Harman Kardon HK 970 or NAD C352/C372
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New member Username: LuxendelPost Number: 1 Registered: Oct-07 | Hi all!! Thank u for this wonderful forum... Recently, I added two beautiful KEF iq7-speakers to my stuff: * DENON DCD 700 * Harman Kardon HK 970 amp. Many people say that I would have a better deal with those KEF iQ7 with an amp made by NAD, best would be either C352 or C372. Would it really be an actual improvement to my soundsystem in terms of listening... Right now, the bass is very rich and full, mids are nice, but the highs "could" be better... What would be the listening-difference between HK and NAD basically... PS: I do not want too loose that FAT BASS.... thanx LOU |
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Silver Member Username: Nickelbut10Post Number: 570 Registered: Jun-07 | Does your dealer carry NAD Thorsten? Is it possible you can demo one of the NAD amps at your place, and if you dont feel it is a upgrade to what you are hearing with the H/K return it? Thats what I would do. H/K and NAD are somewhat simular in the type of sound. NAD being a tad more warm and the H/K being a tad on the dark side. Both sound nice. Depends on which one you like better. |
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Platinum Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 11540 Registered: May-04 | . It would be impossible for us to decide which amplifier you might prefer. Is there a reason anyone has told you the switch from what you own would be worthwhile? Were they selling or just advising? |
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New member Username: LuxendelPost Number: 2 Registered: Oct-07 | Hi! Thank u very very much. I was LUCKY!!!! I went back to the Media Market where I recently bought the HK 970. Then I went to a HIGH-END store near my town in Germany. There I heard that they have a used NAD C 370 in stock. It is 5-6 years old and in awesome condition. The shop-owner completely checked it through and gave me 12 months warranty. I am now test-hearing the amp, but one thing I can already say: the stage presence is MUCH clearer. The bass tighter. I can "feel/hear" the instruments. I could not with the HK. Lets check out some more. I paid 450€ for the HK 970 and got that money back. The far-out NAD C 370 cost me just 20€ more...hehehehehe. So I think it is a very good deal. The shop-owner told not to worry about the used NAD. He said you cant kill them. I know people who own a NAD amp for 15-20 years without a single problem. So right now I am pretty happy. Also I heard that it is not so easy to finf a C 370. Many prefer this model over the new C 372.... Whatever...more Coheed and Cambria to test...LOL Love, Thorsten |
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New member Username: LuxendelPost Number: 3 Registered: Oct-07 | One more time humble me... I got no other choice than to place my cd-player right on top of the NAD -amp...some people say NOT to do this...but I now listened several hours and its not near "warm/hot"... Opinions? I am forced to do this by place-limitations... |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 8920 Registered: Dec-04 | Swap them around, Thor, put the amp on top...always. And add seperators with wooden play blocks of equal height. |
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Silver Member Username: Nickelbut10Post Number: 577 Registered: Jun-07 | Glad you can hear the different Thorsten, congrats. The 370 is a nice piece. Nuck is right, place the player on the bottom, to save on heating problems and the player will usually appear to sound a bit warmer with something on top of it. Cheers. |
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New member Username: LuxendelPost Number: 4 Registered: Oct-07 | @Nuck "And add seperators with wooden play blocks of equal height." I am a bit puzzled...what do you mean with this? How do I do this...me newbie... @Nuck & Nick K Thank you very much for this advice!! Honestly, I just listened to Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah" and some Nora Jones songs...I have NEVER in my life heard anything "musical" like this...I am overwhelmed....  |
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New member Username: LuxendelPost Number: 5 Registered: Oct-07 | By the way, the player is a shorter than the amp....  |
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Silver Member Username: Mike3Wylie, Tx USA Post Number: 806 Registered: May-06 | T.L. You may be reducing the lifespan of the amp by limiting the air circulation around it. CD players (not the Saturn) most often play better with weight atop them. This aids in reduction of vibration and minimizes distortion. The wooden blocks that Nuck mentioned can be had from a kid's game like Jenga or something. It also aids in isolation. If by shorter you meant the feet on the amp extend beyond the CD player, you can always put an mdf or bamboo cutting board between the two, with the wood blocks under the board. |
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Silver Member Username: Nickelbut10Post Number: 579 Registered: Jun-07 | Just wooden square blocks to place between your cd player and your amp. Or perhaps something like this: http://cgi.ebay.ca/AUDIO-ISOLATION-CONES-SPEAKER-SPIKES-COMPONENT-FEET-BIN_W0QQi temZ260169526182QQihZ016QQcategoryZ3283QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem I just bought 2 sets of these off this guy. Should be here Monday. Cheers. |
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New member Username: LuxendelPost Number: 6 Registered: Oct-07 | Good morning... Thank you all for your nice caring and good advices!!! Problem solved! See picture.... Love Thorsten  |
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New member Username: LuxendelPost Number: 7 Registered: Oct-07 | One thing more... About the lifespan of such a powerful built amp: Should I be worried about its lifespan? It is something +- 5 years old. It looks and sounds fantastic. One year warranty from the shop-owner.. Or should I give it back and buy a 372-one with full warranty... |
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Silver Member Username: Nickelbut10Post Number: 582 Registered: Jun-07 | For the price you got the 370, keep the 370. The 370 rocks. Post some pictures over under the speakers section in the SYSTEM PICS thread. Cheers. Looks good by the way. |
