Info wanted on NAD 910 Processor
Peter Potrebic
Does any out there have any personal experiences? Second hand info?
Any recent reviews in any of the standard magazines?
Any such info would be appreciated.
Tim Lapin
<potr...@apple.com> wrote:
Hi Everyone,
Even though this is a reply to somone's post, I decided to write a mini
review
of the unit in case there is general interest.
*** CAVEAT ***
I don't have the specs in front of me, nor do I have them memorized. So
please don't ask whether a given circuit is digital or what the various
tolerances are.
NAD 910 Processor:
The 910 is a full Dolby Pro-logic decoder with 3 A/V inputs, a main system
bypass plus 6 speaker outputs and a VCR record output. There is also a
phantom center channel option.
Ambiance modes are also available. They consist of Stadium, Hall, Club.
As well, there is an "A/V Stereo" mode for simple two-channel operation.
There are 2 delay times: 20 ms (for large rooms) 30 ms (for small
rooms).
Both the audio and video imputs are RCA only, with no provision for S-Video
switching.
The remote is full featured, with some options not available on the main
unit. Through the remote, one can adjust master, center, surround and
subwoofer volumes. The remote also features a Test tone generator for
Pro-logic calibration, a CDR compression circuit and a sibilance filter for
hiss reduction.
The display includes:
-> Input/Ambiance selection (LD,TV / Hall,...) via mini LEDs on the
buttons
-> Mute
-> Input overload
-> Test tone generator speaker sequence
The list price is $600 US or $700-$750 CDN.
Competitors include:
Lexicon CP-2 ($1000 US, $1400 CDN); needs pre-amp
Marantz pro-logic pre-amp ($900 US, $1200 CDN)
Carver DPL-20 ? ($380 US, $700 CDN); needs pre-amp (I
think)
The Setup:
I have built up the following system:
NAD 910 Processor
NAD 906 6 channel amp
Rock Solid Monitor speakers (front left, front right)
Wharfedale Diamond II speakers (rear left, rear right)
SONY 333 MDP laserdisk player
NEC CT2770 27" stereo monitor TV
JVC monaural VCR (don't remember the model number, but it is 7 years
old)
Remotes: TV, VCR, LD, Processor. (a lot of remotes to juggle!)
The Review:
Connections are easy; simply take the RCA cables provided and plug them in.
They give several diagrams showing differing installations. I cabled only
the audio as I prefer to use direct source to monitor video connections
where possible. Also, the lack of an S-Video connector for my LD player
makes the unit suitable for audio-only switching in my case.
The calibration of the unit is especially easy, making on-the-fly
adjustments to the sound balance a snap. In fact the biggest problem I had
was dealing with the mismatched front and back speakers, combined with a
less than optimal rear speaker placement.
I tried several laser disks with encoded surround info and am generally
pleased. The separation of channels is quite good, allowing the viewer to
enjoy a fairly good 3D soundscape. Movies such as "Star Trek VI" or
"Dragon", the Bruce Lee biography came out well. The phantom center
channel circuit worked well, except that I could only change the center
volume (dialog) by changing the maseter volume. It seems that the center
volume control only works on a genuine speaker connection. I could have
used a subwoofer, though.
The ambiance modes worked fairly well. I tried them on a few music
broadcasts as well as the ELP recording. Using the "Club" and "Stadium"
modes mainly, I was able to enjoy live recordings as if I was there. In
fact, I was able to compare Emerson, Lake and Palmer's Olympic Stadium
(here in Montreal) recording with my own memory of the event and was
gratified with the effect.
When trying an audio CD with surround info on it (ELP's Pictures at an
Exhibition), I found that the unit quickly complained of input overload. I
attribute that mainly to an imbalance of the volume settings, but I can't
be sure.
In conclusion, I can say that the 910 is a quality unit. It may not be a
Lexicon, however it follows NAD tradition of making a simple unit with just
the necessities and not much else. If you are looking at separates as I
have, the 910 can't be beat for the price.
I hope this helps. Please see your dealer for further info and a demo. I
will probably not be able to answer the thousand and one questions which
undoubtably will crop up. Further, only a demo with your equipment or
equivalent store units will reveal any problems you might have with a
pro-logic system.
Good luck!
--
Tim Lapin
Computing Services Concordia University Montreal, Quebec, Canada
ti...@alcor.concordia.ca TEL: (514) 848-7639 FAX: (514)
848-7622