Is NAD 372 worth stretching my budget....

New member

Username: Unbridled_id

Chicago
Usa

Post Number: 9
Registered: Mar-04

Posted on Sunday, April 25, 2004 - 06:18 pm:

Always go with more power... Another member(sun king) says that the 372 is a bit lacking in bass... I cannot comment on that though he is the first to mention it... The 372 is the newest model (2004) and has more flexibility than the bee (bridgeable, 2 sets of speaker posts)... But I will not take mr sun king comments lightly which is why I seldom buy a product until it's been out for awhile so as any bugs can be identified... That being said I hold firm with my initial recommendation, 372...

Bronze Member

Username: Sun_king

Leeds, West Yorkshire
UK

Post Number: 36
Registered: Mar-04

Posted on Sunday, April 25, 2004 - 09:01 pm:

Hi there,

I heard my name mentioned....so thought I'd show you guys a professional review of the new C372. The reviewer states that "maybe the bass could muscle up a bit more" - well I like my music avec bass so for me that's a real weak point. The C370 had no such problems, tons of bass. I'd hunt-down the nicest used C370 you can find. Failing that, look elsewhere 'cos the C372 just doesn't cut it in my opinion.

http://www.audioenz.co.nz/2004/nad_372.shtml

Thasp

Unregistered guest

Posted on Sunday, April 25, 2004 - 09:50 pm:

Sun King

Can you find a review like that for the C352? Is the entire C model of integrated amps lacking in bass?

Bronze Member

Username: Sun_king

Leeds, West Yorkshire
UK

Post Number: 37
Registered: Mar-04

Posted on Sunday, April 25, 2004 - 10:44 pm:

Thasp,

Can't find any reviews on the C352 I'm afraid! I don't want to sound like I'm slating Nad because I'm a huge fan of their products. I'm just dismayed that the new line of integrated amplifiers has seen the company ditch their trademark sound. I'd say the C370 is definitely better than the C372. Why? Well it sounds better for a start! Need me to go on? As for the C352, it's a good amp. It doesn't have the bass power of the C370 (it's a power thing) but then neither did the old C350 (also a good amp) - it's just not as exciting as it should be for the money in my humble opinion. I'd favour the older line or ditch Nad for a while and look elsewhere until they bring out some new amps! Don't just take my word for it though, as always I recommend that anybody makes their own mind-up by way of a listening test. One man's meat is another man's poison.

Bronze Member

Username: Sun_king

Leeds, West Yorkshire
UK

Post Number: 38
Registered: Mar-04

Posted on Sunday, April 25, 2004 - 10:48 pm:

The Nad C320BEE gets consistently good reviews and I've listened to the Marantz PM7200 through B&W speakers. That also gets the thumbs-up from me. They are two good budget amplifiers if you're buying new. I would unreservedly recommend the Nad C370 though if you can manage to find one. I just love the sound that amp produces.

Bronze Member

Username: Unbridled_id

Chicago
Usa

Post Number: 12
Registered: Mar-04

Posted on Sunday, April 25, 2004 - 11:09 pm:

Hey, nads website has a review for the c352 with the circuit changes.... check it out...

Bronze Member

Username: Unbridled_id

Chicago
Usa

Post Number: 13
Registered: Mar-04

Posted on Sunday, April 25, 2004 - 11:11 pm:

Hey, nads website has a review for the c352 with the circuit changes.... check it out...

Bronze Member

Username: Sun_king

Leeds, West Yorkshire
UK

Post Number: 40
Registered: Mar-04

Posted on Sunday, April 25, 2004 - 11:16 pm:

Yep,

http://www.nadelectronics.com/reviews/C352-0404_framset.htm

Manish Pal

New member

Username: Pal

Pune, Maharashtra
India

Post Number: 7
Registered: Apr-04

Posted on Sunday, April 25, 2004 - 11:39 pm:

hey guys....thanks for all those suggestions. but will tell u the kind of problems i am facing. here in India, the only distributer says they don't import the 352, so that is out of question. and the 370 also, i cannot find, even a used one !! so i am left between the 320BEE and the 372.....and to give u an idea in Indian currency the 320BEE is 20,000INR and 372 is 48,000INR (INR:Indian Rupees). So its a big difference as u can c, i mean more than the double of what i am getting 320..... and that is why i want to be sure, if i shd put in so much of money......

