NAD 7120 User guide

1. Antenna Terminals
2. Phono lnput
3. Phono Ground
4. Aux Input
5. Tape Rec/Play
6. DC Output
7. Speakers
8. Speaker lmpedance
9. AC Power Cord
10. AC Convenience Outlet
(Not in U.K. Model)
1. Power
2. Phones
3. Bass
4. Treble
5. Balance
6. Volume
7. Loudness Compensation
8. Bass Equalization
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9. Tape Monitor
10. lnput Selector (Aux, Phono, AM, FM)
11. Tuning Pre-sets
12. Up/Down Tuning
13. Memory Enter
14. Tuning Display
15. FM Stereo Beacon
16. Power lndicator
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REAR PANEL CONNECTIONS
1. ANTENNATERMINALS. This receiver is equipped
with four antenna terminals; each is a threaded metal shaft
with a plastic thumbscrew and a toothed washer which
will make secure contact either with bare wire or with the
U-shaped metal spade lug that is often provided on antenna
wires. lf you are using an antenna whose lead-in wires have
some other type of connector, cut it off and strip off enough
insulation to expose approximately 1 cm (1/z inch) ol bare
wire on each conductor. To connect the antenna wire,
unscrew the appropriate thumbscrew, place the spade lug
or bare wire under the toothed washer, and turn the thumb-
screw clockwise until it is tight. The toothed washer will grip
the lug or wire, making a connection that is secure both
electrically and mechanicallY.
AM. Some form of external antenna will be needed
for satislactory reception, since the 7'120 does not have a
built-in AM antenna. For most local broadcasting stations a
simple wire up to one meter (three feet) in length will provide
ample signal strength, and such a single-wire antenna is
included with the receiver. Connect one end ol the wire to
the AM terminal. The remainder ol the antenna may be
allowed to hang down behind the receiver or may be tacked
in place horizontally along the rear of a wooden-not
metal-shell. (A metal shelf may interfere with reception;
in that case the wire should be stretched out along the wall
away lrom the shelving and tacked in place.) You may wish
to experiment with the orientation of the AM antenna, in
order to find the position that provides the best reception
of the stations you listen to most often.
The short-wire antenna usually will provide satisfactory
reception ol local AM broadcast stations But if you wish to
improve reception of distant AM stations, attach a long-wire
outdoor antenna to the AM terminal. As its name implies, a
"long-wire" antenna is a simple, straight wire whose length
may be anything from a few feet up to about 100 leet (30
meters), mounted parallel to the earth and as high as is
convenient. ln some cases the effectiveness of a long-wire
antenna will be improved by connecting a second wire
from the Ground (G) terminal to a true earth-ground, i'e.
a copper-plated rod driven several feet into the earth.
A substitute electrical ground may also prove effective:
a cold-water pipe, a steam radiator, or the third hole
of a modern electrical wall socket.
FM. Some form of external antenna must be connected
to the receiver for effective reception of stereo FM broad-
casts. A ribbon-wire "folded dipole" antenna is supplied with
the receiver to get you started. When you stretch out the
ribbon-wire antenna you will note that it is in the form of a
"T". The "crossbar" portion of the Tshould be stretched out
horizontally and tacked in place-on a wall, on the back of a
cabinet, or on the floor. The "vertical" section of the T goes
to the receiver's antenna terminals. Connect its two wires to
the two 3000 inPut terminals.
ln view of the excellent sensitivity of this receiver,
you may find that the ribbon-wire dipole antenna is all you
need for reception of strong local stations. But it is not very
efficient at rejecting "multipath" and other forms of FM
interference, and it cannot easily be rotated to optimize its
pickup pattern for best reception of stations in different
directions. Therefore, in most cases you should use a better
antenna. The recommended options, in order of increasing
cost, are as follows:
(1) Abasic "rabbit-ears" indoor TVantenna without
auxiliary coils or tuning switches. Electrically, such an
antenna is just another dipole (similar to the ribbon-wire
antenna) with its tuned elements made of solid metal, but
with the advantage that it can be rotated. Stretch out each
of its two arms to a length of 30 inches (75 cm), and orient
them horizontally or at a shallow angle upward (less than
45 degrees). The ribbon-wire emerging from the antenna's
base should be connected to the receiver's two 300O termi-
nals in place oI the ribbon-wire antenna supplied with the
receiver. Now for each station in turn, after you tune the
station you can rotate the antenna for best reception.
