Picked up my new C162 yesterday, along with some AKG 601 headphones. So I plugged in the 601s to hear how the preamp alone sounds...and it sounds sweet!
I know some have called the NAD sound 'warm', but perhaps that applies more to the amps than the preamp, because IMO NAD has created a perfectly balanced sound in the pre -- still bright and very detailed, but not harsh nor 'zingy'.
I listened to Bruce Cockburn's 'Speechless' album -- all acoustic guitar -- and it was almost like he was in the room. Great stuff.
I'm going to buy the C272 and some other NAD gear...does anyone have any interconnect recommendations for NAD? That's next!
Personally, I like Audioquest. I ran those through an all NAD system and thought it had great synergy. I don't have much experience with anything else in my own system though.
Stay away from Monster. When I A/B'ed a few different ones against Audioquest King Cobras and Copperheads, they weren't even close.
Also keep in mind that in cables, price doesn't have a lot to do with sound quality. Just because a cable is more expensive than the next one doesn't mean it'll be better. While this is true with everything, it's significantly more obvious with cables.