nad 533 turntable or... (1 Viewer)

[Matt Broeska]

hey everyone,
i'm looking for turntable help. i'm planning out my first system for a late summer/early fall purchase and i NEED a turntable. i've seen the nad 533 and was wondering if anyone could tell me if it's good or great, worth the $500 cdn the store is charging for it, or if you could recommend another turntable that would be better for the same price or just as good for cheaper.
thanks in adavance.
oh and if it makes a difference, the system i've most likely decided on is a marantz receiver (possibly the new sr-7200) and paradigm speakers...
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Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.
That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

 

[Jack Gilvey]

If I recall correctly, the 533 is an OEM version of the Rega Planar 2 and, as such, is a great table. Good enough to make your cd's wilt, anyway.

 

[Iain Lambert]

For what its worth, I have a Paradigm centre and sub, which match rather well with my Celestion mains, so its hopefully a similiar situation (not that I'd listen to records in anything other than plain stereo). I love my NAD 533, well worth every penny. It certainly seemed to be the best bet when I bought it.
My only word of warning is that its a wonderful deck because virtually the entire budget goes into a quality motor and tone arm, so you actually take the platter off to change 33-45, everything is manual. Personally, I just think it adds to the character; if I wanted convenience I'd put a cd on.

 

[Matt Broeska]

thanks, jack... only i can't figure out what "oem" stands for.
iain, the guy who showed me the 533 did the whole removal of the platter to change speeds and i agree with you 100% about it adding character to the turntable.
now another question i hafta ask ('cause i'm such a novice

) is is the pp-1 phono preamp neccessary? is it something that's required or is it just an audiophile thing that only makes a fraction of a difference in sound?
thanks again for all your help.
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Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.
That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

 

[Jack Gilvey]

Sorry. OEM = Original equipment manufacturer. Meaning Rega makes them for NAD.
You'd only "need" the NAD phono input stage if your receiver lacks one (many do). As far as quality, my guess would be that the NAD unit is better than that included in a receiver, but I've not heard either. If the PP-1 is like the one in my NAD 314, it's excellent.

 

[Matt Broeska]

thanks again, jack. i'm pretty sure the marantz doesn't have the phono input, but i'll double check.
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Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.
That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

 

[Alex Johnson]

just a quick note (by the way, i checked out those nad 533's and they look nice) -
i just picked up a new stanton str8-80 and it is performing very nicely.
i don't know exactly for what you were looking to get a turntable for, but i would recommend this as a nice turntable for most uses.
it is a direct drive turntable, meant mostly for dj's (think, a great alternative to the technic's 1200 series) and plays at 33/45/78, is pitchable, can be quartz-locked and has a digital sp/dif out for connection to your computer, stereo receiver or dat. it will also play your records in reverse and comes new in the box with an eliptical stylus (so you can play in reverse).
i have mine connected directly to one of my dat decks via sp/dif - i bought it to transfer my vinyl to dat and then into my mac for some mastering and then to cd. old mono beatles (sgt. pepper's, revolver, etc.) and some others..
now that stanton has released their new str8-100, you can find these new, in the box for about us$250 on ebay. i found mine for $230 and had it shipped for an additional $20 via ups ground. not too bad. the str8-80 used to retail for approx. us$500-$600, i think..
it might work for you..?
a
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[Matt Broeska]

thanks alex. i'll check it out. you a dj?
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Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.
That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

 

[Alex Johnson]

no, i am an independent producer and software engineer. i like the turntable because of the features and my large (and getting larger) vinyl collection (90% of which has never been released on cd).
i used to work in cd/dvd replication and was part of one of the very first dvd mastering facilities in north america.
i did spin a little, back in the day, but that was ages ago..
a
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