(2) A more elaborate rabbit-ears indoor TV antenna
with a tuning switch. This type of antenna does NOT have
greater sensitivity than the simpler rabbit-ears unit, so iI
your problem is that the signals you want to receive are
weak and noisy, then an outdoor antenna is the only effec-
tive solution. But in cities and in large buildings where
signals are strong but are contaminated by reflected "mul-
tipath" signats that interfere with good reception, the tuning
switch on an elaborate indoor antenna may improve recep-
tion by reducing the interference.
(3) An electrically tuned indoor antenna, such as the
Technics Wing or B.l.C. Beam Box. Again, such antennas
usually do not provide any advantage over the simplest type
of "rabbit-ears" unit for receiving weak signals. But where a
strong signal is contaminated by interference,lhe antenna's
aiming and tuning controls can reject the interference and
yield cleaner reception.
(4) An outdoor antenna, Even the finest indoor an-
tenna, no matter how elaborate, cannot fully exploit the
capabilities of a good FM tuner. For the lowest noise,
minimum distortion, and largest choice of well-received
broadcasts, an outdoor antenna is the best complement
to a fine tuner.
A roof-mounted antenna has three fundamental advan-
tages. First, its large size yields better sensitivity (pulling in
a stronger signal from the desired station) and a narrower
directional pattern for more effective rejection of multipath
reflections arriving from other directions. Second, its loca-
tion on a rool or tall mast places it above many sources of
interference-other buildings, passing cars and buses, etc.
Third, the strength of received FM signals is directly propor-
tional to the height of the antenna above the ground.
lf you already have an outdoor television antenna, using
a splitter to extract FM signals from it may produce excellent
results. However, many TV antennas are deliberately de-
signed to be relatively weak at FM frequencies in order to
minimize potential interference with TV signals at nearby
frequencies (Channel 6 in the U.S.). You may be able to use
a splitter to extract FM signals from an apartment building's
master TV antenna system, but usually this yields poor
results because many master antenna systems have
"traps" to stop FM signals.
The best choice is a directional FM-only antenna,
mounted as high above ground as is practical, and sepa-
rated by at least two meters (7 feet) from other antennas,
vertically and horizontally. A shielded lead-in cable will be
mandatory in most locations, both to minimize interlerence
and to preserve strong signals during years of weathering.
The cable may be either 75-ohm coaxial or a shielded
300-ohm type. ll desired stations are located in different
directions (more than 90 degrees apart), a rotor will also
be needed in order to aim the antenna.
lf you are using a 75-ohm coaxial cable (either lrom
your outdoor antenna or from a master antenna system),
connect it as follows. First remove any connector that may
have been fitted. Strip off about an inch (2 cm) of the outer
insulation to expose the shield wiring, fold back the shield
and twist its wire strands together, then strip off a half-inch
(1 cm) of insulation from the center conductor. Disconnect
any antenna connected to the 300O terminals. Connect the
coixial cable's center conductor to the 75O terminal and
connect the coaxial cable's shield wire to the adjacent
ground (G)terminal.
After you have completed all of the antenna connec-
tions, examine them to be sure that adjacent wires or
connectors are not touching each other, short-circuiting
the antenna signal.
2. PHONO INPUT. This input is designed for use with
phono cartridges of the moving magnet, induced magnet,
moving flux, and moving iron (variable reluctance) types,
and wiifr "high-output" moving-coil pickups (i.e., those with
a rated output of 1.0 mVor greater). The input impedance
at the Phono jacks is 47K ohms in parallel with 100 pE
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Plug the signal cables from your turntable into these
jacks. lf the cables or plugs are color-coded, refer to your
turntable's instruction manual to learn which cable or plug is
for the Left channel and which is for the Right. Be carelul to
insert each plug fully into the socket so that the plug's metal
skirt fits tightly over the exterior of the socket. lf necessary,
crimp the leaves of the plug's metal skirt slightly inward so
as to obtain a tight fit with the socket.
Moving-coil pickups with low output voltage should be
used with an external transformer or pre-preamp. Plug the
turntable's cables into the input jacks of the step-up device,
then connect its outputs to the PHONO jacks.
3. PHONO GROUND. lf your turntable is equipped
with a grounding wire (usually a green wire terminating in
a U-shaped spade lug), connect it to this screw terminal.
