Clear,punchy and aggressive;real good soundstaging!If the C540 behaves like this then I'm sure C541i must indeed be an exciting Cd player at this price range offering the facilities C540 lacks(programing,CD-RW playback,remote control on/off switching,HDCD playback and stand-by mode).

None so far after two years constant use.

I bought NAD's C540 CD-player about 2 years ago(Xtmas 2000) and I've been using it constantly since then to the present day.I must say that I must have been among the lucky ones, since I've never faced the mechanical problems other reviewers refer to(skipping musical parts,not playing CD-Rs ,etc,).In fact all CD-Rs of various brands I've been using so far(Maxell,TDK,SKC.ARITA,TnB,Mitsui,Sanyo.Vervatim,Philips) have presented not a single problem! Now as concerns sonic performance the C540 has been behaving excellently up to now and even though my musical preferences lie mostly in the Rock,Hard Rock and Power Metal music I had the chance to taste its response in other types of music as well(jazz,pop,lyrical Greek and classical too); the results always,truly satisfactory! Clear,brilliant sound thru all the frequency range,no coloration and I must say with a little bit aggressive and "Rocky" sound,meaning strength,punch and sheer brio!An honest buy at this price range!I had the opportunity to test its performance against Arcam's latest Diva 82T CDplayer and though this baby really is a stunning burner(take my word for it!), the NAD C540 still satisfies me thoroughly, taking into account that the Arcam cost me 900$ . Of course there are slight differences sonicly but the C540 proves it's not "intimidated" by its,double its price rival!Solid buy !

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My system comprises of NAD C160 preamp,two NAD 216 THX power amps biamping a pair of floorstanders.Currently I also use Arcam's Diva 82T CD Player.

Great clear sound,no gimmicks. OK remote.

None so far.

This review is for the C540i. It's the best CD player i've ever had! Listening to Pink Floyd,Enya and Dire Straights is a real ear opener! Price in NZ Dollars.

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Technics,Sony.

Wonderfull sound for the money. Can't stress enough how great the sound is as long as you don't try to play a cd with even a speck of dust on it.

Enraging tendency to skip, even with pristine cd's.

I bought a complete NAD system two years ago. C340 tuner, C540 cd, and later a C420 tuner. All hooked up to Mission 870 speakers. Since then I have had the cd player serviced twice and the woofers in the Missions replaced twice (leaking adhesive through the cones). I'd be lying if I said I wasn't dissapointed. When the system works it sounds fantastic. Rich, warm bass with crisp high end. But the cd player skips easily and frequently. I thought I got a dud but another reviewer here says the same thing. I don't even think that they did anything when they serviced it.

Sound, sound, sound

The sound is not deep enough, but for the price ¡give me a break¡

I bought the new version C541 after some comparitions against Rotel 951 and 971, the veredict is simple, better sound, digital recordings sounds like analog ones. For the price, nothing even close.

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Marantz, technics, pioneer, jvc, sony, old NAD and others.

Decent sound. Nice remote.

Build quality. Build quality. Build quality.

Sound: Fairly clear, detailed and involving sound (when it works). Not the clearest or most detailed, but quite a nicely balanced sound. Not as exciting as I expected from the reviews, but pretty good. Build quality: I had problems with this player from new. It would skip at the slightest hint of dirt or scratch. If left on for a few weeks, the skipping got worse, even on mint discs. Took it back (twice) for repair/adjustment. Even emailed NAD after the first attempt failed. Worked OK for a while, but now it won't even read a disc. I really expect more from a brand which supposedly offers good value for money. I will avoid NAD in future, have had bad experience with a tape deck some years ago.

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Numerous Rotel CD players. Sony DVPS725 DVD player.

detail

where is the third dimension? lifeless, dull, dry bass, can't keep you awake listening to the music for more than 10 minutes, no excitement. Think that is about it (not to mention the odd disc handling or design)

Have the opportunity to listen to the C541 (one that has already been 'run in') at home with my own equipment. I am looking for a CD player to replace my Harman Kardon 730, one that blends in better with my B&W Matrix and Luxman tube amp, ie one of higher standard. After having read numerour reviews, I thought that the NAD might be a good candidate. But, in stead of grading up, the NAD can be better described as grading down, as compared to the HK. If you do want detail and dry analytical digital sound, but no excitement what so ever, go for NAD! Alas, that's the way it is, and therefore I am still looking for an upgrade

Performance for the money.

Nothing major, but the remote sometimes is a hassle: multiple presses are sometimes required to make the unit respond. (Yes, I have fresh batteries...)

