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NAD C268 Power Amplifier Review

Ivaols

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Did a quick test by ear to determine which of NAD C268 and Yamaha P5000S produce less hiss noise through a 111db sensitive compression driver. Gain matched with only the amp turned on the NAD C268 had noticeably less noise.
 

gasolin75

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Should i be worried about the crosstalk ? I ordered one but missed the crosstalk problem although i looked at the chart
 
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emem

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Hi everyone.

My first post on this awesome forum.

Has anyone compared the C 268 to the AUDIOPHONICS MPA-S250NC?

Not sure which one to buy.

The idea is to power a pair of Piega Premium 5.2 (Recommended amplifier output 20-200W, Impedance 4 Ohm, Sensitivity 91 db/W/m)
 

Alec Kinnear

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The Yamaha R-N803; with it you also get preamp functionality, a streamer, and internet radio. It is slightly cheaper, and rates higher on the SINAD graph. I have it and I am happy with it.

Yes, the Yamaha sounds great. On paper. Until you listen to it. I have the Yamaha R-S700. The power section (amplifier) is not bad but the pre-amp is awful. I don't believe on your model you can separate power amp and pre-amp. I've added a pair of Pro-Ject Amp Box DS2 Stereo recently to replace the Yamaha R-S700 amplifier section (stopped using the pre-amp a long time ago) in my setup. The Pro-Ject Amp Box DS2 use the UcD102 from the same Hypex UcD series as this NAD C268 (Amp Box Mono uses the UcD180LP). The Yamaha R-S700 power section bi-amped on the AB speaker outs sounded quite fine (a touch better than my vintage NAD C320BEE for instance) until I switched in the Amp Boxes. Suddenly guitars squealed, bass thumped and orchestras filled the whole room, with the ability to place the instruments. Music from the R-S700 in comparison was a confusing soft blur.

It's not a question of volume/watts. I'm not a very high volume listener, except when testing or not sitting working, my speakers are only a few metres away when working.

Of course, I'd rather have two x stereo Purifi amps and I'll probably get there in a few years when the prices sink a bit and after I upgrade my speakers first. Stepping up to My NAD C372 amp section is dead. I remember the NAD C372 as as wonderful as the Pro-Ject's amp boxes (moving to the Yamaha six years ago was a clear step down) but of course can't A-B test the two. The NAD C372 pre-amp is also in a different class, competitive with the NAD C165BEE dedicated pre-amp which apparently rivals most $3K pre-amps (I don't have a $3K pre-amp so this is hearsay).

In any case, there's a lot of good press around here on the Yamaha A-S and R-S series. I'd seriously suggest auditioning them head to head against affordable Class D Hypex amplifiers before leaping. Even a DAC straight into a well put together UcD series amp (let alone an NCORE) will blow the socks off these Yamahas. One good word for the Yamaha amps – they are reliable and the noise floor at idle and full volume is basically silent. There's no line noise at all. Quite impressive.
 
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Angsty

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Stepping up to My NAD C372 amp section is dead.
If your C372 is not working, consider sending it for repair to Peter at Quirk Audio if you are in the US. He did wonders with my C272, which I have written about elsewhere.
 

Alec Kinnear

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If your C372 is not working, consider sending it for repair to Peter at Quirk Audio if you are in the US. He did wonders with my C272, which I have written about elsewhere.
Thanks Angsty for the suggestion. I'd love to have Peter work on my C372, based on your report (which I had previously read with great interest). I'm based in Europe (Austria). I have easy shipping within Austria, Slovakia and Czech Republic. Germany is also manageable. I attempted to get the C372 fixed in Bratislava when the amplifier section first failed but couldn't find a suitable hifi shop/repair service unfortunately. If anyone has had a good experience with this kind of repair in Central Europe, I'd love to have an address. I also have McIntosh MC2505 which needs front plate replacement and a revision. It's a pity the art of repair was lost for a time (there appear to be new craftsmen seriouly taking up the lost arts now).

I'll never get back those five years of misery listening to the Yamaha R-S700. Fortunately the NAD C165BEE plus 2 x Pro-Ject Amp Box DS2 Stereo offers a similar sound quality and power as what I had enjoyed with the C372. It's wonderful to have hifi back again. Just enjoyed Academy of St Martin in the Fields performance of Respighi's La fontana di Villa Medici al tramonto, after properly tuning my stereo subwoofers in HD on Primephonic (two months free). Heavenly.
 
