Finally, an HT receiver that you wouldn't be embarrassed to demo to your stereo audiophile neighbor.
After being disappointmented with the Denon series and Marantz 780/880, I finally had the pleasure of demo'ing this unit. And after two days of demo time, I had a damn hard time returning it to the store, and I found myself back to purchase it just a few weeks later.

Let's be clear, this won't do DTS, and it won't simulate the sound of the bathroom in grand central station. But if you don't care about gimmicks or niche formats, then you'd be very happy with this unit.

I'll get the drawbacks out of the way:

- the volume pops a bit when changed via the remote
- the display is bright (which is nice), but unfortunately isn't dimmable
- the digital sources are scarce: just coax, optical, and rf
- the remote, though nicely designed, only controls other NAD equipment

But after that, the unit's near perfect. Don't be fooled by NAD's characteristically conservative 70W rating. Granted, you'll have the knob rotated farther than you're used to, but you can rest assured that you can keep on going without a bit of distortion. One of the "cooler" features is the fan that only comes on during loud sections. I have yet to hear it.

The $1700 price tag makes you think of it as at the pricier end of the $1000 receiver spectrum. But really, this unit should be compared with units in the next tier like the B&K 202 and Yamaha A1. Honestly, I think it sounds better than either of those.

Well worth considering.

After 10 years with my favorite hi-fi components I decided build up home cinema.
The key points for me have been power amplifiers. I would like to buy something for next 10 years. And something, which my wife and children is able to use alone without 15 minutes technical consulting by phone like " What to press on receiver, what on remote and how to set DVD to see our new film?!" And finally budget.

After review 6 producers (DENON, NAD, Yamaha, Pioneer, Philips, Marantz) in area "usability" (Budget, simplicity of use, 5+1 input) there stay only 3.
After test listening winner was NAD 770.

Ease in use, perfect sound in classical stereo, excellent home cinema sound. Acceptable price.
I can only recommend it.

I work in the film industry, and have been a movie lover since childhood. In addition to my love of film, however, I enjoy music. The T770 is a dream come true and allows me to hear the absolute best of both worlds. NAD has dispensed with the erroneous "100W x 5" specs you see on almost every receiver out there, and instead packed the T770 with 70W and tons of reserve for those peaks common in film. The surround sound is so open and clean, you'll look over your shoulders to see the passing cars (try the opening sequence of "Out of Sight" and you'll see what I mean). If you truly want great sound and are willing to live without DTS (which seems to be a solution to a non-existent problem to me), spend the money and buy this receiver. You'll never watch films the same way again.

Equally strong on both music and DVD's. Much more power that the 70W rating would lead you to beleive. Very solid construction.

Manual is not very detailed in set-up and use instructions. Only 3 digital inputs.

I have owned the T-770 for about 2 months now and have never regretted buying it for one moment. I spent several months listening to receivers (Yamaha, Harmon Kardon, Denon) and decided that I could not beat the sound quality with any other receiver in its price range. It does not have all the extra features that other models may have, but they are never missed and do not add to the sound quality of the other receivers in my opinion. My only complaint is that the manual was very short on instructions so it took me many days to get the system set-up to my liking.

Highly recommended for those that do not want to sacrifice music quality for A/V capability.
Got mine at Net-Market for around 1300 and had it mailed to me.

No frills approach.
Inputs for future formats
Sound of music

Manual confusing. Limited bass management options.

My entry into home thearter began with the purchase of a Yamaha 2095 reciever. The 2095 was great for movies but I was horrified by what it did to my favorite music. After a few days it was traded for a T770. The T770 does as good a job on music as on movies.
The lack of dts doesnt bother me as the format hasn't really taken off-if it does you can add an external decoder.
My only gripe is with the bass managment and lack of information about it (can anyone help me out here?). I run an nht powered sub for movies but for music I like to run my main speakers full range. When the sub is selected ON the signal to the main speakers is automatically filtered. There is no writen information on this. Does anyone know at what freaquency? To de-select the sub I have to turn on the TV and use the on screen programing. This is too complicated for some members of my family, and a pain for me. What I ended up doing is putting the sub on a spliter from my main channels and de-selecting the sub, running my main spekers full range all the time. I am not sure if I am getting the full LFE channel this way.

