Nad 521i Vs 541i?

[Reinaldo Valenzuela]

Is there any reason beyond HDCD to go for the higher priced
541 over the 521 NAD CD player?

Thanks

[B&D]

On 10/21/03 10:40 PM, in article 3F95EE14...@lucent.com, "Reinaldo
Valenzuela" <r...@lucent.com> wrote:

> Is there any reason beyond HDCD to go for the higher priced
> 541 over the 521 NAD CD player?

The C540i has HDCD decoding, and is purported to have a slightly better DAC
than the 521 so it might sound marginally better if you have a revealing
system after it.

I have recently acquired a 540i and am impressed, though to be honest, I
didn't try out the 521.

[j]

Depends on how much you have bugeted for the unit. Even the cheap Nads
sound better than other similar priced units made by others.

Remember that the ear's response is never going to be able to hear the
dif in specs that comes with the units most of the time.

$$$ spent on better speakers (IMO) will make the most noticable
improvement to your system.

[@bigpond.net.au Warren Marshall]

In the showroom, I found the 541i to be a substantially more lifelike
reproduction, through the same high-quality amp and speakers.

I purchased a 541i, to replace my aging Marantz CD63-II and can't say I'm
overwhelmingly satisfied. It is more rhythmic than the CD63 and has much
better bass, but I was hoping for a more involving experience of the music,
such as with my vinyl (Linn LP12+Valhalla+Cirkus,Profile-II arm,Benz MC-1
cartridge,Rotel RQ970BX phono stage), and that simply hasn't happened.

I'm using the 541i alone as well as into a Creek D-A converter, and find the
differences less obvious than was the case with CD63. The 541i does sound
better with the separate D-A than without.

What I do find is that the 541i sounds significantly better at low volumes
than at realistic volume levels.

So my answer to your question is: yes there is a substantial difference
between the 521i and 541i, but the 541i hasn't done it for me.

"j" <cty8...@centurytel.net> wrote in message
news:99SdnfCKfP4...@centurytel.net...