NAD very bad quality!

peterpan

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I bought a NAD C545BEE CD player. Less than a week and player owned stores already have! What a poor quality. The stories about the poor quality of NAD, I can now confirm. Here in Holland a lot of complaints about NAD. There are even dealers who so stop with the sale of NAD.
I can happily exchange the NAD. It is now the Marantz CD 6004. I think it's a better product.
 

chebby

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I have own four items of NAD hifi since 1979 (two amps, two CD players).

Nothing wrong with the old NAD 3020 (except occasionally having to re-attach a push button with superglue).

The two CD players performed brilliantly so long as they were kept switched on permanently. (Otherwise lots of skipping tracks and refusal to play discs until powered on for about a day*).

They have always had a bit of a reputation for 'flakiness'. In their defence, there are far more expensive brands that have a worse record for reliability.

*This happened from brand new and was nothing to do with dirt/dust. My last NAD CD player is still giving good service in a friend's system (even though it is about 14 years old now) and my brother is still using the NAD 3020i he bought about 30 years ago.
 
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Anonymous

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It appears to me that a lot of people jump on the NAD 'being unreliable' bandwagon far too easy.

You could have swapped the unit to see how that went... Things go wrong all the time so it's life unfortunately

I have currently:

NAD 3020 amp - Close to 20 years old IRC; may be older! Currently in the loft but had it out last week as a friend is going to have it; connected it to my BX5's with an old Kenwood CDP and it performed superbly; still a superb sound!

NAD C320BEE amp - Currently being used in my office system; close to 10 years old IIRC and NEVER EVER missed a beat! Sounds fantastic too!

My folks have my old NAD C545BEE CDP; it hasnt had ANY issues since I bought it close to 2 years ago now. It's used EVERY day as its in the conservatory connected to an MF XA2 amp and AE 100 speakers. Never missed a beat!
 
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Anonymous

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Could be that the older NAD electronics before becoming Danish/ Canadian had better QC, the display on my 2007 vintage CD player emits a high pitched tone, albeit low in volume.
 
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Anonymous

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I have no axe to grind, my player sounds good apart from the display noise. Just sharing my personal experience along with some conjecture.
 
T

the record spot

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My NAD 3020A, bought in 1986 by my late father was still going strong when I took it to the charity recycling cabin at the local recycling centre the other week. Should be going to a new home or even be in one by now.
 

shropshire lad

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I have a 3020 , 3020a and a 3020e all still being used quite happily in systems around my house . The only one that has a problem is the 3020e which has a hum when used normally but quietens down when low level button is pushed . Can't complain as I was given this one .

I paid £98.50 for the 3020 in 1983 ( I just found the invoice the other day), so it doesn't owe me anything . My eldest son uses it to play his dubious music at unreasonable levels . Of course , I never played my music loud when I was his age !

Nick
 

SteveR750

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NAD 3130 1986 -> 2003 (survived numerous student parties, thank you for soft clipping)

NAD C372 2003 -> 2009 what a glorious way of spending £300 or so

NAD D532 2003 -> 2009 equally impressive and even cheaper

None of them ever failed to work or put a smile on my face. I'm pretty sure that both amps could have been connected to the grid and I would have made a few bob. I know the Cyrus and Roksan stuff was much better sonically, but it still doesn't quite inpsire the same feeling of ownership satisfaction
 
Arcam (Firmware), Roksan LIII (volume control problem), Cyrus CDP SE range (slot loading problems), Leema Pulse MKII (earthing problems), Cambridge budget range (problem with low volume switching to one speaker)... and that's the ones I can remember being reported over the past three years.

Most, if not all, brands have had reliablity issues of one sort or another over the years. It's unfair to single out Nad as the 'bad boys' of hi-fi.
 
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Anonymous

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I used to have a NAD 3020 and it was a rock solid product. I purchased other NAD products recently, but they were not realiable like 70 and 80's products. NAD products use to be very reliable in the past but it seems quality control over components and production is not that good anymore.

That's why I avoid Chinese made products.
 

relocated

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I have never had a NAD but I remember friends liking and owning the stuff, that is until just outside the warranty period the things would pack up.

Looking here at other peoples experiences I'm glad I've stuck to Japanese electronics since 1973. I have never had a failure (or bits dropping off) from: Technics and Panasonic,Hitachi,JVC,Akai,Pioneerand Denon.

The best non japanese hifi items I ever had were Tannoy Berkeleys (15 inch dual concentrics) that I had to pass on when I moved to a non hifi friendly abode some years ago.

Deeeeeeeeeeeeeep sigh
 

nads

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relocated said:
I have never had a NAD but I remember friends liking and owning the stuff, that is until just outside the warranty period the things would pack up.

