NAD T785 User manual

The NAD T785 is heir to many generations of award winning NAD designs. This exceptional pedigree is
evident in both the look and the feel of the T785, and it is unmistakable the moment you listen. It is NAD’s
insistence on creating products with remarkable sound quality at sensible prices that has made NAD the
first choice among the most knowledgeable listeners from around the world. NAD’s “Music First” philosophy
dictates that we endow our Surround Sound products with the same warm involving sound quality that
makes music listening so rewarding with our stereo components. This stands in stark contrast to our
competitors who view Surround Sound components primarily from a “content” point of view, with sound
quality far down the list of priorities. Yet the T785 is second to none in terms of flexibility and up-to-the-
minute digital technology.
T 785 A/V Surround Sound Receiver
• 7x120WSimultaneousFullDisclosurePower
• 7x190WMinimumContinuousPower(FTC)
• PowerDrive™amplifiertechnology
• TwinHolmgren™ToroidalPowerSupplies
• Modularconstructionforsimpleupgradeandservice
• AudysseyAutoSetupandCalibrationofallspeakersettings
using supplied microphone
• AudysseyMultEQXTRoomCorrectionwithcustomNAD
developed target response curves
• DataPortforusewithoptionalNADIPD-1DockforiPod®
• DolbyDigital,DolbyDigitalEX,ProLogicII,ProLogicIIx,DTS,
DTSES,DTS24/96,DTSNEO:6,EARSandStereoEnhanced
Surround Modes
• 5A/VCustomPresetsstoreuniquelisteningmodes,DSP
options, tone, speaker and display settings
• Directspeakerleveladjustmentforsurround,centerandsub
• NADSoftClipping™
• Burr-Brown24bit96kHzA/Dconverter
• Burr-Brown24bit192kHzStereoD/Aconverters(x5)
• TexasInstrumentsAureus™7.1highspeedDSP(32bitdual
corefloatingpointdesign)
• 4v1.31080pHDMIDigitalAudio/VideoInputs
• HDMI1080pbandwidthwithfullOn-ScreenDisplay(OSD)
• CrossConversionofallanalogvideoformats
• AnalogvideotoHDMIConversion
• 7AnalogStereoAudioInputs(1frontpanel)
• MediaPlayerMPfrontpanelinput
• 6AnalogVideoInputs,allS-VideoandComposite(1frontpanel),
3ComponentVideo
• 7DigitalAudioInputs,3Coaxand4Optical(1frontpanel)
• 3AnalogStereoAudioOutputs,2assignableasTapeOut,or
asZone3andZone4Outputswithindependentsourceand
volume control
• BackSurroundAmplifierChannelscanbereassignedasZone
2,3,or4,orfrontBi-Amp
• 4VideoMonitorOutputs,HDMI,Component,S-Videoand
Compositeformats
• 3AnalogVideoOutputs,2Tape(CompositeandS-Video)and1
Zone(Composite)
• 2DigitalOutputs,1Coaxial,1TOSLINK
• 7.1AnalogInput(forDVDAudio/SACD/ETC.)
• SpeakerA+Bswitching(SpeakersBstereoonly)
• Zone2A/VLineLevelOutputwithindependentsourceand
volume selection
• Digitalinputsavailableas2channelanalogmixdownonZone2
• ZR-4SecondZoneRemoteincludedwithdiscretecodesfor
independentzone
• 3xIROutputs,1xIRInput
• RS-232portinterfaceforadvancedcontrolsystems
• 3x12VOutputTriggers,1x12Vinput
• PreampOutputsforall7.2channels(2Subwoofers)
• RDSFM/AMTunerwith30directaccesspresets
• XMReady–XMsubscriptionandoptionalXMmodulerequired
• HTRC-1IlluminatedLearningRemoteControlwithLCDdisplay
Features
Details

Full Disclosure Power Ratings
Inflated power specifications have been used to “sell” receivers as
longastherehavebeenreceiverstosell.ButnotatNAD.Instead,
we encourage our customers take a clear-eyed look at the real
issues.
Receiversdon’tmakemusicandfilmsoundbydrivinglaboratory
test-loads, they do it by driving loudspeakers. And loudspeakers,
whetherlabeled8Ωor4Ωin“nominalimpedance,”arefarmore
challenging. A speaker that “looks like” an 8Ω resistor at some
frequencieswillshow4Ωatothers,andoften,3Ωoreven2Ωat
still others. Furthermore, actual loudspeaker loads are far more
complex than simple test resistors. What does all this mean?
