how bout the quad 12L?
how do u guys rate it

but don't u guys think the b&w does look a bit better... i mean aesthetically...

In Malaysia, our hot weather usually mean open windows/noisy/aircon noise listening environment, also brick house tend to have more reflective sound. Unless you have huge house/room like American, you can generally save heap buying budget amp with lower power rating.

I have Harbeth HL-P3 speaker and HLS8 speaker hooked up with NAD C352 now (previously QUAD 34/306 pre/amp) and Pioneer 676a Universal DVD player. Initially the NAD C352 does not sound too good, I later discovered the problem lie with the cheap links used to connect the NAD's pre and power amp connector. Replacing the cheap link with a short gold plated RCA cable make huge improvement in the sound and stereo imaging.

Before I bought the C352, I audition it with NAD C542 CDP and the Harbeth HL-P3, I also took the opportunity to listen to the cheaper C320Bee. They both sounded just as good and both can play at incredibly loud level without distortion. The HL-P3 is rather low sentivity and still the C320bee can drive it without any problems at all.

Since the cheaper C320Bee can drive even HL-P3 to such high volume and create exciting music, I strongly advise you to buy this model instead of C352. Save the money and invest in better speakers instead.

I think normal amp may not be popular in 2 years time, given the popularity and advancement in AV receiver and digital amp, it may not be wise to spend huge amount of money into 2 channels stereo amp.
On the other hand, a cheap NAD C320Bee can easily beat many expensive AV receivers.

If you plan to have a nice 2 channels stereo setup, I suggest you forget about the sub and again just invest in a pair of better speakers. I find the Pioneer 676a universal player does a pretty good job playing CD, SACD dnd DVD-A disc and even DIVx movie and MP3 files, and it's pretty affordable. It's virtual surround sound mode is good for watching surround sound movie with 2 stereo setup. Having said that, if you insists on getting a sub, then NAD C352 is preferred because it has 2 preamp output, you can link one to your sub.

NAD C320Bee is a very good amp and it has no problem generating great and loud sound on difficult speaker. Make sure you replace the pre/power amp link with some good interconnect. Audition it with very good sound source and speakers and be amazed by its quality.


If you have a chance, go and audition the tiny Harbeth HL-P3 here:

Tropical Audio (M) SDN BHD

Address
25, Jalan Genting Klang
Setapak
53300 Kuala Lumpur
West Malaysia


Phone
+ 603 402335484 or 40217660
Fax
+ 603 77269300
Email
tropicalaudio@hotmail.com or beeliantay@hotmail.com



Cheers,

Paul


PS: It may be worth while to get C720Bee ( C320Bee + Tuner ), sometimes it's nice to just turn on the radio.

woah very good alternative advice... tq so much
buying the pioneer would definately save quite a lot of dough .. and u're putting things into a different perspective

ahh anyway.. maybe really need to go demo it b4 any decisions....

As oppose to Japanese amde amp, NAD and other well known brands always underrated their amps. That's why a 50W NAD amp is more powerful than a 60W Japs amp.

One more thing to add regrading the Pioneer DVD universal player. It has 5.1 RCA output plus normal stereo L, R RCA output, it also has video component output and support progressive scan.

The L,R channel from the 5.1 outputs can also act as a second L,R output. I connect the normal 2 channel stereo output straight to TV and the second L, R output to the NAD amplifier. That means I can watch basic DVD movie without turning on the amplifier. If I play quality DVD movie, I just mute the TV sound and turn on the NAD which get a direct signal feed from the DVD player ( instead of TV Monitor out which is noisy ).


Cheers,

Paul

hmmm...
this is quite good for the pioneer because i plan to get a 2nd pioneer dvd (divx capable) for the stereo amp for basic dvd viewing also...

and it's half the price of the nad541bee

i was thik of geting pioneed 686a as well... but ended up with a marantz7300 on monday.

Another good thing about the Pioneer DVD player is that IT plays *ALL* kind of disc reliably, yes even those you get in Low Yat plaza. Can't say the same with other japanese brand DVD player.

Harbeth speakers maybe expensive for most people, but luckily Harbeth has launched a cheaper range called the NRG series, it's worthwhile checking them out!


Paul

ooo hows the player sound like? any good?care for a review later? maybe u can compare your player to the player u nearly bought i mean compare to a dvd Player so we will know what is the diff sonically.

harbeth, hmmmmm the only person doing this speakers is sam from tropical audio. btw u seems to like harbeth alot ah? are u Sam? hahahah just joking. harberth indeed a very good speakers

Some advice before you buy any Hi-fi stereo. Know what sound or music you want and the most important is to know how much money you want to spend on a set cause once you paid the salesman your money there is no turning back. your Hi-fi system wil automatically de-value by as much as 50%. So make sure you know what you are buying try audition as many time as you can. Again know what you want.

Well.. the 7300 are more 'responsive and details' compare to my dvd player. but have to becareful coz rubbish in will b come more rubbish out. theres gose my 'good quality' cd. bottom line is it's a good player compare to my dvd. still dont know what to do with my apm .

