Very musical. Good firm and controlled bass. Exellent timing.

Really none

I'd replaced a NAD540 with an Azur 640 CD. But when I upgraded to Quad 11L speakers to run with my Musical Fidelity X-80 amp, the Azur 640CD didn't handle the upgrade well. The pace and drive was there but not the musicality that the 11L's can produce. The Azur had won may a review and was good but just couln't "cut the mustard" anymore. In fact the NAD540 was better in this system. Purely on the basis of this site's reviews and my own experience with the NAD540 I decided to buy the NAD542 without an audition. Of course this could have easily been a mistake. Running the Azur640 CD, 540CD and the 542CD all into the MF X-80 was a revelation.The NAD542 is so far ahead of its predecessor the NAD540 and completely out performs the AZUR640CD across the card. Bass is fuller more agile yet controlled. Midrange slightly more forwards in the soundstage giving vocals more of an "in the room", close up feel.Musically it's "chalk and cheese". The 542CD is extremely musical but without anything unatural 'added'. Tonally it is pleasing and rich but still detailed and transparent. For the money this really is very enjoyable player. Well done NAD.

Similar Products Used:

NAD540
Azur640 CD

great sound, HDCD decoding

unreliable, no disk messages, needed to reboot several times to get player to recognize disk.

this is an excllent sounding cd player, with HDCD decoding. great soundstange, instruments are presented in a clear, defined manner, and this unit is cable sentitive. however, I noticed after 2 months of use, I experienced the "no disk" message when inserting a new CD. Turning the unit on and off aggrivated this and sometimes had to wait a few minutes to turn it back on and hope that it would recognize the disk. I returned this unit for another one, and it also did the same thing. I finally returned the second unit for a new Roksan Kandy cd player which is on order. Although a good sounding unit, I no longer trust NAD to be reliable, as other people are posting on forums.

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HK 7500 cd player from 1989

Great soundstage. HDCD. Grain free treble. Excellent dynamic capability. good fit and finish for the price. Easy to use remote (red turns player off, green turns it on, plus easy to read lettering and numbering).

Hard to come up with any really. The remote, while good (see above) does look rathe rcheap though.
Why can't these manufacturers include DECENT cables??? This is my beef with almost EVERY component out there...

Whem my old Toshiba DVD player in my HT room died, it was time to move my Panasonic F87 and look for a "real" CD player that would offer decent sound for a moderate outlay of dollars. During a day of searching, we happened upon Arcam, Denon (I used to own a DCM-370 changer), Rotel, JoLida and NAD. The current Denon lineup still seems to have issues that my 370 had (mistraking certain CDs, or just not reading them), so that essentially put the new 380 changer out of the running.

Arcam, while good, was in the upper end of the price range. Jolida, while being VERY good at resolving inner details and providing a big soundstage, was lacking in microdynamics- the ability to get those little bursts of dynamic that let you feel like you are listening to a performance rather than recorded music.

I hadn't heard the Rotel in a while, but seemed to remember it being a very lively machine, musically... Alas, there are no dealers within 100 kms from my home, so it quickly lost any chance of being purchased.

Enter NAD. A friend of mine used to run a Hi Fi shop where he carried NAD. I had always liked NAD's sonic perspective on things- an upfront presentation without glare. Uniform frequency response. Lack of grain (or digititis), and finally, wide and very 3-D-like soundstaging.

The new C542 seemed just right- HDCD (very important to me), a single disc player (no more changer phobia!), and a good price (at least in relation to Arcam and JoLida).

The unit, right out of the box, did sound somewhat lifeless with a hint of congestion to the sound stage, but after running the player with decent burn in disc for 12 hours, things opened right up. As mentioned, all the traits I had heard in the shop were now here at home in my system. The unit, while not a giant killer, is pretty nice. The sound is enveloping. Almost lush and tube-like, with great extension in my system (see below). Its durable (and rather heavy for a CD player).

Customer Service

not needed- yet... We'll see...

