NAD T 747 A/V Receiver Preview

NAD's latest round of receivers include an updated look and host of features to match their competitors which is most evident in the new T 747 A/V receiver.  NAD's audio centric philosophy has established their solid reputation of no nonsense performance over a barrage of useless features most consumers won't utilize.  Unlike most of NAD's competitors in this price range, they don't seem to overstate power claims and in fact fully disclose their power ratings via All Channels Driven (60 wpc x 7) and the FTC method most competitors use which would put them at 120 wpc x 7.  Regardless of their power rating, you can tell this receiver has a meaty power supply simply from the heft of its 36lbs chassis.  

The T 747 can meet virtually all of your needs to function as a centerpiece of your HD Home Theater. Featuring HDMI repeating (this is where the audio is stripped off the HDMI signal and the video is automatically passed along or repeated to the TV) with full support for up to 1080p signals from HD set top boxes and Blu-ray Players. Older analog video formats a can even be ‘upscaled’ to HD format utilizing Faroudja DCDi processing and then sent on to your HDMI equipped HDTV. All setup is done via the comprehensive On Screen Display.

The NAD T 747 features on board decoding of all of the latest HD Audio formats such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD when fed a bitstream via HDMI from your Blu-ray player.   Even discs that do not offer a TrueHD soundtrack will benefit from the higher bit rates and discrete 7.1 channels supported by Dolby Digital Plus. NAD also incorporated their own auto setup calibration system which we've yet to test but look forward to in a formal review environment. 

The NAD T 747 supports XM radio and iPod via optional accessories which can be purchased from an authorized NAD dealer.  Just add the NAD DB 1 adaptor (or XM adaptor) and the T 747 uses its display, remote, and its internal digital processing to get the most from these formats.  iPod enthusiasts will also be happy to find support for NAD’s optional IPD 1 and IPD 2 Docks for iPod. This allows audio, video and pictures stored on your iPod to be played directly on your NAD Home Theater.

A second independent AV zone is offered along with all the necessary connections for integrating the T 747 with advanced control systems. There are even 2 remotes, one for the primary listening zone and one for the remote zone. The main remote also controls other NAD components for simplified system control.

 NAD T 747 Backpanel View

The layout of the NAD T 747 is fairly clean though we find it perplexing that they took up valuable real estate for S-video connections which are rarely utilized these days.  We would have preferred to see additional toslink and COAX digital audio inputs as this product supports only two of each of these connection types.  The T 747 provides 4 HDMI inputs and 3 Component Video inputs which should be enough for all but the largest and most complicated A/V installations.  All of the speaker connections are five-way binding posts (no cheapo spring clips) which is expected in this price class.  The power cord is detachable which is another commendable feature that some manufacturers do not provision for with products costing more than the T 747.

Wrap Up

Overall this looks like a very nice receiver for someone wanting to have the very latest in HDMI A/V support and connectivity while also providing solid amplification to their speaker system at an affordable price.  The front panel isn't a cluster of buttons like many competitor products are and it seem that NAD has followed the KISS principle throughout the design of this A/V receiver.

It's nice to see NAD hasn't compromised their "amplifier quality first over features" principle which has earned them a loyal following among the most critical A/V enthusiasts.  NAD is also a supportive of the latest green initiative, by not using any heavy metals or hazardous chemicals to manufacture this product.

For more information, visit: NAD Electronics

Alternate Considerations

Readers should be advised however that this product does NOT support Dolby PLIIz and should look at the Marantz SR6004 or the THX Select 2 certified Onkyo TX-NR807 receivers should those features be desirable.  The Marantz and Onkyo's both feature Audyssey room correction and the Onkyo even supports Pandora.com streaming services which we love and hope all A/V receivers eventually support.

Unless otherwise indicated, this is a preview article for the featured product. A formal review may or may not follow in the future.