Review on NAD C 🎧 316BEE Integrated Amplifier with Phonograph by Richard Bowens

Just arrived today. Like virtually everyone else, I am very pleased with the sheer power and superb tone of this amp. I bought this set with the KEF Q100 speakers and I think the combination is superb: superb clarity, amazing midrange punch and very tight bass beyond the limits of this setup. Streaming Tidal Masters, CDs and vinyl sounds great so I think this will meet the needs of most buyers looking for a fantastic inexpensive analogue connected amplifier. I considered the Onkyo A-9010 for its onboard Wolfson DAC, but I was put off by reports of volume control issues. Additionally, as a longtime NAD customer since the audio golden age, I couldn't resist the outstanding performance of NAD gear. I use Dragonfly Red to stream Tidal and it's amazing. In fact, with this amp, even picking out the cheap built-in sound card of any latest laptop for Tidal's exclusive mode sounds great, so my worries about a built-in DAC are a thing of the past. I'll update my review later if anything changes, but for now I'm perfectly satisfied that I got exactly what I expected: a great sounding amp that's probably the best in its price range. One negative note: I bought this unit from Audio. Consultants, Inc. operated by Revain. Although the box was original, the inner packaging was clearly not new. It turned out that someone had opened the box and possibly used the device before packing it back up. So it may be more correct to sell it as "Refurbished" than "New". The amp works great and looks new and the price was $379 which is the lowest price currently available online so I'm not upset. However, given the choice, I may contact Audio Advisors, Inc. for future purchases.