C325BEE better than A70??

[matthewpiano]

The last couple of days I've been wondering if my system sounds a bit bass light. I'm no bass head but I do like to hear what is under pinning the music and I've been struggling to do so recently. So, having a day off today, I decided to play around and try my NAD C325BEE from my previous system in place of the Arcam A70 having never heard the NAD with the CD73 and the Tannoy speakers. Instantly the musical picture is better balanced and even the things I thought the A70 was good at, like soundstaging, seem better with the NAD. The system still sounds outstandingly natural but the amp seems to be driving and controlling the Tannoy's bass/mid driver so much more capably. Now I've got the superb top-end performance that the Tannoy's wideband tweeter provides but with more more defined bass supporting it. Low-end instruments don't sound like cardboard any more! Neither am I losing any of the Arcam's midrange finesse with vocals and the like. There is more air in the sound as well. The NAD certainly never sounded this good with the C521BEE as source and the Diamond 8.3s.
Does anybody else have any thoughts on this? Can a budget NAD really better a £530 Arcam? What sort of improvement could I expect if I sell the A70 and invest in a C355 or C352?

 

[crusaderlord]

I have owned a NAD C320BEE and demo'd a C325BEE and a C352. I have also owned a NAD CD player and an Arcam A70 and a CD73 so can give a direct comparison to go alongside your thoughts, although the speakers i have owned have been Cambridge S30's and the much much better Epos M5.....................
My own view was firstly that there was little noticable difference between the C320 and C325 (not a real surprise really). The C352 has more power that is certain and this can drive difficult speakers better but using the headphone socket i found again there was little difference to the C320. Through the speakers i actually felt i preferred the overall sound of the C320 over the C352 which was a slight surprise. The difference is not light and day though as you can get when moving from one manufacturer to another. All the NAD's for me are great amplifiers for the price....................
Now despite the auditions of the NAD's once i had bought an Arcam CD73 (a superb CD player) i chose an Arcam A70 amplifier to match it (i was swayed by the visual integration). Once i had settled the A70 in i did feel that it sounded a better quality than the NAD's and i got more overall detail and defenition from it with the Epos M5's. The headphone socket and the speakers had a better overall soundstage to me. However i will definately agree that it lost some bass punch that the NAD's are renouned for - although the bass notes were firmer and more defined with Arcam you lost some of the bass ambiance. This then becomes a listening preference and i think is more a characteristic of NAD at this price as i also tried various Cambridge Audio amplifiers and these were leaner in sound than the Arcam.............I will admit that after years using a NAD i was never entirely convinced by the A70 and so i can see why your NAD may seem a better listen if your music taste is similar to mine. When the Arcam FMJ prices came down recently i tried them out and now am delighted with the balance - all the detail and quality of an Arcam but with a better balance from the bass.............
If you are seeking an upgrade to go with the Arcam CD73 (which i love as a player) and you do like Arcam in general then the Arcam FMJ A32 i would happily recommend as better than any NAD we have mentioned here - you can get one for under £700 at the moment from Sevenoaks Hi-Fi if your budget allows. However NAD's are simply very good at their lower price backet if your budget is more limited.............
Lastly i did find a big improvement in the Arcam A70 / CD73 combination when i added in Chord Silverscreen speaker cable to replace QED Silver Anniversary as it brought out more bass. It is the overall combination of all the components thats tweaks the final result.

 

[plastic penguin]

I agree with crusaderlord, in the main, but bare in mind the A70 is a bit of a comprimize. It replaces the A65 + (which I have) and the A80.

The downsides are, as pointed out above, it lacks a little bottom end impact, even compared with A65. . .it sounds more organic or earthy, whereas the A70 is bit too refined (IMHO). The upside is you can bi-amp any of the DIVA power amps. There are always s/hand or ex-dem variations available of Ebay

Good luck.