Simply, that power on paper is a poor predictor of “how loud,” “how
dynamic,” “how musical.”
Nevertheless, in a competitive market comparisons will be made.
But when you make them, read the fine print—all of it. At NAD
we test under the most demanding, “worst-case” conditions,
reporting the minimum power output we achieve at any frequency
within human audibility (full audible bandwidth of 20Hz-20kHz),
and with all channels driven and fully stressed simultaneously at
clearly specified, vanishingly low distortion. Many competitors do
not:theyoftenquotesingle-frequencypower(1kHz)reflectingat
mostone“associatedchannel”(maximum2channels)dominating
the receiver’s power supply—often under a variety of deceptive
power headings. And if distortion is stated at all it’s usually at quite
highlevels:0.5percent,1percent—inonecase,10percent!—it’s
easy to print big numbers that simply do not tell the true story. The
bottomline:don’tbefooledbyspecs;letyourearsbethejudge.
PowerDrive™
This keystone of the NAD receivers’ amp-section design underpins
the unique dynamic potential of every model. PowerDrive’s
foundation is a “dual-rail” power supply that delivers optimized
internal voltage levels especially during the most demanding
conditions: dynamic peaks, big musical transients, deep-bass
excursions that drive a loudspeaker into its most power-hungry
impedance range. It’s a little like the “kickdown” of a sophisticated
automatic transmission - providing distortion-free current on
demand.
PowerDriveisonebigreasonwhyNADAVreceiversdonotexhibit
the dynamic compression, flattened imaging, and even tinges of
harshness audiophiles so often decry as “receiver sound.” And
PowerDrivenotonlymakesNADreceiverssoundbetter,itmakes
them cooler running, more efficient, and more reliable as well.
Performance
Today’s advanced Surround Sound receivers require quality in
the digital decoding stages, the video processing section, and
in the power amplifier design for the best overall performance.
The T785 is an excellent example of the NAD Design Team’s
expertise in all three areas. Not only that, but we have made many
ergonomic refinements to simplify operation and make it more
enjoyabletogetalltheperformancethismagnificentreceiveris
capable of delivering.
Usingthelatest32bitDualCoreFloatingPointDSPtechnology,
NAD was able to include the most popular surround formats from
Dolby and DTS, as well as including NAD’s own highly regarded
music surround mode; EARS. Unlike, the typical artificially
enhancedDSPmodeslike“Club”,“Stadium”,and“Church”,EARS
uses DSP technology to extract the natural ambience of the
recording. This is redirected to the surround channels to create
naturalsurroundsoundfromany2channelsource.Thisinduces
awarmnaturalreverberanteffectwithoutthe“BOING”ofartificial
reverb. The surround mode of the source material is automatically
detected via the digital inputs of the T785, and the “highest” or
most advanced form of decoding is switched on. Conversion of
the encoded digital bitstream is performed with high resolution
andextremelylinearBurr-Brown24bit/192kHzD/AConverters
carefully selected for their performance capabilities. The T785
usesfivetwo-channelDACsratherthantheusualsingle8channel
DAC favored by many of today’s surround sound receivers. We
havefoundthatthesonicperformanceofthetwo-channelDACs
used in a dual differential mode, is well worth the extra cost of this
configuration.
NAD’s reputation for producing power amplifiers that are both
potent and musical is upheld in fine manner with the T785.
Boastingaminimumof120wattscontinuouspowerperchannel,
the T785 can fill even very large rooms to lifelike sound levels.
CreditforthesoundofNAD’scomponentsrestssquarelywithour
unique design approach and our experienced and very talented
design team. Most companies design their products to a technical
specificationandapricepoint.Whilethissoundslogicalenough,
it does not address the way the product will actually be used by
the eventual owner. You don’t listen to specifications, you listen to
musicandsound.WhileNADproductsexhibitexcellenttechnical
measurements, we have relied on our own ears and listening
experiencetodeterminethefinaldesignofourproducts.Because
of our unique design approach, NAD’s sound is simply more “real”,
addingenjoymentandexcitementtoyourfavoritefilmsandmusic
recordings.
