gasolin said:
Power wise they are just not the same as there regular amp
Unfortunately at this price point you can't have everything. NAD do some much more powerful digital amps, but they cost.
The C326 BEE is part of my main system. It's been in production for a good few years, but it's a very good amplifier. Integrated amplifiers were well estebalished decades ago, so a design that is a few years old is still a bit of a spring chicken IMO.
The C326 runs pretty hot and it's normal for this amplifier. Personally I think it's combination of on paper specs, 7 line inputs, a set of pre outs and sub outs make it a very versatile hub for any system. It also has an excellent headphone output. I would say it's the best amplifier under £500 personally. I really like the tone defeat being available on the remote control too.
An external DAC can be always utilised for digital duties, so the D3020 etc... Isn't really a worthy of being considered as a replacement IMO as it lacks so much else that the C326 has.
Also the What Hi Fi review for the C326 BEE is utter nonsense as far as I'm concerned. Complete twadle based on what someone decided to make up to write about. "Boxers heavy bag" WTF?!
The amp has a flat responce of +/- 0.2db so this "bass heavy" tonal balance they waffle about is fabricated too. It sounds nothing other than well balanced. It's an excellent amp you should get a lot of enjoyment from it, I've had mine for 3 years and won't be changing it ever.