WarriorAnt
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Jan 9, 2009
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Quote:
It's a vintage, although it's probably not going to be considered a classic vintage.
The major American and Japanese brands frantically escalated in power and build through the 70s before imploding in the 80s, while NAD steadily chugged along for the same period making well-built, modestly-scaled equipment. So in the 80s, while the quality of the majors began spiraling downwards, NAD looked increasingly better by comparison even though they hadn't really changed a whole lot qualitatively. Most NAD equipment of that period is respected even if most models fly under the radar.
The best way to tell is your ears, of course. If it sounds good, it's good.
Well this particular NAD does sound excellent. The gear from the 70's though has that "look" to them and the units have that larger size that makes them stand out almost making the sound secondary for me. The Marantz look is really nice and the 2215B sounds so smooth with headphones. The Yamaha I have not listened to yet, it has a more utilitarian look to it then the Marantz but it still has that big receiver air about it. I new to the vintage collection thing, the bug hit me out of the blue just last week so I don't really know if people are collecting for looks and size or more for sound. I imagine both but even if a receiver from the 70's doesn't sound that great they still look so sweet.