Received the Nak av7 today from ubid for $227, where there seems to be a deluge of these receivers for sale. I wanted a receiver/amp that could deliver clean solid power through all frequencies with good imaging. The Nak doesn't disappoint. I was replacing a low end Kenwood kvr-45, rated 55w RMS, but like most mass-market low-end receivers, the kenwood lacked what the specs promised eventthough on a direct match up, on paper, the kenwood was supposedly better, mostly in the THD catagory for the various aspects. This just goes to prove something I've known for some time: statistics and specs can and are manipulated in any manner which benefits the product. NOTHING, especially with audio and video products, beats reputation and personal experience. My 12 yr old Energy ESM-3s never sounded better than with the Nak which pointed out that the Nak was clearly in a different class of audio components than most. I was dead set on a Onkyo ds575, but the cheapest I could find it for was $370. The Onkyo would have had more frills and thrills, but like those below, that's not why most people buy audio equipment - to listen to, not look at. The Naks controls are simple and staight forward to operate. The display is basic, but informative, even from a distance once you learn the locations of the indicators. The remote is big, and it would have been nice to be backlite and smaller, with multi-device control. No fan noise problem. I had to put my ear next to the fan to hear it, and even then I heard the air noise and not the fan.I can't wait to try it out on my new - yet to arrive Infinity rs-5s and in dolby surround.

Wrap up:
-Clean powerful nuetral sound w/ no hum, buzz, or distortion
-simple easy controls that even my techo phobe grandma could operate

For the price that these can be had for, there isn't a better budget receiver/amp. You'll have to spend close to $1000 at circuit city/best buy or the like to do better, and even then all you'll get is more watts, fancier graphics, and more inputs/outputs of various types - THE SOUND can get any better. 5 Stars for the price/performance/quality aspects. It's worth more than you can buy it for.

I also bought this from U-Bid. Don't know why NAK is selling these models so cheaply, but I jumped on this one the minute I saw it for under 300 bucks. Great sound. Clear, powerful, and nice-looking. Weighs quite a bit, too, and it is easy to see why this thing retails for 799 (built very solidly and delivers great sound). Highly recommended. (Have not set it up with my dvd player which has a DD decoder built in)...hope to soon.

Forget about the uninspired, mediocre stuff NAK came out with before the launch of their new stuff. This NAK has some serious sound as does the AV8 and AV10! I just got my AV7 today and couldn't be more happy with this $260 purchase (Ubid). The sound is GREAT, and I'm saying this from a Denon fan point-of-view. It is powerful, not bright or fatigueing (hooked up to NHT Super 2s and the BIG NHT dipole surrounds even!), the bass is plentiful and punchy. I really can't pin-point any real weaknesses of the sound on DVD movies. I haven't listened to music on it yet because it's not a priority for this system, but I am very confident with it's capabilities (not even close to being broken in). I have KEF RDM 2s, a Musical Fidelity A2, and an MSB Link Dac in my music system- I don't expect the Nak to compete with this set-up as far as acoustic/jazz/classical/ and any vocal music goes. However, I do also like to listen to heavy rock and techno at times and the Nak should work just fine for those days. If you're in the market for a new receiver and you're looking for something nice other than Denons or Yamahas, give the NAKs a try! I guarantee you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Build- Very Solid
Features- Like NAD, sacrifices features for sound
Performance- Outstanding especially for the cost
Value-A+ from me

Small complaints- Non universal remote. Would like binding posts for the center and surround speakers. Wish it had maybe another set of 5.1 inputs, and S-video inputs, but hey, it's abilities definitely outweigh it's hinderances. Get the AV8 if you REALLY REALLY need a few more extras.

crisp highs and midrange

bass response

Wonderful reproduction of both music and movies. detailed and powerful. Bass seems to be sorely lacking, could this be because it is so new? Is there a good breakin timeframe? Any suggestions would help.
Nak AV-7
Denon AVD-200 decoder
Legacy Studio Mains
Legacy Monologue Center
Klipsch KSF S5 surrounds
Toshiba 3109 DVD/CD
Pioneer LD player
Generic 12ga. wires
Monster cables

Similar Products Used:

denon 3300, sherwood-newcastle 945mkII

Warm, clean sound.

Lack of phono input,
Lacks one-touch preset,
Display hard to read.
Fan noise is somewhat annoying.

Bought from UBID for $287 after seeing the favorable reviews here. In general I'm pleased. Although it cost a lot less than the Sony it replaced, it's much less tiring to listen to. I think it's a fuller, richer and deeper sound.

HOWEVER I think that leaving out a phono input is inexcusable in this class of product Also, the technician at their service dept (Nak's) was rather condecending. See other weaknesses above.

