Hi, has anyone got one of these amps or listened to one? I specifically need to know how it compares to the C370 which I know and love. I've heard that the lower frequencies aren't as well catered for on the newer amp, can anyone dispel such rumours?
I also saw the new and promising NAD C372 amplifier coming to the market. I looked at the C370 specs on NAD site but I have found that the NAD C372 from specs view is not much different from the NAD C370 amplifier. I also looked at the specs of new NAD C352 or C352CT and found many improvements. It is not 20 more watts but some new items that were taken from the C320BEE or the bigger C370 like: Power drive, pure class A preamplifier, and more that should make a real upgrade. Since I have the NAD C350 and did not find it to be a breakthrough over my Old and reliable NAD Monitor 7000 receiver I would like to have opinion of NAD C352 users.
Have listened to a few amps this afternoon, all using the Nad C542 cdp and running through B&W floorstanders. First up was the Marantz PM7200 - purely because I've heard good and bad things said about this amp and I wanted to try it for myself. Blimey, it was good. I've heard it said that it's a "bright" and "harsh" amp - not this afternoon it wasn't! I guess the source and speakers are important but I found it a lovely, warm sound. The bass response was good and you can run it in class A mode too, the difference being the treble opened up a bit more - I could hear a more realistic cymbal sound for instance. Cracking amp & obtainable for £250GBP which pits it against the Nad C320BEE and the Cambridge Azur 640A. In this set-up it was a clear winner in my book. Now then, on to the Nad gear which is the point of this "review" - the C352. This sounded bright and a little harsh after the Marantz but it is a different beast and after a few tracks I became embraced by the sound. The lower frequencies weren't quite as pronounced as the Marantz to these ears but there's no disputing the quality of the sound. The midrange especially was superb with vocals particularly lush. At 80w per channel this amp will drive all speakers it's likely to be paired with and the B&W's were no exception. A good amp. Now onto the C372, which incidentally I ended-up bringing home with me! I'm listening to it now and it's in my rack as a fully paid-up member. I have the C370 and was specifically wanting to find out if the C372 was any different.....and any better. It's certainly different. I was very pleased with my C370, the soundstage is fantastic with incredible bass drive and slam. The C372 is better, believe me. It's a more refined sound, with a far nicer midrange. First impressions listening at home (as opposed to the shop) are that the treble and bass range remain essentially the same as the previous model (possibly the bass is a little weaker???) but the sound of the midrange is much warmer and more dynamic. Bear in mind this is brand new and fresh out of the box so I will need to post a follow-up in a month or so but it sounds fantastic despite not being run-in yet. Back to the demo model in the shop, which was run-in, let me say that the power on tap is incredible. The bass was throbbing even at low volumes giving a much fuller sound. I often listen at low volumes late at night so this is a very important factor for me and the main reason I opted for the power of the C370 originally. Lots of people think powerful amps are there only for people who play music at neighbour-irritating (and ear wrecking) volumes....not so. Well not for me anyway! I can tell you that the extra power on tap makes a significant improvement to the sound at low to moderate volumes. I can't tell an improvement as such in this respect over the C370, the extra 30w a side doesn't seem to make that much difference, it's just the midrange that seems fuller and more detailed - but I doubt that's much to do with the extra wattage. Nad have tweaked the pre-amp stage, included different capacitors and the like and redesigned the tone circuitry so I think this has changed the sound rather than the 150w per side (as opposed to the C370's 120w) - still the resulting sound is amazing. The front panel is slightly better finished-off and the machine has a separate power cord, other than that it appears identical to the previous model. Oh yes, they've dropped the green button from the front and replaced it with a black one. Shame that! I associated that green button with the Nad brand but it appears they're dropping it from the range now.
Thanks for that excellent review Sun King. This question really hsould be better put on a previous thread comparing Nad320BEE with Azur640 but some some reason I cannot get the full thread to display!!
I have Gale 3030 and a cambridge DVD53 (which is actually a great CD player and has the hardware of many more expensive players!) I am in the £250 price range amp hunt. I am looking for a warm sounding amp with much better handling of bass at mid volumes-that warm 'frumph'. I am currently looking at NAD320BEE, Marantz PM7200 and Cambridge azur640. My favourite is the Marantz, just above the Cambridge (even though my CD is Cambridge) I feel that the NAD is rather bright and only really complements other NAD components such as CD players which are rather toned down. Does anybody agree/disagree?? I have not been able to listen to the two together. However, I have just found a Rotel RA01 for £129; screamingly cheap and highly regarded it seems. Is it worth the savings I could make, to have an amp with less power (in Wattage) but a better spec?? ( I realise I lose out on the Remote)
Well now I've found a NAD 370 ED for £229; so another one to add to the choice! This is difficult to get a listen of as it is discontinued, does anybody recommend this above the other choices at this price level??
