Sound & Vision
December 2002
Reviewer: Unknown
"Since its inception in the late 1970s, NAD has been marching to a different drummer. While “bigger”, “more powerful”, and “more elaborate” have become watchwords in audio/video development, NAD consistently favored sensibly scaled designs that address real-world needs instead of sales-floor gamesmanship."
The NAD T752 A/V Receiver has been welcomed into the world of A/V with open arms by many of reviewers, we would like nothing more than to have the T752 welcomed into your home theatre set-up. If you are in the market for a new A/V receiver than we think that this review will interest you. Here are some excerpts:
"NAD’s latest receiver, the T752, is a classic example. Compared with its competition in the under-a-grand price range, the new NAD is smaller, less powerful – at least in terms of specs – less loaded with features, and less flashy looking. The question is, do these make it any “less” of an A/V receiver where it counts?"
"The T752’s uncluttered face, finished in a smooth charcoal gray, is set off by clearly Euro-inspired design touches like the rounded contours of the fluorescent display window and the “old fashioned” mechanical power key. It’s a matter of taste, but I prefer this classic look to the usual profusion of LEDs, knobs, and buttons."
"Front-panel control depends entirely on pushbuttons working in concert with the sole knob, labeled Volume/Set Up. NAD uses a somewhat unusual scheme for source selection from the front panel: buttons marked Audio and Video toggle through the receiver’s two audio-only and six A/V inputs, respectively, and the AM/FM key selects the tuner and toggles between bands. Once I learned how this worked it struck me as a sensible comprise between the complexity (and cost) of a dedicated source-selection knob and the annoyance of having to step through all umpty-ump inputs on a single button. Around back the T752 provides all the expected audio and video pathways, including line outputs for two back surround speakers even though it delivers power to only five channels. The two optical and four coaxial digital inputs are each assignable to any source, while the two sets of component-video inputs and one output are linked to the DVD and SAT(ellite) inputs. The T752 also supplies 12-volt trigger and infrared inputs and outputs, both unusual in midline receivers but useful for more elaborate installations."
"Setup was straightforward, but be forewarned that the T752 requires a TV for this task: none of its six menus appears in any form on the front-panel display. There are relatively few setup options from which to choose beyond the basics of setting speaker “size”, distance, and level – one for input assignments and one for the default Listening Mode that’s recalled whenever each input is selected.
When the front left/right speakers are set to “large”, the center, L/R surround, and back surround can be set to “large”, “small”, or “none”. But NAD restricts all other speaker options to “small” when the front L/R are set to “small”. On the plus side, you can set the T752’s subwoofer crossover to 40, 60, 80, 100, 120 or 150 Hz. These settings apply to digital inputs only – there’s no bass management for the multichannel analog input."
"The T752’s feature set also follows NAD’s “less is more” philosophy. It includes decoding for Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1-channel soundtracks and for Dolby Digital EX and DET-ES 6.1-channel soundtracks, Dolby Pro Logic II (DPL II) and DTS Neo:6 processing for 5.1- or 6.1-channel playback from stereo and four-channel surround sources, and a couple of Enhanced Stereo modes. With two notable additions, that’s it: no “Disco” or “Stadium” modes – hallelujah!"
"The first of those additional modes is NAD’s Enhanced Ambience Recovery System, or EARS. Yes, it’s a silly name, but the process is not. EARS delivers subtle – but never too subtle to hear – five-channel surround sound from two-channel programs. Its almost always sounded very good, whether on mostly mono TV sound, like sitcoms, or on ambient music, where it compared favorably to DPL II’s Music mode – which is not to say it was better. EARS produced a “spacier”, more ambient effect (although it never seemed excessive or false), but DPL II’s Music Mode, with its Center Width and Dimension parameters tweaked and Panorama option engaged, sounded more focused and spatially realistic."
"The second of the T752’s extra modes, Matrix 7.1, is claimed to yield “natural, cohesive all-channels surround from high-quality recordings, both…stereo and surround-encoded” (It took me a while to figure out that Matrix 7.1 appears on the surround-mode rotation only if you set up for two back surround speakers). I found this to work very well. For example, broadcast-TV movies and action-series sequences would occasionally deliver a genuine 6.1-channel-like moment, as when a racing car in some cop show (Ii honestly don’t know which one) came head on into the picture, as if from behind me, with its sound following nicely but peeling off to the left at the last moment."
"In terms of overall sonic quality, the T752 scored high. Auditioning it with material from the excellent AIX Records DVD-Audio sampler – that is, simply as a five-channel amplifier – proved that despite its modest ratings, the NAD receiver can easily drive a demanding speaker suite to musically realistic levels in a large room. The best tracks sounded stunningly good, displaying the subtle perks of 96-kHz/24-bit production: smoothly extended treble “air” and deep, noise-free silences. The receiver had ample dynamic reserves for the spiky demands of the percussive “Song for My Father” by Luis Conte Latin jazz trio, and it rocked out effortlessly on the Fabulous Thunderbirds’ “Tuff Enuff”. "
"Of course, the most important task for any A/V receiver is Dolby Digital/DTS playback. Harry Potter and the Scorcerer’s Stone has a wonderfully recorded soundtrack, and the NAD did an excellent job of conveying the enchantment. It had more than enough dynamic punch for the big magic scenes, such as when Harry and his friends fight with the rumbling troll, and John William’s rich score sounded beguilingly solid, spacious, and natural. "
"The NAD receiver did an equally good job at preserving the finer details of the complex scenes, such as the “owl mail delivery” sequence, making softly flapping owl wings, rustling packages, myriad voices near and far, and background music coexist happily without lessening the sense of being in a huge room. Other operational aspects of the T752 were on a similarly high plane, thanks largely to a simple but effective preset system. This lets you store as many as five combinations of all of the T752'’ adjustable parameters into preset system. This lets you store as many as five combinations of all of the T752’s adjustable parameters into present memories for one-touch recall. A preset can include anything from the receiver’s setup menus – source, relative channel levels, delays, surround mode (and parameter tweaks, like the dynamic-range compression, with choices of 25, 50, 75, 100%), even the number and “size” of your speakers, your subwoofer crossover-frequency setting, and your ton-control settings. I would use this system to set up pre-adjusted modes for different kinds of music and movie scenarios – for example, a Late Night preset might have dynamic range at 50% and center and surround levels boosted by 1 or 2 dB. This is a great way to use a receiver’s technical sophistication, and I applaud it. The manual sensibly suggests keeping one of the presets “empty” – that is, stored with no changes beyond your basic calibrated settings, as a reference. My only complaint here is that you can’t name the presets! I also wouldn’t have minded having even more presets."
"The full-system HTR-2 remote control is handsome and plainly but sensibly laid out, with generous spacing and a good mix of button sizes and shapes. The labels are on the small side and color coded to indicate which command the button issues when a given component is active. Press any button, and all the keys light up with soft green backlighting that makes their primary, on-key graphics readable under any conditions – well done. I particularly liked having level trims for center, surround, and sub channels at my fingertips." "The HTR-2 is billed as a learning-plus-NAD-brand-preprogrammed remote, but if you read the fine print in the T752’s unusually encyclopedic owner’s manual, you discover that you can search for other brand codes. For example, a quick scan turned up a useful set for my Toshiba widescreen TV. I can recommend the NAD T752 with confidence to anyone who favors simplicity and effectiveness of function, handsomeness of design (in both the styling and conceptual senses), and excellence of sound quality over a plentitude of features or power. And if you’re looking for a receiver that any household member can use, it’s an attractive option."
