NAD C375Bee or Yamaha A-S2000

Willand, I've had the A-S1000 now for going on two months.  And it is truly impressive.  Both the quality and purity of the sound (nothing added; nothing taken away) are fantastic.  I've got it connected to ML Motion 40's, a Music Hall mmf-7.3 TT and Onkyo CD.  Together they sound very impressive.

I just purchased a Yamaha A-S1000 and really looking forward to setting it up and listening.  The other contender was the NAD C375BEE.  I know this will sound shallow, but though I'm sure the NAD is a great amp, it just looks much "cheaper" than the Yamaha.  A plus for the NAD though is that it does appear to have a tape loop, but I may be wrong. 

I loved the NAD C375BEE in my system with Dynaudio fronts, particularly with rock and jazz. That amp punches way above it's weight class. I sold it for a Musical Fidelity A5, and its the biggest mistake in audio that I've made.

If your musical tastes range more towards classical, small ensemble, vocals, then another vote for Naim. You may even be able to squeeze a Naim XS integrated into your budget with just a couple more $100s.

Scott,

I own and have owned NAD amps, receivers, integrateds but have not owned the 375. They all have driven my Klipsch Heresys, fortes, Quartets, and RF-63's very well. I presently own the Yamaha A-S1000 integrated and could not be more pleased how it drives my Klipsch RB-75 "bookshelf" speakers. Dynamics are free wheeling, soundstage is wide and deep, very punchy and detailed. Now you are talking about the A-S2000 which is the slightly bigger brother Yamaha. I can't say for sure that the Yamaha integrateds(1000 or 2000) will have the dynamics of the NAD 375, but they are the most powerful sounding 90w/ch amps I have ever had the pleasure to own or even listen to.

Bill

Just came across this thread from a number of years ago, but it's the same question that I'm pondering. I have the NAD c375BEE, and it's quite an impressive integrated for the price. Once I added a pair of good interconnects between the pre-out and main-in (instead of the stock metal jumpers) it really jumped in sound quality. The dynamic power of this amp is amazing - apparently it can drive 500-600 watts into 2ohms for short bursts.

However, I am looking for something a bit more refined and smoother/more delicate at the top end. I have tried several well regarded amps (Exposure 2010s2, Hegel H80, Arcam A38), but the lack of dynamic punch really made them sound distant and flat compared to the NAD. I'm afraid that the Yamaha will give a similar result. I'm using Golden Ear Triton 7 speakers (89db, 3.7ohm minimum), so they shouldn't be terrible difficult to drive. Perhaps the NAD is just in a different class with respect to dynamics with the Power Drive technology they use. Or maybe I'm just a high-power SS guy and didn't know it. Perhaps I should be looking at Krell not Yamaha, lol.

I'd appreciate any thoughts.

Scott

Has anyone heard the As-2000?

I need feedback on this amp

Comparing within the Yamaha quality,I have compared the 2000 versus the 1000 in both integrateds and cd players.

I came to the conclusion that the A S-2000 has more refined sonics and is more resolving than the S-1000 (still a nice amp!). The gap is wide enough to warrant the price difference.

As far as cd players go, I could not detect a trace of difference between the CD-S1000 and the CD-S2000, except for the XLR outputs for the 2000. As far as sound quality goes, they sounded identical.

Hi Soniqmike, Have you heard any other models in the Yamaha lineup? As a long time Yamaha fan (70's) was hoping the others are also quite good. Thanks.

Oh I don't know about rewriting the book..... that may be a bit over the top there. You can also get the NAD for less than MSRP without looking too hard. Again the price of the Yamaha puts it as close(r) to the M3 than the c375. The M3 is a different animal and I would feel it would acquit itself quite well against the 2000.

07-30-11: James_lipski
...The Yamaha has a msrp of $2499. The NAD has an msrp of 1299.

Street price of the Yamaha is more like $1999. The Yamaha has a built-in phono stage; it's a $199 add-on for the NAD. That narrows the gap from $1200 to $500, and I suspect the Yamaha with its unique power supply and topology rewrites the book on what a $2K integrated can sound like.

I have not heard the Yammy but do own the NAD 375. I have little doubt that with a product like the 2000 Yamaha put it's mind to producing a quality integrated. When a company with the resources that they have do so the results will be good.

That being said the Yamaha has a msrp of $2499. The NAD has an msrp of 1299. The Yamaha is more in the price range of the NAD M3.

I AGREE, I have a Yamaha a-s2000 and I think your be shocked at, just how much you get.. for your money here !! One of the "BEST BARGAINS" on the market right now !!... SOUNDS AMAZING WITH THE >"LATEST BOSE 901's"

With all due respect, very few have actually seen and heard the new-generation Yamaha AS2000 as they are scarce and seemingly expensive - until you hear one. You might be in for a small shock here. I have done some extensive listening with this amplifier, as well as with the NAD. The NAD is ALWAYS the proverbial contender in this price bracket and it is wise to audition it.

So, not to offend anyone, the NAD is very nice and has those great value-for-your-buck values. Its a great buy, like all Nad products.

But the SOUND, build quality (simply amazing) and overall package,(not to mention the stunning looks)of the Yammaha puts it in a different league, and it is actually a bit unfair to compare the two. The Yammy is so much better and more refined it is not even close - at least with speakers that can exploit its full potential.

Full disclosure: I have auditionned those amps with speakers that should usually be partered with 5K and up amps, and they clearly pointed the limitations of the NAD.

This may not happen with more average speakers and the differences between the two amps may not show as much sonically, but they are surely present and obvious. One thing for sure, even in the ''off'' position, the build quality and features of Yammy comes out way ahead of the NAD - and most every other amp in this price range for that matter.

I would rate the Nait 5 highly also - but it will run out of steam pretty quickly compared to the Yam, and of course has very limited features comparatively. I would say the Nait is a ''faster'' amp, but with a somewhat dryer sound and a (much) flatter soundstage, where the Yam is more authoritative and a touch smoother.

I'd go for the NAD.

The Yamaha is a bit of an unknown. I've seen mixed feedback and it looks to me like it was expressly designed to mate with its matching CDP and Yamaha's speakers.

Definitely go with the NAD over the Yamaha. Most all of the NAD gear I have used and heard over the years was a bargain compared to their cost and their performance was excellent.

Get the NAD over the Yamaha. recent Yamaha does not impress me. I have heard the NAD and for the price it sounds very good. Another good integrated is the Peachtree nova although it is only 75 or 80 watts per side and the fact you are driving easy loads the peachree should sound very good.

I second the Naim NAIT5.

I have no personal experience with the NAD/Theil combo but the NAD would be a great match with your Heresy's. The C375BEE is much more potent amd musical than it has the right to be for its price. The Yamaha specs out nicely but and is a beautiful piece but I haven't heard any modern Yamaha integrateds to say either way.

Bill

Naim nait 5x