Similar Products Used:

Yamaha 2095

2-channel sound is breathtaking and powerful. DD decoding is off the charts. EARS is the coolest thing ever.

Lack of DTS. Remote is not multi-function.

If you split your listening time evenly between music and HT, this is the receiver to beat. Heck, even if you listen to music only occasionally, the NAD is still the receiver for you. When doing side-by-side comparisons with over six other receivers (including NAD's T760), the T770 simply sound BETTER. It was VERY powerful, had a gigantic soundstage and more engaging sound all around. I was hesitant about the conservative 70W rating, but the sales staff assured me that NAD's approach to power ratings was different and that I would have plenty in reserve. In addition, it can drive difficult speaker loads effortlessly. They were right.

I drive RBH speakers all around and the NAD presents them with undoubtedly the best soundstage I have ever heard. The RBH Signatures are pretty good anyway, but I now sit in awe many times when listening to music. Engaging the EARS mode on the T770 expands the soundfield further and draws me deeper into the music.

The lack of DTS bothered me a little, but after owning the receiver for 2 months it seems a fair trade-off for this kind of sonic value. If DTS was seriously challenging DD in the DVD world, I might feel like I'm missing the party. Since it's not, I think I'll be OK. Pro-Logic decoding (remember VHS?) is equally impressive and sounds as open and clean as my DVD's.

If you're looking for a receiver, give this one a listen.

Similar Products Used:

I listened to several receivers from Denon, Sony and Pioneer

Lovely minimalist design & quality remote. Nice clean laid back sound.

Cannot drive my Monitor 9i's as well as the Harmon Kardon AVR7000. Controls not well thought out.

It is interesting to compare the top of the line receivers from NAD & Harman Kardon as I own both. The NAD oozes quality build from the feel of it's controls to the lovely remote which is crafted with a lovely heavy top-plate.The HK is reasonably well constructed - but it has faults. The volume knob is 'cheap & wobbly' and this is true of all HK's nowdays. I contacted HK about this and they gave me bull about the new 'potentiometer' used - they just didnt get the point that it felt cheap.

The NAD is a simpler design when compared with the HK. However, this simplicity can be annoying. The HK will remember the exact speaker & surround settings for each source (including digital/anaolog within a source category - eg CD). The NAD needs re-setting each time to the mode you want & this can be irritating. The HK has a power switch and a standby switch which means you can switch it to standby at the unit as well as with the remote. With the NAD you are stuffed if you loose the remote - so guard it with your life.

I have compared these two extensively with my Monitor Audio 9i's and ASW210 sub. The NAD certainly has a clean powerful sound with sweet mids and a controlled bass. However, I hate to say it (being a NAD fan & having bought the 3020 in the late 70's) but the NAD, although excellent, cannot come near the sheer dynamic range and ability to bring the Monitor Audio 9i's to life.I suspect this is because the HK has a huge power supply which peaks at 70 Amps - way above the NAD unit.

You pay a price for all of this power because the HK is a huge monster weighing in over 50 pounds and I had to get a custom unit built to contain it.

Regarding price - both these units weigh in at about 1000 bucks.

On a final point, I am English ex-pat living in the US and probably have a different 'tonal' ear. I have frequented some of the best hi-fi dealers in the world and attended many big shows. It is interesting to hear Harman Kardon dismissed as a 'brash American amplifier manufacturer'. But in this case (and I hate to have to admit it) the HK kills the NAD outright. However, you need to put this in context as I believe the NAD (having auditioned many high end receivers)to be amongst the best in it's class and if you appreciate great design in your living room then this would be the one to go for.

Similar Products Used:

HK AVR7000, NAD3020