Bronze Member

Username: Sun_king

Leeds, West Yorkshire
UK

Post Number: 42
Registered: Mar-04

Posted on Sunday, April 25, 2004 - 11:55 pm:

Manish,

In my opinion the C372 isn't more than twice as good as the C320BEE. I'd save some money and put it towards a better cd player. The C320BEE is a good amp and you'll not find any better at that price point. Plus you know I'm not a fan of the C372.....

jeff obregon

Bronze Member

Username: Billdashill

Post Number: 75
Registered: Dec-03

Posted on Monday, April 26, 2004 - 07:05 pm:

NAD just made patches to the C352 what about the C372? NAD keeps fumbling the ball. I mean didn't NAD R&D notice the problems with the C352 during first run prototypes? Someone high up continues to be asleep at NAD. I wouldn't buy one of these patched up C352's thats for sure.

Bronze Member

Username: Sun_king

Leeds, West Yorkshire
UK

Post Number: 46
Registered: Mar-04

Posted on Monday, April 26, 2004 - 08:18 pm:

No, it doesn't seem to be the basis for a thoroughbred amp. I've no idea WHY but the C352 and C372 seem to have been rushed and aren't very good. Rather than just changing their predecessors for the sake of it, they should have ensured they were better. It's extremely bad business to make them worse.

Jack Comerford

Unregistered guest

Posted on Thursday, June 03, 2004 - 05:25 pm:

I have a NAD 314 amp and just bought a new C542 cd player. I would like a larger amp and the dealer is pushing the 372 but there seems to be some negativity about that amp. Any suggestions within the NAD family? I am not unhappy with the 314, but now that I have better sound with the new 542 (the 540 had button and other problems) I thought more power would give me great sound. Thanks

Manish Pal

Bronze Member

Username: Pal

Pune, Maharashtra
India

Post Number: 24
Registered: Apr-04

Posted on Saturday, June 05, 2004 - 09:26 am:

Jack
Although i am not the right person to give you any advice. But let me share my own personal experience with you. As you can c, i started this thread, cos i was worried if 320 would be underpowered for driving B&W 602s. But then upon many advice of many wise people !! around here, i went in for 320bee only, and its excellent. its rightly said, that NAD is always underrated. but yes, to a certain degree, your requirements may vary with the kind of speakers u want to drive and your room size. but unless u have a really big room, i think 320BEE is an excellent piece of equipment !!

bojh

Unregistered guest

Posted on Wednesday, June 23, 2004 - 09:16 am:

I have an NAD 372 partnered with B&W 602S3's. My dealer loaned me a 372, 370, 352 and 320BEE while I was making my decision and I can assure you the 372 is a clear winner in this comparison. I find it difficult to beleive anyone can listen to the 370 and 372 on identical speakers (I also auditioned on DynAudio's and Energy Speakers) and not find the 372 a huge improvement.

Let's not forget the article referred to by Sun King is hugely positive, the bass comments being a throw away seeking for a minor negative.

I have the 372 and 602s3's in combination with an ancient Yamaha CD player (used as a transport) and a Benchmark DAC-1 and the Bass reproduction is simply amazing. Several of my friends with systems costing many times as much confess they cannot match the sound of this combo. Go for the 372! (and import a Benchmark DAC-1... The most amzing piece of Hi-Fi gear I have ever come across).

New member

Username: Amir

Post Number: 1
Registered: Jul-04

Posted on Saturday, July 31, 2004 - 07:46 am:

what is the differences between nad c372 and yamaha ax 596?

Does anybody who already heard those 2 models can tell me which of the 2 models are sound better and producing better dynamic and accurate sound ?
and which of them have the ability to play more with the bass button , i meen that the bass button can be more potent?

if someone have answers to my qustions , i will very appreciate this .

thank you in advance ,

Amir.

Silver Member

Username: Sun_king

Leeds, West Yorkshire
UK

Post Number: 148
Registered: Mar-04

Posted on Saturday, July 31, 2004 - 12:50 pm:

I've just demoed the C162 and C272 and bought them on the spot. A definite improvement over the C370. I thought the C372 poor in the bass department but maybe I had a duff unit. The C272 power amp is superb with lots of deep bass.

asal73

Unregistered guest

Posted on Saturday, July 31, 2004 - 12:58 pm:

The Yamaha AX596 is awful and hopelessly outclassed by the NAD. The Yamaha AX596 is one of the worst amplifiers I have ever heard in my life.

