NAD C541i

Just purchased a nad c 350 stereo integrated amp, nad c541i cd player the finest pair of speakers i have ever owned monitor audio silver 5i coupled up with qed quenex leads and qed ox free speaker cable. In comparison to my previous sounds which was a pioneer vsx-d512 av multi channel receiver, pioneer dv-360 dvd/cd,pioneer

S-h510v floor standing speakers and pioneer s-cr59 surround speakers which sounded amazing for a pioneer. Unfortunately has no marks on the and equipment. I got the new set up from aa guy in town who needed a quick sale and managed to bag the lot for a measley 125 quid price wow sound wow looks wow

The pioneer setup is awesome for the film enthusiast who likes to be part of the film but for those who appreciate your hearing and quality sounds which many words can describe, than the and and monitor combo is a must buy.

I bought the NAD C541i CD player after reading some very favourable reviews on the internet.

I already had a Marantz CD17 but couldn't resist trying the NAD out.

I'm a die hard Marantz fan and after owning and modifying the CD63 K.I Signature, CD6000K.I, and now the CD17, it was going to take a lot to convince me otherwise.

Taking it out of the box the unit feels pretty flimsy, not at all solid. Although cosmetically it is fairly appealing, it would be nice to have some extra shielding in the casing to add some weight and stability to the CD player. The remote control is pretty ugly, but nice to see a power switch for the unit included on there.

Despite the obvious price difference between the Marantz and the NAD, there was only the slightest hint that the NAD is a 'budget' CD player when conveying sound. I tried Katie Melua's new album to start, and the vocals were incredibly life-like, not harsh in the slightest. The Bass was clearly defined, and guitar strings were almost life-like in quality.

Next I wanted to see what all the fuss about HDCD's is, so I listened to a Neil Young HDCD. The difference is apparent immediately. Soundstage is opened up incredibly and vocals have a warm quality. Live tracks sounded fantastic, and to my surprise the Marantz could not compete in this arena.

Next move: Get the lid off, put some damping material in, perhaps modify the analogue output stage, replace the clock.

In summary: A great CD player for the money, excellent with HDCD's (if you have many) and a good all round performer. Would be nice to have a more 'solid' feel to the unit, and the remote is ugly, but HDCD's really shine in this player.

I bough mine secondhand for less than £150 from Ebay and it was worth every penny.

This note is based on a comparison of the NAD C352 (a slight upgrade of the C351i)with the Denon DCD 755AR. Amp used: NAD 350 (integrated). Speakers: NHT Super Zeros. The NAD sounded awful - strained and very flat. For example trumpets, tubas and saxaphones had no ringing quality. What should have been a natural sounding reverberation sounded very artificial and "tinny". Vocals lacked lower mid range fullness. All that changed for the better when the Denon CD player was connected and the music became immediately enjoyable and involving with a sense of the recording space / ambience lacking with the NAD. Vocals were much more natural and it seemed like the singers were present in the listening room. With the NAD I was always conscious that I was listening to a recording and could not get involved in a musical experience - very disappointing after reading so much hype.

spent 2 weeks listening to various cd players, sony, nad, rotel, arcam, denon and marantz models all around the 300 - 400 pounds price. Was difficult to decide for me, between the rotel model and the nad 541, but opted for the nad because have had nad equipment before and has proved very reliable, saying that, so has rotel equipment i have had. First machine i recieved from empire electricals, was faulty from day one, had to return it to their repair centre in bradford, after 2 weeks or so. I have to say at this point that this didnt reflect on nad, or the importers of the nad equipment.I had no end of problems with empire, who really didnt know what they were doing.After a week i chased the machine up through empire who told me the machine had been returned to the importers for repair. I contacted them , and they were quite concerned, telling me they hadnt got the machine.The very helpful people there, chased it up and contacted me telling me they had finally recieved it, and was being repaired. When i recieved the machine back from empire, and wired it up, was horrified to see the chassis was contorted, and it didnt sit on all four feet properly.Contacted them and after some serious word exchanging they provided me with a new machine.Have to say i am very impressed with it, never skips, great speed access, excellent sound, unimposing looks.Currently using it with ROTEL,thx power amps, ROTEL dd pre amp processor, Monitor Audio 8i loudspeakers, and its a pretty difficult player to wrong foot, great machine,

I've listened to the C541i alongside several other players, including the Arcam CD72, Sony (can't remember the model), NAD C521i and Roksan Caspian. While the Caspian is clearly a superior player, the C541i comes remarkably close for almost a third the price.

The Arcan CD72 is also good player but the 541i puts it positively in the shade, making it sound safe - even soul-less - by comparison. The C541i has amazing refinement and detail from any type of music. This player has the uncanny ability to actually convey the feeling of the music - it's like it's not just playing back a CD but feeling the singer's voice and conveying the passion, subtlety - every nuance - of an artist's performance into the playback. A truly remarkable achievement for a player of this price.

Requires good quality interconnects to be heard at its best (budget around £60-80) but certainly won't be the weakest link in your system if used with an amp or speakers costing under £500 a peice.

The only real downsides are the rather flimsy feel to the overall build and quality of the unit alongside it's plain appearance. I certainly wouldn't mind paying an extra £50-60 for a nice, sleek silver Arcam or Rotel-style solid alumnium housing and a CD tray that doesn't feel like it'll snap off if you look at it wrong. Also, the supplied remote control looks like a relic from the 60's and is an embaressment to any coffee table.

However, if pure sonic ability is all you're after and you can forgive the minor physical imperfections of the unit itself, the C541i has virtually no competition under £500. Recommended without hesistation.