This receiver is simply awesome. Probably you won't believe me since this is only a dolby prologic model (has a 5.1 channel inputs at the back) and NOT a dolby digital model. If this is the case, you should go for an audition. I had my first receiver from JVC, RX-201 model. Several months ago I upgraded to Harman Kardon AVR 20MKII. The H/K product was good, but then I decided to return it (it's been only 20 days at my place) and bought the AV-7 from UBid. I did not expect much from this receiver since, it's only a dolby prologic model. However, when it arrived at my place, WOW!!!! It was sooooo good to hear the sound.

I put some CDs to my CD player and, this might seem ridiculous, but I started to like songs that I'd never used to like before. The sound is full, sweet without any "color" and buzz. The highs are clear and not irritating, while the lows are tight and engaging. You can hear the "sssss" if you turn the knob pass 1 o'clock position, which I think most of us won't do that with a connected source. The dolby prologic mode was good and 3 DSP's are excellent (not as many as Yamahas).

If there is any thing I wish to have with this receiver, it would be 5-way binding post for center and rear channels. A set of preamp output would be nice too. The sound, which is the bottom line, is pure and clean. A hard thing to get from receivers nowadays (unless if you spent more in terms of dollar amount) for under US$300.

Great value, decent amplifier

Reliability, build, and customer service -
After you buy this receiver, you're on your own... Nak customer service will try at all costs to rip you off and steal your money (probably how they make money of the cheap Ubid prices)

I agree with a lot of the reviews posted below. The receiver sounded great and at the price ($225 from Ubid) I would be hard pressed to find a better bargain. However, a word of advice, if you buy this receiver, buy it from a local store or pray that it doesn't break, b/c Nakamichi customer service is... non-existent.

After popping in my first DVD, I realized that the Dolby IC ship on the unit was faulty, as the surround modes didn't work correctly. I emailed the Nak customer support, and never received a response (it's been over 2 months since then). I ended up calling and shipping the unit in (paying for shipping myself) for repair. They were prompt in fixing the unit and I got it back in about 2 weeks. However, after 5 minutes, I realized that the remote volume control was now broken, even though the Dolby surround worked! Moreover, I noticed that the edge of the case was dented. I tooked off the cover, only to find that the cheap plastic tabs that hold the cover in place had been broken (presumably by the technician "WW" because someone obviously tried to fix the broken tabs by gluing them back in place!!).

I am still trying to get the situation resolved with Nakamichi, and I wouldn't be suprised if they tried sending me back a defective unit to replace my "new" one.

Isn't this kind of thing illegal?

Bottom line - Nak support doesn't exist, whatever they call customer support will only end up stealing your money.

Buyer beware!! Great product performance-wise, but no service.

Similar Products Used:

Harman Kardon receivers

Great Sound and Output.....Just Excellent!

Made in Maylasia. No DTS Decoder.

Well, after about a month of so of use and break in....the Nakamichi AV 7 sounds outstanding with crisp highs, warm mids, and solid / tight output of bass. Connected to my AV 7 is the Nakamichi DVD10, Nakamichi MB10. The speaker of choice are the Wharfedales Modus One.Six, Sapphire 83s for the rear, Modus Music Center for the center and the Velodyne CT100 for the sub. I am quite pleased with the AV 7 purchase...especially for the $$ I paid for. Since the AV 7 is not a DTS unit, it is however AC-3 ready. My DVD has the DTS decoder so that eliminates the need for a decoder or a receiver that has one. So, I am going to rate the AV 7 based on the break in period as well as the output it has given already. A solid rating for a solid piece of equipment.

Warm, pristine, crystal-clear sound. Great value receiver.

Mediocre radio tuner - but at this day and age, who listens to the radio anymore?

This receiver is one of the best if not the best of all amps within this price range. You simply cannot get a better sounding receiver for under $500. I initially bought it for music listening and paired it up with the ff:

Klipsch KSB 3.1 speakers
Denon DCM-270 CD player

The sound quality was simply outstanding, considering I paid for less than $1000 for the whole set-up. I got the Nak for ~$300 off Ubid, the Klipsches for $120 each also from Ubid and the Denon DCM-270 from the local Sears store for $200.

I recently made the switch to DVD and added the ff. equipment to get Dolby Digital and DTS capability for a home theater:

Klipsch KSB 1.1 for surround speakers ($52 each at Ubid)
Klipsch KSC-C1 center speaker ($140 at Vanns.com)
Pioneer DV-525 ($250 from Crutchfield)
Technics SH-AC5000D DD/DTS decoder ($200 from Sears)

Needless to say, this set-up more than surpassed my expectations. For about $1700, I was able to set-up a great audio/video system, all centering around the Nak.