Similar Products Used:

Denon DCM370/380 changers
Panasonic F87S DVD-A changer
Arcam CD 73T
Rotel RCD-1072
Pentium based computer with M-Audio 24/96 card and WMA-10 (HDCD capable)

This CD player has helped renew my interest in listening to music of all kinds.

All acoustic instruments sound natural. Vocals sound pure and real. Cymbals, drums, bass notes sound as they should. Excellent transients, accurate imaging, exquisite detail, big soundstage, all at a great price.

Now, I need more music to listen to. You might have to upgrade your speakers, preamp, or amp to appreciate the absolute quality of this CD player.

I'd been using an old Denon CD player for the past 10 years and been very satisfied with it. I thought it was bright, clean, clear, and reproduced full-bodied sound until...I picked up an NAD C542. All the reviews about this unit are true to form.

Acoustic notes sound extremely natural, almost harmonic as though listening to them live. Vocal sounds are pure, up front, extremely live and musical. High frequency sibilance tones are very high, not shrill, but very clean. Bass notes are much more natural sounding and drum sounds are nearly exactly as I would hear them in person.

Closing my eyes while listening, it is as though I am at a Diana Krall concert in the 1st row. The image is clear, the soundstage is large. If it weren't for my neighbors letting me know I was playing it too loudly, I'd think I was at a Joe Satriani concert when cranking it up. Listening to a symphony on the 542 puts me right there in the hall. Piano notes from a concert grand ring like bells, as you'd hear it in person.

Before buying another HDCD, CD, CD-R, CD-RW player, you really should use the NAD as a method of comparison. You might not look any further - I didn't and I am very happy with this budget minded purchase. Its sound far exceeds its price and probably that of much more expensive units.

Similar Products Used:

Denon

Simple, sweet design. Smooth, even reproduction. A remote that you can actually use with ease.

None determined.

Wasn't happy with CD performance of my Panasonic DVD player. Wanted something more upscale, a standalone, and it was between the NAD and the Cambridge Azur. Being so close to DMC Electronics in Garden Grove, Calif., I opted for the NAD. Glad I did. What a sweet-looking, no-frills unit this is. I have been pulling out lots of classical stuff as well as female pop vocals. Performance is extremely smooth, a noticeable lack of harshness in the high end (but plenty of detail). Bass is punchy. Mechanical performance is nice and quick.

Customer Service

When I win the Lotto, I will spend about a hundred grand at DMC. The guy has a terrific store.

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Panasonic RV-32 DVD/CD player

Various Kenwoods and Sonys (and even a Hitachi) over lo these many years.

- Bass
- Mid range is neutral

- Misses some details vs. better players : 640C V2
- Struggles with complicated involving several instruments

I own a Cambridge audio 640v2, that unfortunately failed under warranty. The dealer couldn't manage to fix it in a reasonable time and I decided to buy another player to use with ararely used tube amplifier. I was very happy with the cambridge.

I decided to go for the NAD C542, because it has very good reviews and I owned in the past NAD products. Im in general sceptical about BIG differences between systems... there are bad systems and there are good ones. those good don't have much diiference... well at least this is what I thought until I listened to the NAD....

I çould immediately notice how superior the cambridge audio was... I learnt that to make the difference you have to

(1) know very well the discs you play. Some players cannot just reveal some details..... so if you don't recall them, you will not spot the difference
(2) the reference player needs to be better than the one you want to compare to, otherwise you might never know these details existed.
(3) use high quality recordings.... these are available from audiophile sites....

I played a very well recorded disk of Patricia barber (Companion), and on track 8 (You are my sunshine), the Cambridge reveals the piano at the beginning very very well (during the claps). The NAD unfortunately missed it and you hear a sound but not a piano.

On Yo Yo Ma silk road, the NAD struggles with violons playing all at the same time..... while the Cambridge reveals it the way it was recorded....

I don't think the NAD is a bad player, I ve no reason to say so. But those who say the NAD is comparable to the cambridge, should conduct a more serious listening test. In my case, I could spot the difference - it s huge!

