NAD T 778 (All version)

•   In The Box
•   Overview
•   Pros and Cons
•   Audio Section
•   Video Section
•   Multi-zone Playback
•   Inputs and Outputs
•   Specifications

NAD T 778 was introduced in 2020 and represents a current flagship model of a manufacturer. It is equipped with 9 channel amplifier with 140 W (8 Ω, 1% THD, 2 channel driven) power per channel and is capable of 11.2 maximum channel processing. It supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, passes 4K/60Hz video signal.

We evaluated the a/v receiver and gave 90 overall score out of 100. Our ranking system is based on the amplifier specifications, audio and video features, connectivity, multizone capabilities, radio and many other details.

In this section we present pros and cons of NAD T 778.

9 channel Hybrid Digital Amplifier

NAD T 778 features 9 channel power amplifier. It is rated at 140 W (8 Ω, 1% THD, 2 channel driven) and is able to drive 4 ohm speakers.

• Toroidal Transformer: NAD T 778 has a toroidal transformer which in general costs several times more than a regular C-core transformer and radiates less electromagnetic noise outside its donut shaped core.

Speaker Configurations

NAD T 778's 9 channel amplifier can be assigned for different speaker configurations.

• Dolby Atmos Configurations: The following speaker configurations are supported for Dolby Atmos:
5.2.2, 5.2.4, 7.2.2 with internal amplifier.
7.2.4 with addition of external 2 channel amplifier.
• DTS:X Configurations: The speaker configurations for DTS:X are the same as for Dolby Atmos:
5.2.2, 5.2.4, 7.2.2 with internal amplifier.
7.2.4 with addition of external 2 channel amplifier.
• Configurations without height channels: There are also other speaker configurations available which do not include height channels:
5.2, 7.2 with internal amplifier.
• Bi-Amp: You can bi-amp front left and right speakers. During bi-amplification two amplifiers are used for one speaker. One amplifier powers the midrange and tweeter section of the speaker and another amplifier powers the low frequency woofers. Each amplifier is less loaded and performs better. In order to use this feature speakers must have 2 pairs of connectors.

Dolby Atmos

NAD T 778 supports Dolby Atmos. It is a cinematic audio format in which sounds exist as individual entities, called audio objects. In Dolby Atmos, any sound can exist as an independent audio object, free of channel restrictions. They can be precisely placed and moved anywhere in your room, including overhead, to flow above and around you in three-dimensional space. Through the use of audio objects, overhead sound, and all the richness, clarity, and power of Dolby sound, Dolby Atmos turns your room into an amazing place for entertainment. The format supports up to 128 simultaneous independent audio objects in a mix for rich, realistic, and breathtaking sound. It recreates the director's original concept through descriptive metadata to provide customized playback for home theater and delivers sounds above you through overhead speakers, special upward-firing Dolby Atmos speakers, or a Dolby Atmos enabled sound bar.

• Dolby Surround Upmixer: If the content is not mixed in Dolby Atmos then the Dolby surround upmixer will expand the audio to all channels including ceiling speakers. The upmixer has replaced the Dolby Pro Logic II family with improved upmixing algorithms.

DTS:X

NAD T 778 supports DTS:X. A technique used in DTS:X is similar to the one used in Dolby Atmos. Instead of a fixed number of channels, DTS:X defines object locations from the listener in polar coordinates. An a/v receiver then dynamically renders sound according to the current speaker configuration. The speaker layout employed by DTS:X is the sum of Dolby Atmos and Auro-3D. It has standard 7.1 channel base layer, a 5 channel height layer above the base layer on the front and side walls, and 3 rows of speakers on the ceiling.

• DTS Neural:X: DTS Neural:X is an advanced upmixer that can take non DTS:X content and upmix it to the DTS:X speaker layout. It has replaced the DTS Neo family with improved flexibility.
• DTS Dialog Control: This function adjusts the dialog levels during playback of the DTS:X stream. It allows you to separately increase the dialog levels in contrast with the background sound and hear dialog easily even under noisy circumstances.