I must say I agree with this review.. actually I think they were being generous...

http://www.hifichoice.co.uk/review_print.asp?ID=1506

New member

Username: Amir

Post Number: 2
Registered: Jul-04

Posted on Saturday, July 31, 2004 - 01:46 pm:

I have never heard the sound of yamaha - ax 596.
but what i can tell is the next thing:

before several days i bought the NAD c370 and i was testing it with my jbl s36 loud speakers and it was sound preaty nice but the bass was week.
BUT the thing that surprised me is that in the next day suddenly was a better bass sound and i heard LESS accurate sound.
In the next day i return beck this product to the store and my money was return to me.
NOW , my qustion to you people is, this thing that happen to me it is a rerular thing? and if i will buy nad c372 , it can be the posible that still will be such problems?

asal73

Unregistered guest

Posted on Saturday, July 31, 2004 - 03:21 pm:

I hated my NAD C370 for 1 week.. started off with weak bass... then poor imaging and accuracy.. then after a week it just came into focus... some people don't believe in burn-in.. but my C370 burnt in.. it progressed from loads of sonic faults to few sonic faults... there's a fair bit of bass there... I think the volume knob is pretty linear so you don't really get a taste of the amp until you are at 9oclock on the volume knob...

Perhaps it didn't suit your speakers or your tastes...

How expensive are these things in India?

New member

Username: Amir

Post Number: 3
Registered: Jul-04

Posted on Saturday, July 31, 2004 - 04:21 pm:

hi ASAL73
i am from Israel .

AND THE NAD C370 COST 663$ , is it consider to expensive price?

kenrick

Unregistered guest

Posted on Saturday, July 31, 2004 - 08:23 pm:

Hi everyone, I lent my speakers, the logitech z-340, to a friend and he blew the sub while blasting music. The thing is I have a mtx 70w, 4 ohm sub at home so I went ahead and cracked the sub's casing and replaced the 25w 4 ohm speaker. Now the problem is the in built amp only sent about 25w of power to the sub so i know that the new speaker, which is now playing even lower bass, louder bass is not performing anywhere close to its true potential. So what i would like to do is to get help with increasing the total power to the sub by changing or removing a resistor on the amp that is built in the sub.

New member

Username: Amir

Post Number: 4
Registered: Jul-04

Posted on Sunday, August 01, 2004 - 02:04 am:

I very want to buy NAD C372 , but i afraid that it will be sound awful like nad c 370 that i already returned to the store!!!

Anybody have the nad c372 and heard the yamaha ax596 , and can tell me that nad better than yamaha or yamaha more believable than nad?

asal73

Unregistered guest

Posted on Sunday, August 01, 2004 - 03:02 am:

I have heard the AX596 hundreds of times.. my friend has one. It is awful. If you think the C370 had weak bass, the Yamaha is much much worse. The Yamaha doesn't do bass. Try the C370 again or C372, but try for longer this time.. leave it on repeat and give it 50 hours before making a judgment.. what amp were you using before?

I have just realised that the jbl s36 is a tiny speaker.. there isn't any amp in the world that will get much bass from those speakers.. I think you should buy that C370 back and buy some decent sized speakers like B+W 601/602/603 or Mission M73/74/51/52/53

You going to feed it Infected Mushrooms?

New member

Username: Amir

Post Number: 5
Registered: Jul-04

Posted on Sunday, August 01, 2004 - 05:40 am:

to asal73:

i dont had an emp before!
i am looking for my first amp , and i considering 2 models :
YAMAHA AX 596 OR NAD 372
the difference in price between them is 206$
what are you saying?

asal73

Unregistered guest

Posted on Sunday, August 01, 2004 - 01:11 pm:

I think your speakers are too small.

That's what I am saying.

AX596 is vastly inferior to NAD C370 and C372.

