I auditioned the C325bee versus the NAD352, and CA 340. Couldn't tell much of a difference between the 325bee and the 352 (maybe a bit more depth with the 352, but it is pricier). The 325bee sounded less muddy than the 340, with more bass depth to it.

Strengths are as above:

I might add that it is 50 wpc, but I rarely ever have to turn it up past 10 O'clock to get to very loud (tolerable) levels, so I'm not sure how manufacturers rate the power of amps these days, but this will do fine volume wise in a medium size room (25 x 20 living room). Couple of other things I noticed were that at higher volumes, the music holds together very well, with the Onkyo when at higher volumes it would start to get harsh sounding. Same with low volumes, the music and the details don't get lost with the NAD even if its at background levels. Noise floor is excellent.

While looks is a matter of taste, I do like the minimalist look of the unit, and while the face of it is kind of a hard plastic (a little cheap looking), I notice that the kids fingerprints don't seem to stick to it, so it always looks fairly "clean" or not smudged.

Good remote, well laid out and sturdy. Lots of inputs, including front one for MP3 players. Tone controls perfect (not overdone).

I am sure there are better amps out there, but I and my budget haven't bothered to explore the next level, and don't feel the need to right now. For example, I wouldn't suggest this amp gets you perfect 3d imaging, but nonetheless this seems a great amp for the price. I listen 90% to music off of cds (not downloaded & burned, as I notice the sound quality dips) and can say paired with a half decent cd player, it really takes you a far notch in terms of sound quality above the "bestbuy HT receiver system and dvd-player-as-cd-player combo".

No phono stage input, for those that like that included.

For the remote, the volume increments could have been made more precise. Sometimes you can't get exactly how you want it with the remote.

I'd say so-so headphone output, so I tend to listen to headpones through the output of the cd player instead.

I have had the C325bee for a couple months now and can say I am very pleased with the performance of this integrated amp. Let me preface the review by noting it was an upgrade over a circa 1990 Onkyo TX 810 receiver, not a bad working receiver at all, just felt it was time for an upgrade. At any rate, the improvements to my listening experience that leapt out at me are summarized in order of noticeability as follows:

1. Overall greater presence and "liveliness" of the music (indie and brit rock mostly, some folk). On some well-produced recordings (ie, Police, Radiohead, Tori Amos), you very much feel as if it is live in the studio, whereas this did not occur with the Onkyo.
2. Bass presence heightened and more forceful, it just leaps out at you. With the Onkyo, to get a good bass sound, I had to turn the sub volume to 4-5 on the dial, with the NAD, I have to keep it at 2-3, otherwise the bass is overwhelming. I also noticed that my bookshelf speakers (admittedly budget Athena ASB1s, but pretty good sounding...see the reviews in this site) got a lot boomier with the NAD, as they are placed on a bookshelf and are rear ported. I've had to put a cloth in the ports to control them!
3. Drums much more lifelike, much more slam, more heightened than before. Cymbals more present and lifelike. Rolls and fills that are typically mixed more behind the main instruments get good air, and add to the vitality and propulsion of the music.
4. A Lot better detail extraction from the music and separation of instruments/voicals, especially during complex and busy musical passages.
5. Better soundstage. You can locate instruments, electronic found sounds, and multi-tracked vocals easily.

Similar Products Used:

Onkyo TX 810 (Circa 1990)
Sony Mini-CD System (avoid)
Being used with Marantz CD 5001 cd player

Great soundstage,& imaging.
Ample power for most situations,unless you are in a big room,or have big loudspeakers.

Can be a bit bright,but the tone controls help..

This amp is definitely a steal. plenty of power some to spare,as long as your loudspeakers are fairly easy to drive, (90 db or higher.)
The sound is clean and clear,with plenty of depth and imaging.
The tone controls are a nice feature,if you use them sparingly.
The 2-year warranty is nice. Some high-end compaines only give you a year,and you spend $2000.00.
I used it as a preamp with an B&K ST 1400 power amp and actually liked the sound of the NAD by itself better.
I've owned some pretty expensive gear over the years,(Bryston ,Audio Research, Classe, Arcam,)I won't say that this piece is a"last purchase",but it covers a lot of ground for so little,that you gotta love it!

Similar Products Used:

Arcam A-80

Certainly one of the best for the price. Very good balance, good, tight bass,
signal to noise very low, open midrange.

None.

Hi! I bough that 325bee two weeks ago. It remind me the Honda Civic in the price class.The Civic is not the best car on the market, but could be the best car for the price.Samething fot the Nad 325BEE. If you want absolutly the best, buy a Krell or Mark Levinson. But, for the price the nad is probably the best or one of the best integrated amp . My old amp was a nad 302. The 325bbe is faster, cleaner, mid more open, has 6 inputs without frills.However, be honest and don't try that Nad or any other brands with a bad speakers. Start with a good cd with a good sound engeneering and you'll see. Enjoy! Bye!

Similar Products Used:

Older Nad 302, Rotel RA-02

Accuracy, imaging, and clarity.

Overpowered midrange, weak bass, and hollow sounding at high volume.

I purchased the C325BEE based on very positive reviews of the C320BEE. They are basically the same amp except the 325 has a 3.5mm input jack for connecting mp3-type devices.

The setup:
I paired the C325BEE with an NAD525BEE CD player and some vintage Marantz Series 930 floor speakers. I left the tone controls on zero or neutral and began playing some music. The first CD was David Gilmore's About Face. I was certainly impressed with the vocal impact I was hearing. There seemed to be a very strong presence of frequencies around the 2-3kHz range. The highs were crisp, accurate, but not overly emphasized which is great on the ears. I was also picking up a lot more detail in the music than previously noticed. Musical notes were precise and imaging very good. The lows however were certainly a big disappointment for me. I'm well aware what my speakers are capable of and the NAD amp seemed to really lack the mustard. There is no bass authority with this amp. I tried many other artists including Muddy Waters, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, to name a few with similar results. At this point I had been listening at low to moderate levels. I threw in some BB King and cranked up the volume. The midrange became extremely over-pronounced and hollow sounding. It was very unpleasant.

When compared to my Marantz 170DC amplifier, well, there is no comparison.
I'm starting to wonder if the speakers were a poor choice for the NAD. I know they sound absolutely bliss with my Marantz amp, but maybe they just don't work that well with the NAD. I'm going to buy some PSB T55's to see if there is any improvement. Otherwise I'm very disappointed at this time.