Curious about a NAD

[davnport]

Where does this fall in terms of amps? I mean is it solely for speakers? Can it take the place of a pimeta for my headphone setup? I don't know much about what a NAD is/can do, and I can't find much info on one. Please direct me somewhere to read about it or teach me in the ways of this audio device! Thanks y'all

-D

Edit: also, I have found a NAD 1300 up for sale in my area and was more interested in if this is a solid amp. I want to get some nice speakers for my computer, but also be able to use my headphones. Advice?

[Candyman]

NAD is a company in the UK that makes some pretty nice stuff. Apparently their headphone outputs aren't too bad, either. I'd guess that it varies from model to model, though. Their homepage is here, if you wanna check it out.

As far as that specific model, I have no idea. Sorry.

[Bearded Kirklander]

Doing is best Beavis impersonation: "You said NAD..." huh-uh-huh-huh-huh


(sorry - just couldn't resist)

[number1sixerfan]

They are mostly for speakers but the receiver or amp should have a headphone amp along with it. I'm not sure what the quality is and don't think it would be better than a ppa or equivalent headphone amp.

As for their performance with speakers, they are simply amazing.

[XP1800]

Originally posted by number1sixerfan
They are mostly for speakers but the receiver or amp should have a headphone amp along with it. I'm not sure what the quality is and don't think it would be better than a ppa or equivalent headphone amp.

As for their performance with speakers, they are simply amazing.

Yeah I agree with Sixerfan. They make really nice CD players and speaker amps, but a dedicated headphones amp is still going to be better. Keep your eyes peeled at Audiogon too, I've seen some nice NAD's pop out here and there

[Swerv]

I have not heard a PPA but the quality of most NAD amps now aday's is superb besting most of the so called " high end " junk that is on the market.Their $799CAD amp I would rate them almost on par with Moon Equinox line.

[number1sixerfan]

Originally posted by Swerv
I have not heard a PPA but the quality of most NAD amps now aday's is superb besting most of the so called " high end " junk that is on the market.Their $799CAD amp I would rate them almost on par with Moon Equinox line.

Do they use the same dac for their headphone out? I've never used headphones with a nad.

[davnport]

Well, I remember seeing a thread a while back where I think it was Zemo that suggested using a NAD off of an E-mu 0404 rather than a receiver for speakers because the e-mu already has nice enough DACs, so no need to let them go to waste by getting a receiver. That idea got me thinking about trying a set of nicer speakers for my computer... but I don't know if it is worth the hassle of tracking down individual parts like this. Many a sharky have proclaimed the mx5021s to be sweet. I might just get the simple "all-in-one-box" solution and leave it at that for now. We'll see. Thanks fellas!

[Candyman]

Originally posted by davnport
Well, I remember seeing a thread a while back where I think it was Zemo that suggested using a NAD off of an E-mu 0404 rather than a receiver for speakers because the e-mu already has nice enough DACs, so no need to let them go to waste by getting a receiver.

Hmmmm...kinda weird, because NAD makes receivers (and amplifiers...and integrated amps). I wonder if he meant that you could get a straight-up amplifier and run the signal to it right out of the 0404 with 1/4" -> RCA cables. That would cut out the middleman, and amplifiers generally have less distortion than a full receiver. Not a bad idea...

NAD integrated amps/receivers are generally considered to have good headphone outputs. However, very few speaker amps have a headphone stage good enough to compete with a PPA.

[vrao81]

NAD headphone jacks are of good quality, probably comparable to the cheaper $100-$200 headphone jacks but not in the league of the PPA.
The NAD 1300 is a preamp, so you still need to buy a power amp to run speakers....

Candyman's suggestion of connecting your sound card directly to a power amp is a good one, I use an Adcom amp with my Audigy 2zs and it works fine, I just use my software volume control to adjust volume. This saves you from buying a preamp. But power amps usually don't have headphone jacks, so if you want one, you'll need a preamp. Or just get an integrated amp/receiver.