The Perfect Touch

RATING

WHILE ENTRY-LEVEL surround systems move increasingly toward less complicated designs that pair soundbars with wireless speakers and subs, the A/V receiver remains the steadfast workhorse of the media room. As such, it is arguably the most important component in your system, handling all audio/video switching, amplification, audio and room correction processing, and often much more. And as systems move from 5.1 to 11.2-channels-plus, the AVR is being called on to do even more.

I’ll be honest: reviewing an AVR is not my favorite thing to do. Beyond the hours of listening and testing it takes to fully evaluate a receiver, installing one in my system is roughly a half-day affair that involves disconnecting my current 13.2-channel Marantz pre-pro and accompanying amplifiers, rerouting all of the wiring to the new unit, and then completely redoing my Control4 automation system to support it.

Having said that, when I first laid eyes on the NAD’s new flagship AVR at CES 2020, I knew it would be worth putting in the effort to review it. I had spent time with the company’s previous flagship, the T 777 V3, but it was clear that the T 778 was not just a redesign but a whole new animal instead.

SEXY BEAST

Is it still okay to describe a piece of electronics as “sexy”? Because, dammit, that’s what the T 778 is! When I walked into NAD’s room in the Venetian hotel at CES, the twin “analog” VU meters dancing along with the beat on the T 778’s large front-panel display literally stopped me in my tracks and compelled me to say, “Whoa! That’s new!” With that large color touchscreen display/controller dominating the front panel, the T 778 is a component you won’t want to hide