Time my Nad c320 bee got replaced I think...

Gamefreak501

Gamefreak501

Gamefreak501

Soldato
Joined
7 Aug 2003
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Bedfordshire
Hey everyone,

I've had my Nad c320 bee for around 8 years, and it's had an intermittent fault for a while - I think it's a bad solder joint or something.

I had a look, around 2-3 years ago, heated up the circuit board with a spot light and it got going, but today, it has failed in this manner 3 times.

First of all, I get a little whisper, it becomes an audible whisper at around 8 o clock from 2m away. I usually listen to it at around 8 o clock, very close to minimum because I have neighbours and I can hear it no problem.

At 12 o clock, when my ears should be splitting, it sounds like a tinny radio.

After a certain amount of time (it is getting longer now) it crackles a few times, the audio goes, comes back, it crackles some more and then it gets going.

With this being an intermittent problem and getting more and more annoyed with it, I think it's time I replaced it.

This originally costed me £179.99 or something. I'm now looking at a budget of up to £350 for the amplifier and I have been out of the audio/visual scene for quite a while.

I currently have Mordaunt Short MS308 subwoofer, pair of Heybrook HB150 standmounts, a PURE DRX-701ES for DAB, a Marantz CD 65 II for CDs and a Sony Blu-ray player for movies plumbed into my Nad by phono.

I'm not looking for much on a specification side and I'm wondering if an AV amp may now be more future proof than a stereo amp?

I would like for the replacement amplifier to have a dedicated sub-woofer out.

I don't listen at very high levels, so a rating of at least 40w a channel is probably fine for me.

As it stands, I have my subwoofer using high-level connectors to the Nad and then my subwoofer feeds my standmount speakers, but doesn't have to be turned on in order to work, it's quite messy but it works.

A tidier solution would be my preference though.

All help greatly appreciated,

Kind regards,

David
 
The most obvious choice would be is to buy a Nad AV receiver, Second hand though as the most basic Nad AV receivers are about £800 new.

Other choice would be to pick up a 2nd hand Arcam AVR250/280/300/350 off the auction site.
 
A Hi-Fi amp is like a scalpel to the Swiss Army Knife of an AV amp. Now don't get me wrong, a Swiss Army Knife is a damned useful tool when it comes to clipping your nails or getting stones out of a horses hoof. But would you really want a surgeon coming at you with one?

If you'd rate your priorities as a 9 or 10 for are surround sound and a wide variety of inputs, but only a 2 or 3 for Hi-Fi sound quality then get an AV amp. But if you still want Hi-Fi sound quality then buy a new scalpel. :D

The advice to look for a s/h ARCAM AVR is good. They're the closest you will get to Hi-Fi performance from a piece of AV kit at under £1000
 
May your NAD rest in piece after many years loyal service. Those NAD amps are built like tanks - my 340 is still alive and well. You can now get them for buttons on eBay second hand by the way if the thought of spending a lot at this time is unappealing.
 
Many thanks for your replies all.

I think the threat of replacing my c320 made it work on the button..but it still wants replacing really.

I like the look of the Arcam AVR series, I have a few on my watch list so I'll see how they go, I would have also added a few Nad av amps for good measure, but there seems little about at the moment!

I appreciate everyones help here,

Many thanks once again and kind regards,

David
 
Think carefully about how much you value the stereo quality. If you're buying new then £350 is not likely to get you an AV amp that sounds as good as your NAD playing music through two channels, so it will be a downgrade in that respect.

I suspect the fact that it's playing up will put you off the second hand market but if not you can get some serious integrated amp for £200-250 second hand. Similarly if you're after an AV amp but can do without HDMI switching the pre-HDMI stuff from years ago have plummeted in value, yet are still superb from a sound quality position. £300 will likely get you something that cost well over a grand 3-5 years ago.
 
Many thanks for your reply Ste,

Annoyingly, my Nad c320 bee is now working...but it will go funny again, it's just when.

Difficult decisions to make...and stereo does sound good.

Perhaps I need to be realistic and sensible - at the end of the day, I will not be able to fully appreciate, or utilise a 7.1 av amp with just a pair of stereo speakers and subwoofer. Plus my bedroom where I live evenings and most weekends is not going to fit a 7.1 speaker set up or let such a set-up really sing...it's just too small.

I will also need to budget for at least the other 5 speakers if I keep them, or the whole 7.1 setup if I decide to have two different systems - and I will need the room and I don't have either at present.

Perhaps the multi-channel market is something I can look at when I move out, hopefully later this year? Maybe I need to now look at the integrated amplifiers more (both secondary market and brand new market)?

I wonder if this makes sense?

I bet I'll still snap up one of those multi-channels if they come up at the right price!

All help greatly appreciated.

Kind regards,

David
 
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