Enhanced Audio Return Channel (eARC)

Audio Return Channel (ARC) feature allows the compatible TV to send audio signal to the a/v receiver through the same HDMI cable which is used to send audio and video signals to the TV. So one HDMI cable is used to transfer audio signal in both directions. New Enhanced ARC will support uncompressed audio formats such as Dolby Atmos, DTS:X, Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio whereas the previous ARC could support only Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS, DTS HD, and PCM.

Sound Processing

Room Calibration

NAD T 778 comes with Dirac Live™ room correction system and includes the calibration microphone.

• Dirac Live: The interaction between your sound system and the physical layout of your room has a huge impact on sound quality. Dirac Live™ Room Correction applies state-of-the-art, patented algorithms to analyze and digitally reduce room impact and enhance speaker performance. Dirac Live delivers a larger sweet spot, accurate staging, clarity, voice intelligibility, and a deeper, tighter bass not otherwise possible. Fully tunable to your preference.

HDMI

NAD T 778 features 6 HDMI inputs. It has 2 outputs which work parallelly and output the same signal.

• 4K/60Hz Passthrough: All inputs pass up to 4K 50/60Hz 4:4:4 video signal.
• BT.2020 Color Space: BT.2020 or Rec. 2020 is a color standard which delivers a wider color gamut compared to Rec. 709. It covers approximately 75% of the total visual spectrum while the Rec. 709 covers only 35%.
• HDCP 2.2 Copy Protection: All inputs and outputs are HDCP 2.2 compliant which is a requirement for 4K/HDR copy-protected content transmission.
• 3D Ready: NAD T 778 is able to pass 3D video through HDMI.

HDR (High Dynamic Range)

NAD T 778 supports HDR (high dynamic range) video formats such as HDR10, Dolby Vision and Hybrid Log-Gamma. High dynamic range video has greater dynamic range than standard dynamic range (SDR) video with brighter whites and deeper blacks. The result is greater contrast and more details in dark and bright areas, better color and depth.

• HDR10: HDR10 uses the wide-gamut Rec. 2020 color space. It sends static metadata via video stream to the TV which calibrates its screen brightness and color according to that. HDR10 supports 10-bit color which corresponds to 1024 shades of the primary RGB colors. It is technically limited to a maximum of 10,000 nits peak brightness, however common HDR10 contents are mastered with peak brightness from 1,000 to 4,000 nits.
• Dolby Vision: Dolby Vision is a set of technologies developed by Dolby Laboratories for high dynamic range (HDR) video. It covers content creation, distribution, and playback. Like HDR10+, it includes dynamic metadata that are used to adjust and optimize each frame of the HDR video to the consumer display's capabilities in a way specified by the content creator. Dolby Vision allows for a maximum resolution of 8K up to 12-bit color depth, maximum peak brightness of 10,000 nits and a color gamut up to Rec. 2020. It uses Dolby's proprietary dynamic metadata defined in SMPTE ST 2094-10.
• Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG): The Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG) is a transfer function developed mainly for HDR live video feed and over-the-air broadcasts. It is an HDR format that uses BT.2020 color primaries and a bitdepth of 10-bit. It is backward compatible with the transfer function of SDR and is designed to be better-suited for television broadcasting, where the metadata required for other HDR formats is not backward compatible with non-HDR displays. HLG defines a non-linear optical-electro transfer function, in which the lower half of the signal values use a gamma curve and the upper half of the signal values use a logarithmic curve.

NAD T 778 offers multi-zone playback which allows you to play different input sources in 2 different rooms.

Zone 2

• Powered Zone 2: You can use the unit's 2 amplifier channels by connecting Zone 2 speakers directly to the speaker terminals. The remaining 7 channels will be left for main zone amplification.
• Audio Pre Output: If you have a dedicated power amplifier for Zone 2 you can connect it to the a/v receiver via pre outs and control volume from the a/v receiver.

