I took home a NAD S-500 and a YBA CD Integre for a week, took the NAD back and paid for the YBA. The NAD did nothing wrong, just didn't really involve me at all. If you like a well balanced, analog sound, go for the YBA. Oh, my system is an AR SP14 pre, Classe DR-8's, ML Quest Z's
Anyone heard the NAD S-500 CD player?
I saw an ad on this site(at a local dealer) for the new NAD Silver Series S-500 CD player. It looks intriguing, and seems to be a step up from the typical buyer NAD aims for. 24bit/96kHz, a lot of features of upscale CDPs, appears to be of solid build, etc. Price is around $1400. That puts it in line with some heady competition from Musical Fidelity, Linn, Arcam, and Rotel. My question is, can it hold its own against such competition? I have always been a big fan of NAD, and have voted for some of their products with my wallet over the years. I think they are maybe the best products for someone not yet an audiophile. I will be looking for a nice CD player in the next 6 months, and am wondering if this one deserves a spot on my audition list. Budget will be $1000 - $1600. Anyone heard it? Thank you for your consideration.