NAD C-515BEE CD Player

by Nad

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 17.1 x 9.5 x 2.4 inches ; 7.8 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 12 pounds
• ASIN: B0011QWHR6
• Item model number: C-515BEE
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #77,993 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: November 2, 2004

Product Description

Star Performer at a Down-to-Earth Price When NAD announces a new, budget-conscious CD player, you just know that it has to be something really special. The C515BEE is a star performer with a down-to-earth price. It is truly a breakthrough player in both performance and value, combining the latest 24-bit, 192-bit Sigma / Delta DAC with audio-specific op amps, carefully engineered circuitry, and carefully chosen parts throughout its construction. And the C515BEE beautifully supports the playback of MP3 and WMA files, using the latest and best-sounding decompression algorithms.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Audible Difference, June 28, 2008

By 

Daniel Bal (Kamuela, HI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: NAD C-515BEE CD Player (Electronics)

I have a nice sound system in my shop with two big Klipsch speakers mounted on the wall, two smaller ones on a side wall and two 15" subs. I have three amps with an active crossover set at 100 Hz. The point of all this is that the system sounds good enough to hear differences in some equipment. I was using a Pioneer ($89 four years ago) DVD player that also had the capability to play MP3s recorded on a CD. When I switched to the NAD C515BEE there was a tremendous difference in clarity, detail, and soundstage. It made me smile the first song I played. I also like the MP3 algorithms they use, very hard to tell the difference between a commercial CD and an MP3 I recorded myself ( I always use 192 setting instead of 128, it sounds better).

The only thing I don't like is that when you set the time function to "time remaining", you have to reset it every time you change CDs, and you can only do it from the remote, which made it difficult to use for a DJ gig. Otherwise, this is a great unit.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good sound, decent looks, not sure of the market, October 18, 2010

By 

M. Levi "mmmarcel" (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: NAD C-515BEE CD Player (Electronics)

I purchased this CD player basically as an extra, inexpensive model, and I'm going to figure out where/how to set it up later. I immediately hooked it up to my highish-end system for a head-to-head. This consists of a Rega Mira3 integrated amp, driving a pair of Paradigm Studio 20's - comparison is to a Rega Apollo CD player. The test setup is simple - I hooked up the NAD C-515BEE to an extra "Line" input on the Mira3 and loaded identical CD's in both machines - push play on both at the same time, and just switch back-and-forth on the input selector.

Now, the Apollo is a $1200 machine, so there really was no comparison; however the NAD held its own respectably. The Burr-Brown DAC processing was typical Burr-Brown (just like my Denon and JVC car stereo) - a tendency to overemphasize the treble end, for a very sharp, crisp, almost clinical sound. Definition was good (rock/folk w/ full band including acoustic guitars). It just couldn't match the Rega with the warm "tube-like" reproduction and rich spatial imagery of its Wolfson circuitry.

Seems like the other complaint reviews cite operational shortcomings and one malfunctioning machine. If you actually use the programming feature (I didn't think anyone did), then by all means buy a CD player to better meet that need. If you want a CD player to listen to music - albums, then this is a good entry-level unit and a bargain.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent CD Player..., November 15, 2010

By 

Jack - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: NAD C-515BEE CD Player (Electronics)

I'm an audiophile novice and so I spent much time on stereo websites and forums trying to narrow down my home CD player choice. I wanted something better than what I could buy locally (Walmart, Target, etc) but under $500.00. My choices came down to this player and two others (both Cambridge Audio products). I purchased the NAD because it was more affordable.

I am very pleased with the NAD player. It sounds great, runs quietly and looks sleek. I would make the same purchase again.