NAD Electronics (New Acoustic Dimension) is a brand name of an electronics firm whose products include home
hi-fi
High fidelity (hi-fi or, rarely, HiFi) is the high-quality reproduction of sound. It is popular with audiophiles and home audio enthusiasts. Ideally, high-fidelity equipment has inaudible noise and distortion, and a flat (neutral, uncolored) ...
amplifier
An amplifier, electronic amplifier or (informally) amp is an electronic device that can increase the magnitude of a signal (a time-varying voltage or current). It is a two-port electronic circuit that uses electric power from a power su ...
s and related components.
In 1972, the company was founded in London by Dr. Martin L. Borish, an electrical engineer with a PhD in physics.
[Lyons, Daniel]
"Digital Dislocation"
''Forbes'', 10 May 2004[Cf. NAD company website] Its most famous product is the late-1970s ''
NAD 3020'', an
integrated amplifier
An integrated amplifier (pre/main amp) is an electronic device containing an audio preamplifier and power amplifier in one unit, as opposed to separating the two. Most modern audio amplifiers are integrated and have several inputs for devices s ...
designed by Bjørn Erik Edvardsen, which was highly regarded by various magazines in Britain.
NAD was one of the first audio manufacturers to
outsource
Outsourcing is a business practice in which company, companies use external providers to carry out business processes that would otherwise be handled internally. Outsourcing sometimes involves transferring employees and assets from one firm to ...
the manufacturing of its products to electronics factories in East Asia.
NAD was acquired by the Danish firm AudioNord in 1991 and subsequently sold in 1999 to the Lenbrook Group of Pickering,
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, Canada.
Power-supply design
NAD focuses on the concept of
effective power, potentially enabling delivery of dynamic power bursts far in excess of their rated
RMS power. The key to this feature requires use of a flexible power supply which stores significant reserve
current for quick release at moments of high musical
load. Originally developed at NAD by Phill Marshall, NAD's various incarnations of his design have been associated with different names over the years including ''Power Envelope'' and recently ''PowerDrive''.
Additional benefits of this approach include the fact that amplifiers using this technology can handle complex, real-life, lower-impedance loudspeaker loads as compared with the simple 8-ohm resistor typically used to calculate advertised power ratings and the fact that the circuitry in this approach requires less cooling, while maintaining ability to handle complex impedance loads as low as 2 ohms.
NAD Technology in Bluesound
Two Bluesound amplified wireless streaming products, Pulse and Powernode, feature NAD direct digital technology.
It is also integrated into their line of receivers, such as the NAD 758v3 and NAD 777v3.
See also
*
List of phonograph manufacturers
This is a list of phonograph manufacturers. The phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone, record player or turntable, is a device introduced in 1877 for the mechanical recording and reproduction of sound. Phonographs can also spec ...
References
External links
{{commons
NAD websiteBluesound website
Electronics companies established in 1972
Audio equipment manufacturers of Canada
Audio amplifier manufacturers
Compact Disc player manufacturers
Companies based in Ontario
Pickering, Ontario
Loudspeaker manufacturers
Phonograph manufacturers
British brands
Canadian brands
1972 establishments in England