Use a screwdriver to loosen the screw, place the spade lug
under the head of the screw, and tighten the screw clock-
wise to secure the lug. lf the grounding wire has no terminal
lug, strip off a half-inch (1 to 2 cm) of insulation to expose
the bare wire, twist the wire strands tightly together, and
fasten the bare wire under the head of the Ground screw.
CAUTION: Do not use excessive force when tightening
the Ground screw, or you may strip the threads.
4. AUX INPUT. These auxiliary jacks are for any "line
level" signal source, such as a television sound tuner, the
audio line output from a videocassette or videodisc player,
or the decoded signal from a digital audio disc player. As
with the other input/output jacks on this receiver, the upper
jack in each pair is for the Left channel and the lower jack
is for the Right channel.
5. TAPE RECORD/PLAY. The tape connections
may be used with recorders of all types: cassette, micro-
cassette, open-reel, digital, etc. To play recorded tapes,
connect a stereo patch cord from the recorder's LINE OUT
jacks to the receiver's PLAY input jacks. To make record-
ings, connect a stereo patch cord from the receiver's RE-
CORD jacks to the recorder's LINE lN jacks (not to its
microphone inputs).
lf you wish to use a signal-processing accessory with
your receiver-such as a graphic equalizer, a dynamic
expander, a DBX or CX disc decoder, a noise filter, or an
ambience-reproduction system-you must connect it to the
receiver's TAPE RECORD/PLAY iacks. Disconnect the tape
recorder, connect a cable from the receiver's RECORD
output jacks to the processor's "From Amplifier" main in-
puts, and connect another cable from the processor's "To
Amplifier" or "Monitor Output" jacks to the receiver's PLAY
inputs. Then connect your tape recorder to the signal
processor's own TAPE RECORD/PLAY !acks.
6. DC OUTPUT This DIN-type socket can provide op-
erating power (+ 17 volts DC) to certain accessory products
such as a pre-preamplifier for low-output moving-coil car-
tridges. Such products might have to be fitted with a plug
that fits this socket.
7. SPEAKERS. lf the wiring to each loudspeaker
will not be longer than about 6 meters (20 feet), then
connections should be made using 18-gauge wire such as
common lamp cord ("zip" cord), available from hardware
and e]ectrical-supply stores in either white, black, or brown
insulation. lf the wiring to the speakers will be longer than
about 6 meters, heavier 16-gauge or 14-gauge wire is
preferred. Heavy-duty wiring is especially desirable if
you are using speakers of low impedance or two pairs
of speakers wired in parallel.
To make connections, separate the two conductors of
the cord, strip off about a half-inch (1 cm) of insulation from
each, and in each conductor twist together the exposed wire
strands. Fully depress the colored tab below each SPEAK-
ERS terminal in order to open up the hole in the terminal,
then insert the bared wire into the hole and release the tab;
the terminal will grasp the wire and hold it in place. Repeat
for each conductor, connecting the wires from the left-chan-
nel speaker to the L+ and L- terminals and the wires from
the right-channel speaker to the R + and R - terminals.
Check to be sure that no loose strands of wire are touching
any adjacent terminal or wire.
PHASING. Stereo speakers should operate in phase
with each other in order to yield a good stereo image and
to reinforce rather than cancel each other's output at low
frequencies. lf your speakers are easily moved, phasing can
easily be checked. Make the connections to the speakers,
place the speakers face-to{ace only a lew inches apart,
play some music, and listen. Then swap the connection of
the two wires at the back of ONE of the speakers, and listen
again. The connection which produces the fullest, boomiest
bass output is the correct one. Connect the wires securely to
the speaker terminals, being careful to avoid leaving loose
strands of wire which might touch the wrong terminal and
create a partial short-circuit, and then move the speakers
to their intended locations.
lf the speakers cannot easily be set face-to{ace, then
phasing must rely on the "polarity" oI the connecting wires.
Note that the SPEAKERS terminals on the receiver are
color-coded: in each channel the terminal with the red tab
has positive " + " polarity and the black terminal is negative
" - ". The terminals at the rear of the speakers are also
marked for polarity, either via red and black connectors or
by labels: " + ", 1, or 8 ohms for positive, " - ", 0, or G for
negative. As a general rule the positive (red) terminal on
the receiver is to be connected to the positive terminal
of the speaker, in each channel.
