Torn Between NAD C316BEE V2 and Cambridge AXA35

[MarkWinston]

Looking to get a new amp around this price for my Wharfedales Diamond 12.2 which frequently dips down to 4 ohms throughout the frequency range. Does anyone have any measurements or experience with these amps? Im willing to take a look at other amps that does not exceed the price of these too but these are the 2 I zoomed in on currently. TIA.

 

[MarkWinston]

Looking to get a new amp around this price for my Wharfedales Diamond 12.2 which frequently dips down to 4 ohms throughout the frequency range. Does anyone have any measurements or experience with these amps? Im willing to take a look at other amps that does not exceed the price of these too but these are the 2 I zoomed in on currently. TIA.

Edit : Might, just MIGHT be upgrading to the Polk R200 so do take that into consideration, FWIW.

 

[Yawnny]

I don’t have much for advice.. however the AXA35 does have a dedicated Pre Out so you could always hook up a power amp to it, making the AXA35 a pre amp .. maybe that’s considered future proofing?

 

[MarkWinston]

I don’t have much for advice.. however the AXA35 does have a dedicated Pre Out so you could always hook up a power amp to it, making the AXA35 a pre amp .. maybe that’s considered future proofing?

Dont know how good is the pre on the axa35, you have any idea?

Edit: just found out there is not pre out on the axa 35

 

[Doodski]

@MarkWinston as far as I'm concerned the NAD is the better of the two. It has slightly more power, is rated for 4 Ohms and it has knobs for bass and treble control.

 

[Doodski]

@MarkWinston are you interested in the Yamaha AS301 Stereo Integrated ToP-ART Amplifier? It has more power, 4 Ohm rated, a loudness control, bass and treble knobs and it's decently constructed.

 

[MarkWinston]

@MarkWinston are you interested in the Yamaha AS301 Stereo Integrated ToP-ART Amplifier? It has more power, 4 Ohm rated, a loudness control, bass and treble knobs and it's decently constructed.

That could be another option. You think the a301 would outperform the other 2 in sq? Ive just read a few reviews om the a301 and they are split both ways, like any other equipment. My aim is to get the most uncoloured amp at this price point, as its only for the diamonds (which are basically 4 ohm speakers) for a medium sized room (8 meters by 5 meters by 2 and a half meters ceiling, maybe slightly smaller), sitting 3 and half meters away and on ocassion listen at 90-95db average. What would you suggest at this price point?

 

[Doodski]

That could be another option. You think the a301 would outperform the other 2 in sq? Ive just read a few reviews om the a301 and they are split both ways, like any other equipment. My aim is to get the most uncoloured amp at this price point, as its only for the diamonds (which are basically 4 ohm speakers) for a medium sized room (8 meters by 5 meters by 2 and a half meters ceiling, maybe slightly smaller), sitting 3 and half meters away and on ocassion listen at 90-95db average. What would you suggest at this price point?

Yes, I think for the money the A-S301 will be a better performer. It has 60W@8R w/ both channels driven. 100/120/140/150 watts dynamic at 8/6/4/2 Ohms and it comes with a remote control. It's a great value. I would go with the Yamaha at this price point. That extra power will come in handy and give you more headroom.

 

[MarkWinston]

Yes, I think for the money the A-S301 will be a better performer. It has 60W@8R w/ both channels driven. 100/120/140/150 watts dynamic at 8/6/4/2 Ohms and it comes with a remote control. It's a great value. I would go with the Yamaha at this price point. That extra power will come in handy and give you more headroom.

Thanks for that suggestion! Ill look into it to see if I could get a good deal here. Im currently using the DA-9 and dont really like how it sounds, hence the search for another good budget amp.

 

[Yawnny]

Dont know how good is the pre on the axa35, you have any idea?