Similar Products Used:

Cambridge audio 640C V2

Great detail, great sound stage, great value.

Does not display time remaining left on track.
Releases/artists available for SACD far exceed HDCD.
Should have removable power cord.
I also found (as other reviewer stated) RFI interference on my TUNER when the CD player is powred up. Not a concern for me.
Some folks may not like the typical NAD appearance.
I personally don't mind.

I recently purchased the C542 as a reburb'd on the web at Spearitsound for 369.00. I have owned numerous NAD products over the past 20 plus years. I purchased the C542 to replace my NAD 5000 which served me well since 1992. My system also includes a Counterpoint SA-1000 hybrid tube pre-amp with a vintage Amperex 6DJ8 ECC88 tube. I bi-amp using a AMC CVT2030 hybrid tube amp for the top & and AMC 2100 solid state amp for the bottom. The solid state amp has line level adjustments so I can adjust this amp to the tube amp. I'm bi-amping a pair of Mirage M7si speakers. Wiring is Kimber PBJ & 4PR. I'm very pleased with the sound of the C542. Very detailed, great sound stage. The midrange and top end is more laid back versus my NAD 5000. I hear detail from old cd's that I never heard before. Sound using HDCDs is incredible. However, I have discovered that not all HDCDs sound great though. Depends on engineers skills and quality of original masters. I beleive this is one of the best cd players avaiable for 500.00 or less. For 369.00 it's a no brainer. This new CD player has motivated me to spend additional monies to upgrade both AMC amps with better caps, tubes. Brent at Retrodazeaudio.com will do the upgrades for reasonable price. AMC products like also NAD offer great sound for the dollar.
They even look the same. Note, Van Halen has remastered all their CDs as HDCD/CD. Peter Frampton Comes Alive as HDCD sounds amazing. Neil Young, Yes, CSNY, Mellencamp, Bad Company also have HDCD releases.

Similar Products Used:

NAD 5000,
Rotel 970 BX

Extended highs, without grate
Warm, life-like midrange
Solid, well-defined bass
Ability to extract details buried in the music
Less ear strain
Great value

Remote has same frequency as Nad receiver; can't turn one on without turning on the other.

I have enjoyed the C542 for about three weeks now, and I am still in a state of amazement. I had been listening to CD's through my Panasonic XP-50 for a few years, and had come to the conclusion that this was the way they were supposed to sound. Boy, was I wrong!

The pairing of the C542 with my Nad T763 receiver is pure musical magic. I am hearing details waaay into the music, details that I didn't know existed. I have just about gone through my entire CD collection, and it's like I have brand-new ears. As I sit there with this loopy grin I think "so THIS is what people have been talking about all these years!" Who knew? The treble is extended, without being bright or etched, the midrange much more lifelike, with a "there with you" presence, and the bass is rock solid, with no flab or "boom". I can listen at louder levels (which has caused my long-suffering wife to redouble her efforts to get me to finish the dedicated HT room) with no sese of strain or fatigue. My overall enjoyment of music has encreased expotentially, and I am a happy, happy camper.

I would recommend this unit to anyone who is looking to step up closer to high-end without paying a high-end price. The difference between the sound of the C542 and entry-level CD reproduction is truly remarkable.

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

Toshiba SD-1200
Panasonic XP-50

Wicked sound, very clear.

No remaining track time shown.

Very good sound especially if you get your hands on a HDCD. I´m using this cd player with my NAD C372 amp.

Incredible detail, nice design

Be nice to have "time left on current track", that's it.

Like the other reviewers, I too found this CD player to reveal details and subtleties in my collection that I had never heard before. Well produced CDs sound great; crappy ones not so much. But, that's the way it should be, the player shouldn't introduce things that aren't there. Get hold of a CD that was made with the "right tapes," and it's a revelation. I have a pair of Magneplanar SMGa's, and it really makes them sing.

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Various CD players of different makes.