NAD Model 502
The NAD Model 502 is a single-disc CD player from the early-to-mid 1990s. The surviving record is thin. No production years, original price, dimensions or weight are documented anywhere in the archive's sources. What is known comes largely from period equipment listings and one manual reference.
The technical core, per NAD's own manual documentation, is a Philips CD mechanism paired with the company's multi-bit digital filter and bitstream D/A converter — a 1-bit MASH design with 18-bit resolution, per a HiFI-Stereo (July 1993, p.21) new-products note. That same listing described the 502 as a "no-frills design" with a five-pole analog output filter said to remove sampling artifacts. The manual specifies frequency response of 3Hz–20kHz ±0.5dB and a signal-to-noise ratio of 92dB. Outputs are a fixed pair of RCA analog jacks plus both optical (TOSLINK) and coaxial digital outs, and the front panel carries a 6.3mm headphone jack.
Later HiFI-Stereo equipment charts (February 1995, p.101; February 1996, p.61) add practical details: 21-track programming, direct track access, remote control, DC coupling, and NAD-Link multiroom jacks. The NAD-Link jacks suggest the 502 was designed to sit within NAD's broader system. The 1995 listing prices it at $299. There is one unresolved conflict. A forum reference mentions a Burr-Brown PCM-63 DAC, which contradicts the manual's Philips bitstream description. The manual is the more authoritative source, so the Philips design is the one recorded here. The forum claim remains unverified.
Known specs, in brief:
- Single-disc CD player, Philips CD mechanism
- 1-bit MASH D/A converter (Philips bitstream), 18-bit resolution
- Frequency response: 3Hz–20kHz ±0.5dB
- Signal-to-noise ratio: 92dB
- Outputs: fixed RCA pair, coaxial digital, optical (TOSLINK), 6.3mm headphone
- 21-track programming, direct track access, remote control, NAD-Link jacks
- Listed at $299 in a February 1995 dealer chart
No period review with listening impressions, no production timeline, and no service documentation have surfaced. If you own a 502 with its manual, the exact production span and distortion figures would be a welcome addition to this page.
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