Nad c326bee and Arcam mini solo

[admin_exported]

My opinion having owned them together:The Nad c326bee is punchier than the Arcam, clearer and more distinct. Better in every way except that it lacks much warmth compared to the Arcam Mini Solo. For some reason the Nad just seems to have next to no bass presence, whereas the little arcam is much more giving in this department.In terms of which is better.. it's so difficult to choose, I'd have to go with the Arcam. There must be an amp that's punchy like the Nad but with more bass presence?

Incidentally, I also had the Roksan Kandy MKIII at the same time. I thought it was worse than both- it had neither the warmth of the Arcam or the punchiness of the Nad.

So, any advice on what to try next, a perfect blend of the nad and the mini?

 

[d_a_n1979]

Whats the rest of your system (i.e. CDP, if you have/need one; speakers; speaker cable and interconnects)?

Also; what music do you listen to and what is your budget?

 

[matthewpiano]

No bass presence on the NAD????

What speakers are you using?

Something doesn't sound right to me!

 

[d_a_n1979]

matthewpiano:No bass presence on the NAD????

What speakers are you using?

Something doesn't sound right to me!

I was thinking that as well MP.

When I last heard the NAD it was driving B&W 685's and Dali Lektor 2's and there was more than enough bass! The 685's were being driven very well indeed!

 

[Anonymous]

yes, that's exactly what I thought as I a-b'd the Nad with the arcam- I was expecting the nad to be warmer and have more, better controlled bass than the little micro system. But not so. I'll try out the roksan and see what base it has in comparison..

I'm using b w 685's and a £120 technics cd player at the mo, getting a v dac shortly. can't pos be the cd player making that much difference can it?

So from your responses I'm guessing there isn't a 'perfect blend' of the nad with more bass, because consensus is that the nad should have the bass in the first place!

And in terms of budget.. well the roksan was £400 and i didn't really want to spend more than that, and of course the £200 odd of the nad is a much nicer idea- kind of depends on how much it would do the job tbh. If, for example, you were to come back and say the arcam a18 is the perfect blend i'm looking for, then I may stretch to it... or at least look for a second hand one..

cheers guys.

 

[matthewpiano]

Try the NAD C545BEE in place of your Technics. I reckon it will do just the trick and would represent a massive upgrade. I've got a V-DAC but the DAC in the NAD is substantially better.

 

[Anonymous]

d_a_n1979:Whats the rest of your system (i.e. CDP, if you have/need one; speakers; speaker cable and interconnects)?Also; what music do you listen to and what is your budget?

Oh, and my interconnect is van den hul MKIII hybrid, cable is monster cable and I listen to reggae, punk, rock, folk, kate bush, all sorts.

 

[Anonymous]

Ok, so I tried the cd player playing through the arcam so as to isolate the amp/preamp of the arcam vs the amp/preamp of the nad.

So the lack of bass went, the nad had more bass presence. But the Arcam still had that nice musical warmth- the lower mids seem to hang in the air and grace your ears for longer, know what i mean? Tempted to try an arcam separate amp. Can't use the cd player mattpiano unfortunately as most of my music is flac on my comp, so I need a usb dac.

 

[chebby]

You might find an Arcam integrated disappointing compared to the Solo-Mini. I did.

I owned the Solo-Mini for over a year (with a pair of Rega R3 speakers) and when looking to upgrade I naturally demo'ed the FMJ A18/CD17 combination and they were as dynamic as a wet paper bag.

The Arcam Solo-Mini is quite a suprising machine in many respects and punches above it's advertised power rating.

Try it with better speakers (keep to reasonably efficient ones) and see if that is a better upgrade. I know Rega RS3's work well with it.

 

[Anonymous]

chebby:
You might find an Arcam integrated disappointing compared to the Solo-Mini. I did.

I owned the Solo-Mini for over a year (with a pair of Rega R3 speakers) and when looking to upgrade I naturally demo'ed the FMJ A18/CD17 combination and they were as dynamic as a wet paper bag.

The Arcam Solo-Mini is quite a suprising machine in many respects and punches above it's advertised power rating.

Try it with better speakers (keep to reasonably efficient ones) and see if that is a better upgrade. I know Rega RS3's work well with it.

Yeh, i know what you mean, the solo mini is smooth and engaging, separates clinical in comparison. Thing is, most of my music is flac which the mini doesn't play, otherwise I'd stick with it. I just wish there was a separate that was like the mini, just more powerful.