Edit: just found out there is not pre out on the axa 35

Yeha sorry about that. Looked at the rear again the other day and saw "Rec Out" as "Pre Out" .. must have not had my coffee yet

 

[dr0ss]

We have an older pair of Diamond 12.2 in a vacation house. We loved the sound when they were running off an 80s-era 35wpc Technics receiver, which eventually died. We replaced it with a Yamaha RS201 receiver, which is much more powerful on paper, but have never found a set of adjustments that don't sound anemic. The Yamaha AS301 is better than the RS201, so might not have the same issues. (We will eventually replace the RS201 with either an NAD or Denon integrated amp. Or get the Technics repaired.)

 

[MarkWinston]

We have an older pair of Diamond 12.2 in a vacation house. We loved the sound when they were running off an 80s-era 35wpc Technics receiver, which eventually died. We replaced it with a Yamaha RS201 receiver, which is much more powerful on paper, but have never found a set of adjustments that don't sound anemic. The Yamaha AS301 is better than the RS201, so might not have the same issues. (We will eventually replace the RS201 with either an NAD or Denon integrated amp. Or get the Technics repaired.)

Thats what Im afraid of, getting an amp that makes the 12.2 sound anemic and thin. Wonder what is causing the amp to sound anemic, impedence maybe?

 

[GimeDsp]

Had the axr85 and it went back after a week. I didn't get it measured but it sounded slow. Like molasses.

 

[Doodski]

Had the axr85 and it went back after a week. I didn't get it measured but it sounded slow. Like molasses.

You mean like the bass was loose and not tight or was missing midrange?

 

[GimeDsp]

You mean like the bass was loose and not tight or was missing midrange?

Could be loose bass, maybe crossover distortion? I don't know, but I do listen at normal/low levels, not sure if that affects anything.

My swan m200 speakers I auditioned also had the same issue.
I have a mixture of other class D and a/b stuff and it all sounds good.

I asked my friend who is an engineer And he said he said Cambridge is bad now regarding amps.

 

[dr0ss]

Wonder what is causing the amp to sound anemic, impedence maybe?

The amp should be able drive these speakers without issue. Perhaps the old amp distorted in just the right way as to compensate for any of the speakers' deficiencies.

 

[SS55]

I don’t know how much the Yamaha WXA-50 costs in your country but do check it out.
It’s been reviewed by Amir.
It has volume dependent loudness which helps at lower volume, which you can turn it off and there are 3 band eq to fine tune.
50 watts @8ohms and 100 watts @4ohms so I’m sure it can handle speakers your Diamond 12.2.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...urements-of-yamaha-wxa-50-streaming-amp.7964/

 

[MarkWinston]

I don’t know how much the Yamaha WXA-50 costs in your country but do check it out.
It’s been reviewed by Amir.
It has volume dependent loudness which helps at lower volume, which you can turn it off and there are 3 band eq to fine tune.
50 watts @8ohms and 100 watts @4ohms so I’m sure it can handle speakers your Diamond 12.2.
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...urements-of-yamaha-wxa-50-streaming-amp.7964/

Sadly the WXA50 is double or close to double the price of the amps I mentioned above. I wonder how all these amps compare to the offerings from china like the SMSL DA-9 because I own the DA9.

 

[Chrispy]

Seems like you're over worried about a particular amp. Concentrate on the aspects in an amp you need for your speakers' characteristics, the listening level you want at what distance. You might find the speakers are the weaker point.

 

[MarkWinston]

Seems like you're over worried about a particular amp. Concentrate on the aspects in an amp you need for your speakers' characteristics, the listening level you want at what distance. You might find the speakers are the weaker point.

I already have the speakers, and Im finding for an amp to go with it so there is notning much I can do on the speaker side unless I sell it off which Im not planning to. From what you are saying, all the amps I mentioned above should sound the same albeit a slight difference in power which isnt true as they are not on a (high) level where they are already perfect and they both output the same perfect, nuetral and linear signal.

Now the objective side, I would love to see graphs of both before purchasing, that would tell me which one is closer 'perfection' or 'neutral'. Either one or both these amps will screw up in a crucial department or 2 on the charts, and that is what Im trying to figure out. If Amir has tested both, it would be way easier for me.