Nad C270

keith allen · August 2004

I have a pair of RTi8's,I push them with a 100w receiver,Denon dra685,does a good job,but I'm thinking of buying a power amp and using the receiver for preamp,and to also run my outdoor speakers.I can buy a brand new NAD c270 amp for $350,it is 12w x2,my Denon receiver is 100w x 2,I have been told reiver power cant compare with amp power,even though the power is close to the same the amp will make the speakers sound a good bit better,anybody agree with that?And does anybody have any input on the NAD c270?

keith allen · August 2004

Typo...NAD = 120w x 2

pjdami · August 2004

The NAD C270 is a good amp and at that price a good buy. It will definitely add slam to your system.

I had a Yamaha receiver two years ago and added a NAD C270 for LSi and it really woke them up.

FYI.
Saturday audio is having a deal on them right now and I believe they are an authorized dealer so you get the warranty for only $29 more. See the specials page.

http://www.saturdayaudio.com/

keith allen · August 2004

That is exactly where I am buying it,one other thing,I can get an Adcom gfa 555 for $400,its like new condition,is it a better amp?
I do appreciate your reply,Im new to seperates and higher end stuff.

pjdami · August 2004

Sorry Keith,

I have not owned any Adcom gear so I can't compare it to the NAD C270. Both are good amps that will add serious dynamics to your system. I would be very surprised if you were unhappy with the NAD though. It's a sweet and smooth sounding amp, you can bridge it in mono, it has an anticlipping mode, and a variable or fixed input gain, so its a very capable and flexible amp that you can keep around for different duties in the long haul.

I-SIG · August 2004

When my CArver went out, I almost bought a couple of those to power my SDA's.

Wes

pjdami · August 2004

I almost bought a couple of those to power my SDA's.

That's a pretty nice deal they have going on there. 2 300 watt monoblocks for $699 and factory warranty too.

50 amps of current into 1 ohm. That's the difference between this amp and a "typical" receiver's amps.

scottdawg · August 2004

I bought my c270 from pjdami, I use it to power my SDA SRS 2's, plenty of power. You wont be disappointed I assure you of that. Thats a killer deal too.

shack · August 2004

I have a Denon DRA-685 and a NAD C-270. I have actually used the Denon as a pre for the NAD and it sounded pretty good. You will notice a difference...but it is not a "night and day" difference. The DRA-685 is a much better receiver than many give it credit for with some very nice amps. Most folks don't realize it, but the Denon is rated for speakers down to 4 ohms. I think VERY highly of the NAD and it is a nice purchase at that price. I got mine for $320. My next step is to see if I can find a NAD C-370 integrated and use the amps bridged for 300 wpc. Of course the 370/270 are only rated for 8 ohms bridged. Go for it.

John K. · August 2004

Keith, what you say that you've been told makes no technical sense. Receiver power is amp power; putting an FM/AM tuner into an amp to create a receiver doesn't somehow make the amp less good. You have an excellent two channel amp in your 685 that has a power supply section that can easily supply the needs of just two amp sections. The difference between 100 watts and 120 watts is only about 0.8dB in maximum sound level(e.g. 110dB or 110.8dB on peaks). Your RTi8s use about 1 watt at a comfortably loud listening level and although split-second peaks take much more, it's highly unlikely that your 685 isn't handling them with ease. Enjoy the music and don't waste your money.

Early B. · August 2004

Keith -- get the NAD, dude.

pjdami · August 2004

Well,

I do have to apologize about assuming that the Denon receiver was inferior. I try not to make comments on gear that I have not personally experienced (like the Adcom comment above).

Certainly, I respect what Shack has said as he owns both pieces of gear. John has made some good points as well and we are talking about RTi 8s here and for whatever reason I was thinking about my experience with the LSi 9 on a Yamaha receiver amps and then with the NAD. An entirely different animal there.

With that being said, I do still believe that the NAD C270 is a solid foundation for a two channel setup. Something you can build around if you get different speakers down the road. Also, experiencing the receiver vs. seperate amp thing for yourself is pretty cool, but as Shack has said, don't expect a "night and day" difference. I posted something similar to this on another thread two days ago commenting about Rotel and B&K receivers with their respective two channel amps and it wasn't a "night and day" difference there either.

Nad C270

Comments