To facilitate this, the two conductors comprising the
speaker wire in each channel are different, either in the
color of the wire itself (copper vs. silver) or in the presence
of a small ridge or rib pattern on the insulation of one con-
ductor. Use this pattern to establish consistent wiring to both
speakers of a stereo pair. Thus if you connect the copper-
colored wire (or ribbed insulation) to the red receiver termi-
nal in the Left channel, do the same in the Right channel. At
the other end of the wire, if you connect the copper-colored
wire (or the ribbed insulation) to the red or positive terminal
on the left-channel speaker, do the same at the right-
channel speaker.
8. SPEAKER IMPEDANCE. The impedance of a loud-
speaker varies with frequency, and in many loudspeakers
the impedance is lowest at the frequencies where the high-
est power demands occur in music. ln the majority of "8
ohm" loudspeakers this minimum impedance is from 4 to 6
ohms, and in "4 ohm" speakers the minimum is typically 3
ohms. And if you were to connect two pairs of speakers to
the receiver, wiring them in parallel, their combined imped-
ance would be approximately half the impedance of either.
For these reasons, all NAD receivers are designed to
produce maximum power output into impedances of 2 to 6
ohms. But the 7120 receiver is equipped with a Speaker
lmpedance selector which you can re-set to increase the
available power output into 8 ohms and higher impedances.
lf you are not sure of the true impedance of your speakers,
or if you are connecting two pairs ol speakers, leave the
lmpedance switch in its NORMAL (4 OHMS) setting.
ll you are using a single pair of loudspeakers whose
minimum impedance is at least 6 ohms and whose average
impedance is above 8 ohms, you should re-set this switch to
re-optimise the amplifier for maximum power delivery at this
higher impedance.
First, turn down the Volume or switch off the Power.
Now, in order to prevent the lmpedance switch from being
re-set accidentally, it is held tightly in place by a pair of
screws located to the left and right of the switch handle. Use
a screwdriver to turn the screws slightly counter-clockwise
to loosen them. (DO NOT REMOVE the screws!) Note that
the screws are installed in slots so that they can be moved
to the left or right. To set the lmpedance selector to HIGH
(8 OHMS), slide the screw heads all the way to the left end
of their respective slots. Then re-tighten the screws.

lf the impedance switch is set to HIGH (g oHMS) when
you are using low-impedance speakers, or with two pairs of
speakers connected, lhe7120 may overheat when operated
at high volume levels. Prolonged abuse of this kind could
cause internal fuses to blow in order to protect the receiver,
in which case you would have to return lhe 7120 to your
dealer for service.
9. AC POWER CORD. After you have completed mak-
ing connections to the speakers and to other system compo-
nents, plug the AC power cord into a "live" wall socket.
10. UNSWITCHED AC OUTLET. (Not in U.K. modet.)
The AC power line cord ol another stereo component, such
as a turntable or tape deck, may be plugged into this acces-
sory outlet. This outlet remains "live" as long as the 7120's
power cord is plugged into a wall socket.
FRONT PANEL CONTROLS
1. POWER. Depress this button to switch on the re-
ceiver. The green LED above the tuning presets will illumi-
nate when the power is on. To switch the power off, depress
the POWER button again and release it.
lf you prefer, you may leave the receiver's POWEFI
switch permanently engaged and use an external switch
(such as a clock timefl to turn the power on and oft.
2. PHONES. Plug stereo headphones in here. The
circuit will provide proper drive signals for all conventional
stereo headphones regardless of their impedance, with just
one exception: electrostatic headphones usually are sup-
plied with an adapter unit which must be connected directly
to the speaker terminals on the rear panel.
When a headphone plug is inserted into the PHONES
socket the loudspeakers are automatically shut off. lf you
want to listen to speakers, you must remove any plug from
the socket.
Before plugging conventional headphones into the
PHONES jack, turn down the VOLUME control for safety.
And when you are not listening to the headphones it is
wise to unplug them from the socket. Otherwise, when not
listening to the phones you might inadvertently turn up the
volume to a level which would feed excessively strong
signals to the headphones and damage them.
You may freely use headphone extension cables. lf you
want to use a headphone Y-connector to drive two headsets
simultaneously, they should be identical models. Connecting
together two headphones which differ widely in impedance
usually will produce a substantial loss of volume in the
headset having the higher impedance (or in both).
3. BASS. The Bass control adjusts the relative level
of the low frequencies in the sound. The electrical response
ol the receiver is flattest when the control is set in the detent
at the 12 o'clock position. Rotation of the knob to the right
(clockwise) increases the level of low-frequency sounds,
and rotation counter-clockwise decreases their level. Adjust
it to achieve the tonal balance that sounds most natural
to you.