Audio

• Phono Input: There is an MM phono input with built-in phono stage for connecting the moving magnet cartridge output of the turntable directly to the a/v receiver.
• Analog Pre-Outs: NAD T 778 has 11.2 preamplifier outputs which allow you to connect the a/v receiver to the external power amplifier. You may want to use a high quality external amplifier for certain channels, usually for front L/R and center, and use the a/v receiver to power the rest. Also, NAD T 778 has 11 channel processing but has only 9 channel amplifier, so it needs the external amplifier connected to the analog pre-outs in order to reach the maximum speaker configuration.
• Analog Line Inputs: There are 2 line inputs for analog audio connection.
• Digital Inputs: 2 optical inputs and 2 coaxial inputs are available for digital audio connection.
• Headphone Output: There is a 6.3 mm (1/4") headphone output jack on the front panel.

Video

• HDMI:
Inputs: 6 (1 front)   Outputs: 2 (simultaneous)
8K Inputs: 0

Here we list all the available features and specifications of NAD T 778.

BASICS
Brand	NAD
Model	T 778
Type	A/V Receiver
Country	All
Release Year	2020

AMPLIFIER
Channels	9.2
Front Wide Channel Support
Amplifier	Hybrid Digital Amplifier Technology
THX™ Certification
Continuous 6 Ω Rated
Certified 4 Ω Performance
Bi-amp Capability

AUDIO
Maximum Channel Processing	11.2
Air Studios Monitor Certification
Dolby Atmos	up to 7.1.4
Dolby Atmos Height Virtualization
Dolby Atmos Music
Dolby TrueHD
Dolby Digital Plus
Dolby Surround Upmixer
Dolby Pro Logic
DTS:X	up to 7.1.4
DTS Neural:X
DTS Virtual:X
DTS Neo
DTS-HD Master Audio
DTS-HD High Resolution Audio
DTS 96/24
IMAX Enhanced
Auro 3D with Auro-Matic Upmixer
MQA Decoding
PCM	2-ch/Multi-ch Input
Music Playback via USB	MP3, AAC, WMA, OGG, FLAC, ALAC, WMA-L, MQA, WAV, AIFF
High Resolution Music Playback via USB and/or Network	up to 192 kHz
High Resolution Audio Formats via USB	FLAC, WAV, AIFF
Multi-Channel Music File Playback via USB
Gapless Playback
DSD via HDMI
DSD via USB
USB DAC
DTS Dialog Control
Dialog Enhancement
Dialog Level Adjustment
Dialog Normalization
Dialogue Lift
Audyssey Dynamic EQ
Audyssey Dynamic Volume
Audyssey LFC
Audyssey Sub EQ HT
Audyssey DSX
Direct Mode
Independent Subwoofer Outputs

CALIBRATION
Auto Speaker Calibration System with Mic.	Dirac Live™

VIDEO
Enhanced ARC
HDCP Version	2.2
HDR10
HDR10+
Dynamic HDR
Dolby Vision
HLG (Hybrid Log Gamma)
BT.2020 color space
QMS (Quick Media Switching)
ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode)
VRR (Variable Refresh Rate)
QFT (Quick Frame transport)
DSC (Display Stream Compression)
3-D Ready
Video Signal Passthrough	up to 4K 50/60Hz 4:4:4
Video Signal Upscaling
isf Certified Calibration Control

