NAD C165BEE review

This NAD preamp is best paired with the C275BEE power amp to create an amplifier that's got sonic muscle and subtlety to boot Tested at £650.00

What Hi-Fi? Verdict

A likeable brute of an amplifier. For those who want plenty of sonic muscle without having to sacrifice subtlety too much

Pros

  • +

    Sonic muscle, authority and scale

  • +

    feature list

  • +

    well-judged presentation

Cons

  • -

    Not the last word in transparency at this price

  • -

    unimpressive feel and finish for the money

Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.

If sonic muscularity and outright scale are important to you, buy this NAD pairing, consisting of the C165BEE preamp and C275BEE power amp. We can't think of another amplifier at this price level that delivers so much authority with such ease.

It doesn't matter what kind of torture track you try – we used Like a Dog Chasing Cars from The Dark Knight OST – this pre/power takes it all in its stride.

With such music this NAD combo sounds big and brawny, and plays at high volume levels with little sign of stress. A power rating of 150 Watts per channel is good at this price level, but it sounds like the C275BEE power amplifier is capable of far more.

Pleasing dynamics and bass
You can add strong dynamics and seismic bass to the list of positives, and other qualities such as tonal balance and stereo imaging are good enough to avoid serious criticism.

The very best of the opposition deliver more agility and transparency, but thankfully this combo avoids the heavy-handed, muscle-bound nature of some rivals.

Look past the sound and you'll find the feature list is good. The C165BEE is a fully-specced preamp. It has a reasonably capable moving magnet/moving coil phono stage, a good headphone output and plenty of line level connections.

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What Hi-Fi?

What Hi-Fi?, founded in 1976, is the world's leading independent guide to buying and owning hi-fi and home entertainment products. Our comprehensive tests help you buy the very best for your money, with our advice sections giving you step-by-step information on how to get even more from your music and movies. Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London, Reading and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence.

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