I recently auditioned both the 521 and 541i. I loved the 521, and
though I didn't test any HDCD discs, I thought the 521 sounded just as
good as its elder brother for red books. Moreover, you save two
hundred bucks.

And Arny would recommend that you buy yourself some good interconnects
and speaker cables with the money saved.

LOL.

Reinaldo Valenzuela wrote in message ...
Is there any (objective) evidence of perceptually detectable difference in going
from a CD player like the NAD521i to the better DAC & higher priced 541i?


I have a lot of respect for personal preference and choice.
I -prefer- to go by objective metrics.

Reinaldo