The mid to late 1980’s saw a transition toward cheaper less robust audio components mostly made of plastic. During that transition there were some interesting receivers made by companies such as NAD. This NAD 7140 receiver is a good example. Produced from around 1983/84 through late 1989 is is a high quality stereo that moved away from the shiny brushed aluminum faceplates and beveled knobs so popular in the 1970’s and very early 1980’s. It retailed for $478.00.
The build quality and circuit design is excellent and, best of all, it can accommodate tape, phono and CD. The phono input can be switched from MM to MC as well. The rating of 80 watts per channel is conservative and NAD’s amp circuit is designed with a lot of headroom. There is a switch on the back to adjust for speaker impedance and the 7140 will provide 40 watts per channel at 2, 4, and 8 ohms.
NAD also utilizes what they call Soft Clipping. It is also controlled by a switch on the back panel. Soft Clipping limits the waveform when the amplifier is driven beyond its capacity thereby reducing harshness and distortion at high volume levels.
The Bass EQ button provides a 6dB boost at 32Hz for speakers lacking that extra punch. NAD explains their Infrasonic Filtering control as follows:
Infrasonic filtering is included to eliminate signal contamination from turntable rumble, record warps, tonearm/stylus resonances, vibration and acoustic feedback. This guarantees the cleanest possible handling of signals within the audible range and eliminates the excessive woofer-cone excursions that can cause inter modulation distortion and muddy bass in systems with-out filtering.
The IF can be turned off via the Infra Defeat button on the front panel.
The NAD 7140 entered the market at the beginning of the Compact Disc era and was designed with the CD in mind. Its 102 dB signal to noise ratio and 3 dB of IHF Dynamic Headroom allow undistorted reproduction of transient bursts from CD’s or digitally recorded sources.
The 7140’s FM tuner is fantastic and the AM tuner isn’t bad either. Overall it’s just a great receiver.
One stereo reviewer said:
The performance of the NAD 7140 is difficult to criticize. In fact, it is so outstanding, in so many respects, that there is a real danger of our lapsing into fulsome praise instead of offering genuine criticism. Let us say only that its FM tuner is one of the most sensitive we have had the pleasure of using-in a meaningful sense, such as its exceptional stereo 50-dB quieting sensitivity. The signal-to-noise ratio is also exceptional. The tuner’s other characteristics are equally impressive, ranging from good to outstanding, and it had no weaknesses that we could discover. Even the AM section had an unusually wide and flat response.
The stereo measures 16 1/2 inches wide, 13 3/4 inches deep, and 4 inches high, and weighs in at just over 20 pounds.
Overall the NAD 7140 is a great receiver. It is built well and can accommodate multiple input sources. If you want to run a CD player, a turntable and even a reel to reel and still have an AUX input open for an MP3 player then the NAD 7140 may be for you. It has had some issues with the digital display failing but this can be fixed.
One of the nice aspects of the 7140 is that it isn’t very expensive. Even fully restored units sell for very reasonable prices.
I have a NAD 7140 and the volume dropped and will not get the full sound even if the volume knob is turned full blast what could that problem be and where can I send it to get repaired? With the volume knob Turn full blast I can get some sound.
Hi Reginald – did you ever find a solution for your NAD 7140?
I have a 7130 which I absolutely loved until it lost volume output (apart from a very faint sound at high volume) just before Christmas. I’ve sprayed contact cleaner everywhere, but am at a loss where else to look. I’d love to be able to resurrect this amp rather than bin it.
Many thanks
Pat
I just looked at this page because I am going to servicing one of these soon. Reginald, I would be willing to service yours. It could be any number of things that can cause low output, but I’m sure it’s fixable. I’m located in WI.
Hi Erik –
I have a 7130 which I absolutely loved until it lost volume output (apart from a very faint sound at high volume) just before Christmas. I’ve sprayed contact cleaner everywhere, but am at a loss where else to look. I can’t afford any servicing costs, and my skills with a multimeter are somewhat limited, but if it’s potentially something reasonably straightforward if I’d love to be able to resurrect this amp rather than bin it.
Many thanks for any advice you could offer.
Pat
Hey are you still Servicing the NAD 7140s ? I have acquired one that everything works great but I’m sure with its age it needs to be completely serviced . And I also have at least 4 vintage pioneers that need attention also. My name is Ron if you can help me just send me a message and thank you and have a good day
Erik, I am in Madison and I have a 7140 that doesn’t seem to have power anymore. If you can email me at I’d love to get a quote, if you do that sort of thing.
Thank you for all this great information on the NAD 7140.
My NAD won’t push sound, after reading your information on this page I have decided to repair! Love my NAD
Hi Cyndi – did you ever find a solution for your NAD 7140?
I have a 7130 which I absolutely loved until it lost volume output (apart from a very faint sound at high volume) just before Christmas. I’ve sprayed contact cleaner everywhere, but am at a loss where else to look. I’d love to be able to resurrect this amp rather than bin it.
Many thanks
Pat
Release the “low level” switch on the front panel. Full volume will return. Ha I’m sure you know this. Just making sure. Best of luck
I picked up my NAD 7140 about 3 weeks ago and I can find no fault in it’s performance. I listen predominantly to vinyl and I find the phono stage is top notch. Easily as good as the Denon I had been running. I run stacked Large Advents so the NAD’s 2 ohm capability was a big draw for me. I won’t be looking for another receiver anytime soon. And if this one fails I’ll definitely have it repaired or find another like it.
