CE Pro January 2023 - 61

plification most people will
need, along with processing,
signal switching and more.
But AVRs do have their
limits, and for many discerning
listeners there is
something special about
using separate components
(preamplifiers and amplifiers)
that receivers can't duplicate.
The OSD Audio Nero
amps, if you'll pardon the
pun, amplify those qualities.
That includes more headroom,
as well as increased
dynamics, more weight and
punch, and of course, more
raw power.
My initial listening impressions
were very good
with the amps and the sonic
quality of those sessions
improved over time as the
amps broke in. Straight from
the box, I thought the amps
were full sounding with a
lot of bottom-end weight
and there was a nice level of
smooth higher frequencies.
I found the sound differences
from using the Integra
receiver by itself were noticeable.
The DRX-3.4 is a
terrific 9.2-channel immersive
audio AVR that more
than meets my needs but
having the additional power
that's afforded through the
use of the OSD Audio Nero
amps makes for a more
enveloping, more visceral
home theater experience.
Moreover, I thought the increased
power from an audiophile
perspective helped
to improve the imaging
capabilities of my system,
particularly with music.
Later as I did more
listening with the OSD
Audio Nero-XA3200 and
cepro.com
Nero-XA7180 I found that I
would characterize the amps
sound leaning toward the
" lean " side of the midrange
spectrum.
Citing some specific content
I thought sounded really
good through the OSD amps,
over the summer I enjoyed
the Netflix series The Sandman
in Dolby Atmos and the
movie Jack Reacher from
Prime Video in a 5.1 surround
mix. I thought the combination
of the OSD amps' fast
transients and wide dynamics
made the Netflix series
sound really immersive.
I'll add that I think the
amps may deliver even more
dynamics than what I was
hearing. What I mean is lisbeing
used to the refinement
that Dirac provides.
I'll add though, while not
perfect the live end/dead
end design of my 12-x-23foot
listening space is pretty
good overall without the
benefit of equalization.
The only thing that I
encountered that could be
a knock about the amplifiers
was one of the blue LED
indicator lights on the XA7180
had stopped working.
I did double check to see if
the channel had gone out
and it did not - the channel
was still working fine
- so it's only the blue LED.
Interestingly, the orange
standby indicator for the
channel kept working fine.
My guess is that I had an
early production sample and
maybe the quality of the
LEDs weren't up to OSD's
usual standards due to supply
chain issues - the amps
were sent to me during the
beginning of the summer.
As I mentioned, OSD
Audio initially launched with
outdoor audio and then
The amps feature Dirac
room equalization
technology.
tening to the system's use of
the Dirac room equalization
technology, while improving
the overall presentation of
the system, did " feel " like
it was limiting some of its
dynamic capabilities. I point
this out only because I
don't recall feeling that way
in the past when I've had
components in my system
that include Dirac. The
compression sound I was
hearing could just be me not
whole-house audio products.
As it's moved into home theater,
the company has maintained
the core values that
allowed it to grow from each
of those aforementioned
categories: Solid build quality,
nice levels of performance
and good overall value.
The new Audio Nero-XA3200
and Nero-XA7180
multichannel
amplifiers continue this
pattern and the Nero amps
should add fun and value to
any home theater installation
that requires robust,
affordable amplification.
SPECS
OSD Audio Nero
Amplifiers
Nero-XA3200 is a
3-channel amp rated to
produce 165 watts into
8 ohms
Nero-XA7180 is a
7-channel amp rated to
produce 130 watts into
8 ohms
OSD Audio's Nero line of
home theater products
employs Class H circuit
design
Amplifiers provide
a choice of RCA
(unbalanced) and XLR
(balanced) inputs
OSD Audio points out
the amps also come with
options such as 12-volt
triggers and auto signal
sensing
MSRPs vary
osdaudio.com
CE PRO
VERDICT
PROS:
Amps exude a robust build
quality
OSD Audio's Nero
products deliver plenty of
effortless power
Neutral tonality that is
highlighted by clear dialog
CONS:
Industrial design is
conservative; it may not
be flashy for some people
The OSD Nero amplifiers
are heavy, care should be
taken for safety purposes
January 2023 CE Pro | 61
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CE Pro January 2023

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