Me SAM? Not a chance! I'm in Australia , far far away from Tropical Audio.

I went to some HIFI show in Melbourne lately, gotta listen to some incredible gear here, including the OZ designed and "BEST in the world" amplifier - Halcro amplifier. It costs almost as much as a house.

As for Harbeth speakers, I must say I initially was not very impressed by it, especially you almost don't see them reviewed or advertised in popular magazine very often. When I tried out the NAD C352, I gotta audition it with other very expensive and large floor standing speakers, but when I switched to Harbeth HL-P3 bookshelf speakers, suddenly I realise that tiny things sound so much better. The sound is so refined and rich. You can't believe that tiny things sound so HUGE! Vocal especially is so wonderful.

However, do not expect Harbeth speakers to give you heart-pounding sound.

yo guys... just an update..
went to KL area today..

demo-ed the quad 12L ... not bad but i'm still into the B&W sound.. dunno why.. but the quad finish is so much better...

besides that.. just want to ask regarding the package i'm getting :

i'm getting the C352 + C521bee (all china made - are these the normal case ? or are these dodgy ?) .. anyway they are willing to throw in the audioquest sidewinder + audioquest type 4 speaker wires in...

do u think these are good ? and if not, what else should i upgrade to ? (some nego power needed) ....

finally tq again for the replies!!!

oh ya.. forgot to add..

i tried the c320bee with the quad12L and it did sound a wee bit better (better bass i perhaps) ... maybe there's some dodgyness going on.. but i'm pretty sure at that moment the c320bee sounds a weebit better...

any ideas ?

dsiew, the NADs are all made in China, not sure about the Silverline series, so are the Quads(that's why u get an excellent finish for modest price), Epos too

The B&W on the other hand is still manufactured in UK, that seems to be the philosophy behind the Bower & Wilkins speakers. But just a note, the 602 S3 are not shielded so try not to use them right next/close to your PC monitor, give them some space away from your TV/monitor should be fine. LCD should be fine too

The B&Ws are usually paired with Rotel from the Hifi mags, but hifi is unique so go ahead with whatever ancillaries you think sound great.

Cables: audioquest is so-so for the $$, i would go with supra rondo biwire, some advocate using silver for the HF post & copper for the LF post as silver conducts the best & is detailed/albeit also a bit bright but copper gives the bass some slam but I just use simple Supra/Chord/QED. Nordost Flatline is good but too $$$

If u r gonna buy, better make a good deal of it soon, otherwise u will likely change your picks again next month, trust me, i've been there...LoL

Cheers

This post has been edited by Omegaminx: Aug 28 2005, 05:54 PM

LoL... yes .. first it was the amps/cdp.. then the bookshelves.. i've narrowed it down a bit now...i think maybe the quads.. unless somebody throws me an unbelivable price for the b&w maybe i'll shift..

where to get the supra/chord that you're talking about ? i've only seen supra in desa and chord in music room 1U...

another thing.. does biwire make a difference? cos the guys i've spoke to keep pushing me to get the monsters (not bi-wire but has some magnetic flux in between)...

The B&W should be ~2K and the Quad around that price too , maybe a bit more if u r going for the 12L, 11L is much cheaper.

You can get the Supra from Amcorp Mall, Ampang Park, Desa HT LYP, the Chord from Amcorp and your 1 U, search around can't really remember the names, it has been some time

Cheers

yea the b&w are ~2k.. so is the quad 11L
the quad 12L is slightly more... but doesn't look as good as the B&W IMO

anyway, any ideas/suggestions on the bi-wire thingy ?

just wondering...
u'd think the chord company cobra 3 + chord carnival silver plus is good together ? i mean it's highly recommended by what hifi ..
anybody has this together ?

Hey Dsiew,

I believe Quad 11 is a better speaker if you prefer Live Acoustic or Vocal type music. Like Harbeth, Quad won't give you heart-pounding sound.

Also trust me on this one, save yourself money and get C320Bee instead of C352. Unless you play at insane level, or your speaker is one those ultra insensitive type, you WON'T notice the difference especially in Malaysia kind of environment.

When you audition C320Bee, try audition it with Jazz trio recording or simple Vocal ballad CD. Pay attention to Cymbal clashes and the decay, and whether the Vocal sound Nasal or not, also the wideness and stability of stereo image. Then Replace the pre/power amp link behind the NAD with a decent Gold-plated interconnect, audition again, I guarantee you will notice the sound difference.

I also think it's probably better to use the saving to buy a good DVD/CD universal player or better speaker ( How much are they selling Harbeth HL-P3ES2 there? ). My logic is simple - I don't think CD is good medium anymore, and CD player will be replaced by DVD/CD hybrid player, or worst online/HDD/Ipod type player.

Personally I regret buying the C352, I could easily save A$300 by buying the C320bee and use that money to buy GOOD CDs to listen to. I think C320Bee is GOOD enough for 90% of people. Sonic difference between C352 and C320bee is negligible.