New NAD 326 BEE Owner -Disappointed Help

I switched from an old NAD 2200/1130 amp and pre-amp to the NAD C372 after close to 25 years with the former. I felt about the same as you. The older gear had far greater dynamics than the new and for that reason I felt disappointed initially.

The NAD C372 had a far more articulate and expanded sound stage. The dynamics were there. Just not what I was used to. After a time I came to fully appreciate the C372 and no longer miss the older gear.

My guess would be, give the new amp time.

John...how many hours of playtime do you have on the 326BEE? What is the suggested break-in period by the manufacturer and/or Spearit Sound? The B&W DM602 S3's are an 8ohmn nominal (4ohm minimum probably in the bass region) and 90dB sensitivity speakers, so your NAD 326BEE should drive them ok. I would wait for full break-in period to see if the sound fills out in the bottom end. If not, you can always explore adding a sub for the lower frequencies. I believe your 602 S3's frequency range are 52Hz-20KHz at +/- 3dB on axis, which is typical for monitors but clearly they are not full range speakers. It could be that the 3140 was rolled off in the highs and now that you hear the full spectrum the speaker is capable of delivering, the tonal balance seems tipped up to what you are used to.

Cmalak:

Wow, I get very informed replies in this forum. That's excellent! More sophisticated than my technical expertise.

I have about 15 hours of listening to vinyl with the 326, through the NAD PP2 pre-amp, and with CDs via the NAD 515 CD player.

Yep, I do "get" that the 602s are very efficient monitors. What was nice with the 3140, is that the highs didn't seem too bright, just shimmery. For example, the sound of a ride cymbal was just that- shimmery. With the 326, I kinda of wince at how exacting it sounds. And the bass with the 326 seems very elastic, not punchy. Which to many folks' ears, this would be a good thing. For example, I just listened to the Police's 'Certifiable' (live) on vinyl through the 326. It's accurate, but the NAD 326 just seems to put a governor on the low end I know the 602 are capable of.

I dunno, perhaps I should just keep the 326 as a very nice playback platform for my iPod. I also purchased an NAD iPod dock from Spearit Sound. So I could keep the amp just for this purpose. I've considered trying a Jolida tube amp, but I think a different set of speakers would be in order. Perhaps the B&W 684, with the new crossovers?

B&W / NAD matchup? I'm not sure about this.......and, the B&W speakers are generally a more ...... difficult load meaning you need a better amp, or at least one better into the 602s load.

If you like the midfi approach, B&W with Rotel is considered good.

Shinealight:
I've owned the NAD C352 for many years and only recently replaced it with Ayre components. It's very similar to your C326 in design, and it's anything BUT strident, overly bright, and lacking bass. I'm also using 90dB two-way speakers. The NADs typically understate their power ratings.

IMO it's entirely possible that your new NAD will provide you with better fidelity and performance that you may not have "dialed in", yet.

Assuming you've already double-checked these items:
- Make sure your speakers are not wired out of phase (a classic for "tinney" sound and losing bass), reclean all your terminal contacts, and double-check integrity of speaker wires.
-Revisit your amp settings for tone controls, soft clipping, etc.

If you have any flexibility on location, go thru speaker placement exercises again. Maybe speakers closer to back wall will give you some of the extra bass response you need.

When we upgrade to better resolving systems, sometimes room acoustics issues that didn't really matter before now become apparent. So it's a good exercise to also revisit the steps for optimising listening position, room bass effects, etc., after significant upgrades.

If it still reeks and you've already allowed a long burn-in, then suggest taking the amp to your dealer and A/B this amp against one of his 326's in a demo system setup.

Other options: the NADs are truly the Swiss-Army-knives of integrateds. Easy to isolate the pre- and amp sections to
test with other amps, or to bi-wire, or bi-amp, or to add a powered sub to your system.

Whatever the outcome, good luck!