Give your ears a treat!
Written: Jun 09 '01 (Updated Jun 09 '01)
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Pros: Full sized sound; clarity; power; finesse; The Best
Cons: dull looks
The Bottom Line: I can't criticize the NAD in any way when it comes to sound!
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| MichaelHatton's Full Review: NAD C340 Amplifier |
NAD seem somewhat like Rotel; keep things simple and concentrate on sound. Here you have a reasonably sized up integrated amp. Delivering a healthy current to you speakers. And with the right amount of inputs for your sources. Lets begin.
Features:
Lets run through the features lits; you get two tape loops useful for a MD deck and/or tape deck, a sufficient 5 line level inputs, and the usual tone controls, remote and headphone socket. What you don’t get is a phono stage, but that never bothered me, even so you can pick up a separate phono stage for little cash. Despite it quite large size, it delivers a nice 50 watts. Don’t think for one second that’s tiny. It isn’t 50 watts of power is humongous with the sound this amp carries. The nice things on this amp are the basic layout. Each input having its own button to be pressed, and the tone controls have a bypass switch. The remote is small, and it easy to use,but the buttons are a little too small and tough to press. The c340 has only one set of speaker outputs, and I believe is now overshadowed by its bigger (and more expensive) brother, the c370. Though this amp fits well into the £250-£300 price bracket. I managed to get the price down to £220 because I bought it quite late, only last winter actually. Ease of use also follows round the rear, where the inputs are clearly labelled and placed well.
Build/looks
As it goes thec340 is a bit of a dull looker. But in fact it looks different in light/dark rooms. So in some dark rooms it looks black, while in whiter rooms it looks grey. But still I can’t ignore its basicness and lack of inspiration when it comes to visuals, it’s just too bland. But what you lack in looks it makes up for in sound and build. Yes, it is very well built, the volume and tone controls feeling fairly stuck on, and buttons very soft to touch or press.
Sounds
It seems this is quite a basic beast, in terms of sound, it fully justifies the lack of features and looks, (actually NAD use this style all over there range). The tone bypass switch does make a slightly better sound, but then that’s if you have a top-notch source. I feel that with my Mission speakers there is ample bass and a superb treble. The two areas are superb, and both blending together as one. It makes simple pop recordings sound so dull and unexciting at times. You can clearly here a repeating computer loaded sound on CD when you use the c340. Every little zip or bleep sound a little silly and pathetic, and makes you want to try a more challenging music genre for the c340. It takes apart bad recordings for you. Shows up any slight crackle or mistake in the music notes of an instrument.
I feel I owe it to NAD to mention the bass. Nothing has ever seemed to expressive. You here the ever slight stop and start in bass notes, be it through keyboard or bass guitar. Its presentation is truly exciting. Its treble is equally pleasing. Take a simple hi-hat, splashy they may sound before, now the distinct stop start can be heard - now you have the c340!
Spin some R&B and soul from Lenny Kravitz Greatest Hits and you are represented with punchy drum pops and rhythmic guitars. And a bass helping worthy of good speakers. If feel immerged into the music. The stereo imaging is superb, depth and the space behind you are filled with sound. At times the cymbals filled my ears! And the simplistic-ness of the disc meant any slight gain toward one speaker meant that you could here a distinct different sound. SUPERB!
Put some heavy metal from At The Drive In and there outright guitar and vocal performance is scintillating. The details I hear are so clear, a guitar over there and hard hit to a drum, the whole band are represented before my ears!
I could go on and on, the NAD C340 is the best component - in hi fi terms – I have ever bought. Buy with confidence.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 308
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MichaelHatton
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Location: Darlington, England
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