NAD C370 with Wharfedale Diamond 9.1's

You're right. Everybody's ears are their own. Should have mentioned my own likes sound wise and asked about Bobcuzi's before saying "spectacular budget sound"

In any case, I think it would be applicable regardless of sound preference to say that a C370 and MA floorstander from that time will produce a big sound - liking the specifics of that big sound is a different matter which all goes to the heart of the matter for Bobcuzi - try before you decide. Something that someone else says sounds great may sound lousy to you.

I just recently sold an NAD 370. I ran it with the MA 8is for about a year and the combination was not good. The combination could produce nice sounds, but not music. I think MAs of that time period are best matched with Musical Fidelity equipment of the same period. As usual, YMMV. The NAD is nice and the amp section is better than the pre-amp.

Good luck,

Briang,

I ran a C370 with Diamond 8.3s a few years back in a budget system (with a NAD CD player originally, then a Rotel RCD-1070). this would be a similar sound to what you'll get from the C370 and 9.1s, though the 9.1s are likely to be more detailed yet have a smoother top end than the 8.3s but have less punch (floorstanders versus standmounts).

the C370/Diamond combination was an extremely good budget set-up. the C370 is big, powerful and smooth sounding for a budget amp - which is a good compliment to most modern speakers which (to my ears) are voiced with too much top-end emphasis.

I my opinion the C370 is very, very good. one afternoon, I spent some time with another stereo hobbyist switching the C370 in and out of system running Totem Hawks, and Audible Illusions tube preamp, and a good CD front-end. the comparison amps were a Bryston 3B-ST and a hybrid Counterpoint NP100 (a superb amp). Honestly, the NAD wasn't embarassed. It was obviously not as good, but it by no means sounded lousy by comparison or made either of us say "yeah, that's no good" Instead we were saying "wow, the NAD sounds good"

So for upgradeability reasons I'd go with the C370 instead of the 320 (more power and better ability to drive difficult loads gives you more flexibility with future speaker purchases - and the voicing of the C370 (big and smooth) probably makes for easier compatibility with more speakers too.

I'd suggest maybe stretching the budget a little bit, because the C370 can be paired with very good speakers without embarassment. Maybe something like Monitor Audio silver 8i's on the second hand market, or their Silver S6's. I've heard that match-up (NAD C370/monitor Audio) and it's spectacular budget sound

Tarsando,

I've now read two post were you mention the $159 Digital amp reviewed in Stereophile. I'm not a Stereophile subscriber, so could you please just give the name of the amp? Or are you trying to sell Stereophile Magazine with this teaser?

Enjoy,

TIC

Or the new digital amps reviewed in Stereophile for $159 stereo integrated. Plus they're new.

Bob:

They are both good products. The resulting sound will be on the warm side of neutral. If you are looking for a CD player that pairs exceptionally well with the NAD , try the Music Hall CD 25.2. The 320 has a bit more finesse than the 370, but the 370 is still a nice sounding amp.

Depending on your room size and listening preferences, the C370 may be a bit of overkill. What Hi Fi magazine does shoot-outs with the 9.1's frequently enough and it has paired the 9.1's with the NAD C352 or C320BEE. Price wise that would be a more reasonable combination.

The 9.1's are rated at 100 watts and the 370 can put out 150 watts. This may seem like a bit of a mismatch, but in reality it is OK. Speakers tend to get damaged from amps that go into clipping, so the extra reserve should be OK.

As for buying used, the trick is in qualifying the seller. Price should not be the sole determinent.

Regards, Rich

I would go with the C370/9.1 combination, as the C370 is a much better amp than the C320BEE. Overkill? Maybe, but I would rather have more power than I need, than not enough. Just be careful when playing your music loud, if the speakers seem to straining, then back off on the volume some. Also, if you decide to upgrade your speakers at some point in time, having the C370 will give you more flexibility in speaker choices.