NAD C 165BEE: Any Experiences?
- Thread starter grundigger
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grundigger
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the info. I'm so impressed with my '315BEE, that I was wondering if the preamp was as good as Jerry Siegel says it is. He certainly has some fine gear to compare it to. But your "pretty well" makes me think I ought to continue to be happy with my Audio Illusions preamp until something vaultingly better orbits my gravitational field. I'd like a solid state preamp sometime in the future--maybe I should just build a PASS B1. I heard Watt's F5 yesterday and it sounded impressive through his Altec 805's.
Art K.
The Voodoo You Do!
Welcome to AK.
grundigger
Well-Known Member
I won't know about the '165, but I'll give you my impressions of the '162 next week when I take possession of it. I'm especially interested in how well its MM and MC sections play. I have a set of Shure transformer SUTs, too. I imagine that the '162 and '165 phono sections aren't all that far apart.
grundigger
Well-Known Member
Remember, I will be referring to the C 162, not the current production C 165. If the NAD C 165BEE is better, which wouldn't surprise me, then it ought to make most of us pretty damn happy, I think.
Bottom line: I love it! I had been using a Rega Fono Mini, which I liked a lot, as well as a Pro-Ject Phono Box S, also good, and the phono section of an Audible Illusions 2C, but the NAD preamp has an ease and expansiveness that is beguiling in its own right. While listening to the MM section right now, using a Grado Red1 with an 8MZ stylus. The gain of MM section of the NAD is about 1/2 to 2/3 of the outboard boxes, if that is important to anyone. I turn it up to about 12:00 o'clock for "serious listening." My Grado MI is typical, in that it seems to put out a bit less voltage than most MM's.
MM is ultra quiet, btw. It's just a touch on the mellow/warm side of things without being too dark or soporific (or maybe I'm finally hearing the Grado like it's supposed to sound?). I listened to some classical music including some Gregorian chant on a Philips record. I was hearing details I hadn't heard before, and there was a blackness to the silence that was new to me, too. I just tossed on Black Sabbath's Vol4 to see how a typical rock record might sound. Very appealing! Good depth to the soundstage, properly heavy.
Switched to MC, installing my trusty DL-103. Volume is just as loud as the Grado with the volume pot at about 10:00 o'clock, so obviously there's plenty of gain in the MC section. More important, there's almost no noise, which I can't say is true of the Audible Illusion's 6DJ8 tube section (MM). The AI might have a tad more magic, but really, I'm digging the NAD just fine. Can't wait to try my DL-103D when it gets back from SoundSmith in about eight weeks. :sigh: One thing that surprises me is that I can't really say if I prefer the Denon MC or the Grado MI right now. They both have their different flavors, but both make music that you can get lost in.
I feel like I can listen a long time tonight. I feel like I can be very happy with this setup for a long time, though I might be getting a pair of Barzilay Econowaves tomorrow.
One other thing. I noticed a little "haze" or "grunge" when I first set it up. I was pretty disheartened, but then realized--yes! noooo!--my music server was the culprit. The computer is now banished to the bedroom. So the NAD has shown me resolution, good and bad, I hadn't heard before.
Bottom line: I love it! I had been using a Rega Fono Mini, which I liked a lot, as well as a Pro-Ject Phono Box S, also good, and the phono section of an Audible Illusions 2C, but the NAD preamp has an ease and expansiveness that is beguiling in its own right. While listening to the MM section right now, using a Grado Red1 with an 8MZ stylus. The gain of MM section of the NAD is about 1/2 to 2/3 of the outboard boxes, if that is important to anyone. I turn it up to about 12:00 o'clock for "serious listening." My Grado MI is typical, in that it seems to put out a bit less voltage than most MM's.
MM is ultra quiet, btw. It's just a touch on the mellow/warm side of things without being too dark or soporific (or maybe I'm finally hearing the Grado like it's supposed to sound?). I listened to some classical music including some Gregorian chant on a Philips record. I was hearing details I hadn't heard before, and there was a blackness to the silence that was new to me, too. I just tossed on Black Sabbath's Vol4 to see how a typical rock record might sound. Very appealing! Good depth to the soundstage, properly heavy.
Switched to MC, installing my trusty DL-103. Volume is just as loud as the Grado with the volume pot at about 10:00 o'clock, so obviously there's plenty of gain in the MC section. More important, there's almost no noise, which I can't say is true of the Audible Illusion's 6DJ8 tube section (MM). The AI might have a tad more magic, but really, I'm digging the NAD just fine. Can't wait to try my DL-103D when it gets back from SoundSmith in about eight weeks. :sigh: One thing that surprises me is that I can't really say if I prefer the Denon MC or the Grado MI right now. They both have their different flavors, but both make music that you can get lost in.
I feel like I can listen a long time tonight. I feel like I can be very happy with this setup for a long time, though I might be getting a pair of Barzilay Econowaves tomorrow.
One other thing. I noticed a little "haze" or "grunge" when I first set it up. I was pretty disheartened, but then realized--yes! noooo!--my music server was the culprit. The computer is now banished to the bedroom. So the NAD has shown me resolution, good and bad, I hadn't heard before.
grundigger
Well-Known Member
That's good to know! I hope you like the '165 as much as I like my '162. I have my Audible Illusions and NAD preamps in the same setup in my living room, and swap them in and out every few days to compare them. Though they are radically different designs and most people would assume that the AI would crush the NAD, I find that they are both more than acceptable, each with its own advantages and disadvantages: the AI's tube soundstage depth is better, while the NAD is more resolving. Both make beautiful music, especially via their respective phono sections, and that's what matters to me the most. I can listen to either preamp for hours and often do.
I listened to the MC section of the NAD for a while with a Denon DL-103, but I gave the Denon to a friend, so I've been listening to the MM stage and my Grado Red1 with 8MZ stylus. When I get my Denon DL103D back from SoundSmith, I'll use either preamps' MM stage via a DIY SUT. I'm using Shure transformers, but I might go back to Cinemags.
Bottom line: I'm amazed at how good the NAD sounds.
Hey I am looking to buy a phono preamp ATM. My options are the rega mini fono, artdjpre II or a cambridge 640p. But recently I was looking In my local cash converters and saw the nad c 162 for just £40. Didn't this beast cost £600 new? Also from your experiences how does it compare to the other phono stages I mentioned
I had this preamp in my 2-channel room about a year ago. It drove a Wyred4Sound ST-1000 class D amp. I actually regret selling it as I could have used it later on when I acquired another power amp in a trade deal. I originally sold it when I came upon a Yamaha A-S2000. The 165 had a very clean sound, was dynamic and had tons of flexibility connection wise. The remote was very nice also. I had other NAD products to include a Master Series M3 integrated as well as a 275bee power amp and was not a fan of either of these products. The 165bee was the clear exception - it was very nice and highly recommended! Let me know if you have any questions.
J
J
Thanks all for the NAD 162/165bee impressions. I pulled the trigger on the 165Bee recently but haven't added it to the system yet. Anticipation!
....About other phono stages. Not sure. I did pick up a Musical Fidelity V-LPS and its power supply V-PS due tpo a great deal. They come with good endorsements and are highly "modable." Might be a good option and not a lot of $$.
....About other phono stages. Not sure. I did pick up a Musical Fidelity V-LPS and its power supply V-PS due tpo a great deal. They come with good endorsements and are highly "modable." Might be a good option and not a lot of $$.
mcjohnston
New Member
I'd be quite interested in hearing your impressions of your new C165 BEE.
Mike in WI
Mike in WI
