need your advicehttp://forums.audineed u're advice

[nu2this]

I'm looking to upgrade my current amp - NAD C320BEE. I'm considering the following:
NAD C272/C162 or Parasound A23/P3; or just the NAD C372

My current speakers are Monitor Audio RS6's and I use the Integra CDC 3.4 cd player. This system is for music only - I have a seperate surround system for movies/tv.
Your comments with regard to integrated amps vs amp/pre-amp combinations would be appreciated as well as NAD vs Parasound (or perhaps some other product).

thanks - tom

 

[nu2this]

have i missed something here? is it inappropriate to request a recommendation with regard to different products/product lines on this forum?
if so, my apology.

tom

 

[Ohmen]

I have no advice for the components but the thread title was so messed up that when I saw it yesterday I thought it was spam and thus didn't click on it.

 

[mike c]

out of the choices, I'd pick the parasound combo - because they look nicer and look like expensive audiophile stuff to your friends.

 

[Seth=L]

out of the choices, I'd pick the parasound combo - because they look nicer and look like expensive audiophile stuff to your friends.

That is overwhelming audiophile logic.

 

[mike c]

ok, maybe this will be easier to swallow:
the parasound combo has a syruppy sound kinda like maple syrup, smooth but sticky. the nad combos are like eating pineapples WITH the skin, you know they're good inside, but damn, the details on the highs are just harsh on the ears! (and throat) (and tongue)

p.s. that's all BS.

 

[Nick250]

have i missed something here? is it inappropriate to request a recommendation with regard to different products/product lines on this forum?
if so, my apology.
tom

Over at the AVS forums, in the receiver/amp forum you will find more posts on this kind of stuff than ever thought existed.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?f=90

 

[Seth=L]

ok, maybe this will be easier to swallow:
the parasound combo has a syruppy sound kinda like maple syrup, smooth but sticky. the nad combos are like eating pineapples WITH the skin, you know they're good inside, but damn, the details on the highs are just harsh on the ears! (and throat) (and tongue)

p.s. that's all BS.

That was painful to read.

 

[nu2this]

thanks everyone.
i'll have to think about the pineapple analogy! but you're certainly right about the Parasound looking better than the NAD.
again since i'm rather new to hi-end audio(perhaps with the components i've mentioned, i'm not even there yet!) and i just wanted input other than from the audio magazines. i've read numerous reviews on forums like this one, for the various components. for some reason, it just seemed to me that folks who like NAD, really like NAD and rarely note weaknesses in the review. by the same token, reviews regarding Parasound products, although very positive, typically do mention limitations??????? even though i have enjoyed my NAD C320BEE, i think i'll try Parasound - perhaps it was the pineapple..........

again, thanks - tom

 

[EJD]

I have owned both the NAD C320BEE and the NAD 214 which is a stand alone amp from the 90's (now discontinued). In fact, owned them both at the same time and was able to compare them pretty extensively.

I found that I much preferred the sound of the 214 to the C320 with my NHTs - to me, the 214 sounded smoother and more full than the C320. I would even go so far as to say I really didn't care for the C320 much at all. One of the things I did for a while was to use the C320 as a preamp for the 214 and that sounded a bit better than the C320 alone, but when I ran the variable outs of my CD player directly to the 214, completely bypassing a preamp, the difference was very clear to me. This tells me that the preamp section was really reponsible for the majority of the difference.

So if you are just using this setup for music - I would recommend trying to eliminate a preamp if you can. This of course assumes that you would only listen to CDs and that your CD player has a variable output that you can use as a volume control (you might have to look for a while to find one). I am right now in the process of putting together a bedroom system doing just that.

I have read in several places that as good as the NAD integrateds are, the separate amps tend to be a notch above. That being said, Parasounds are pretty widely praised as well, but I have not heard one myself in a long time.