NAD C 350 Intregrated Amp, should i buy it? (1 Viewer)

[Mike Borbakov]

i did my research and read the reviews. this sounds exactly like what i want. im having trouble finding somewhere online to buy this from though. any suggestions?
and please let me know what u guys think of this amp, it looks like a great buy for me, im not into home theater so i just want 2 channel stereo sound, and this sounds like a great amp to do it. please give me your comments on it, and if you know where i could get one for under 350 please tell me. thanks

 

[Saurav]

I have its older brother, the C340, and it's everything it's made out to be. It replaced an entry-level Onkyo stereo receiver (TX-8211) which was also 50 wpc (that's the wattage of the C340), and the NAD was so much better, it wasn't even funny.
I don't know where you can find it online for that price. It turns up on eBay every now and then, both used and new. I know I checked out some online dealers who carry NAD gear, but I can't remember the sites.

 

[Ray Tsui]

Tryhttp://www.qaudio.com/ and getting a quote. Seems to have competitive prices.

 

[KeithH]

Mike, did you read my post about the NAD C 350 in your Harman/Kardon HK 3470 thread? Sound City in New Jersey sells NAD products by mail at discounted prices. They are an authorized NAD dealer, but they do not sell NAD gear online. You have to call them. The list price for the C 350 is $430, but I got it from them for $325. Give them a call at 1-800-370-3156.
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[Mike Borbakov]

keith: yeah i saw your other post and i got the # saved. thanks for the info. but im lookin around for other places to buy it too just in case. and was it 325 + shipping or was it 325 with the shipping included? yeah, i checked the page, no nad stuff. but i wouldnt mind calling them. will they take money orders or is it all credit card?
im 17, so i dont have a credit card, my dad could use his but i dont want him to have to spend his credit card money on me, even though i'll pay him the money before he buys anything.

 

[KeithH]

Mike, the NAD C 350 was $325 plus shipping. I honestly don't recall what the shipping charge was, but it couldn't have been much as Sound City is in New Jersey and I lived in Jersey at the time. However, I also paid Jersey sales tax. Anyway, I don't know if Sound City will take a money order, but I don't see why not. How could anyone deny cash? I would call them to verify the price and then inquire about sending a money order. Maybe they could give you a reference number or order number to include with the money order to ensure you get the amp at the discounted price.
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[Mike Borbakov]

hey keith, thanks again for more info
man, i read the reviews from WHat hifi? and some others and they LOVE this thing. the c 340 got the product of the year award in one of them! i cant believe it's only around 350 bucks! im glad you guys recommended it, im really looking forward to gettin the 350! BUT i dont have the money now. i got the phone number saved though and ill be sure to call them up when i have about 350 bucks. the thing weighs 15lbs, but i live in CA, so i bet the shipping will be around 30 bucks. thanks for the help guys. i know this is what i want now. too bad the 370 is over 550 bucks though! i wish i had that kinda money. but oh well. i bet the 350 is gonna blow me away, thanks alot
what about NAD cd players? if their other stuff is so good, i bet their cd players are just as good, i need to upgrade mine too. u guys know anything about them? the magazines really liked them.

 

[KeithH]

Mike, the British hi-fi magazines What Hi*Fi? and Hi-Fi Choice have been raving about NAD integrated amps for some time. What Hi*Fi? named the NAD C 370 Product of the Year for stereo amps last year. I actually use the C 370 for music in my home theater and the C 350 in my second system. I got the C 370 from Sound City for $525 in February. I love the thing. It's rated at 120 WPC and weighs 29 lbs. due to the larger toroidal power supply relative to the C 350. The C 370 sounds great, but you can't go wrong with the C 350 for the money. Both are excellent amps.
I have little direct experience with NAD CD players, but I've read mixed reviews about them. It is true that the British hi-fi magazines love them, but I've some less than flattering comments on message boards. From what I've read, it seems as though the current C 521 and C 541 are better than the previous C 520 and C 540. Still, I have read about some reliability issues with all four players. It seems as though these players can be finicky with scratched discs. However, I don't own any of them, so I can't comment about this myself. There certainly are other good CD players in the price range of the NAD models.
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[Trevor Schell]

If it's NAD it's good.
Go For It!
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[Michael Roderiques]

