jazzman

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
3.67 of 5, 3.00 votes

Price Paid:  $360.00 from H Audio

Summary:
An excellent product - there is nothing better within $100, and it has qualities to match many amps under $1K. This is an amazingly refined amp, and has plenty of current to offer.

Strengths:
Refinement Bass Price

Weaknesses:
Build Quality is a little flimsy

shadyave

Overall Rating
 2 of 5

Value Rating
 3 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Visitors rate this review
3.29 of 5, 7.00 votes

Price Paid:  $329.00 from Elegant Audio (Inter

Summary:
I have the 320CBEE. It replaced a mid-range Kenwood receiver, thus it obviously sounds wonderfully better than what I had. As an avid collector of LPS, the first concern was the lack of a phono pre-amp. This was fairly easily solved with adding the separate NAD pre-amp. The amp has plenty of power and seems well matched with the equipment that I have. This includes some very vintage but deep and warm sounding Dynaco AR-35 speakers I've had for 20 years. I tried it with a pair of new Wharfedales, but the sound with that combination was definitely too bright with tinny bass. Surprising, it has been its best with a used Denon TU280 tuner I picked up almost as an afterthought. The improvement with the tuner and this amp is light years ahead of my old receiver. Have not upgraded my Philips CD player yet, but the sound is extremely clear, again a big improvement over what came before. It also matches well with the DVD and TV (as long as one is ok with just two channels, which is perfectly fine for me). The match with the pre-amp is ok, but I was surprised that one has to boost the volume when I play LPs. Perhaps that is more of an issue with the pre-amp. The turntable I use is another museum piece - a Connoiseur BD2A, with a Shure V15VxMR cartridge. So once the volume is boosted, LPs are sharp and clear. The loud volume is just an annoying surprise when I forget to turn it back down when switching to CD. (Given the finnicky nature of the volume knob makes this a more noticable problem). As others have mentioned, the knobs are a bit clunky, especially the volume knob that is too sensitive, especially when using the remote. Also there is on odd double click one has to do when switching inputs using the panel buttons. It happens mostly when I have just turned on the unit, and I am making the initial input selection. Once its warmed up, this does not happen. My biggest beef - and what sent me on a long unsuccessful odyssey with the dealer is that the power transformer hums. It's not terribly loud, but easily noticed if one is close to the amp and during soft music (such as 3/4 of the classical LPs I have). The fact that the hum is roughly at the frequency of a mosquito does not add to the joy. I see another reviewer has noted this hum too, and that it might be a harmonic problem with the cabinet that some fiddling with the cabinet might fix. Tightening screws did not make it go away for me however. I spoke with the dealer, but never got a straight answer, if this is an endemic problem in this model, or just my particular unit. After a month of phone calls and inventive responses from the dealer, I was finally allowed to ship the item back to the him for repair or exchange. Alas, the exchange did not happen, as the amp came back to me with new tape on the box, but the same old hum. Well I guess the solution is maybe to pack the whole amp into a soundproof cabinet, or never sit closer than within 7 or 8 feet of it. As long as one is outside of the range of the transformer hum, what comes out from the speakers is very very good. Fortunately the hum doesn't come across over the speakers. Nor is there any hiss. I think the bottom line, it's got some flaws but ok for the money. However, I would suggest that you hear the exact unit you will be buying, to avoid getting a hummer. Or, if buying on-line go with a dealer who has track record for reliability, and a proven sincere exchange/repair policy (a lesson that I have learned the hard way). If I had a unit that did not hum, I would have given it at least one higher rating in both categories.

Strengths:
Plenty of power. Great sound for well under $400. Solid enough that it can be shipped four times by UPS without parts falling off.

Weaknesses:
Annoying transformer hum. Having to double click panel buttons.

Similar Products Used:
Adcon.

jlawmi

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
3 Months to 1 year

Visitors rate this review
4.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $400.00 from overture audio

Summary:
for $400 , this is an amazing amp. (320 bee) I've heard higher end stuff, like arcam, larger NAD, adcom, anthem, and rotel etc. If you have more cash, go ahead and use it. This amplifier easily competes at the $1000 level or more. Loads of power beyond it's ratings. Drives my ref 80's with no problems. defeatable tone controls are a nice option for those poorly mixed records... You won't be disappointed unless you really wanted to spend 1k or more...