New member

Username: Amir

Post Number: 6
Registered: Jul-04

Posted on Sunday, August 01, 2004 - 02:48 pm:

Asal,
how long do you have the NAD c370?
i asking you this qustion because 2 dealers were told me that they arn't keeping nad's product anymore , because the NAD's products have broken to fast (that what they told me).
did you hear about this kind of complaint?
does the customer complains about defect in manufacture ?

asal73

Unregistered guest

Posted on Sunday, August 01, 2004 - 04:01 pm:

I have had my NAD C370 for 3 weeks. I also have 2 Arcam amps. I have also heard that some NAD's suffer reliability problems, but this may be because they are very popular and so there is just more of them.. I don't know.. they are UK designed and Chinese manufactured so perhaps there are some quality issues.. I talked to some dealers before buying and they said that there had been some issues with CD players mainly NOT amps.. Our big hi-fi supermarkets continue to stock NAD, so reliability cannot be that much of an issue...

How hot is it in Israel? Do you all have air-conditioning? What brands do your hi-fi shops recommend and stock?

New member

Username: Amir

Post Number: 7
Registered: Jul-04

Posted on Sunday, August 01, 2004 - 04:27 pm:

hi asal in israel most of the stores doesnt ofering nad because the problem that i mention
, and they also dont have in stoke nad products.
only the importer has nad's product
beside this they are ofering the yamaha ax 596....
and i dont know what to do .
how much it cost today in England - nad c372 and yamaha ax 596?
- sory that i turning buck all the time into the same subject......
ha and take a look into this:
http://www.audioreview.com/PRD_125321_2717crx.aspx

asal73

Unregistered guest

Posted on Sunday, August 01, 2004 - 05:12 pm:

Those reviews are worthless. Everyone always rates their own kit highly. If you own something you don't want to think that you own something bad. Do you really trust those reviews? I wouldn't. If you think the Yamaha is going to be better than the NAD you are crazy. Over here the C370 and C372 sell around the �400 mark or less. The Yamaha AX596 sells for about �200 or less. The Yamaha is crap.

New member

Username: Amir

Post Number: 8
Registered: Jul-04

Posted on Monday, August 02, 2004 - 03:14 am:

hi ASAL
I want to ask you 2 things:

1 do you have a MSN massenger, if you have, can you give your email that we can talk more easly?

2 why did you decided when you bought the amp to buy the c370 and not the c372?

asal73

Unregistered guest

Posted on Monday, August 02, 2004 - 06:19 am:

I don't have MSN messenger.. I bought the C370 cos it was �90 cheaper than the C372.. �310 for the C370 compared to �400 for the C372..

You need some bigger speakers. Do they sell B&W in Israel? B&W are great speakers..

New member

Username: Amir

Post Number: 9
Registered: Jul-04

Posted on Monday, August 02, 2004 - 06:41 am:

in Israel i can buy b&w speakers but they are very expensive !!
but i already bought the jbl s36 (my ancle is a comuter engineer and he flew to NEW work before 2 weeks and bought for me thoese speakers) and they sound ok.......in my salon lie a JVC reciever (rx-220L)
and when i bought the c370 i compaird it to my reciever (with the some speakers jbl s36), and with my old reciever i heard thwe music better than the nad!!

before you buy the nad c370 you compared it to 370?

New member

Username: Amir

Post Number: 10
Registered: Jul-04

Posted on Monday, August 02, 2004 - 06:45 am:

if you heard the sound of the 2 amp c370 and 372, can you tell me which of them have a better bass and accurate sound (better dynamic)?

Bronze Member

Username: Amir

Post Number: 11
Registered: Jul-04

Posted on Monday, August 02, 2004 - 06:58 am:

Asal i have an important qustion that if you will answare on it mabey i will anderstand why my nad amp was sound so terrible:

in the carton on yours nad c370 what is the year of the trade mark that writen there?

Silver Member

Username: Sun_king

Leeds, West Yorkshire
UK

Post Number: 150
Registered: Mar-04

Posted on Monday, August 02, 2004 - 12:39 pm:

The C370 has better deep bass (at medium to high volumes) but the C372 sounds better across the board - it has a better, fuller midrange and possibly slightly better bass at low volumes.

Bronze Member

Username: Amir

Post Number: 12
Registered: Jul-04

Posted on Wednesday, August 04, 2004 - 01:46 pm:

Asal where are you ?
i am waiting to your answer about the trade mark.......

please when you will see this qustion answer me, because i am looking forward to buy again the nad c370 or 372!........

