I'll never buy another NAD.

It's bad enough its made in China but it's unreliable JUNK! I've purchased a T 785 surrond sound that lasted about less than 2 years. A Master Series M3 Dual Mono Integrated Amplifier that shut down because I played it too loud. Took two months to fix but still plays good now(about 4 years). Purchased a Master Series NAD M5 CD SACD Player and have had nothing but problems. Anyway I still have my Luxman 450 thats been plugged in for over 30 years and which just recently started making noise in the left channel.

 

Love my Nad...nothing sounds like it!

 

won't any amp do this?

caveat: no love or hate or otherwsie for NAD, just askin'

 

Yes but this one shut down permanently!

 

I'll ask the same as Gary. How old is it?

 

Lol. I sympathize with your plight, but I also enjoy the humour of this post. My folks have a NAD A/V receiver and haven't had any probs other than the fact that the system remote eats through AAA batteries at an astonishing rate. It's also regrettable that their model doesn't support audio over HDMI. Such is life.

 

I have a NAD C272 power amp that's never missed a beat since new and that romped all over the Rotel RB870BX power amp that I'd previously been using.

I also have two NAD 1000 pre-amps. One of them suffered a headphone amp problem, so I bought another on eBay. Both are old now - 20 years or so - but both still function well as preamps.

All in all I have no complaints, plus the NAD1000 has that most rare and precious of features - a mono button. This button even kicks in for the line out sockets when the tape loop is disengaged; so if I'm feeling really retro I can make a true monaural recording, which is good for losing background noise and rumble.

 

Generally there's nothing wrong if it's made in China, but as far as I know unfortunately NAD are notable in the last years for having very weak production control, so they hardly spot any defective items produced...otherwise, if not defective, their products are of good quality, but it's a bit of lottery.

 

I can believe it.

 

Seven or so years ago I bought one of these (new):

http://nadelectronics.com/products/hifi-amplifiers/C-372-Stereo-Integrated-Amplifier

I immediately heard a notable humming sound, and within minutes there was a distinct burning smell. I eventually got it replaced by the supplier Richer Sounds, but only after a lot hassle from their sales staff.

The new replacement amp has given me no bother at all, plus the sound I'm getting for the price is excellent. However, if you ever decide to buy one of these amps you may be in for a hotter deal than you think!

http://nadelectronics.com/articles/Ventilation-Notice

"The problem is that one of the main filter capacitors overheats and blows open. There is a flash and smoke and in some cases the top cover paint melts. This can be alarming as there is an electrical burning smell."

Having said that I believe Richer Sounds knowingly sold me a dangerous, faulty used amp, as a new one. The difference in the packaging from the original purchase and the replacemnent amp confirmed this to me.

Caution when buying NAD, especially from unscrupulous dealers like Richer Sounds.

 

My c375BEE intergrated would not output audio on certain inputs and my t773 receiver decides that the remote should only work intermintently(checked everything and called Nad and the price without shipping was ridiculous, bye NAD). Other Nad problem with cd and other equipment. Shame I like the sound but they are very problematic. No more NAD for me, John M.

 

I had lots of low fi stuff when I was younger , NAD was one of the more reliable brands back then , and not to bad sounding either .

 

I had a NAD 1300 preamp a few years ago - payed maybe 150 or so for it used. It was reliable enough but I actually found it to be too tame and polite as a preamp. The good news - good resale value! Maybe I am missing something but I am finding that late 70's integrateds - Onkyo, Scott, etc. - blow away the NAD and Rotel stuff I had been using. I currently have a Scott R376 and an Onkyo A-10. Arguably, a bit of clarity is lost but the presence is THERE - low end and mid-range WARMTH. LIVE music. At one point I matched the 1300 preamp to a RB 980BX - tame, polite, etc. So, anyway - my NAD experience was reliability was OK. But the sound did not blow me away. I wonder if any of the current under 500 integrateds or thereabouts would do it for me - maybe. But I do not want to take a $$ risk to find out. Otherwise, I stick with the old stuff and replace it if it breaks. The Marantz 22-- and 23-- stuff is currently priced pretty high used but the Kenwood, Onkyo and Scott stuff (when you can find later) is still very reasonable.

 

I'm the 2nd owner of a NAD 372 integrated amp for 2 years now. No problems thus far (knock on wood). Sorry to hear about your plight.

 

I don't know what's going on with NAD's production these days, but it's disappointing to hear of all these problems. There is no excuse for the widespread issues I've read about with the Master Series components.

My experience with NAD has been positive, but I have older components. I've had a C 350 integrated amp, C 370 integrated amp, and C 270 power amp since 2001-2002, and all of them have performed flawlessly.

 

Surprised with this. My friend has had a NAD am since at least 1995 (when I first met him) and it still going strong.

Maybe the newer stuff doesn't have the same quality control the older models did.

 

No recent experience with NAD, but my dad and I still have an old NAD 6340 cassette deck he bought in 1993 which is still going strong. I used that thing everyday when I was a kid, and it still sounds great.

 

NAD has always had a kind of Volkswagen reputation - that is plain styling covering good value. They have been an industry darling, in that even high-end magazines would suggest them as entry level gear. That said, maybe they have slipped. They've been around a long time. I've never owned anything they make, but I know others who've used their stuff for years seemingly problem free. But, they're a company, not perfect. Have you contacted NAD about the problem? BTW - I had a Sony amp die as you describe. We opened it afterwards and it had good, but not better, components in it and a lackluster design.

 

The way I understand it, NAD is the worlds largest audio company and as such will have plenty of failures in the field. Folks who's gear fails are far more likely to be vocal on these forums than any others...it happens. I've owned quite a number of NAD pieces and have had both successes and failures but they have not failed at a greater rate than any other brand I've owned and in fact Rega has that distinction. Luck of the draw I suppose. My wife and I are both running NAD integrated amps in our setups and are satisfied (for now).

 

I would not buy any NAD that was made in china.....

 

Here is original thread.

 

Yeah, I had a NAD amp (new) ..mines shut down also after 1 hour.
Took it back got another new one, same problem again back to the shop (hassell)
swapped it for a SONY SACD player.

 

NAD 320CBEE integrated amp that's been running trouble free for 5 years. Great amp.

 

"I can feel it coming adrift
Even a blind man could see the rift
From an ocean liner to a Chinese Junk
There ain't been a ship that can't be sunk

I used to dream it could last forever
But pipedreams never come true
I'd be foolin' myself if I never
Thought something like this
Couldn't happen to you"