I have a 7140,great unit.I have always been a fan of NAD with their no-nonsense build quality,thoughtful circuit designs and affordable pricing.I have a 3020 integrated amp also that I love.
the nad 7140 is truly a masterpiece! I dare ya,put it up against any high end receiver and youll always go back to the nad. clean and simple was the philosophy.they also are built to last for decades.kef and infinity speakers really show it it off.
I also have a NAD 7140. I actually found mine in the trash. When I first turned it on I could barely hear it, I pushed the loudness button and holly molly the sound was so load I was afraid I would damage the speakers. I have been using it now for ten plus years and thoroughly enjoy it. I believe with better speakers and cd transport it would be fantastic. My speakers are jamo coronet 40 IV’s and the transport is a older Sony 300 disc changer. My tv is connected as well as a Apple TV module. I tread the day it gives up the ghost.
I just picked up a NAD 7140 from a friend that said it wasn’t working properly. I found that the problem is the AM, FM button. When I press it the screen flickers on and off, sometimes after I press it the screen stays on and sometimes it stays off. I am somewhat technically inclined, is there an easy fix for this because everything else on the receiver works perfectly or am I just not going to be able to use the AM/FM function. Any input is appreciated
My NAD 7140 has powered every Church Rummage Sale and Community Market for 10 years, is flawless, and can cover a football field! Love It!
I had mine since early 1990’s. I was working at Radio shack when a lady walked in to purchase one of our stereo receivers. she bought the most expensive one that day from me. She asked me to bring it to the car for her because of its weight. She gave me her broken receiver (NAD 7140). Took it home to see what the problem was. My friend saw there was a blown fuse. Still have it and use it often.
I used radio shack contact cleaning spray on all the knobs and switches and buttons. I opened the machine and pulled off any knobs and buttons that were removable. Turned all the knobs and pressed all the buttons many times to get out the corrosion. still works great.
Bought my 7140 from a friend in 1989. Used it as a receiver for many years and then as a power amp when I got a whole house system. It’s still working well.
what actually does the mono button do?, simply layer the stereo tracks on one channel and the send it to both channels? does it make a stereo mix actually as good as mono,? Think Beatles Rubber Soul stereo vs mono
I still have a 7140 (not currently used), the only problems I had with it:
1) It had a cold solder joint that turned up right after I got it home (1983, right after high school graduation), I took it to the store and the tech resoldered it, no problems with it afterwards. I’m not sure what problem the joint caused but I think it was either that it prevented power up or prevented the speaker anti pop circuit from running
2) the ganged volume knob resulted in one channel being slightly lower in volume but it was only obvious as low volume. NAD should have tested the volume and tweaked the ganged pots relative positions in the factory but I suspect the pots are preattached when they get them.
3) the speaker outputs only allow for bare wire and banana plugs, I only used bare wire but someone might want spades. This was caused by the single slot shield around the lugs
A great receiver. You can’t get this kind of quality today without ging seperates. Purchased mine in 1987 and still works to this day as part of my home theatre.
I have the similar 7220PE since new and love it. I have a TV is connected by an outboard optical to RCA converter to the ‘video’ inputs and Alexa is connected to the ‘cd’ inputs. FM still works great. All sound terrific with Paradigm Atom 2 speakers – really good match. Makes a great ‘multimedia’ setup. The weak point is the power switch. I found one on ebay for about 20 bucks and now it sounds like new again.
This fine receiver’s rated power spec is not 80W but is as corrected in the next sentence, 40W (as in the name).
Lots of headroom, of course, yes, so effectively a meaningless spec.
For best performance even w difficult loads and low impedances, be sure to leave soft clipping OFF and leave the impedance switch set to 8z, NOT lower.
In a medium home office at ~4′ from speakers, a single 7140 easily drove 4 mid-sensitivity 4-6z speakers plus a sub, all *in parallel* and all massively LF-EQed, to ~85dBspl broadband with 96dBspl solid peaks at 36Hz (Copland Symphony 3, BSO, live recorded broadcast; bass drum for the 36Hz). I was surprised even though I have lived with this beast for 4 years.
Its 40 watts per channel. With the two channels, that equals 80 watts.
of course be sure to spray your unit down, working or not, with deoxit, all switches and all knobs, while working them
Le mien fonctionne encore en avril 2021 et le son est excellent pour un appareil aussi vieux.
Just acquired a 7175 and it powers on but produces no sound through speakers or headphones. There seems to be no audible click or buzz (like my 7220) when I push the power button. Is there a quick and/or easy fix for this or is this a job for a repair shop?
Same as for me. Our 7140 was working perf well, then was put on a shelve for 6 years. Try to put IT in Ops again, but no sound on any Channel. I sent IT to the doc. Will see after XMass
I believe the production of 7140 started in 1983 or 84.
I have a NAD 7240PE purchased in 1986 that is excellent. I will be moving to Europe and will be taking it, but I’d like to change the AM tuning step from North America’s 1000kHz to Europe’s 900kHz. I have the original owner’s manual, but there is no explanation. I believe it is some combination of the front panel buttons, but I cannot find that combination. Can anyone assist?