Bronze Member

Username: Unbridled_id

Chicago
Usa

Post Number: 38
Registered: Mar-04

Posted on Thursday, August 05, 2004 - 08:30 am:

Hey sun king, you bought the c272 c162 combo huh..... :-)

, great, and you feel it is a significant improvement upon your c370???? Are you having any issues with the signal sense circuit????? I spoke with someone at nad and they say they are working to fix the issue (more sensitve circuit).... I don't know about you but I just love the way nad looks, very utilitarian and industrial.

Silver Member

Username: Sun_king

Leeds, West Yorkshire
UK

Post Number: 154
Registered: Mar-04

Posted on Thursday, August 05, 2004 - 04:19 pm:

I don't bother with that sensing circuit, I just switch the thing on when I need to use it. You can turn the sense function off and even if it worked perfectly (I haven't tried it) I doubt I would use it. When I wander over to my rack to switch the cdp and pre-amp on it takes no more effort to also switch the power amp on. The sound is excellent, much better than the C370 and better than the C372. More detail, better bass. I also got some new speakers - Kef Q7 and I'm really enjoying my hifi now!

Bronze Member

Username: Unbridled_id

Chicago
Usa

Post Number: 39
Registered: Mar-04

Posted on Friday, August 06, 2004 - 10:45 pm:

Understood sun king, but as you are well aware you can bypass the wandering over to your rack part with the sense circuit and just power up from your easy chair... Checked out those kef q7 speakers, where is the tweeter located??? Do you have one or two pairs hooked up to the power amp?... I just purchased a brickwall surge supressor and line filter, so i'm one piece closer to the pre/power combo... Good to hear you are pleased with the performace as I value your opinion...

Danman

New member

Username: Danman

Post Number: 4
Registered: Apr-04

Posted on Saturday, August 07, 2004 - 11:25 am:

Sun King, I have been reading a lot of posts from you concerning the 372 and am a little confused! I purchased one after many trial and error listening tests with my speakers (Axiom M60 and M3's) I did not notice any of the problems you have mentioned concerning the lack of bass. I also tried the 272 and 162 combo and was very tempted more because of the look of having extra bulk equipment in my rack BUT there was NO difference in sound even after side by side tests! NAD emailed me and said there is NO difference in power amp configuration. The pre-amp is of SLIGHT better quality but does not influence sound in any great detail, especially bass. My dealer has also been selling NAD for the past 20 years and confirmed this to me as well. He sells everything from NAD to Krell and is very in touch. He told me that the only problem was the 352 and that he never even noticed a difference after trying both the first models and the revamped ones.

I am not underestimating your opinion in any way but I know how picky my ears are and I am not sure what you experieced only that the 372 is very hard to beat (let alone all NAD products) and I have tried so many over the last 12 months it would scare you! Maybe your new speakers have something to do with the difference in sound. Did you try them with the 372........

NAD 372
NAD 542
AXIOM M60
AXIOM M3
HSU VTF 2 mk (NOT USED DURING LISTENING TESTS FOR MUSIC)

Silver Member

Username: Sun_king

Leeds, West Yorkshire
UK

Post Number: 159
Registered: Mar-04

Posted on Saturday, August 07, 2004 - 02:47 pm:

Danman,

I did say that the difference between the C162&C272 combo is subtle over the C372. The bass IS a little better and there is more detail. This is purely to do with the fact the pre-amp is of a higher quality than the one bolted into the integrated amps. The power section is exactly the same but another area where the two separate units improve on the integrated is that they have separate power supplies. Each unit is doing only what it needs to do and isn't being compromised by another sub-system. The C372 integrated is brilliant but the two separates are better. It isn't a huge difference and it's up to you whether shelling-out almost double the price is worth it. This hifi game is all about upgrades and separate pre & power units are an upgrade, however slight. Most Nad integrateds have superb power sections, it's the pre-amp where the cost cutting is made in order to make the units good value. Now the C160/162 isn't the last word in pre-amps by any means but it's an improvement on the integrated units. Testing equipment at a dealer's for a few minutes isn't the same as having the equipment in your home to listen to for a whole evening. Differences in sound can be very slight, the odd better bassline here, the bit of guitar you never heard on a certain cd before etc. Nothing hits you straight between the eyes, after all - Nad kit has a distinct sound - it isn't like swapping brands to compare. There are slight differences but these are for the better. I'm happy with the improvement over the C372 - however slight. Borrow a C160/C162 Nad pre-amp if you can and send it through your C372 power section and tell me you can't tell the difference! That's the way I truly heard it.