I also note that the PM7200 gets extremely hot especially in Class A mode. I have to stack components above each other due to space. Does this influence matters, can others be placed safely under other components?
£229 sounds a cracking price and I'd be interested where you can get hold of one, ex-demo or brand new, I've been looking this evening and nobody seems to have any. I'd quite like another for my home cinema system to power the rears along with my own now redundant C370. The PM7200 does get hot but not so hot that you could fry an egg on it, as seems to be the case from some of the reviews! If you're concerned you could always stack the amp at the very top of your system - or put some form of spacers on the corners of the amp to give it a little more room in between your other separates. I certainly wouldn't miss-out on buying it just because it gets warm. To be fair, I'd say the C370 is the pick of the bunch but it's not so forgiving of certain types of music (rock for instance) and DOES show up any limitations on poor recordings. By that I don't mean cdr's, I mean poorly produced cd's....and with this amp you'll notice there are a hell of a lot of them! It was a £450 amp when current and the new C372 doesn't hammer it sound-wise (I've got both) - they're suitably different and I'm sure there are some people out there who prefer the older one. Let me know what you decide....and also where I can get another C370!
Reading your NAD C372 review lead me to the conclusion that the saying "you get what you pay for" still holds We all know that $1000 can buy a better amplifier than $500 and $2000 can buy probably more but many of us look for that miracle small audiophile budget amplifier "giants killer" Along the amplifiers audio history there was at least one such amplifier, I mean the legendary NAD 3020. I know because I still have the tuner version NAD 7020e, not in use now but I can do comparing tests. It served me wonderfully for about 10 years and was replaced by another NAD hit, NAD Monitor 7000 Receiver. Now I have the NAD C350 amplifier in main use, but I still look around to find something "better" I did not look around 10 years while using the NAD 7020e Receiver just listened to music. NAD and other manufactures make our life more complicated now not to mention the DVD-A SACD Anyhow, thanks for the comprehensive review
Well, I finally got a listen to the Marantz PM7200 & the Cambridge Azur640a with my speakers (Gale 3030). First off I used my CD player (which is actually a DVD player also- a Cambridge DVD53) and these amps showed up it's limitations so i switched to a Cambridge Azur540.
I was disappointed with the Marantz; the mid-tones were flat and even in A class it sounded muffled and appeared to lack a certain togetherness of the music- I tried Oasis, Kruder & Dorfmeister & Stevie Wonder btw. The Cambridge however was a different story; the sound from the two was warm & rounded, the bass tight but fulfilling. Shakermaker had that valve-amp brought to lazy life appeal. I thought I would need a sub-woofer to complete my setup but the Cambridge/Gale combo had morew then enough. Plus (a small point) the remote is classy and conrols both pieces of kit beautifully, turning both on together, and turns one on if the other is already on.
So, The 640a it was and the CDplayer will follow as funds allow. Apparently the new Azur DVD and AVreceiver are supposed to be the dogs nads for this price range also.....
I've bought an ex-demo C370 to add to my collection. Interesting re the Marantz. It really does depend on your source and speakers as to which amp you get along with, you'd be amazed at how different they can sound. I tried the 640A in my system and found it bland. The bass wasn't that extended and the midrange was a bit dull, just sounded like a regular amp - nothing special. That was on MY system though. You obviously found otherwise! I did like the heavy remote though! I prefer amp remotes if you've got the same brand cdp, otherwise they're a bit too big and clumsy just to adjust the volume.
Yes, I bought one after demoing it in the shop and initially liking it. Once I got it home and had given it 30 hours' listening I decided that I preferred the C370. Nothing untoward, I gave a review liking it (based on listening in the shop) but then changed my mind after extended listening at home with my own speakers etc. If you notice the dates on my posts you'll see that the ones where I say I LIKE the C372 come before the ones where I then state that I prefer the C370! Just goes to show that you should always try to get a home demo or failing that take your own speakers to the shop if they don't have them in.