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matthewpiano

matthewpiano

Well-known member
Nov 23, 2007
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MUSIC.

Thanks to a very helpful Richer Sounds I now have a NAD C326BEE sitting on my rack where the Cambridge 650A was and I'm already hearing far more of the sound I want to hear.

I just couldn't live with the 650A, even after nearly a month of time for adjustment. Too sterile and analytical. Very good if you like that sort of thing, but definitively not for me, and my very last dalliance with the Cambridge Audio sound.

I'll report back after more listening to the NAD, but early signs are that I've ended up with a far more musical sound AND some change left in my pocket.
 
Nice one. Sometimes I can't believe how long I put up with my old amp before discovering the NAD. I love it and it will probably be the last thing that I upgrade (even if it does only have 2 volumes; off and loud).
 
matthewpiano:MUSIC.

Hi Matthew,

Good for you, cos that's what it's all about. Good choice by the way, hope the NAD is there to stay.
 
Good choice.

I helped my mum buy some kit a year or so back and the first thing she heard was Cambridge stuff and she thought it was OK, but I was really not convinced, so suggested the guy in the shop put on some NAD stuff in the same price bracket ... and she was amazed at how different it sounded - considering it was the same price ..... she had not understood that such a difference could exist!

That's what she ended up buying....
 
I am still a NAD fan and despite some upgrading over the last few years I have hung onto a C320 BEE amplifier which i use in a small cellar office.
 
I so hope that this works out for you Matthew. I have had quite a few hifi changes this year. Most recently my Goldrings. As I was flicking between Noise Reduction on and off it dawned on me, I am quite happy with both sounds. NR on is brighter than off, but so what.

Ever since I joined the forum, you have gone through long periods of 'upgrade' or is it 'change' and then you have been 'happy' and then 'not happy'. Yet throught that time I have wholly changed my system. I have moved from traditional hifi, to using a Bose Sounddock and an ipod, to going all headfi and to PC based music and all the way through, I have been happy with the sound. My only issue was crackling with itunes on the PC. That was solved by using Spotify instead.

All I can say is that I appear to be less critical of sound quality, do not need to extract the nth degree of sound quality and regard most upgrades as changes. Do you think that you could do the same with your present setup? It will make you happier.
 
I pulled out my old nad 3020i when i got a turntable and fell in love with it all over again. such a nice listen, not to demanding yet great detail. so much nicer than using the CA 540R for stereo. It is an old one and i would replace it with another nad in a heartbeat when it goes.
 
idc:All I can say is that I appear to be less critical of sound quality, do not need to extract the nth degree of sound quality and regard most upgrades as changes. Do you think that you could do the same with your present setup? It will make you happier.uncle idc all upgrades are necessarily changes and for the better too

an upgrade that sounds worse is a downgrade
 
jaxwired:You know what I think. Great choice! How about some pics?

I fully intend to post some system pics as soon as I've had chance to tidy up a bit and once the C545BEE CD player is set-up as well...
 
well done Matthew ... took you a while to sort out an amp you really enjoy! ...

Is the NAD good with all genres/types of music?
 
Brilliant! Now you just play about with cables and suchlike when you feel the need to tinker. Good news indeed.
 
ear:have you realised you now have a very budget amp and very budget speakers?

LOL, no offence, but the point of this is what?

My amp cost me £33 delivered. Sounds great. Not the last word in hifi, but a pretty decent statement for music. I'm looking around for another amp, not new as there's nothing out there beyond the Yamaha AS700 under £500 I want, and I can't justify spending more to get the sound I'm after.

Q Acoustics kit is good stuff; there's another thread on here from a forumite who picked up some 1050i floorstanders and is blown away by the quality. The company are formed from some good stock - I understand one of their guys was out of Mission from its' heyday and they're part of a pretty successful group (Armour Home).