You will note that at moderate rotations away from
center the effect of the Bass control is subtle because its
action is confined to the lowest audible frequencies where
significant energy is seldom found in recordings. Only at
large rotations away from center is there a substantial boost
or cut at the mid-bass frequencies which are common
in music.
4. TREBLE. The Treble control adjusts the relative
level of the high frequencies in the sound. The response of
the receiver is flattest when the control is set in the detent
at the 12 o'clock position. Rotation ol the knob to the right
(clockwise) increases the level of high{requency sounds,
and rotation counter-clockwise decreases their level. Adjust
it to achieve the tonal balance which sounds most natural
to you.
You will note that boosting the Treble increases the
brilliance and clarity ol details in the sound, but also makes
any noise more prominent. Turning down the Treble makes
the sound mellower while suppressing hiss and record
surface noise, but too much Treble roll-off will make the
sound dull.
5. BALANCE. The BALANCE controt adjusts the reta-
tive levels of the left and right channels. A detent at the 12
o'clock position marks the point of equal balance. Rotation
of the knob to the right (clockwise) decreases the level ol
the lelt channel so that only the right channel is heard, thus
shifting the sonic image to the right. Rotation of the knob
to the left shifts the sonic image toward the lelt speaker.
ldeally the detented center position of the BALANCE
control will be the normal setting. But several common
circumstances may cause unequal balance, requiring a
compensatory off-center BALANCE setting to restore the
most uniform spread of stereo sound between the speakers.
These include unequal output from the two channels of the
phono cartridge, different acoustical environments around
the two loudspeakers, or simply a listening position that is
closer to one speaker than to the other.
Adjust the BALANCE control to produce a natural
spread of sound across the space between the speakers,
with any monophonic sound (such as a radio announcer's
voice) appearing as a phantom image centered midway
between them.
6. VOLUME. This control adjusts the overall loudness
level of the sound. lt has no effect on the level of the signals
fed to the BECORD jacks for tape recording. The VOLUME
control is designed for accurate tracking of its two channels,
so that the stereo balance will not shift noticeably as the
loudness of the sound is varied.
7. LOUDNESS COMPENSATION. Pressing this
button engages a "loudness compensation" circuit which, at
low-to-medium settings of the VOLUME control, boosts the
low-bass response of the receiver in order to compensate
for the human ear's diminished sensitivity to low-frequency
sounds at low loudness levels. The circuit also provides a
slight treble boost to overcome the "masking" of subtle
high{requency details by background noise. The loudness-
compensation circuit in the 7120 is more subtle in its action,
and thus more realistic in psycho-acoustic terms, than
similar circuits in other receivers.
L BASS EOUALIZATION. This circuit boosts the
lowest bass frequencies, those below 60 Hz. ln virtually all
loudspeakers the useful output rolls off at frequencies below
the woofer/cabinet resonance (which typically occurs be-
tween 40 and 70 Hz). The BASS EQ circuit compensates for
this roll-off, extending the useful response of the speakers
significantly lower in frequency.
Of course very low frequencies are not found in all
music, nor in all recordings, so the effect of the bass equal-
ization olten won't be obvious. Sometimes you may find that
switching it in and out does not produce any notice-
able change in the sound whatsoever, simply because the
recording contains no energy at very low frequencies. But if
your loudspeakers are capable of reproducing low bass, and
if you play recordings in which low bass does have an
important role, the BASS EQ will make an audible (and
occasionally dramatic) difference.
lf your loudspeakers already have extended and
powerful deep-bass response, the BASS EQ will still be
useful to correct for the bass roll-offs engineered into some
recordings. lt also works well in combination with the LOUD-
NESS COMPENSATION circuit to restore subjectively flat
frequency response when you listen to music at low
volume levels.
GAUTION: Be prepared to switch off the equalization
when playing recordings (especially digitally mastered
discs) that contain unusually potent recorded bass. The
BASS EQ boosts deep bass levels by 5 dB, i.e. by a factor
of three in power. lf this boost is combined with high-volume
playback levels, a bass-heavy input signal may overdrive
the amplifier into clipping and-more important-overdrive
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a small woofer beyond its safe excursion limits, causing its
voice-coil to clatter against the magnet backplate. As long
as the speaker sounds good it probably is OK; but distorted
or unmusical sounds, such as clattering noises, are a sign
ol distress in a woofer.