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Deleted member 24907

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I ran a pair of difficult Tannoy xt8f on an NAD c368, which has the same ucd units. A lot of musical texture, stuff I never heard before on my previous pioneer vsx 2014- b&w 602 combo. And the NAD has soft high frequencies. But something was missing. A lot of old songs I know were not the same anymore. As if the NAD was muddying the nice parts where drums and guitars used to kick in. I had friends over and during drinking sessions they complained about the music on higher volume. Turn it up here it comes! Louder somethings missing! I knew this wasn't right. I was planning to buy the C298 but stumbled across a vintage chipped Yamaha mx2. Which according to the brochures a built to drive difficult speakers The owner was a technician which checked the inside and says its OK. Now, this Yamaha is here since last Friday, the C368 is the pre amp from now on. A lot of magical moments are here again. Just more oomph bass, drum and ass kicking guitars. Without losing the finer details! So now I need an mx1 .
 

liquidman101

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I ran a pair of difficult Tannoy xt8f on an NAD c368, which has the same ucd units. A lot of musical texture, stuff I never heard before on my previous pioneer vsx 2014- b&w 602 combo. And the NAD has soft high frequencies. But something was missing. A lot of old songs I know were not the same anymore. As if the NAD was muddying the nice parts where drums and guitars used to kick in. I had friends over and during drinking sessions they complained about the music on higher volume. Turn it up here it comes! Louder somethings missing! I knew this wasn't right. I was planning to buy the C298 but stumbled across a vintage chipped Yamaha mx2. Which according to the brochures a built to drive difficult speakers The owner was a technician which checked the inside and says its OK. Now, this Yamaha is here since last Friday, the C368 is the pre amp from now on. A lot of magical moments are here again. Just more oomph bass, drum and ass kicking guitars. Without losing the finer details! So now I need an mx1 .
So JCVan - are you saying the NADC368 is not quite up to scratch? What would you use instead an AB amp? I'm getting confused again :) Thanks for your input though - much appreciated before I take the plunge so to speak. Would like to get it right as I'm scratching round for pennies to buy this gear - with my wife pointing out to all the other priorities around the house that need doing. But as far as I'm concerned, as long as the roof isn't leaking (which may affect my new gear) everything else can wait! :)
 
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Deleted member 24907

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So JCVan - are you saying the NADC368 is not quite up to scratch? What would you use instead an AB amp? I'm getting confused again :) Thanks for your input though - much appreciated before I take the plunge so to speak. Would like to get it right as I'm scratching round for pennies to buy this gear - with my wife pointing out to all the other priorities around the house that need doing. But as far as I'm concerned, as long as the roof isn't leaking (which may affect my new gear) everything else can wait! :)
I have been informed that my speakers are to blame. They need more power. 2x80 watts doesn't seem to me enough. I bet the c368 amp will run dozens of other speakers just fine. If I upgrade to a different pre amp I will start using the c368 in my second set in my office using some bookshelf speakers without dips in the impedance curve.
 

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knownunknown

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Thinking about getting one in combination with a NAD C165BEE, but i would like to know if this amp is more on the warm sounding side, neutral ... ??

Auditioned some Graham Chartwell LS6 and am now looking for an amp that fits
 

Bear123

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Thinking about getting one in combination with a NAD C165BEE, but i would like to know if this amp is more on the warm sounding side, neutral ... ??

Auditioned some Graham Chartwell LS6 and am now looking for an amp that fits
I glanced at the measurements and, to me, it looks neutral, so I would think you wouldn't "hear" the amp at all, just your speakers and room. More importantly, make sure you have bass management and eq covered. The pre-amp you are looking at has tone controls, which is nice IMO.
 

knownunknown

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I glanced at the measurements and, to me, it looks neutral, so I would think you wouldn't "hear" the amp at all, just your speakers and room. More importantly, make sure you have bass management and eq covered. The pre-amp you are looking at has tone controls, which is nice IMO.

that's good to know, thank you! the tone controls/eq are the reason why i am looking at this combination. was looking at yamaha amps at first but realized they are way too big/heavy for my shelf
 

mangoes4hands

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Picked up a NAD C268 to use with a miniDSP SHD, and it's had a strange problem of kicking into standby mode when in use. I had a concert on in the background with the SHD set to -38.5 db (so not loud but clearly audible) and the C268 has the sense level set to high. In the middle of a song it switched to standby.

Is this a defective unit or am I missing something? How strong of a signal does this thing need to stay active?
 

mangoes4hands

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Have you tried setting Auto Sense Level to Mid or Low?
  • Low 0.85 mV
  • Mid 1.7 mV
  • High 3.7 mV
Ah, thanks for this. I assumed high meant higher sensitivity, but based on that it appears that high means higher threshold for standby. Will switch to low and see what happens.
 

gags

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Should drive them no problem! My Debut 2.0 B6.2 sound great driven by my C368.

I was wondering about the B6.2s and this amp also, as I have a pair.

They are 6 Ohms and elsewhere in this thread it has been suggested the C268 has a 4 Ohm limit.

Does the C368 have the same?

Would anyone warn against ignoring the 4 Ohm limit and pairing a C268 and the Debut B6.2s?

Cheers.
 
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