Strengths:
solid, distortion, coloration free power.

Weaknesses:
none

Similar Products Used:
arcam 65, rotel, higher end nad

ckcspice

Overall Rating
 1 of 5

Value Rating
 1 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
1.44 of 5, 48.00 votes

Price Paid:  $400.00 from singapore

Summary:
i was alwiz led by hifi magazines 2 believe that NAD is the way 2 go 4 quality sound n budget..i was fooled 4 a few months i have 2 admit...after a few months with the 320BEE i was sick of the sound...disgusted even...it was givin me a sound tat bugged me..bright, harsh, boomy uncontrolled bass, unnatural...yes u all may b thinkin wat does this guy expect from such a budget machine...well, i got a rega brio now..its retails for 70 pounds more which is not a lot..n i reckon every single penny spent if i had bought the brio initialy n not the NAD is well worth it.. wat i m tryin 2 say is tat do not let journalism corrupt u...NAD is not as good as it is cheap...slightly costlier models provide u with much more quality sound...i say this cos i had a NAD 541i cd player as well...again, few months down the road i changed it 2 an arcam cd 72...which is also only 70 pounds more expensive...but honestly the sound is ten fold as impressive as the NAD's... doubt me??...hate me??...go ahead...have a listen 2 some of the other makes at around the same price...i assure u will not b disappointed...i felt so dumb when i changed my entire setup..i sold every NAD off 3 months after buying them...incurred a whopping 70% loss!!!...if u r wantin 2 buy NAD, please dont..trust me...go audition other brands...i m just like anyone of u out there...tryin 2 get the best bang outa my buck...dun work 4 rega nor arcam...so dun buy now n regret...make sure u get it right the 1st time...n ur upgrade path 2 higher end components can b delayed...TRUST ME!!...

Strengths:
r u kidding??...afta 3 months i felt like killing the NAD dealer n throwin away my kit...but i m a poor guy so i had 2 sell eerything off for a small fraction of wat i bought those NAD stuff..yucksss

Weaknesses:
everythin u can think of when u accept the fact that 4 a little bit more money, u can get so much more quality sound n build...its a RIP OFF...

Similar Products Used:
rega brio arcam cd 72 both r exceptional components 4 their price (which is only a little more expensive than the NAD's)

Price Paid:  $580.00

Summary:
This review is for a C320BEE. What can i say, this amp has blown me away! It performs well above its rated 50W RMS power rating. And thanks to ISC in NAD's PowerDrive design, it can handle complex loads without breaking a sweat. Of course, having good specs on paper would mean NOTHING if it wasn't backed up by real-world performance, which is the case with so many other amps these days. Rest assured, the little NAD delivers. Once it has been given a chance in break in (about 30h play time, patience is a virtue!), the C320BEE shines. Paired with a NAD C521BEE CD player (review coming soon) and Vifa-driven DIY monitors you can expect supurb imaging that makes it sound like the band is in the room with you. Theres also an excellent sense of depth to music which makes it any type of music far more enjoyable. The C320BEE does its best not to add colouration to music. What's on the recording is what you get. This may be a good or bad thing depending on your preference. Feature wise, the C320BEE is well specified for an entry level product. Included is a single PreOut\Main In, Infrared In\Out, NAD compatible remote, 12V trigger, defeatable tone controls, 7 inputs including 2 tape loops (all gold plated) and NAD's own "Soft Clipping" protection. I must say its simple design is dead sexy in the Titanium finish (sorry, can't get it in North America) Downsides? The only one I can think of is the fact that it can get pretty hot in intensive use. A good rack or placing it on the top of a stack sorts this out however. Highly Recommended for a budget system.

Strengths:
+ Performs well above its 50W rating + Excellent image and sense of space + PreOut\Main In allows an upgrade path + Useful tone controls (at last!) + Sexy Titanium finish

Weaknesses:
- Can get hot when used for long periods - Only one ser of binding posts (Who REALLY needs two?) - So damn addictive I havent left my room for a while!

Similar Products Used:
Nothing worth mentioning here.