Nad V Marantz

Just Like a few opinions on the overall sound and quality of these two brands,

im looking for a stereo amp and cd player that are the same style/brand.

my top end budget is £600

what would you get ?

 

Pardon the expression, but go for the NADS!!!!
They got top spot in the recent WHF Awards, so they MUST be best!!

Seriously, both brands have good reputations, although from what I understand, Marantz has somewhat moved away from 2-channel and is more focussed on home cinema, whereas NAD seems to be more heavily committed to 2-channel hifi (not that you should read too much into this).

As usual, the best advice is probably to listen to both combinations and decide for yourself. Also I think there might be an entry-level Rotel combo which would fit into your price range so you might want to audition those as well.

 

Why not put Rotel and Arcam on your demo list too?

 

I am sure the new Rotel RA-02 and matching silver CD player would just be within your budget, and it looks sexy, and gets extremely good reviews in the hifi mags for the price.

 

ill look in to them,

is rotel accauly any better than nad ?

 

Is Sony better than Panasonic? Is Mercedes better than BMW? Is red better than yellow?

Sorry if that sounded really sarcastic. I am just making the point that there is no definitive answer to that question; it comes down to which specific models you are considering, and your own personal preferences. Try to listen to both and make up your own mind!

 

I used to have a Marantz CD6000 KI-Sig CD player and NAD C370 amp and they made for a fabulous combination.... though somehow I suspect that's not what you wanted to hear.

Dunc

 

Im considering the NAD C370, its a bit of a beast

might even get the C270 power amp, and mono block them to give me 300watts RMS into each channel....

But on ther other hand, the area in which it will be placed is only about 9m X 4m.

And im not setting up a sound system for a club

Thanks for the advice people,

 

That's hooge! I suspect the C370/270 combo would kick some serious ass in your room, particularly if partnered with a good pair of speakers (what do you have/are you after?)

Dunc

 

might even get the C270 power amp, and mono block them to give me 300watts RMS into each channel....

If you are thinking of doing this immediately, I think you should consider superior but pricier models. I think it would be normal to spend close to your maximum budget on the best CD/Amp combination you can afford, and then when you have more money or want to upgrade, THEN you would add the power amp.

What I am saying is that it would be better in the long run to get a better amp now and retain the possibility of biamping as a future upgrade. If you can afford the cost of the Nad integrated and the Nad power amps now, you may be better off getting a really good integrated amp for the same money. But obviously you don't want to get something that will outclass the rest of your system.

 

On reflection, digitalmonkey's right. A good £900 amp will almost certainly sound better than the C370/270, unless you *really* need those 300watts.

However, I disagree about not wanting to outclass the rest of your system... If, like most of us here, you have longterm upgrade plans, there's nothing wrong with buying a component (especially an amp) that may seem a bit like overkill compared to the rest of your kit. It just makes the prospect of upgrading the rest of the system that much more tantalising. And I think you'd be surprised how much difference a top-notch amp can make to a seemingly lowly pair of budget speakers. Personally, if you're going to spend more on one component than the rest, I'd do it on the speakers - a budget CD player and amp plus a really topnotch pair of speakers will sound *so* much better than the same system with budget speakers... (Although some high-end speakers are a bit demanding when it comes to amplification, and may not sound very good at all, so it pays to audition.)

HTH,

Dunc

 

I know what you mean about getting a better amp that would withstand a later upgrade. I don't think there is a definitive answer to this - it depends on whether the person buying the system has any serious plans on upgrading. If you're not going to change your system for another 10 years then there's no point in spending too much money on one component, because during such a long period it is likely that even a very good product may become outdated. In this case I would maintain that it is best not to spend too much on any single component.

So it really depends on whether you are likely to want to upgrade in the (comparitively) near future. Personally I would buy components that complement each other - for £600 you should be able to get a very nice-sounding system that will enable you to enjoy any kind of music. If you start upgrading this, upgrading that, you will never be satisfied and there will always be some little thing that is not good enough for the rest of the system. All very well if you are a millionaire, but probably not a great situation for most people!

 

Actually I think there is some common characteristic of some brand, regardless of model. I just compared a NAD and Rotel and believe there are differences.

Of the 2 rotel I heard, a old integrated 931 and a new power rb1070, they have some fundamental similarities. Rotel are generally more transparent and detailed but tends toward the leaner side of things. Definitely not good for jazz. They are generally more difficult to match system.

Of the NAD I heard, I find them generally more warm sounded if a little veiled and slightly less detailed in comparison. Sound more powerful then most amplifier.

Bottom line. They are both very good so buying which one would rest on your taste.

 

I have a C370, 601 S3's and a REL Q100E which I use mainly for music. Sounds superb.

MuFu.