
By TechRadar, published 10-12-2011
OverviewNAD is not a brand to follow the masses. In fact, while the AVR herd are grazing on features and connecting to the milking machine of network integration, NAD receivers are more 'free range'. The T757 goes a step further and is truly feral. What we have here is a significantly wallet-wrenching AV receiver that has thrown off what are considered basic features on even budget models costing one-fifth of the price. Instead, this chunky beast concentrates on sonic performance, delivering your speakers an ultra-clean analogue signal designed to make your ears love you. I would even go so far as to say that its dark grey exterior and clean lines make it the best-looking NAD receiver yet, too. Not as EQ as others So let's look at what the T757 doesn't do. There is no Room EQ as NAD believ...

By TechRadar, published 10-12-2011
OverviewWhether through luck or design, Marantz has created something rather special with the NR1602. Driven by a desire to innovate within the often stultifying constraints of hardcore AV, the company has taken the traditional hefty AVR form factor and chopped it in half. The result is a component with a good deal more va-va-voom than its peers. But there's more to the NR1602 than downsizing. The brand has also rebalanced feature priorities. Network streaming, internet radio and AirPlay are as important to this AVR as multichannel audio. If you were to reboot the home theatre market tomorrow, the NR1602 would be the benchmark. Signature livery The machine has a distinctive, Marantz-flavoured fascia: all curved edges and fussy buttonry. It's also available in both black and 'silvergold', t...