CONNECTIVITY
FireConnect
FlareConnect
BluOS
Chromecast Built-In
DTS Play-Fi
Works with Amazon Alexa
Google assistant
Apple Siri
Works with SONOS
AirPlay	AirPlay 2
Apple Product Connection	iPod, iPhone and iPad
Remote App	free BluOS controller app for iOS and Android devices
Ethernet
Ethernet Switch
Wi-Fi	via dongle
Bluetooth	via USB micro adapter
HDMI Inputs	6 (1 front)
HDMI Outputs	2 (simultaneous)
8K Inputs
USB Input	2
Analog Audio Line Input	2
Analog Audio Line Output
Phono Input
Optical Inputs	2
Optical Outputs
Coaxial Inputs	2
Composite Video Input
Composite Video Output
S-Video Input
S-Video Output
Component Video Input
Component Video Output
PC In
Multi-Channel Input
Analog Pre-Outs	11.2
XLR Inputs
XLR Pre-outs
Front A/V Inputs	HDMI, USB
Speaker A/B
Headphone Out	6.3 mm (1/4")

ZONES
Zones	2
Powered Zones	2
Zone 2 Outs	Pre Out
RS-232C Interface
+12V Trigger Output	3
Remote (IR) Input/Output	1 / 3

MISC
Control4 SDDP
Display	LCD touch panel
Remote Controller	HTR 8
Detachable Power Cord

RADIO
Analog Tuner
Digital Radio
Internet Radio	TuneIn, iHeartRadio, Calm Radio, Radio Paradise, Slacker Radio
Pandora
Spotify
Tidal
Deezer
Napster
SiriusXM Internet Radio

CONSTRUCTION
Advanced Direct Construction	Modular Design
Speaker Terminals	9
Large Speaker Terminals	9
Gold plated RCA terminals

POWER
Power Supply	AC 100-240 V, 50/60 Hz
Toroidal Transformer
Power Consumption	700 W
Standby Power	0.5 W

GENERAL
Dimensions (W x H x D)	435 mm x 140 mm x 430 mm 17-3/16" x 5-9/16" x 16-15/16"
Weight	12.1 kg (26.7 lbs)
Weight of Package	15.5 kg (34.2 lbs)
Warranty	2 Years

SPECS
Power Output (8 Ω, 1 kHz, 2	140 W (1% THD)
Power Output (4 Ω, 1 kHz, 2	170 W (1% THD)
Multi Channel Simultaneous Drive (8 Ω, 1 kHz, 1.0%)	9 x 85 W (19.3dBW) (20 Hz - 20 kHz, all channels driven, 4 Ω and 8 Ω)
Dynamic Power per Channel (4 Ω, Front)	280 W
Dynamic Power per Channel (8 Ω, Front)	165 W
THD	0.08% (20 Hz-20 kHz, rated power) 0.03% (20 Hz-20 kHz, 1/3 power)
Damping Factor	300 (20 Hz - 1 kHz, 8 Ω)
Input Sensitivity and Impedance (Line)	Amplifier Section: 1.12 V (ref. 8 Ω, VOL at 0 dB for 85 W) Preamplifier Section: 245 mVrms (ref. 2V)
Input Sensitivity and Impedance (Phono MM)	6.2 mVrms (2V output)
Maximum Input Sensitivity (Phono)	90 mVrms (1 kHz)
Maximum Preout Level and Impedance	4.5 Vrms
S/N Ratio (Line, IHF-A)	Amplifier Section: 100 dB (ref. rated power at 8 Ω, A-WTD) Preamplifier Section: 100dB (ref. 2V, A-WTD)
S/N Ratio (Line, EIA, at 1 W (1 kHz))	Amplifier Section: 85 dB (ref. 1W at 8 Ω, A-WTD)
S/N Ratio (Phono MM, IHF-A)	80 dB (2Vrms, A-WTD)
Frequency Response (Analog In)	Amplifier Section: ±0.3 dB/-0.8 dB (ref. 1kHz, 20 Hz - 20 kHz) Preamplifier Section: ±0.5dB (ref. 20 Hz - 20 kHz)

* - 480i/576i and 480p/576p only
** - 480i/576i only
*** - no 1080p/24 upconversion
**** - 1080p signal is not converted