Be alert, also, for signs ol acoustic feedback (in which
the low-frequency vibrations from the speakers are picked
up by the record-playing stylus and are re-amplified). lf
you encounter a sustained low-frequency roar, or frequent
groove-jumping, immediately turn down the Volume and
switch off the BASS EQ until a more nearly vibration-free
mounting for the turntable is found.
9. TAPE MONITOR. When this button is pressed it
overrides the other lnput Selector buttons and lets you hear
the playback signal from your tape recorder (or any other
device connected to the PLAY input jacks on the rear panel
of the 7120). ll you have a signal-processing accessory
(such as a graphic equalizer or dynamic expander) con-
nected to the TAPE RECORD/PLAY jacks, pressing TAPE
allows you to hear the processed signal.
CAUTION: lf you have nothing connected to the RE-
CORD/PLAYjacks, or have a tape deck connected but not
running, then when you press TAPE you will hear nothing
but silence-regardless of what other selector buttons you
may press! To disengage the Tape Monitor circuit and
restore the normal signal path, press the TAPE button again
and release it.
The standard purpose ol the TAPE MONITOR is to
allow you to listen to recorded tapes, and also to check on
tape recordings as they are being made. lf you have a
three-head tape deck that allows off-the-tape monitoring
during recording, engaging the TAPE MONITOR switches
on both lhe 7120 and the tape deck will let you hear the
playback signal from the tape immediately after it is re-
corded, so that you can check on its quality.
To make tape recordings on a recorder attached to the
7120's RECORD/PLAY jacks, simply use the INPUT SELEC-
TOR buttons to select the program source that you want to
record lrom (PHONO, FM, etc.). The recording will not be
affected by any of the controls located to the left of the
INPUT SELECTOR; thus you may vary the volume, balance,
tone controls, tape monitor switch, etc., without altering the
recording that is being made.
COpflNG TAPES: lf you want to copy a recording
from one tape deck to another, connect the playback cable
from the "source" deck (the machine containing the tape to
be copied) to the 7120's AUXiliary inputs, and connect the
"copying" or "dubbing" recorder to the 7120's RECORD/
PLAY jacks. Press the AUX button in the lnput Selector
group to hear the source tape and feed its signal to the
copying recorder. lf you then press the TAPE MONITOR,
you will hear the chosen signal after it has passed through
the recorder's electronics.
10. INPUT SELECTOR (AUX, PHONO, AM, FM).
These interlocked switches select the input signal for the
7120. This is the signal that you will hear, assuming that the
TAPE MONITOR is disengaged. The selected input signal
will also be fed out through the RECORD jacks for tape
recording or signal processing, regardless of the setting of
the TAPE MONITOR switch.
11. TUNING PRE-SETS. You can store the frequencies
of ten favorite stations (5 FM and 5 AM) in these pre-sets
and then tune them instantly just by pressing the appro-
priate button.
The pre-sets preserve their frequency assignments
when the receiver is switched off or unplugged from the AC
wall socket, for a period of up to two weeks. Thus you can
re-arrange your stereo system, or move the receiver from
roorn to room, without losing the pre-set frequencies. But if
you leave the receiver switched oft for a month or more, you
may have to re-program the tuning pre-sets.
12. UP/DOWN TUNING. The tuning control is a
"rocker" switch that allows you to tune up and down the AM
or FM radio spectrum. Depress the right-hand section of
the switch in order to tune to higher frequencies, and
the left-hand section to tune to lower Irequencies.
When the TUNING button is pressed momentarily, the
tuned frequency is shilted up or down by one step. (ln North
America the size of this tuning step is 10 kHz on the AM
band. ln Europe and elsewhere the tuning step is 9 kHz on
AM.) Each time the TUNING button is tapped, the tuned
frequency will shift up or down by this increment, as shown
on the digital frequency display.
lf the TUNING button is held down with continuous
pressure rather than just tapped, the tuning pauses briefly
and then scans rapidly up or down in frequency.
Thus, to manually tune a station, the procedure is to
press continuously on either side of the TUNING button until
the receiver's frequency is close to the desired broadcast
frequency, and then fine-tune by tapping the TUNING button
until the digital frequency display exactly matches the sta-
tion's broadcast frequency as listed in a local newspaper
or broadcasting guide.
13. MEMORY ENTER. This button is used to enter
the frequencies of your favorite stations in the receiver's ten
memory pre-sets (five pre-sets on the FM band and five
pre-sets on AM). The procedure is as follows.
