NAD the infamous...

[Tatzmann]

900DR 4500 from 1994.

Bought this strictly as a platform for a custom built.

Got it for 400, which is around 100 too much in my book, but even here in Europe the 900DR go up in price, i looked for couple weeks and it seems like the people won't let them go as easily anymore, which doesn't make them any better imo.

Overall in decent shape after cleanup.



The pots were so bad that it was unusable, of course the seller sold as 100% working.

After a good pot/socket/jack cleaning the amp works good, and sounds like a 900DR.

The 4500 had Drakes, as opposed to Dagnalls in the 4100, but comparing them based on looks, they are built 100% the same.

Guts pretty unmolested. It has 2 little mods, the usual negative feedback dance and a little phaseinverter or presence change at R6.







The last 900 i bought was a MKiii last year, and to be honest, i think i prefer the DR's to it. Not by much though, very similar sounding at the end of the day.

 

[fitz]

HNAD!

Bought this strictly as a platform for a custom built.

What's the plan?

 

[Geeze]

I miss a 900! Had a 2500III I got in a trade and wished I'd kept it.

Russ

 

[Tatzmann]

What's the plan?

Something like the sdm/neil special which is a 1987+2204 style preamp. Bit of metalwork, like punching new holes for the valves bit further to the back and for couple more filtercaps. I'll leave the transformers where they are. Couple switchable gainmods probably just to make use of the low voltage winding since i never go much higher than preamp 7 on a 2204 anyways.

 

[ibmorjamn]

I miss a 900! Had a 2500III I got in a trade and wished I'd kept it.

Russ

I miss mine as well.

 

[ibmorjamn]

Something like the sdm/neil special which is a 1987+2204 style preamp. Bit of metalwork, like punching new holes for the valves bit further to the back and for couple more filtercaps. I'll leave the transformers where they are. Couple switchable gainmods probably just to make use of the low voltage winding since i never go much higher than preamp 7 on a 2204 anyways.

Wow, ambitious mods. I was under the impression that the 900 has a fair amount of gain with diode clipping that already exists. But I am merely a beginner.

 

[Up The Steen]

Those amps are great. Not sure why they get so much hate.

If you can't get a good sound out of one then it isn't the amp that's the problem.

 

[Tatzmann]

Those amps are great. Not sure why they get so much hate.

If you can't get a good sound out of one then it isn't the amp that's the problem.

Yeah sure. The string to string definition could be better when playing full chords. But sometimes it's not just about sound you know, to me as a tube amp lover the preamp circuit is kind off a disgrace. If i wanted to play Valvestate, i'd play a Valvestate. And i do even have an 8100 which frankly sounds little more refined then the 900DR preamp, but in the same vain.

On this 4500 the A channel sounds quite nice actually, little better then most DRs i had before, which were all 100watters. But it has 2 mods, if i got them all.