NAD C 316BEE V2 Integrated Amplifier Review

[trevor_bartram]

Not nearly as powerful as the Nad. The AXA35 is a nice sounding amp regardless. The Rotel A8 is also in the same ball park as the Nad but again only 30wpc so it will be like the AXA35 where a quiet room is needed unlike the Nad which they are noted for historically speaking and long may they continue as far as I am concerned.

Tiny heatsinks on the A8. That translates to low bias current in the output transistors or high temperatures, not a good sign.

 

[effj]

@amirm , will this review be published in the index? It’s nice for glancing at multiple reviews side by side.

 

[LugsyTL47]

I had a NAD 316Bee v2 a few years ago. Replaced with a vintage Yamaha CA-1010 integrated (90w/ch). Had both units side by side for ~2 weeks comparing both. Yamaha just added more enjoyment to music with turntable and streaming. Power difference very apparent. Plus, VU meters make everything sound better.

 

[Yersinia Bestmate]

Experience does not confirm this assertion. Many of our membership have NAD gear >10 years old and it's still running fine.

I've had several Nads. Some of them failed, others not. For example a C720BEE from 2004 has been running flawlessly for 20 years but I decided to recap the power source anyway. C320BEE is running very well as a power amp in one set (original), and C315BEE is in everyday use at my GF's house.

 

[trevor_bartram]

The C-316BEE V2 comes with a credit card sized remote. I use the remote daily and need something more substantial. Does anyone know of a better remote?
Does NAD use the same IR codes on all their remotes, would a C-340 remote with on the C-316? Thanks in advance!
P.S. I not concerned about the lack of a PHONO input button on the C-340 remote.

 

[conman1040]

The C-316BEE V2 comes with a credit card sized remote. I use the remote daily and need something more substantial. Does anyone know of a better remote?
Does NAD use the same IR codes on all their remotes, would a C-340 remote with on the C-316? Thanks in advance!
P.S. I not concerned about the lack of a PHONO input button on the C-340 remote.

For my setup with the NAD I use a Logitech Harmony Remote. The remote software has the programming for most audio equipment, including the NAD. The 316BEE has a very receptive IR sensor.

 

[pogo]

This rc should also work: Link
You could also contact NAD support.
You can also find replacements on the net.

 

[Mean & Green]

Agreed. I also believe the 326 freq response isn’t as flat as the 316.

Where does this information come from? I’ve never read that anywhere.

 

[Mean & Green]

The C-316BEE V2 comes with a credit card sized remote. I use the remote daily and need something more substantial. Does anyone know of a better remote?
Does NAD use the same IR codes on all their remotes, would a C-340 remote with on the C-316? Thanks in advance!
P.S. I not concerned about the lack of a PHONO input button on the C-340 remote.

I recently bought an aftermarket remote for my Sony CD player made by RM Series, they make remotes for all sorts of brands and models. It might be worth doing a search online.

 

[Ein]

Original C315BEE here (now my bro enjoying unit). Fantastic piece of audio equipment. No less, no more. That phono stage is nice add-on. Old one have rec loop, today simply useless. HP is also not good, but spk and CD or DAC and stuff? Fu.king great!

 

[blucupp]

I have the C315BEE. Bought it off some dude who listed it on Kijiji (CDN Craigs list) about 10 years ago.

Still works. The LED is weird orange to red to blue.

It emits heat on one side even when in standby. So I just flipped the main power off when not in use.

It is used for watching movies with headphones while the wife is sleeping. For that it is fine.

I dont think it is a forever piece the logic board for input switching is a weakness I guess.

Bought it since it said NAD upfront. Audiophile vibes and whatnot.

 

[xiaojinglf]

Warm during testing and/or warm at idle? My 326 runs hot most of the time.

• It's not the power output stage that's heating up the 326bee. It's all the secondary power regulators inside, because the pressure difference is too big. I measured the heat sink temperature of these secondary regulator tubes, and at room temperature of about 25 degrees Celsius, the heat sink temperature was higher than 75 degrees Celsius.

 

[Yersinia Bestmate]

• It's not the power output stage that's heating up the 326bee. It's all the secondary power regulators inside, because the pressure difference is too big. I measured the heat sink temperature of these secondary regulator tubes, and at room temperature of about 25 degrees Celsius, the heat sink temperature was higher than 75 degrees Celsius.

75 degrees celsius at idle? Sounds a lot but plausible nevertheless. They do run hot, or at least very warm. But what do you mean exactly by "pressure difference" and "tubes"?

I'm far from expert in these things but baybe you meant the quiescent current drawn by the regulators themselves or the difference between the input and the output demand to the regulators? There are no tubes of course, it is transistor based amp. And I'm not sure how the bias current affects the temperature of regulators.

In my experience - at least in the old C-series from around 2000-2010 the things running hot in Nads were the preamp stages that work in calss-A and the voltage regulators of the output stage as you stated. Of course the main heat sink gets hot when pushed hard. Heating is pronounced in amps with shallow enclosures, like c315bee and c316bee but not that much in c320bee or the bigger ones.

 

[xiaojinglf]

75 degrees celsius at idle? Sounds a lot but plausible nevertheless. They do run hot, or at least very warm. But what do you mean exactly by "pressure difference" and "tubes"?

I'm far from expert in these things but baybe you meant the quiescent current drawn by the regulators themselves or the difference between the input and the output demand to the regulators? There are no tubes of course, it is transistor based amp. And I'm not sure how the bias current affects the temperature of regulators.

In my experience - at least in the old C-series from around 2000-2010 the things running hot in Nads were the preamp stages that work in calss-A and the voltage regulators of the output stage as you stated. Of course the main heat sink gets hot when pushed hard. Heating is pronounced in amps with shallow enclosures, like c315bee and c316bee but not that much in c320bee or the bigger ones.

• It is mainly the voltage regulator that powers the preamplifier and the voltage amplification stage, mainly the heating of the tripole transistor for the voltage regulation output. Because the input voltage of these groups of regulators is high, and the output voltage is low, the difference between the input and output voltage of the regulator is large, and the current is also large, resulting in increased power consumption and high heating of these tripole transistors.. I put a temperature probe against the heat sink of some of the voltage regulator transistors and the temperature can reach 90 degrees Celsius at the highest.

 

[wwenze]

Voltage is called pressure in some languages. Doesn't translate perfectly.

 

[Old_School_Brad]

Voltage is called pressure in some languages. Doesn't translate perfectly.

In some languages, people use a phrase like "applying a voltage pressure," which feels like a simple and intuitive way to explain how voltage works.

It’s similar to the idea of potential difference, where voltage acts like a kind of "push" to move electricity through a circuit. To me, at least, this way of thinking about it makes perfect sense.

 

[xiaojinglf]

Sorry, maybe the translation software I used before was not appropriate.
What I want to express is the voltage difference between the input and output of a voltage regulator. For example, input 45v output 15v. the ratio of voltage difference between them is 45v-15v=30v. so the transistor of the regulator heats up badly.