Silver Member

Username: Sun_king

Leeds, West Yorkshire
UK

Post Number: 160
Registered: Mar-04

Posted on Saturday, August 07, 2004 - 02:55 pm:

Unbridled,

The tweeter unit is actually in the middle of the mid-driver - it's the silver button inside! This is part of Kef's Uni-Q design. Read up on it, quite interesting why they chose to put it there. I just have the one pair of speakers hooked-up to my C272. As for the sense circuit thing again, I prefer to switch all my hifi kit off properly when I've done and not leave it on stand-by. I don't see the point in having additional wear on the little power led/transformer and it's no trouble at all to walk over to the units to power them-up. That's just me!

Silver Member

Username: Sun_king

Leeds, West Yorkshire
UK

Post Number: 161
Registered: Mar-04

Posted on Saturday, August 07, 2004 - 03:03 pm:

Danman,

I forgot to add, you need to use a very good quality interconnect between the pre & power amps or their benefits over the integrated will be lost! The small connector between the pre & power units on the integrated is so small that relatively little is lost between them but if you join the separates with a 1m cable that's not very dynamic.....I tried a regular interconnect that I use for my sources (a good one) and it didn't sound that great but when I tried a QED silver spiral (which incidentally sounds too bright when used on a source) the results were stunning.

Bronze Member

Username: Unbridled_id

Chicago
Usa

Post Number: 40
Registered: Mar-04

Posted on Saturday, August 07, 2004 - 06:45 pm:

I can relate to the wear on the little leds.... It's those little details which influence me as well... As far as the pre-amp goes I have searched pre amps and there are some in the c162's price range (adcom gtp-715, rotel 1070, maybe even a bottlehead tube pre) but I doubt they have much of anything on it. Have you tried nad's silver series at all? I have heard it hasn't sold well and nad seems to be phasing out some of the silver line in the states...
So on your speakers the tweeter is behind the midrage woofer.....have not seen that before....interesting indeed..

Danman

New member

Username: Danman

Post Number: 6
Registered: Apr-04

Posted on Sunday, August 08, 2004 - 03:24 pm:

Sun King, I know about the interconnect between the pre-amp and the main. I have one worth 80$ that replaced the jumpers on my 372. I did notice a difference but nothing dramatic. I did have both units at my house for a week-end before buying the 372 and I tried very hard to notice a difference but could not find one. My dealer told me that both will sound the same only the 272-162 combo will allow much more flexability for future growth.Not sure how the power supply will effect overall sound.

By the way, I am one of those that has tried silver to cheap 12 gauge copper wire and never noticed any major difference only treble clearness. I don't buy into the hype of spending major money to get a fraction of a difference that is only noticable to those that have perfect ears such as a new born!

HOWEVER........I am looking into buying a 272 to bi-amp as I have heard a difference there when I did this before buying. It is a little tricky to set up right but when you get it.......it sounds much more linear than before.

Silver Member

Username: Sun_king

Leeds, West Yorkshire
UK

Post Number: 162
Registered: Mar-04

Posted on Sunday, August 08, 2004 - 08:14 pm:

Danman,

Fair enough, you didn't notice any difference so if I'd have been you I'd have saved some money and got the integrated too! The C160 is a better pre-amp than the one in any of their classic series integrated amps, you said so yourself. Therefore the pairing of the two separates is going to sound better, however slight. I'm a musician and I have perfect hearing - I can tell small differences between amps etc. I'm not saying you can't but I'm happy there's an improvement over the C372 although I'll admit that it's not a huge one. Don't forget I owned the C372 as well.

Bronze Member

Username: Amir

Post Number: 15
Registered: Jul-04

Posted on Monday, August 09, 2004 - 06:01 am:

SUN KING,
PLEASE can you tell me what is the diffrancess between NAD c372 and NAD c352(that was produce in 2003 , i think it is called CT version) ?
If you have ever heard this amp - nad c352CT, and you actually have at home the NAD c372 so you sould know something about this amp.

thank you ,

Amir