It provides us nice pleasure to notice that the CD disc isn’t useless but.
However regardless of that, it doesn’t go unnoticed that the ratio of ‘in vogue’ sources (turntables and music streamers, for instance) to CD gamers that enter our check rooms today isn’t too dissimilar to the proportion of scholars to lecturers in a classroom.
So we’re happy to welcome the NAD C 568, particularly since its midrange value level is slightly unpopulated with gamers we will heartily advocate.
High and tailing it, nevertheless, are two very commendable fashions: the Marantz CD6006 (£280) and Cyrus CDi (£925) – our present Award winners, no much less. So can the NAD occupy the slightly sparse and barren land of the center vary CD participant?
Sound
We hook up the NAD through its line-level outputs (there are optical and coaxial digital outputs too), watch the disc shut on Bon Iver’s 22, A Million album. We then flip the responsive management dial to trace three: 33 God.
It’s a monitor laden with as many intricacies as obscurities, and the NAD takes all of them in its stride, permitting the colorful synth textures to materialise. It serves them on a tonally even platter and reaches a degree of ‘simple listening’ that will make Sinatra proud.
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Heat oozes by Justin Vernon’s high-pitched vocal, and it does likewise for the piano harmonics. We’d name the NAD’s sound nice, however regardless of the constructive connotations, it’s not typically the phrase you may need to describe your good hi-fi efficiency.
Sadly, the NAD can simply seem cramped – one thing Bon Iver’s dense synths all too boldly spotlight. The Marantz CD6006 is significantly extra liberal in its method, not solely giving music extra respiratory house, but additionally permitting it extra dynamic freedom.
By way of the NAD, drums really feel like they’re combating the synths for house in a soundstage that finally lacks dynamic vary and spatial consciousness.
Don’t get us mistaken, the NAD has scale and energy, which is laid naked because the choir contribution on the Hell or Excessive Water soundtrack generously fills our check room. It merely appears to disregard white house on the canvas.
It doesn’t exit of its strategy to sound overly enthused along with your music selections, both.
There’s a particular “yee haw” expression of giddiness lacking from the exuberant acoustic finger plucking in Towne Van Zandt’s Greenback Invoice Blues. The Marantz, in the meantime, provides the track a much-needed carry.
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Admittedly, the Marantz is a outstanding CD participant for the cash, however at twice the value of the CD6006, we’d nonetheless anticipate a extra participating, aggressive efficiency from the NAD.
Nonetheless, it’s a dynamic flourish, serving to of house and double espresso shot away from providing it.
Construct and options
On the plus facet, the C 568 is suitably outfitted; it not solely has optical and coaxial digital outputs however a USB enter for playback too. It’s simple to make use of too, each with regard to on-unit management and the full-sized, intuitive distant.
Sadly, it’s principally concerning the efficiency and never even a good unfold of connections may be the NAD’s saving grace right here.
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Verdict
The CD participant market isn’t as saturated because it was 15 years in the past, however our expectations shouldn’t be lowered by the dwindling alternative.
The bar remains to be being set excessive by different gamers and at £600, the NAD C 568 merely doesn’t meet ours. It’s again to the drafting board for NAD.
See all our NAD evaluations
