New NAD 326 BEE Owner -Disappointed Help


I've browsed the used gear for sale at the Audiogon site, but never posted a new topic. I'll be brief.

I bought an NAD 326 BEE in late 2009 from an authorized dealer. I just got around to hooking it up, since the controls on my NAD 3140 need cleaning. Problem is...I hate it!

I LIKE the sound of the 3140. Sure, the sound is a bit muddy, but I like warmth, so I've put up with it's shortcomings. But the 326 BEE is wimpy. I've got the bass set at about "7" on a 0-10 scale. At this setting, it's comparable to around a "3-4" setting on the 3140. The bass range on the 326 BEE is really disappointing.

Here's my very humble set-up:

-NAD 315 BEE CD player
-Technics SL 1200 turntable w/Shure M97 XE cart
-B & W 602 S3
-NAD 326BEE w/NAD PP2 phono preamp, (sure the Jolida JD 9A would be nice. But it won't solve the amp problem).

So, my question to the forum is, should I keep the 326 and try a pre-amp, or just ditch it for something else? Maybe a Parasound amp? I like really warm, tubey sound, but I want to stick with an integrated amp.

Thanks, John
shinealight
OK Jult, good enough, but I think you'll agree he should burn it in and set it up properly, before considering.

And as John mentioned, there's still the question of whether his amp would be the next upgrade needed. Maybe one of our vinyl experts could comment on his phono setup, and how the Jolida or other suitably priced phono pre might help.
You might want to step up to the 372, used around 400 bucks. Big jump in power and a relatively good sound stage. I am using mine in a mono config with a 272, so I can not tell you how the integrated part of the amp works.