These comments pertain to the C541i CD player, purchased from Spearit Sound as a factory refurbished unit. The 541i is a fine CD player with few extra features. As is the case with most NAD equipment, it seems that the emphasis is on performance for the dollar. This factory-waranteed player, purchased at this price, is a fabulous bargain in my opinion. The 541i provides a sound that is quite well formed and focused, nicely balanced, and free of obvious colorations. I am comparing the sound to my previous CD source, a Marantz CC63se. While the Marantz was good, this new NAD is simply better. I am enjoying much better imaging (I also purchased new speakers and a new amp, so much of these comments may be taken with some reservations) and depth to the sound that was missing from my previous player. The HDCD feature seems to be only "extra" that has been engineered into this player and it is well worth it. It is my hope that more HDCD-encoded titles will become available. This is the best sound I have owned. The 541i is clearly a very fine player and I recommend it highly. Other components: Creek 4330mk2 integrated amp Paradigm Reference Studio 20 speakers

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Marantz CC63se

Sound quality, depth; 24-bit D/A

Remote and its capabilities, but it is the least important part on this CD player

The C54x series is a very good entry-level product. My first experience with a NAD CD player was the C521i. It sounded better than my mass market DVD/CD player. Then my local NAD dealer switched to the C541i. The change was amazing. “The difference between night and day,” as I remember stating to the NAD dealer. The difference between the NAD C521i and C541i is how they handle the upper and lower frequencies. NAD C521i and most mass-market units do a good job of conveying the mid-range frequencies. However, they dampen the lower and higher frequencies. This is due to D/A conversion hardware. Less expensive CD players use fewer bits. If this is confusing, think of video games. The first Nintendo (circa 1985) was an 8-bit machine, and the graphics were quite rough. The currently available Nintendo is a 128-bit machine. The graphics are much smoother and clearer. The new Nintendo can do more calculations and produce a better digital to analog conversion (digital to video). The C541i (and C541) uses 24-bit Brown and Burr D/A chip. In contrast, the C521i uses a 20-bit D/A chip. These 4 bits (and Brown and Burr’s proprietary design) allow the CD player to handle the digital data in the CD more efficiently and produce a better overall sound. First, I auditioned the C541i with Cesaria Evora's São Vicente. This CD has a combination of deep bass instruments, many acoustic/vocal midrange elements, and high treble effects. The C541i handled instruments and vocals in the music without any significant loss in the lower and upper frequency ranges. I also tried Paul Oakenfold's Bunka. The C541i handled this CD, laced with bass heavy loops and metallic synthesizer riffs, without any problems. Finally, I tried White Stripes, White Blood Cells (poorly recorded, scratchy background noise) with its extremely harsh treble sounds. The C541 CD player exposed most flaws in the recording process and artist technique (bad for the casual listener, good for a listener who wants an accurate sound reproduction). Like most NAD products, the C54x series produces slightly “warm” reproductions. I would suggest copper, instead of silver (or any interconnect that advertises itself as exposing the treble range) interconnects because it would force the CD player to a flatter response (something NAD is not really designed for). I would also suggest that one select tone defeat on their prea

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Rotel RCD-1070, NAD C521, C541i, Cambridge Audio D500, Creek CD43 mk2, Rega Planet Jupiter, Yamaha CDC-585; Sony ES, Harman Kardon, Denon, Pioneer Elite CD players

Great sound quality, beats my previous Yamaha nautral sound CDE-X100 and Panasonic RV-31 DVD player hands down. Clarity, looks, 24-bit Burr-Brown DAC, HDCD

Poor remote, transport not as good as it could be, apart from that great!

This review is for the C541. I bought this second hand for a 155 quid inc postage, which I thought was quite a good deal. I decided on this model after much research - so many rave reviews on this model, and its smaler brother, the C521. I like the styling, although the remote is bulky and the battery cover is awful. No optical out suprised me, but doesn't really matter - I'll be using the L&R RCA's. The LCD display is simle and easy to read, fine. Lack of a standby setting is again a bit suprising but no real worries. First, the transport. The tray is pretty slow, but seems stable and solid, and moves pretty smoothly. It has no problems reading my cheapo Bulkpaq CDR's which is great, although I noticed some skipping on some of my more scratched CDs and some tracks took a while to load, and I found a couple of tracks which wouldn't play at all, but I can live with it - I will look after my CDs much better now! Ok now on to the sound - GREAT! When I first tried it, I liked the sound although it's highs seemed to be a bit too much, I then took away my tone controls (which I had adjusted to compensate for the last player), and it really came to life. Things began to jump out at me, and the soundstage opened up. The bass seems a bit overpowering and not as tight as I'd like at times, I don't know if this is my amp/speakers or what - perhaps I need a sub. I'm extremely pleased with this player, my system is now complete for now. Have yet to try it with a HDCD recording - I'm searching for one now! My setup: Nakamichi AV-10 A/V amplifier B&W CDM7 front speakers QED QUINEX 2 interconnect Mordaunt-Shourt Silver Maestro Bi-wire

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Panasonic RV-31 DVD player Yamaha CDX-E100

It makes you listen to the music.

I bought the 541i NAD CD-player just recently and must say that this is a very good cd-player indeed. No extreme highs or lows just a good representation of the music. And HDCD works but there is to little music for it now.

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I use it with a NAD c370 amp, Phonar p40 loudspeakers (excellent) and a Fastaudio interlink.