Yamaha A-S500 vs NAD C356BEE

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Don't base your choice on reviews go and hear as much amps as you can and buy the one  which sounds best for your ears .

Look for Marantz and Rotel amps I think their sound is more intersting than the NAD or Yamaha . 

dont go for the yamaha or marantz

I've got the Yamaha As500 and it's a great amp in terms of punch. I've got it driving huge 2050i speakers and it does it with ease. I liked the Yamaha over the marantz. I've also got the cds300 player and yes you can plug the iPhone into the c player which is great. I'm gonna get the rega DAC and bypass the one in th cd player and since the c player can also connect to iPhone it means that I don't need to buy another iPhone dock with digital out so the cds300 seems great to use even as a transporter then buy a dedicated DAC

Can't comment on the Nad but I also asked this qu a whole ago but in the end I couldn't demo the nad anywhere in Glasgow so went for the 500 (well I'm demoing it just now)

Agree with your comments regarding making decisions based solely on reviews however i personally (if it's my review you're referring) did not make my decision on reviews alone,like you i demo'd quite a few  models before i made up my mind & i just felt the Nad met my needs.