I have a few NAD items in my audio system.
I run a 317 integrated and a C523, 5 CD changer. They sound great and have had no problems. I get a lot of ribbing about using NAD gear, but when people listen to my system they sort of stop talking and start listening.
I did an in home demo of some small Martin Logans with the 317. It's only 80wpc, did a nice job, played very well. Even the dealer I borrowed them from was a bit awed at the fact they would play off the NAD.
A side bar for NAD: Most of the integrateds are set up to run in a bridged mono mode, you can add an external amp to the system and get major power from them. In my case the 214 power amp is the same amp as in the 317 integrated. So I can get 240wpc mono into 8 ohms, or as I run them 270wpc into 4 ohms with peak output at 500wpc. Very clean output.
A second side bar: I do not know if the new models offer this feature. I have not looked at the specs on them. The 370 was a replacement for the 317
In any event, drop me an email via the board, I may be able to help you out.
Michael

 

[MichaelN]

I also own the predecessor to this amp, the C340, and it has provided me (and continues to provide me) with many, many hours of enjoyable stereo music while I use my computer or study in my bedroom (hooked up to some Dynaudio Audience 40 speakers). Anyway, it was a great bargain when I bought it, and it seems as if the C350 carries on the same tradition.

 

[KeithH]

Michael Roderiques, the NAD C 370 allows you to bridge the unit to a power amp. In this case, the C 270 power amp would be the proper choice. It has the same amp section as the C 370. I don't believe the C 350 allows you to bridge another amp.
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[Edited last by KeithH on July 17, 2001 at 11:16 AM]

 

[Mike Borbakov]

hey keith, how happy are u with the C 350's power output? you said it puts out more than 60, do u think it's enough to push a pair of JBL s26's with effiency of 89db? the power handling on them is 150

 

[Michael Roderiques]

One more nice thing about NAD gear. On all of the integrated systems I have owned all have Pre-outs and Main ins. This is very nice place for adding a sub-woofer or EQ to the system. I have a sub X-over in that loop, so my main amps do not have to drive LF below 80Hz.

 

[patrick miller]

i own a nad c520 cd player. it is quite sensitive to scratched disks, it is a decent cd player for the money though. one thing i really like about nad is their customer support. i bought the cd player a year and a half ago, and it started giving me disk read errors. i sent an email to the tech support with my name and phone number on it. they called me on a saturday, which to me, was very suprising. they sent me a list of phone numbers of people in my area that could fix the problem. very nice people. i think the c350 is a good buy, but you might also want to check out the cambridge audio a500, its very sweet in its silver finish. i am debating between the two and the creek 4330 for my music system. i have been hearing good things about the cambridge cd players as well, and may upgrade from my nad.

 

[Jack Gilvey]

Not really useful advice, but NAD is the one brand I'd buy on name alone. Michael's point about the pre-out and main-in jacks is right on.

 

[KeithH]

Mike, NAD has developed proprietary technology it calls Impedance Sensing Circuit (ISC) topology that allows the amp to detect the characteristics of the speaker load and manage it accordingly. As a result, NAD amps are known for working well with many different types of speakers, including those that are considered inefficient. As for the 150-watt rating of your speakers, I doubt you will ever push them that hard (I wouldn't). Therefore, I don't think the C 350 should be a problem in your set-up. In my experience, the C 350 has plenty of power. Again, two British hi-fi magazines measured the continuous power at 95 WPC.
Here is a link to information on the C 350 on NAD's web site:
http://nadelectronics.com/IntegratedAmp/C350.html
This link discusses ISC topology.
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[Carlo_M]

Mike,
If you're local Southern California, check outLink Removed for in-store sales. If you can only buy from the internet, check outwww.yawaonline.com for items they can sell online. They are located in Walnut, CA.
They are my local dealer of choice. Bill (sales manager) and David (GM) are great guys who aren't happy until you're happy. I buy nearly all my equipment from them.
Good luck!
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My dealer of choice (especially if you live in So-Cal, I highly recommend them): www.yawaonline.com

 

[Michael Roderiques]

Sort of too bad that NAD gets overlooked by a lot of people, then that may be a good thing.

 

[Mike Borbakov]

that's a relief about the ISC thing or whatever it is. just a 50 watt JVC receiver left MUCH to be desired. my 35 watt 1978 pioneer had more power than the JVC. Also, about them being popular, im glad they're not either because then they might cost more! and thanks a lot for the link to that place to buy stuff from. i'll check it out right when im done typing this up. you guys have been a great help, if it wasnt for you guys i'd probably have bought a HK or Onkyo, even though they're probably not bad i think im gonna really really really like the NAD. thanks a lot guys
and i live in CA, i bet that yawa place will have great shipping! AND it'll get here fast! lol im a very happy boy right now