Which integrated amp to buy below $400?
Oct 12, 2003 at 9:27 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 27
Ymer

Ymer

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As a follow up to my "I hate my Promedia 2.1" post, I now face this dilemma: which integrated amp to buy.
Budget is limited, as mentioned in the topic.
I was pretty much decided to buy the NAD C320BEE but a friend of mine keeps on telling me how NAD is evil and mid-fi yada yada...
Are there any better choices in the price range?
Using it to drive bookshelf speakers in a bedroom stereo setup exclusively for music listening.

Thanks
600smile.gif
 
Oct 12, 2003 at 9:54 PM Post #3 of 27
Your friend may or may not be right in saying NAD is mid fi but at under $400 for a budget what is he expecting you to get? I have heard nothing but parise for the NAD C320BEE and I'm sure it's a great amp. Like the other poster mentioned there's the Cambridge amp. Is used an option for you? If so then you have a lot more options, perhaps maybe even better options.

You could consider the Creek 4330, and excellent integrated amp and I see one just came up for sale for $300 just today at Audiogon:

http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cl.p...ran&1071096116

There some Jolida tube and hybrid integrateds used in your price range often at Audiogon. I think Rotel makes an integrated new in this price range?? If not, I see a RA-931 for sale at Audiogon that just went up today for $150!

http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cl.p...916&class&3&4&

Check this out:

http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cl.p...882&class&3&4&

Basically check out Audiogon!
 
Oct 12, 2003 at 9:55 PM Post #4 of 27
Slap your friend on the face with Vol 26, No 7 of Stereophile and go buy the NAD C320BEE. You won't find a more engaging, musical integrated at that price point.

--Chris
 
Oct 13, 2003 at 6:59 AM Post #5 of 27
Quote:

Originally posted by hempcamp
Slap your friend on the face with Vol 26, No 7 of Stereophile and go buy the NAD C320BEE. You won't find a more engaging, musical integrated at that price point.

--Chris


Yes you will, its called the Rotel RA-01
biggrin.gif
I preferred it to the NAD C370. It has such drive and determination when playing music, and excellent PRaT and groove, the NAD simply sounded boring in comparison (IMO). Of course, its not the loudest amp on the block, and needs more careful matching than the NAD, but with patience, it will reward...

I cant understand the obsession on this forum with Cambridge Audio amplifiers. I had the A500RC (top of the range integrated) and quite frankly it was one of the poorest amps I've heard, and I had the misfortune of being stuck with it for 9 months...
 
Oct 13, 2003 at 8:43 AM Post #7 of 27
the NAD is just "ok", a bit slow and not really involving. Cambridge is awful.

In this price range, go at least used. Look at audiogon.

IMHO the best bang for the bucks under 500$ are to be found among vintage amps, carefully repaired. Digital technologies made giant steps last years, but for amps...
 
Oct 13, 2003 at 3:11 PM Post #8 of 27
I bought a refurbished Audiosource Amp 3 from Ubid 6 months ago for $149 and must admit it sounds pretty good.
It has a pretty substantial torroidal transformer, weighs in at 30lbs and at 150 wpc can drive anything.
You can pair it to a CDP with variable outputs or get a pre-amp for it.
It does take time for it to warm up before you notice the change in sound.
 
Oct 13, 2003 at 3:24 PM Post #9 of 27
Ymer: Another integrated amp to consider would be the Marantz PM7200 - it features a nice class a mode, btw. But, anyway, are you decided on the loudspeakers, yet? Because the amp choice might depend on the loudspaker choice quite a bit - and vice versa... For example, a little bright sounding speakers might profit from a NAD or Marantz, whereas warm sounding speakers should sound better with a Rotel. I've never heard a Cambridge, so I can't comment on their usual sonic signature.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini
 
Oct 13, 2003 at 4:24 PM Post #10 of 27
Quote:

Originally posted by pbirkett
Yes you will, its called the Rotel RA-01
biggrin.gif
I preferred it to the NAD C370. It has such drive and determination when playing music, and excellent PRaT and groove, the NAD simply sounded boring in comparison (IMO). Of course, its not the loudest amp on the block, and needs more careful matching than the NAD, but with patience, it will reward...


I'm quite partial to Rotel integrated amps too, but if you have only heard the C370 and not the C320BEE, *RUN DON'T WALK* to your neareast NAD dealer to audition it. It's in another class altogether from its other NAD cousins, which sound more unrefined and less engaging than this great little amp.

Recently, I've also been listening to a lot of Creek models (old and new). They have a lot going for them as well.

--Chris
 
Oct 13, 2003 at 7:06 PM Post #11 of 27
Sean H: Ain't that Creek like, SUPER picky about source? For the time being the only source I have is the output of my Terratec EWX 24/96 soundcard... a CD player will come later.

pbirkett: That's an EXCELLENT idea if it's truly as good/better than the NAD C320BEE. Rotels are pretty common here, NADs aren't.

lini: I'm probably buying either Athen Audition AS-B2, JBL Control 1X or a B&W model, that's what easy to find around here. I loved the B&Ws (the only ones I auditioned thus far) but they're pretty ugly and expensive... =/
I'm awaiting a chance to listen to the other 2. I remember a friend used to have a a pair of those JBLs and I really liked them, but that's what I remember. I'll listen first.

Thanks all!
600smile.gif
 
Oct 13, 2003 at 7:29 PM Post #12 of 27
Quote:

Originally posted by Ymer
Sean H: Ain't that Creek like, SUPER picky about source? For the time being the only source I have is the output of my Terratec EWX 24/96 soundcard... a CD player will come later.


It didn't seem that way to me when I briefly had it. It's not really a ruthlessly revealing sort of an amp, at least from my experience it did not seem so and in that regard I don't think you would have a problem with it revealing any "less than ideal" characteristics your source might have. The Creek is a musical performer, seems to have good pace and pulls out the important things while not being the most resolute nor is it boring in any way. The only thing I would say is the Creek performs at a higher level than it's price would lend and with that it's going to sound better and better with better sources behind it.
 
Oct 15, 2003 at 4:53 AM Post #15 of 27
Quote:

Originally posted by TimSchirmer
PS: Your friend is 100% correct about NAD. Also, proton is the same thing as NAD and can be found cheaper.


*YAWN!!!*

If NAD is "mid-fi", so is everything else in the under-$400 range.

But seriously, don't listen to your friend or to Tim or to me for that matter. Go to an *actual* hi-fi store and *actually* audition the NADs, the Rotels, the Creeks, the Protons(?). We're all bound to disagree upon what we hear, but at least you'll be hearing for yourself.

Cheers, and happy hunting!

--Chris
 
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