So let's see - an amp from a legendary company, speakers from a company that're making waves with great quality and well regarded speakers for a good price...the problem is what? It cost less than £5000? I think I could live with that.
 
matthewpiano:MUSIC. Thanks to a very helpful Richer Sounds I now have a NAD C326BEE sitting on my rack where the Cambridge 650A was and I'm already hearing far more of the sound I want to hear. I just couldn't live with the 650A, even after nearly a month of time for adjustment. Too sterile and analytical. Very good if you like that sort of thing, but definitively not for me, and my very last dalliance with the Cambridge Audio sound. I'll report back after more listening to the NAD, but early signs are that I've ended up with a far more musical sound AND some change left in my pocket.

Well done, matey. Phew, that was some adventure - the Nad is a very good choice, by the way.....
emotion-4.gif


All you have to do now you've found the right amp is: ENJOY THE MUSIC!
emotion-5.gif
 
Hope it gives you a lot of enjoyment!I certainly find with my C352 that I'm not thinking about the sound, just enjoying the music. The NAD seems to do well across so many musical genres too. From delicate baroque ensembles to belting out rock.
 
ear:have you realised you now have a very budget amp and very budget speakers?

You missed out the very budget CD player (NAD C545BEE) that I've also purchased.

I also have a very budget bank account that can't stand me flogging it with overly expensive kit.

All this 'budget', 'mid-range', 'high end' stuff really doesn't bother me. I've had some pretty expensive kit that has done absolutely nothing for me except to keep me going on this ridiculous merry-go-round.

The system is making music first and foremost, and that is good enough for me.
 
So Matthew, is this Nad also good with the more 'complex' types of music you listen to ...

if I remember correctly, you were very happy with the Pioneer A400 initially, then after a week or so, stated that it could not handle complex music?
 
matthewpiano:ear:have you realised you now have a very budget amp and very budget speakers? You missed out the very budget CD player (NAD C545BEE) that I've also purchased. I also have a very budget bank account that can't stand me flogging it with overly expensive kit. All this 'budget', 'mid-range', 'high end' stuff really doesn't bother me. I've had some pretty expensive kit that has done absolutely nothing for me except to keep me going on this ridiculous merry-go-round. The system is making music first and foremost, and that is good enough for me.

Exactly what I meant!
 
ear:have you realised you now have a very budget amp and very budget speakers?as if that matters!

I'm another person who couldn't get rid of their 320bee, its just in hibernation.
 
ear:
matthewpiano:ear:have you realised you now have a very budget amp and very budget speakers? You missed out the very budget CD player (NAD C545BEE) that I've also purchased. I also have a very budget bank account that can't stand me flogging it with overly expensive kit. All this 'budget', 'mid-range', 'high end' stuff really doesn't bother me. I've had some pretty expensive kit that has done absolutely nothing for me except to keep me going on this ridiculous merry-go-round. The system is making music first and foremost, and that is good enough for me.

Exactly what I meant!

Cool. 🙂
 
dim_span:
So Matthew, is this Nad also good with the more 'complex' types of music you listen to ...

if I remember correctly, you were very happy with the Pioneer A400 initially, then after a week or so, stated that it could not handle complex music?

Yes. It is very catholic in its musical taste!

Seriously, unlike the 650A which was good with pop music but tiring with big orchestral works, the NAD seems very even handed in its approach to different music. It keeps all the strands going clearly in a big orchestral piece but without veering into stridency. The midrange is also much more fluid so voices really live and breathe between the speakers.
 
matthewpiano:dim_span:

So Matthew, is this Nad also good with the more 'complex' types of music you listen to ...

if I remember correctly, you were very happy with the Pioneer A400 initially, then after a week or so, stated that it could not handle complex music?

Yes. It is very catholic in its musical taste! Seriously, unlike the 650A which was good with pop music but tiring with big orchestral works, the NAD seems very even handed in its approach to different music. It keeps all the strands going clearly in a big orchestral piece but without veering into stridency. The midrange is also much more fluid so voices really live and breathe between the speakers.

cool ... glad it's working for you, but out of curiosity, give us a few examples of cd's which caused a prob when using the Pioneer A400 and CA amps?.... would love to test these on my amps/setups
 
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