NAD C542 CD player

Nadalf the Grey

By Brent Burmester

January 2004

NAD C542 CD Player. $999

Just over a year ago the NAD C542's predecessor, the C541i, was under review. It was found to be a marked improvement on the much-lauded C541, itself a major step on from the C540 that went before it. To save time in future, keep this review on file and when the C543 comes out just add one to all model numbers referred to below.

The 542 achieves the same hard-to-credit advance on the 541i as the 'i' did over the vanilla 541. At the prices we're talking about here, it's quite remarkable. There are differences in the nature of the gains made, however, so rather than refer you back to the review of the 541i, I'll earn my keep by bashing on for another few hundred words.

Spot the difference?

The C542 is not quite a clone of the C541/541i - look closely and subtle differences become apparent. The new model is painted a slightly lighter shade, has rounded corners on the front panel, and the rocker-switch style controls for track skip and fast forward/reverse are now separate buttons. The revised transport responds more quickly. Last but not least, the remote is a new design and to which the player reacts more readily than it did to the lopsided parallelogram of old. None of this changes the fact we're still considering a lightweight grey box possessed of very little 'look-at-me' appeal.

On the inside, HDCD decoding and 24-bit DACs by Burr-Brown are retained. Indeed, the basic circuit layout is the same while components in the circuit have been upgraded. In essence NAD has done a bit of geeky tweaking, the sort of thing a DIY hi-fi enthusiast might try once his warrantee's expired. For example, Nichicon 'Muse' electrolytic capacitors have been strategically applied, and extra attention has been given to power regulation for both analogue and digital sections. Beyond the DIY realm, renewed effort has gone into jitter reduction, which was merited given the so-so performance of the 541i in this regard.  

Hear the difference!

Bear with me - I'm about to quote the brochure for the C542:

"The cumulative effect of these changes is quite dramatic, improving low frequency slam and extension, while retaining the pace and timing for which the C541i was so lavishly praised. Image depth and scale are further enhanced while retaining the timbral accuracy and lucid harmonic structure of its predecessor."

This, I'm bound to say, pretty much hits the nail on the head. When I cued up Minuit's The 88 I noticed at once how much more was happening in the low registers. There is definitely added impact in the bass, and it comes with greater texture to boot. I doubt I've heard more vigorous throb from models costing three times the NAD. Happily, tracks from the Chemical Brothers' new singles compilation proved that the low stuff doesn't overwhelm what goes on higher up. Star Guitar sounded exceptionally good, the phase and panning effects sweeping across a deep and expansive soundstage.  

One telling test of a CD player is how loud I can stand its output. What I'm listening for is the threshold at which high frequency distortion becomes intolerable. With the best players the music goes to pieces in other ways before attack of the killer treble, mainly due to amp/speaker limitations. This proved to be the case with the NAD - it was very restrained at the top end, while retaining high levels of fine detail.

Listening to familiar tracks of various musical genres, I was struck by the cleanliness of the C542's output. Reviewers often praise a good source component in terms of 'lifted veils' or 'brighter colours', but in the sound of the new NAD player there is just less dirt, as though the CDs had themselves been polished to a new level of scratch-free translucence. The effect was reminiscent of uncared-for vinyl given the once over by a good cleaning machine.

Lord of the Songs

Why should you spend more than the $999 demanded for the C542? Well, as NAD's copywriter would put it, you might find costlier designs reproduce more accurate timbre and reveal harmonic structure with superior lucidity. In terms of refinement the C542 may fall short of more expensive units, but don't assume pricier means better where the NAD is concerned. The likes of Arcam's FMJ CD33 may have the edge in the subtlety stakes, but that player's in an entirely different price league. I'd back the NAD against some specialised CD players (never mind DVD players) costing three times as much.

As multi-format players begin to emerge, we may be looking at the last generation of CD-only players from the hi-fi majors, so it's very apt that NAD should end an era with this budget superstar.

For your nearest NAD dealer