excerpts from a comparison review
www.hi-fiworld.co.uk
“Balance of Power”
By Channa Vithana
T he entry –level integrated amplifier
market is a fiercely contested one,
so NADʼs new C325BEE has to be spe-
cial to cut it.
Most people spending £250 or so on a
piece of ʻhi-fiʼ are likely to want a CD
player, tuner and amplifier in a box the size
of a paperback with the speakers thrown
in. In terms of the global audio market
then, there isnʼt a massive market for bud-
get amplifier separates any more. There-
fore, by its very nature, the entry level in-
tegrated market is specialist – it appeals to
a very specific type of buyer and in turn
demands a particular set of abilities on the
productʼs part.
Thatʼs why you wonʼt find gaudy power
meters, vast shiny fascias and millions of
facilities on the NAD 325BEE. Indeed,
the latter is a direct descendent of the
product that invented the very category
in question – that of budget super-inte-
grated. Back in 1979, in a world of big,
pumped up, button festooned Japanese
behemoths, NADʼs 3020 arrived with a
dour grey plastic fascia and only a modi-
cum of facilities, and since then – in this
market sector – ʻtwas ever thus the way…
NAD C325BEE
The brand new bit of kit can trace
its lineage all the way back to the
NAD 3020, introduced nearly thirty
Review on the NAD C325BEE
years ago. The BEE designation stands
for Bjorn Erik Edvardsen, the man behind
many of NADʼs amplification designs,
some of which are patented. This budget
NAD has a claimed 50W/8 ohm power
output rating and features “PowerDrive”
which NAD claims adds “huge reserves of
dynamic headroom without adding cost,
by ingeniously matching the amplifier to
the speaker load. This is fully automatic
in operation and adjusts the power supply
parameters for the amplifier to best cope
with the actual musical signal and specific
speaker loading characteristics.”
There is also a BEE Clamp which “em-
ploys sophisticated real time monitoring
of the output transistorsʼ load and drive
and ʻclampsʼ the base drive to percent sat-
uration when necessary, thus improving
amplifier stability and waveform fidelity”.
NAD says the C325BEE can instantly re-
cover from overload, reducing both the
amount and the duration of distortion, re-
gardless of load impedance.
NAD has also implemented some design
solutions gleaned from their new high-end
titanium-grey Master Series amplifiers
into the 325BEE. It uses a DC Servo to
eliminate sound degrading capacitors in
the signal path. A patented distortion can-
celing circuit employs feedback and ʻfeed
forwardʼ to “reduce distortion and improve
amplifier stability”. NAD uses surface
Aug 2006
mount components within the circuitry for
reduced signal paths and also to lower dis-
tortion in NADʼs proprietary Class A gain
modules, while the tone controls are said
to be hand trimmed for perfect response
characteristics.
There is a good quality SR 5 system re-
mote control which can operate volume or
select one of its seven, relay switched, line
inputs (two of which are tape). A switch-
able (Disc/MP) 3.5mm input socket, la-
beled MP, is included, and can connect an
MP3 type player or other portable from
the front panel. Other functions include
a headphone output socket, switchable
ʻsoft clippingʼ to prevent nasty amplifier
overload sounds if the NAD is driven be-
yond its rating, 12V trigger output, power
amplifier inputs and pre outs, tone defeat-
ing treble/bass controls, balance, IR in/out
and main power switch at the rear (which a
standby button is on the front panel). This
latest NAD still employs a plastic front
panel). This latest NAD still employs
a plastic front panel with metal folded
sheet behind which though solid and well
screwed together, isnʼt the best finish at
the price. The look is clean and minimal-
ist despite being fully featured, and while
it may look rather unprepossessing, I do
like its simple, businesslike sobriety. The
325BEE has a single set of loudspeaker
binding posts, weighs 8kg and measures
435x100x290mm.
SOUND QUALITY
Starting with the new NAD C325BEE,
and the Barbirolli/duPré ʻElgar Cello
Concertoʼ burst forth with a harmonically
astute and well-rounded quality. AS such
Jacqueline duPréʼs cello playing had deep
and expansive timbre, as did the rest of the
instruments within the orchestra. Here the
particularly adept midrange from the
NAD emphasized body into the
lower-frequencies. The phras-
ing of the cello was emotive and
superbly portrayed for an ampli-
fier at this price. The music was
controlled yet did not stifle the
emotive quality of duPréʼs cello
playing.
Queensrycheʼs ʻPromised Landʼ
was powerfully expressed with solidity to
the low frequency rhythms from the bass
guitar and drums. The product on this
track is a busy mix of hard rock and in-
tricately crafted tribal-like perfusion, and
the NAD proved entirely composed and
balanced with every element, from the
instrumentation to Geoff Tateʼs vocals.
There was not a hint of hardness or strain,
even as I turned the volume higher. The
usually rather bright and grainy sound
quality of the original OMD ʻBest Of…ʼ
from 1988 was rendered with a reassuring
robustness – bass lines were wonderfully
defined and extended while having excel-
lent tunefulness.
The vocals and main chiming melody of
ʻElectricityʼ were not harsh or grey, as
they can be on some systems, but sounded
balanced and powerful.
Michael Jacksonʼs vocals were beautifully
reproduced within the opening of the bal-
“the NAD was consistently more
musically engaging. ”
lad ʻI Just Canʼt Stop Loving Youʼ from
“Badʼ. Jacksonʼs delicate vocal phras-
ing was excellent with a finely textured
timbral palate expressing the quiet, trem-
bling notes to the more dimensional mid
frequencies in his voice. Seideh Garrettʼs
accompanying vocals were equally finely
layered and expressive while the music
was dynamic and powerful, as the song
built up to and reached its final set of com-
positional codas.
As I ran through my music collection, a
pattern began to emerge – the NAD was
consistently more musically engaging.
This was down to both its more muscu-
lar character, which seemed more relaxed
driving loudspeakers (especially at higher
levels), and also its warm, fulsome bass
which is a classic NAD characteristic.
CONCLUSION
The NAD 325BEE has a more effortless
real world speaker driving ability, espe-
cially through my demanding Splendor
S9e floorstanding loudspeakers – all the
more impressive as these big boxes had
previously proved a tough load for a 100W
amplifier costing £1,000! The NAD confi-
dently and articulately reproduced all the
music used with dynamism, and wonder-
ful timbre to reveal the identity of a musi-
cal instrument and voice.
I personally found the NAD the more mu-
sically convincing and therefore would be
my choice. As always, you pay your mon-
ey and make your choice!
VERDICT
Smooth, powerful, muscular sound
with real speaker driving prowess
makes this the most musical entry
level integrated.