Music playback, Design, User interface.

None

This player is superb, I have nothing but praise for this machine. Great quality music CD playback and great DVD playback quality aswell. I can't see myself getting another DVD or CD player for a long time.

The unit's obvious strengths are its picture and sound quality. It's just so frustrating that the two things can't work together properly. If I only wanted to watch silent movies then I'd give the NAD ten out of ten.

As above. I don't care about the machine's slowness or fussy remote control.

My NAD T550 has been back and forth to NAD ever since I purchased the unit. It has suffered from appalling lip-sync problems. It has received firmware upgrades, a new main PCB and a new mechanism. Nothing cures the problem. NAD have finally admitted that the player is not capable of playing "modern" DVDs because its design is too old. This is not something I would expect from a company I once regarded as a premium manufacturer.

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I am returning the unit after 13 unhappy months. You can't say I didn't persevere. It will be replaced with a Pioneer DV656A of which I am expecting great things having seen and heard a friend's one i

Sound quality is extraordinary. Onboard decoder is a great extra.

Multiple Angle message.

The sound quality on this player is simply incredible. The clarity is remarkable, and with my Linn Keosas I can hear new parts of the music that weren't there on a cheaper player. At first I was dismaymed that it didn't play CD-R's, but I soon found that it worked with CD-RW's, every brand I tried too. The ones I use mainly are Memorex, and the 550 has no trouble reading them. I'm waiting for the NAD guy to come to my retailer to get the latest software upgrades, but that's precautionary only. I've never had any problems with unsuported DVD's. The only problem I have with the player is the message that appears when multiple angle scenes begin and end. There appears to be no way to correct this, and I'm considering bribing the NAD guy to "reprogram" this feature... It doesn't happen with all movies, but it's annoying when you're watching widescreen on a 27" TV. I can attest to this unit's performance first hand, having seen it with casing apart play a CD so scratched that it would not play on any other CD player in the store.

Picture and sound.

NO CDR and is slow in operation.

When first bought I was not impressed as the player had awful video synch problems however this was fixed under warranty. I believe NAD modified the power supply and updated the internal software which cured the problem. Despite a basic spec the picture and sound is stunning. I have seen friends DVD players but do not come close to the NAD.

audio quality. video quality. value.

none

this is a great dvd player. i keep reading reviews about this dvd player being slow, i might be a little slow to load, but not bad at all. this dvd player is build great and looks beautiful. the video and audio quality is outstanding and that's what counts the most. i also keep seeing that some people dont like the remote, let me tell you this is one of the nicest remotes ive ever seen. it is very high-end quality which might not work well with those who are used to using cheap products. everything about this dvd player is great.

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integra, camelot, cary.

audio, video, remote, build quality.

for the price: none

i keep hearing nonsense about this dvd player being slow with loading the disc and the remote not being ideal. for one, i like the remote, i find it to be very very high quality and just because it isnt laid out like 99% of all the other remotes, doesnt mean its not good. once you learn the layout, you will love it. also, i thought it was the quality of the picture and sound that were most important not the speed at which it loads your dvd. the NAD T-550 has both terrific video quality and sound exceeding any other dvd player in this price range. and the build quality is great.

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integra, sonyES, marantz.

CD-R playback!!!!!

There is now way to loosen the power-cable.

OK, I found a CD-R type that the NAD T550 can play. Vivastar 80 min. Just burn on these CD`s and play them in the NAD. Jippi

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Pioneer DVD-626

CD sound superb.

Sloooow. Very poor and frustrating remote. Lack of features. Video/Sync problems.

When I saw the NAD for $599(AUS) I thought bargain ! I have always been a fan of NAD products and philosophy, and have a NAD stereo amp. I needed a DVD with a built in decoder (I only have a pro-logic amp, Yamaha e492) and was happy to live with just Dolby Digital and the NADs other failings'' (slow, bad remote, no CD-R, basic features). The first thing I tested was it''s CD performance, and I was impressed. This was one of the main reasons I bought the NAD, my current CD player is almost 15 years old (a higher model Yamaha) and indeed the NAD''s sound was better, with a smoother more musical sound and more open sound stage. So I hooked it up to my system and put in a DVD. Here the disappointment began. I have a 4:3 TV (Sony 68cm) with a widescreen mode, and no matter what I tried I couldn''t get the NAD to work successfully with the widescreen setting on my TV. On widescreen 2.35:1 DVDs the picture was poor, with display lines clearly being removed, I assume as the NAD scaled the picture to fit on a 4:3 display; but the most annoying issue was lip-sync problems, which seemed to correlate with a slight deteriation in picture. This was particularly disappointing. On normal aspect 16:9 or 4:3 disks the display is excellent. Sadly this was not a problem I could live with and so I returned the player and have bought a Pioneer 633A instead ($1150), which is a DVD-A machine with DD and DTS decoders. It''s CD performance is good also, but even with it''s ("gimmicky" ?) Legato Pro up-sampling, is no not as good as the NAD. The Pioneer''s picture is excellent, and works perfectly with my TV, which automatically switches to wide screen when necessary, so I can watch 16:9 DVDs at full resolution. I wanted the NAD to be a great player, I''m sorry to be disappointed. Other equipment NAD 3340 AMP Yamaha E492 add on processor/amp. Rogers LS6 mains. Tannoy M1 rears.

