
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I'm off demo'ing again tomorrow...
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SSM

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I'd have to agree with Jaxwired. It is asking a lot of a cdp, even a high-end one, to playback every single item in our music collection satisfactorily all of the time. Recording engineers have varying preferences in their balances; some like to juice up the bass, others the treble.

That said, I have the C326 amp in my second system and reckon its bass is just a little enhanced.
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I was wondering about adding the C545 or 650C as a partner. It seems the C545 will collude with the C326 to create a balance that favours the bass. Would I be better off with the 650C feeding the C326?
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btw can I enquire about the C545's disc mechanism. Is it quiet enough? I play my second system softly into the wee hours of the morning and don't want any whirling noises to compete with the music (happened with a budget marantz cdp before).

cheerSS
 

matthewpiano

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SSM

Unfortunately the NAD isn't the quietest of players mechanically which, as someone who listens to a lot of solo and piano music and orchestral music (often with extended pianissimo passages), I find very irritating. I think this is a common issue with many CD players, although I think NAD sit at the noisier end.
 

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