NAD amp with knobs

[Highfive]

Hi
Recently I bought the NAD 328 (2x 50w) and 379 (2x 80w) amplifiers. Although especially the 379 is a very impressive power house, there are no controls on the machine! While at the 379 tone control and balance can only be adjusted in the menu. The 328 has none! Where are the knobs?? Am I the only one missing these hardware controls?

Another thing is the A/B speaker switch that seems to have disappeared from any modern and affordable amplifier. Yes, on the 379 you can connect 4 speakers, but NAD forgot to design a speaker switch…

Has anyone advice on NAD amps that have controls for balance/tone AND also A/B speaker options?

 

[nopiano]

At the risk of seeming rude, it has never been easier to do a bit of research on line. Did you really not realise what you were buying?

My advice is take your time. 🙂

Welcome to the forum.

 

[Integralista]

I agree, I like those nobs too. Normaly I do not even need remote control for the amp or my two turntables😂. I do not buy amps without proper manual nobs on their facade.

 

[Noddy]

Having owned a Chord Mojo and Arcam Solo Movie, I choose traditional knobs over buttons and menus anyday. The Mojo is a failed design IMO, looks great, hard to use.

 

[Jasonovich]

I hate this everything on your mobile or reliance on it.
Give me knobs any time. Sorry wasn't referring to myself 😂

 

[RoA]

Having owned a Chord Mojo and Arcam Solo Movie, I choose traditional knobs over buttons and menus anyday. The Mojo is a failed design IMO, looks great, hard to use.

I find the Mojo (2) a brilliant device. Kudos to Chord for being different. It is very easy to get the hang of it after a short time. The only time I found it difficult is to gauge the right output/db for Hifi system (not headphone) use. Pressing both volume buttons apparently fixes it to 3v out but that seems a little hot so I adjust down.

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

Many hifi amps lack tone controls - the theory being that they are a corruption in the signal path. Whether it would be audible, who knows - but I guess if you are trying to design something to be the best it can be?

The idea is that you match it with speakers that fit the room, rather than compensating for ill-matched speakers by ramping bass up or down.

Speaker switching does seem like rather an oversight.

 

[Noddy]

Where are the knobs?? Am I the only one missing these hardware controls?

This might be obvious, but the reason for touch sensitive controls and buttons is cost reduction. Selection dials are more expensive. I worked for a company making displays used in cars, and having a display for several functions such as air con is cheaper than lots of buttons. The display itself isn’t cheap, but assembly is much quicker. And of course if you already have a display for the entertainment system, why not also use it for air con and other functiona. They were also developing fake buttons, and sliders. You would slide your finger along a groove in a screen, and the system would detect your finger motion using a capacitance grid.

 

[matthewpianist]

Yamaha, Marantz and Denon have all stuck with traditional controls on their amplifiers, and they are as good as anything else in my experience.

 

[Al ears]

Yamaha, Marantz and Denon have all stuck with traditional controls on their amplifiers, and they are as good as anything else in my experience.

Agreed. Mine does too, however many manufacturers will also include a defeat button which will bypass the tone controls circuits which seems a good idea, this negates any possibility of signal path corruption.

 

[Gray]

Agreed. Mine does too, however many manufacturers will also include a defeat button which will bypass the tone controls circuits which seems a good idea, this negates any possibility of signal path corruption.

If only they all did Al.
On several older Marantz amps, it was the defeat switch itself that caused real audible problems, (often reported by users on this forum).
The signal got degraded by the switch intended to eliminate degredation.

No tone controls, no defeat switch necessary, no signal depredation - but (some) people want tone controls......

 

[Al ears]

If only they all did Al.
On several older Marantz amps, it was the defeat switch itself that caused real audible problems, (often reported by users on this forum).
The signal got degraded by the switch intended to eliminate degredation.

No tone controls, no defeat switch necessary, no signal depredation - but (some) people want tone controls......

True. If you want a pure amplifier then tone controls are pointless. Luckily I only require one to have a balance control which many don't have.
I'd be worried by anyone who could get a Source Direct switch to function properly as wonder what the rest of their switches are like....

 

[daytona600]

we all need knobs

 

[RoA]

we all need knobs
View attachment 8080

 

[Gray]

we all need knobs
View attachment 8080

What sort of sadist does that to their knob?

 

[GroeneLeeuw]

What sort of sadist does that to their knob?

Exactly, a sadist does!

 

[Jasonovich]

we all need knobs
View attachment 8080

It must have hurt!

 

[Al ears]

What sort of sadist does that to their knob?

It's certainly one way to screw the resale value....

 

[RJW232]

Tone controls are quite useless. They always impact the frequency spectrum without problems and can't solve frequency problems that do exist. In a properly set up system, you don't need it. And a properly setup system is a system that matches the listening room. The traditional bass and treble controls used to have a function in the era where loudspeakers were not as good as today or good loudspeakers were simply too expensive. With the stuff that's on the market today, for very reasonable prices, there's always something that fits the room.

 

[Al ears]

Tone controls are quite useless. They always impact the frequency spectrum without problems and can't solve frequency problems that do exist. In a properly set up system, you don't need it. And a properly setup system is a system that matches the listening room. The traditional bass and treble controls used to have a function in the era where loudspeakers were not as good as today or good loudspeakers were simply too expensive. With the stuff that's on the market today, for very reasonable prices, there's always something that fits the room.

Makes you wonder then why so many hark on about the benefits of DSP and amplification of today.
Tone controls, when properly implemented, will obviously have a benefit to those whose hearing or room set-up is not quite ideal.