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Superior sound, audiophile-grade components, vast array of output options

Slow loading/reading of disks, does not recognize CD-R''s, weak remote

This unit is so separated from its competitors in terms of sound clarity and quality that a true comparison is difficult. After auditioning several models, I easily declared the T-550''s sound winner and champion over recent offerings from Denon, Onyko, H/K (boo!) and Marantz. Each has their strength and the NAD''s lies in its ability to accurately reproduce both CD''s and DVD''s (notice I didn’t say CD-R’s). The full-range, detailed sound keeps my ears happy time and time again. I''ve been using this as my main CD player since it''s purchase. That was supposed to be a temporary solution, but it the T-550''s ability to cleanly reproduce CD sound has me still with an empty spot in my rack. The sound is, in a word, amazing. A minor gripe is that the T-550’s display is, obviously, tailored for DVD’s and doesn’t have a track counter, etc. I will be adding an HDCD player (with CD-R capability) soon, but I’m taking my time selecting one because I don’t want to deviate too far from the NAD’s warm, full sound. However, a major gripe on this unit is it’s slow disk loading and recognition. This is tolerable for DVD’s, but with CD’s (which are swapped frequently) it’s an annoyance. I’ve had little trouble with my CD’s but I’ve had frequent failed recognitions on DVD rentals. The DVD performance is on par with others in this price range. It is not progressive scan and that is a minus, but I don’t (and won’t soon) have a TV that can take advantage of that signal. However, the NAD does have gold-plated 5.1 output, gold-plated analog outs, gold-plated component video out, s-video out, optical out and coaxial out. It’s been nice having the flexibility as I am always trying new components. The remote is average to below-average. It looks cool, but the arrangement is odd. It takes some getting used to. The manual is also just average, but I really never looked at much after the first night. This is a solid audiophile grade component that has been a pleasure to own. Minor gripes aside, NAD’s ‘sound first’ philosophy has resulted in a fine, flexible DVD player.

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Denon, Sony, H/K, Marantz, Onkyo

Superlative DVD image and sound; sublime, highly musical CD reproduction.

Lacks internal bass management which is a minor oversight. It may be a disadvantage only to customers who connect this player to a "5.1 ready" receiver - one that does not have its own built-in Dolby Digital or DTS decoder.

This is a software updated, fifth generation, production line model which exhibits none of the glitches other customers have complained about. While some are critical of the few seconds it takes this player to set itself up, I had a Denon that started so fast that its laser skipped the first few seconds of every disc. That was a far more serious fault. What the consumer gets with the NAD T-550 is a superlative DVD picture and sound. As seen through the S-Video input of a SONY 27" TV monitor, the picture stands out for its clarity and palpable three-dimensional image, one that has subtle details, beautiful luminance, vivid colors, deep blacks, true shades of gray and a total absence of video noise. Fog and snowy blizzards which are often reproduced as mere noise by other players are clean and real. Action scenes are notably smooth, artifact free and (on the 27" screen) the scan lines are invisible. Both classic adventure films ("Lawrence of Arabia") and recent Sci-Fi hits ("The Matrix") look spectacular. Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 soundtracks (as played through the coaxial inputs of a Denon 2800 receiver and five Paradigm Monitor speakers) are smooth, detailed, with very wide dynamics, powerful surround effects and exceptionally clear dialogue. During the scene in "Castaway" when the jet crashes into the sea we felt we were being sucked right into the jet''s motor along with Tom Hanks. Such is the lateral impact of this player''s sound. If the DVD performance is top-notch, the reproduction of music CDs is sublime. Not just the tone but the inner timbre of every instrument is accurately reproduced within a very deep, wide soundstage. The voices of male and female soloists, as well as large choral ensembles, are naturally reproduced without exaggerated sibilants. One can hear the unique colors, subtleties and nuances of each vocal performer. As heard through the stereo inputs of a NAD 317 Integrated Amplifier and a pair of Paradigm Monitor 7s, such recordings as Handel''s "Acis and Galatea" (Erato label) and the Pinnock Handel''s "Messiah" (Archiv label) are just heavenly! An opera with massive forces like the Solti Verdi''s "Aida" (London label) comes through with both huge impact and refinement. Thus, the trumpets in the Grand March section have plenty of bite but for the first time, since I''ve owned this recording, do not sound ragged and

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