copyright AudioEnz 2002

NAD C541i
The death of CD is much exaggerated By Brent Burmester
NAD C541i compact disc player. $1049
Every day, somewhere in the world, someone reads a report about CDs death at the hands of SACD, DVDA, and MP3, usually in a glossy magazine with a pretty girl on the cover. Thats a shame, because CD replay technology is proving that 16bit/44 kHz has a lot more going for it than hard-to-please audiophiles suspected. While painfully expensive CD players from Audionote, Linn, Wadia, and DCS have revealed new depths in CD, the best evidence that the format is finally coming of age lies at the other end of the market, in the form of NADs C541i. Its nothing short of amazing that such accomplished sound should come from a box costing this little. So, yes, I like the C541i, especially the i for improved. Im a regular user of NADs now-defunct C541, the hands down winner in its price range until now. When I powered up the updated i version, with its new transport and revised BurrBrown 24-bit DACs, I expected pretty much I was particularly the same sound I was used to, impressed with with maybe the NADs handling a touch more treble refineof vocal inflexion ment. After 48 and instrumental hours warmup, I got that timbre, so vital all right, plus improved resoin establishing lution, better bass, and greater a connection speed. The playbetween the music anything quality was still there, and the listener. but that i had lifted the performance of the 541across the board. Listening to the 541i, youre distracted from listening out for those musical effects you hadnt heard before by the songs themDecember 2002 selves. This NAD knows that music
is ultimately about feeling, and it does an excellent job of communicating the emotion in everything from Bjrks Hyperballad to Elgars Lark Ascending. This is a quality buyers arent really entitled-to for under $2000, and it could come as a shock to folks who measure performance in dollars to hear CDs played with genuine sensitivity by what is essentially an entry-level unit. I was particularly impressed with the NADs handling of vocal inflexion and instrumental timbre, so vital in establishing a connection between the music and the listener. The C541i has two features that will be of academic advantage to most users. Firstly, it can be integrated into a full NAD-based hi-fi system via the NAD link connectors round back. Secondly, the C541i is capable of HDCD (High Definition Compatible Digital) playback, which adds improved resolution and soundstaging to CDs mastered with HDCD. Many of these are not advertised as such, including XTCs Wasp Star, and, believe it or not, the cast album of the recently screened Buffy the Vampire Slayer musical episode, Once More with Feeling. Dont ask me how I know this. On the latter, HDCD plainly reveals the different acoustic spaces in which the vocalists and backing bands were recorded. Good though it is, the C541i still comes a sure second to a competent vinyl replay system. My original US pressing of Fleetwood Macs Rumours remained the preferred medium despite the 541is sterling efforts with a recent CD edition. But lets play fair - this machine isnt supposed to be the start and finish
of CD reproduction. Whichever way you look at it, the NAD remains an uninspiring grey tin. It has a certain business-like quality, but a little more structural solidity wouldnt go amiss. It should also be observed that the ugly end of your CD collection, the screechy, low-fi, turned up to 11 stuff, may be harder to bear through the NAD than via less revealing budget players. Band members usually have limited hearing above 8kHz thanks to those hours spent in front of their PA systems, so they shouldnt be allowed near the mixing desk when albums are recorded. If they are, the results can be a little harrowing: as much as I like 808 State and the Chemical Brothers, the C541i still made me wish for tone controls on my amp. And lets not forget that NAD is not alone in this market segment. New CD players are appearing from the likes of Rotel, Arcam and Denon, any of which might offer more energy, sophistication, or insight. Whether they manage it for anything like the same price is a different matter altogether. If you cant audition its rivals, you can buy the C541i knowing that it does its work well, whatever your musical tastes, and should partner a broad range of amp and speaker combinations.