(1) Decide which station you want to assign to each
pre-set. On each band you may arrange the stations in
any order that you find convenient (or easy to remember):
alphabetical (1:WABC, 2:WCBS, 3:WNYC . . .), numer-
ical (1 : BBC1, 2: BBC2, . . . ), or in order of increasing
frequency (1 :89.2 2:90.9, 3:95.3, etc). ll you are not
certain ol the exact frequencies ol the stations, check the
station/frequency directory in a local newspaper or broad-
casting guide.
(2) Select the AM or FM band, as appropriate. Using
the TUNING rocker, manually tune to the first station on your
list. Press ENTER, then press Pre-set #1 to store the lirst
station. After you press ENTER you will have at least ten
seconds during which you can store the tuned station in
one of the pre-sets, before the ENTEH mode automatically
de-activates. Only one pre-set can be set at one time.
(3) Manually tune to the second station on your list.
Press ENTER button and then press Pre-set #2 to store the
second station.
(4) Manually tune to the third station on your list, press
ENTER, and press Pre-set #3 to store the station. Continue
in this manner with any other stations that you want to store
in the remaining pre-sets. Then switch to the other tuning
band (FM or AM) and repeat the process for the second set
of five pre-sets.
lncidentally, if you make a mistake or change your
mind, it is not necessary to re-program all five pre-sets in
sequence. You can re-program any pre-set at any time:
simply tune to the desired frequency, press ENTER, and
press the pre-set button that you want to re-program.
AIter you finish programming the pre-sets, you may
wish to post your list of stations and associated pre-set
numbers near the receiver for reference.
CAUTION: When using the receiver, be careful not to
press the ENTER button by accident. Doing so will activate
the ENTER mode, and if you then press any of the pre-set
buttons you will unintentionally re-program that pre-set. You
would then have to manually re-tune to the station you
wanted, and re-ENTER it into the pre-set. lf you accidentally
press ENTER, you can force the tuner to back out of the
ENTER mode by tapping the manual TUNING rocker or by
switching tuning bands (i.e. from FM to AM and back).
14. TUNING DISPLAY. The display shows the broadcast
frequency to which the receiver is tuned. (When you select
the AUX or PHONO input the display is turned off.) On the
FM band the fifth digit will be either 0 or 5 since tuning
occurs in increments of 0.'l MHz.

15. FM STEREO BEACON. This red LED ittuminates
when a stereo FM broadcast is being received and decoded
by the receiver's multiplex decoder circuit. lf a station is
broadcasting in mono, or if a stereo broadcast signal is too
weak for reasonably noise-free reception in stereo, then the
7120 will automatically switch into mono and this light will
not illuminate. Also, if you have mistuned the receiver away
from the center of a station's broadcast channel, the stereo
decoding circuits may not lock onto the signal and it may be
received in mono.
16. POWER INDICATOR. This green LED iiluminates
whenever lhe 7120 is turned on.
A Note on Overload Protection. Because the NAD
7120 sounds so clean and musical when driven beyond its
nominal power rating and when used to drive low-imped-
ance loudspeakers, you may be tempted to stress it beyond
its design capacity. For example this receiver can safely and
cleanly drive a 2-ohm load impedance, reproducing wide-
range musical signals with peak levels of 50 watts or more.
Thus it is permissible to play music at volume levels which
cause the transient peaks and climaxes to exceed the
receiver's rated power by a considerable margin, and with
Soft Clipping the music will continue to sound good at those
high peak levels.
But if you overdrive the receiver continuously rather
than only on brief musical peaks, the output transistors may
overheat. This is particularly likely if you set the SPEAKER
IMPEDANCE switch to 8 OHMS and then try to drive very
low impedances at high volume levels. Severe abuse of this
type could cause internal fuses to blow in order to protect
the receiver. These fuses are not intended to be replaced
by the user; if the receiver shuts down you should return it
for service.
lf this occurs, you should examine whether a pattern
of unintended abuse may have contributed to the failure.
For example you may have a loose strand of speaker wire
causing a partial short-circuit either at the speakers or at the
receiver's speaker terminals. The impedance of your speak-
ers may be lower than you think; if you are not sure, set the
SPEAKER IMPEDANCE switch to NORMAL (4 OHMS). You
may be combining maximum bass boost with high volume
settings. Or you may simply be playing the music at continu-
ously high power levels that demand a larger amplifier.