Looking here at other peoples experiences I'm glad I've stuck to Japanese electronics since 1973. I have never had a failure (or bits dropping off) from: Technics and Panasonic,Hitachi,JVC,Akai,Pioneerand Denon.

The best non japanese hifi items I ever had were Tannoy Berkeleys (15 inch dual concentrics) that I had to pass on when I moved to a non hifi friendly abode some years ago.

Deeeeeeeeeeeeeep sigh

and guess what I have had issuse with JVC (tape deck needed months back in the shop as it just kept switching direction). Panasonic (the Tape draw failed to operate) etc etc.... then I bought NAD ;)
 

moon

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::
chebby said:
Audio Maniac said:
That's why I avoid Chinese made products.

You might want to rethink your avatar...

http://www.internationalaudiogroup.com/luxman.php

...now they are owned by the same (Chinese) IAG group that own Quad, Audiolab etc.

:rofl:

:clap:
 

eggontoast

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Audio Maniac said:
I used to have a NAD 3020 and it was a rock solid product. I purchased other NAD products recently, but they were not reliable like 70 and 80's products. NAD products use to be very reliable in the past but it seems quality control over components and production is not that good anymore.
Who would have thought , I actually agree with the Audio Maniac on a something. In my experience the older product's up until the 80's are pretty reliable but, even the 3130, 3240PE etc had pretty flaky power stages due to the insufficient heatsinks. The ranges of products after seem to have really poor quality components in especially capacitors, this combined with poorly thought out design or circuit layout would be a better description means they just don't last as long as they should. Even if they are still working they are not working as they should do. For example say if you have an 8 year old C350 or 3 year old C315BEE I can guarantee that it is not working to spec any more.
 

jerry klinger

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I've owned a NAD C545BEE for 2 or 3 years and never had any problems, just consistently good sound. Only issue I have with it is the 'clever' eco switch-off after 10 minutes of not playing! Irritating if you get up to make a coffee. I much preferred it to the more expensive C565 - more organic and musical.
 

SteveR750

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eggontoast said:
Audio Maniac said:
I used to have a NAD 3020 and it was a rock solid product. I purchased other NAD products recently, but they were not reliable like 70 and 80's products. NAD products use to be very reliable in the past but it seems quality control over components and production is not that good anymore.
Who would have thought , I actually agree with the Audio Maniac on a something. In my experience the older product's up until the 80's are pretty reliable but, even the 3130, 3240PE etc had pretty flaky power stages due to the insufficient heatsinks. The ranges of products after seem to have really poor quality components in especially capacitors, this combined with poorly thought out design or circuit layout would be a better description means they just don't last as long as they should. Even if they are still working they are not working as they should do. For example say if you have an 8 year old C350 or 3 year old C315BEE I can guarantee that it is not working to spec any more.

How?
 

SteveR750

Well-known member
eggontoast said:
Because everyone I've seen hasn't ;-)

Sorry to be pedantic, but "seeing" an amp does not mean it does meet its original spec. How did you measure it, and what were the results. If you are going to make bold claims, at least back them up with facts? Otherwise, it's just your opinion.
 
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Anonymous

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eggontoast said:
TBH no I don't have to provide facts and figures, I have repaired enough of them now to know what there faults are. This makes it fact and not an opinion.

Yeah... OK!

In your head only I'm thinking!!!

Having been an owner of many a NAD product over the last 22 years I've NEVER had to return any items or have any fixed!

Just becasue YOU have 'fixed' some or had issues with some doesnt make it a fact that NAD are poorly made!

It's like any electrical item; things DO and WILL break at times; that's life!
 
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Anonymous

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I have had 2 NAD amps in my life, the 3020B and the C340. I had no trouble with either of them. I got the 3020B in the eighties for round a £100, Today it is still in use at a friends place. Then in the nineties I got the C340 amp. Although that amp was the more powerful I would say that the older 3020b was a better amp. But that aside, I never in the life of these amps had any grievances. Both were good. Ugly as sin mind you but good performers. My current ststem is the Marantz PM6003/CD6003 with Monitor Audio BX2 speakers. Speaker cable & interconnects are by Chord. I must admit that the current system I have beats both amps for sound and build quality.
 

eggontoast

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hifilover1979 said:
Yeah... OK!

In your head only I'm thinking!!!
perhaps you shouldn't think so much, it obviously doesn't agree with you ;-)
hifilover1979 said:
Having been an owner of many a NAD product over the last 22 years I've NEVER had to return any items or have any fixed!
bully for you

hifilover1979 said:
Just becasue YOU have 'fixed' some or had issues with some doesnt make it a fact that NAD are poorly made!

It's like any electrical item; things DO and WILL break at times; that's life!

I service & repair many different amplifiers, I am simply pointing out my observation which is what the forum is about I believe. Conversely just because you have owned a couple of pieces of NAD equipment which have been fine, doesn't mean they the greatest thing since sliced bread.
 

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