NAD 270/NAD C350

I have the Cobalt 816 and I think that they like a lot of power. I had a C350 that I used for a while and it worked ok, but once I upgraded to a bigger amp the sound improved greatly, especially in the bass. Right now I have a Conrad Johnson PV-10B pre and a B&K ST125.2 power amp. I added the CJ first so for a while I was running the CJ as pre with the power section of the C350. But then once I put in the B&K, it was a tremendous difference. Much more weight and authority in the bass, and also a more open, relaxed sound.

I don't know the specs on the Cobalt 810 but if its like the 816, the extra power could make a nice difference.

Andreas,
I had the Nad C370 integrated amp a while back and the best thing I did with it was to bypass the pre section with a volume control Dac.
I would think twice before using any Nad int. amp as a pre. I think you would be better served to sell your Nad equipment and look for a new integrated or separates.
Scott

Andreas, I have a pair of Tannoy MX-3's. The Tannoy's are not the best speakers I've owned or the worst. They are just consitantly "decent" not great and not bad. They sounded good with the C350 by itself. Like I said in my other post, I really wasn't out to buy a C270 to add to the C350; I just found a good deal. Another reason for buying the C270 is that I have a Bottlehead Foreplay preamp kit, that one of these days I'll build and I thought the C270 would work good with it. Plus I figured it couldn't hurt to have a decent amp around in case I needed it. Or like I said, using the C350/C270 with bigger speakers like Vandersteens or Paradigms. You might hear more of a difference adding the C270 to your speakers than I heard with mine.
-matt

Andreas, the C270 is worth considering. I'm using the preamp section of a NAD C340 integrated and a NAD C270 power amp to drive Vandersteen 1b speakers, after having used the C340 alone. Adding the C270 made a noticeable difference in the bass presence and depth, and in the sound of my system overall. The 1b speakers sounded good to start with, but seemed to respond well to the power increase. Even if I replace the C340 with a preamp at some point, I might hang onto the C270 for a while longer, as NAD power amplifiers have a good reputation. While somthing like a McCormack DNA-125 might offer better sound, it would be at a higher price level.

Although I really like NAD (I had a 317 for years) I think you would be better of looking for something else. NAD is very good in delivering loads of power and stability for the money, but I don't think their pre amps (or the pre in an integrated) are up there with te best. But isn't there an opportunity to listen before you buy? Compare the NAD combo with your own speakers to an integrated roughly comparable in price, and go for the amp you prefer.