Flexibility
The T785 has all the flexibility required to serve as the command
centerforeventhemostsophisticatedHomeTheaterandmulti-
room systems. A full suite of video switching caters to all the
popular video formats (HDMI, Component Video, S-Video, and
CompositeVideo).TheT785usestheverylatestV1.3HDMIchips
fromAnalog Devices.All inputresolutions (480,576, 720,and
1080)aresupportedattheoutput.Allanalogformatsarecross
converted between Composite, S-Video and Component. These
analoginputsarealsoup-convertedtoHDMIoutput.Digitalinputs
(including a handy front panel input) and outputs are available
in both coaxial and optical formats to make it easy to attach all
your digital sources for playback and recording. Digital Inputs are
convertedtoanalogformulti-zoneapplications.
WiththeT785,NADhasmadeiteasytoaddmorespeakersfor
listeningtomusicinadditionalroomsor“zones”.Asecondpairof
speakers can simply be added to the front channel amplifiers and
switched on or off from the remote control or front panel switch.
Moreelaboratesystemscanalsobecreatedusingthe Zone 2,
3 and 4 outputs to add additional amplifiers and speakers with

the added benefit of independent source selection and volume
control. In addition to the main zone and second AV zone, we
haveaddedtheflexibilitytochangetheTapeOutputstobethird
and fourth Audio Zones with independent source and volume
capability. There is complete flexibility in setting up these outputs.
Additionally,theBackSurroundAmplifierscanbeassignedtoany
of these zones, allowing for a simultaneous 5.1 Home Theater
andapoweredsecondzone.Aseparatesecondzoneremoteis
included.
There are also 12 volt triggers to automatically switch remote
zone amplifiers on and off, and even an RS-232 data port for
connection to highly advanced automated control systems.
ThoughtfulfeatureslikediscreteOnandOffcodes,directaccess
to inputs and FM station presets facilitate the integration of the
T785 into elaborate remote control systems.
An analog 7.1 input is also provided for attaching a DVD-Audio
player or any other yet to be developed surround decoder, making
suretheT785doesnotbecomeobsoleteanytimesoon.Preamp
outputs allow the addition of more powerful amplifier channels.
The T785 includes a data port specifically designed to control an
iPod®withtheadditionofNAD’soptionalIPD-1Dockaccessory.
ThisallowstheiPod’smeta-datatobedisplayedontheOSDand
be controlled using the NAD remote control. Audio and Video
connections and iPod recharging are also featured in the iPod
Dock.
All input circuitry is contained on 5 easily removable plug in cards.
Although this construction technique is more costly to implement,
itoffersseveralimportantadvantages.1)Speedtomarketfornew
technology.2)Upgradeforolderunits3)Simplefieldservice.
Luxurious Simplicity
All the capability and flexibility in the world is quite useless if
the receiver becomes too complicated to be operated by every
member of the family. NAD has taken special measures to make
operation of the T785 as logical and straightforward as possible.
Initial system setup is best accomplished using your television
monitor and the clear and simple On Screen Display (OSD),
which can be configured to also give status updates as settings
arechangedineverydayuse.OncetheT785isinformedofyour
specific system set-up, all settings are stored in a non-volatile
memory making this a one time task. The informative front panel
display indicates complete information about the source being
listened to or watched including selected surround mode and
volumesetting.Thefrontpaneldisplaycanbeeasilycustomized
by renaming inputs and even determining what information you
prefer to have displayed and when to display it.
AudysseyAutoSetupandCalibrationisavailableusingthesupplied
calibrated microphone. Simply place the microphone in the listening
position and select Audyssey auto-calibration and the system
automatically detects which speaker is connected, chooses the
ideal crossover point to the subwoofer, checks speaker phasing,
andadjuststhelevelsanddelays.Theseadjustmentsaremadetoa
level of accuracy that it would be difficult to duplicate by ear alone.
AudysseyMultEQXTisthelatestindigitalsophistication,allowing
forimprovedfrequencyresponse in alarge“familysized” sweet
spot. Using the calibration microphone to “hear” your room, a
series of test tones measure the speakers’ response and the
room’s distorting echoes independently, and then calculates an
idealresponsethatminimizestheeffectsoftheroom’sechoes.
Whilethissounds simple, thedigitaltechnology thatisrequired
for this level of performance would have cost many thousands of
dollarsjustafewshortyearsago.Buttheelectronictechnology
is only half the story, since an advanced knowledge of acoustics is
alsorequiredto get goodresultsfrom such asystem.Working
closely with Audyssey, NAD’s acoustic engineers developed the
final response curves that reflect our own performance values.
