Customer Reviews

NAD - M55 - Master Series - Universal Disc Player

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Very few people need high-end DVD players anymore, and they are becoming more and more scarce. But if you do need one this is a good one to consider.

I had a Denon 3910 which died after 6 months. I replaced it with a refurbished M55, but at least it had the decency to die quickly---within a month---and I had a replacement unit in no time. In this respect, the NAD dealer was much better than the Denon dealer, and these problems gave me the chance to compare the two units.

First of all, I am running these players through an older, rear-projection Pioneer Elite HDTV---which is why I want a high-quality analog player. If you are only getting digital signals out of your player (such as through an HDMI interface), then don't bother with a fancy player. You only need a high-end player if you care about analog video and/or audio output. Also, these players don't support Blu-Ray. If you want the best possible picture quality and you have a new high-end TV, then for the best performance you need to go Blu-Ray and get another DAC solution for the audio.

On my TV, the picture quality between the units is similar but the Denon offers a cooler and smoother picture out of the box; the M55 has a richer, more film-like quality but therefore does show some subtle color quantization effects more strongly. Both are very good, much better the inexpensive "consumer-grade" Onkyo unit that I compared against for the heck of it, and this comes down to personal preference. The Denon has a well-known "macro-blocking" problem, but it isn't visible on my TV. The M55 uses a similar chip set, so it should have the same problem although reviewers have not commented on it as much as with the Denon. It is worth noting that the Denon has been superseded by a newer model, the 3930, which uses a newer, higher-performance video DAC that theoretically should have even better video performance.

Sound quality is what differentiates the units. NAD's philosophy is "audio first" and it shows. Or at least, sounds. I ran both players through a B&K Reference 50 A/V Pre-amp using both digital and analog connections, and compared against the B&K's sound. The Denon sounded very similar to the B&K; so similar, in fact, that I suspect they are using very similar components internally. The NAD is a bit brighter, which may or may not be considered "better" depending on the listener, but also has a much larger and more well-defined soundstage. It is more detailed, without being fatiguing. It is a little lighter in the bass, but overall I would say represents a noticeable improvement over the Denon and B&K. Unlike the Denon, the NAD does not have the option of turning off video-related internal components when listening to audio-only discs. This did seem to help the Denon sound a little better in terms of the soundstage.

The NAD uses a distinctive case which may or may not fit with other A/V components---it doesn't fit well with mine. The Denon is more of a Generic Black Box Component (tm). Both feel heavy and well-constructed, but then, both also broke so I guess you can't judge components by weight. The transports and mechanisms in both are whisper-quiet.

The bottom line is that, as a "standard" DVD player, this unit will be blown away by Blu-Ray discs and is pointless if you only get digital signals out of your player, so it serves a niche market. But if you want a player that has the highest possible quality analog output for audio and video, then this is worth an audition.

Good player overall. Needed service about 16 months in but service was great and it has been a good provider of great music and video quality.