NAD 118 Digital Preamplifier (c.1997–1999)

The NAD 118 is a digital preamplifier from the late 1990s. Audio reviewed it in August 1997 (p.64) and HiFI-Stereo in November 1997 (p.68). It looks a lot like the earlier processor-oriented components from Apt and dbx. It has six independently activated processing functions, which include bass adjustment, plus DSP options for balance, mono and polarity inversion. One trick comes from the dbx school of thought: it can partially undo compression on radio broadcasts. HiFI-Stereo (November 1997, p.73) called this a practical benefit for FM listeners.

Source selection is two rows of four buttons - one row for analog inputs, one for digital - labeled Disc, Tuner and so forth. You can select from the front panel or from the supplied remote. The same review said the owner's manual was extensive but full of typographical errors and convoluted writing. A signal-flow chart would have helped.

Price at introduction was $699. The system remote works with most NAD tape decks and CD players from the same period.