NAD 517 CD-player

The English company NAD remains true to its principles in the design development of equipment. A typical example is the NAD 517 CD player, which is made in the best ascetic traditions of technical design. NAD 517 is a carousel type and is able to fit 5 discs in its carousel. Unlike the previous model NAD 513, the transport of which was located in the case of the boot device, in the model 517 it is separated from the boot device, which makes it possible to reload the CD without interrupting playback. The gray panel is equipped with 12 buttons that can operate the player: repeat individual tracks or the entire disc, random selection of tracks for 5 discs, play by user program - a total of 32 tracks on 5 discs. Fans of magnetic recording will not have any problems with the layout of the program and its duration. The Edit play modes button located on the remote control precisely sets the program recording time within the range of 1 to 99 minutes, the same operation can be provided by the Skip buttons on the front panel. The player has output connectors for analog output as well as an RCA type connectors for digital signal. The NAD 517 does not have an optical digital output. The circuit solutions used in this device use a Bitstream type converter with a preliminary 8-fold oversampling of the signal. The final filtering of the audio signal is carried out by a fifth-order filter.

NAD 517 was tested together with the equipment of the same company: NAD 1000 preamplifier, NAD 214 power amplifier, Sound Dynamics speaker systems. The player has excellent sound quality. The sound is characterized by a good rendering of halftone gradations. At the same time, there is no need to discuss how the apparatus sounds on the piano or forte, since it turns out brilliantly. The main thing is the ability to clearly hear not only the solo instruments, but also the musical fabric of the rest of the performers. When listening to NAD 517 was also connected to the MC DAC-8 converter, as a result, the sound practically did not undergo any significant changes, but the color picture became more pastel, which indicates the excellent work of the player's converter. An exclusive feature of the NAD 517 is the property of uncompromising transmission of the dynamic range of any work. Such a strong crescendo, which the player is able to convey to the listener, is a very difficult task for the vast majority of playback devices. This circumstance testifies to the excellent performance of the digital-to-analog converter. When listening, there is a feeling of the appearance of a "second wind" in NAD 517, and when it already seems that it is impossible for him to correctly take a dynamically difficult passage, he plunges you into complete amazement, bringing down a cascade of extraordinary sound power, as, for example, in Respighi's work "Roman festivities" . Works performed in the spirit of a plastic beginning, such as Chopin's Second Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, are revealed in all the diversity of a romantic beginning. In conclusion, it is necessary to take revenge that in terms of functional equipment the device is modest, but in the field of sound extraction it is a thing worthy of all praise.