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New member Username: LuxendelPost Number: 8 Registered: Oct-07 | YEAH, man. This thing rocks. I heard from someone that he still has a NAD-amp for 15 years now. So it can last that long??? |
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Silver Member Username: Nickelbut10Post Number: 598 Registered: Jun-07 | They can last a very long time. I know people that still own the original 3020 integrated amp(their first piece of equipment ever) and they say it is still in perfect working order. |
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New member Username: LuxendelPost Number: 9 Registered: Oct-07 | Hi! I just added a subwoofer to the NAD-combo. I hope I plugged it in right... In the back of the amp are two pre-outs. Pre-out one is bridged with MAIN IN. So I only can connect the subwoofer to pre-out 2, which has a volume control. I connected it there and the sound is now INCREDIBLE. Does the amp now send the deep tunes to the subwoofer so that the speakers are "helped with"? Is the additional use of a subwoofer reducing the life-span of the amp? The subwoofer I own has an amp built-in. I can adjust the volume and the frequency on the subwoofer itself. Right now the volume of the sub is at 9 o'clock-position and man, it rocks the boat!!! I use this sub: http://nubert.de/webshop/pd-912313407.htm?defaultVariants=search0_EQ_Schwarz%20(Front%20Silber)_AND_{EOL}&categoryId=1 |
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New member Username: LuxendelPost Number: 10 Registered: Oct-07 | Sorry, again me. I mean with the "help with" in regards to the loudspeakers this: Does the amp now cut off the deep tunes for the speakers and sends them to the subwoofer? This would help the speakers in regards to their bass-reproduction, right? |
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Bronze Member Username: LuxendelPost Number: 11 Registered: Oct-07 | Oh right, sorry. I forgot: Its an ACTIVE subwoofer...so the amp is not "strained" too much, right? |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 9044 Registered: Dec-04 | TL, the sub is getting full range now, and so are the main speakers. No harm there. The sub will cross over at whatever frequency you choose, not affecting the mains at all. If you want to raise the FR to the mains, the sub should be able to do that, if my German is current(wink). But then you are putting the electrics of the sub in the path of your NAD control, which I dislike. The amp will not care that you are running the sub, this is just a signal for the NAD, and just what it is made for. Have fun! |
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Bronze Member Username: LuxendelPost Number: 12 Registered: Oct-07 | "If you want to raise the FR to the mains, the sub should be able to do that, if my German is current(wink)" Dear Nuck, thank you very much. What do you mean by this? Sorry, my hifi-knowledge is very poor.... |
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Bronze Member Username: LuxendelPost Number: 13 Registered: Oct-07 | "But then you are putting the electrics of the sub in the path of your NAD control, which I dislike. " Please also explain this to me...sorry. |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 9045 Registered: Dec-04 | Thor, if the sub has speaker outs which are controlled by the Frequency knob, then you can tailor the mains to a higher frequency, trying to integrate the roll-off, roll-in of the mains/sub. However, this puts the electrics of the sub into the circuit of the better NAD. I could not tell if your sub does this, however. |
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Bronze Member Username: LuxendelPost Number: 14 Registered: Oct-07 | Nuck, I see. Nope, I connected the sub via chinch to the amp. The sub has 2x High Freq-outs and 2 Low-Freq-outs. Then the mains work over the sub-amp, right? Nope, you are right. This I will not do. Thank u very much. |
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New member Username: AhantzaPost Number: 1 Registered: Nov-07 | I have recently bought a pair of Paradigm Studio 60 v3 speakers and I am in the process of selecting the amp. Any ideas on what's best to choose among Cambridge Audio CA-640A v2, NAD C352, Denon PMA-1500AE ,or Marantz PM-7001?? Music preference is jazz, rock and their fusion. |
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Bronze Member Username: LuxendelPost Number: 15 Registered: Oct-07 | Hmmm, since I am a newbie...hard for me to answer.... My NAD C 370 has a very wonderful sound. I have never heard anything like it... If you can find a C 370, BUY IT!!! If I would have to buy a new amp and if I could not find a NAD C370, I would FOR SURE buy the C 372. The money is then well spent. I had the Marantz PM-7001 KI-Version for 5-6 days. Pretty nice amp, but in my ears not NEAR the feet of the NAD C 370. Also I tested the smaller DENON, the 700 PMA. I was very disappointed. Too much treble, not much bass...compared to the NASD C370 =laughingstock. Buy either the C370 or C 372. |
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New member Username: AhantzaPost Number: 2 Registered: Nov-07 | There is certainly a money issue, as the C372 is almost double the price. I also thought the Denon was too weak and the Marantz too harsh - a bit of a screamer on the treble and not floating well on lower frequencies. But I 've read similar stories for the CA and the NAD - bad thing they are both China-made. |
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Bronze Member Username: LuxendelPost Number: 16 Registered: Oct-07 | Not a bad thing at all...why should it be??? The amp should be of nice quality. Like said, I would buy the C 372 or go hunting for a C370. |
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Bronze Member Username: LuxendelPost Number: 17 Registered: Oct-07 | I found one thing very fantastic!!! I found CD-R blanks, named "ultradisc". I couldnt believe my ears!!!! Incredible...MUCH better than even original-cds.... AWESOME!!!! http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/Reviews/Specific.aspx?ArticleId=11800&PageId=0 |
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