Thetunerincludes40favoritestationpresetsinanymixofAM
or FM stations. FM stations that don’t automatically display their
name in addition to their broadcast frequency (RDS function),
caninsteadbegivenacustomname.Wealsoincludea“Digital
BroadcastReady”socketontherearpanelforaddinganoutboard
XMmodule. All thecontrol softwareisincluded, justplug inthe
moduleandstartenjoyingtheclearsoundandexpansivecontent
selectionavailablewithDigitalRadioBroadcast.
Fiveindependent“AudioVideoCustomPresets”canstoreunique
listeningmodes,DSPoptions,tone,speakersanddisplaysettings
for instant recall, making it easy to custom tailor your system for
differenttypesofprogrammaterial.Encodedsurroundmodeslike
Dolby Digital and DTS are automatically selected. The T785 also
remembers your last used settings when switched in and out of
Standby mode.
The included HTRC 1 remote handset is itself an engineering
tour-de-force. Able to control up to 8 different components, an
illuminatedLCDscreenclearlyshowswhatdeviceisselectedand
what command is being sent. It has illuminated buttons for easy
operation in low light environments, and the length of time the
illuminationisoncaneasilybeadjusted.Remote commandsfor
products not already included in the HTRC 1’s memory can be
easily“taught”totheHTRC1.AndtheHTRC1’sMacrofunction
allowsupto64individualcommandstobetriggeredbythepressing
just two keys. With this feature, all of the commands required
for watching a DVD, for example, are executed automatically
bythe HTRC1’s Macro function. There is also a USB port that
allowstheHTRC1tobeconnectedtoaPC,andusingourfreely
downloadable program from the NAD website, you can program,
customize,memorizeandclonetheHTRC1.
Summary
The T785 offers remarkable performance and flexibility in a
compact and simple to operate package. This multi-channel
powerhouse will bring your favorite music and movies to life in your
home entertainment room with an absolute minimum of fuss and
amaximumofpureenjoyment.
T 785 Surround Sound A/V Receiver

Harmonic Distortion; FM Mono
Harmonic Distortion; FM Stereo
Signal/noise; Mono
Signal/noise; Stereo
Stereo separation at 1kHz
Frequency response; + 1.5dB
XM Ready
Video Section
Input and output impedance
Component Video Bandwidth
HDMI – Audio + Video
Physical Specifications
Net Dimensions (W x H x D)
Gross Dimensions (W x H x D)*
Net Weight
0.25%
0.5%
60dB
55dB
40dB
30Hz - 15kHz
Yes
75 Ohms
50MHz
Yes
17 1/8 x 7 1/8 x 15”
(435 x 180 x 382mm)
17 1/8 x 7 5/8 x 16 9/16”
(435 x 194 x 421mm)
55 lbs (25kg)
SPECIFICATIONS
Amplifier Section
Simultaneous Full Disclosure Power
(4/8 Ohms, 20Hz - 20kHz, at rated distortion)
Minimum Continuous Power (FTC)
Power Output Stereo Mode
(8 Ohms within rated distortion)
IHF dynamic power; 8 Ohms
IHF dynamic power; 4 Ohms
IHF dynamic power; 2 Ohms
Total harmonic distortion at rated power
IM distortion at rated power
Damping factor 8 Ohms
Input sensitivity and impedance
Frequency response
Signal/noise ratio; ref rated power 8 Ohms
Signal/noise ratio; ref 1W / 8 Ohms
Remote Controls
Tuner Section
Input sensitivity Mono
50dB Stereo:
7 x 120W (20.8dBW)
7 x 190W(22.8dbW)
2 x 150W (21.8dbW)
2 x 250W (23.9dBW)
2 x 350W (25.4dBW)
2 x 450W (26.5dBW)
0.05%
0.05%
60
400mV / 50k Ohms
10 to 20,000 Hz ±0.3dB
>90dB
>80dB
HTRC-1 (main) / ZR-4 (2nd zone)
16.1dBf
36.1dBf
NAD Electronics International reserves the right to change specications or features without notice. NAD is a registered trademark of NAD Electronics
International. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form whatsoever without the written
permission of NAD Electronics International. © 08/07 NAD Electronics International.
www.NADelectronics.com
* Gross dimensions include volume knob / speaker terminals / connectors / feet.
Note: Installers should allow a minimum clearance of 2 - 4 inches for
wire management.