NAD C372 amplifier

Big Audio Dynamite

By Brent Burmester

April 2004

NAD C 372 Stereo Integrated Amplifier. $1999

Back in the '80s, NAD made its name on the back of budget amplifiers like the legendary 3020. They were scrawny, cost pocket money, and weren't terribly well put together, but they sounded miles better than the dominant Japanese competition despite their low power output. The beast now on review some two decades later is chunky, not that cheap, has a professional fit and finish (in China), and has watts coming out its ears. Does it outpace its competitors like its illustrious forebears?

She's a Brick House

Boasting 150W per channel, at the price the C372 is probably in a class of its own in terms of power output. Those are proper watts, too. Into 2 ohms this amp will pump out 460W until your lights fail. If you absolutely must fling your speaker cones across your living room on a regular basis, you can bridge this amp into mono with a peak output into an 8 ohm load of around a million watts (or was it 300...?), then get another one for the second channel.

However, if you plan to catch the eyes of friends and neighbours, you'll need more than two of these, or maybe kit them out with those absurd neon tubes from off the underside of a chopped-down, big-rimmed Mazda 323. NAD excels in the art of drab hi-fi, and these grey oblongs seem almost camouflaged. The vibe is no-nonsense and down-to-business.  

It may not be flash, but you can't overlook the features on this machine. Besides the system remote, you get seven line inputs, two sets of speaker terminals, two pre-outs (one with variable gain), headphone socket and tone controls. The last are a mixed blessing: they don't degrade the signal significantly, but I had no use for them and switched them out of the signal path. Inside the case is a Class A pre-amp, NAD-branded smoothing capacitors, and a nice big toroidal transformer by Holmgren. As usual NAD have designed this amp to run into 'soft-clipping' when driven hard, which might save your speakers from an early death if you get carried away with the volume knob. Speaking of which, the build construction is reasonable, but your first contact with that hollow plastic knob will reassure you that nothing on this unit was machined from solid alloy.

I Feel Love

When you keep in mind the price and the features weighing down this amp, you should expect nothing more than a passable level of sound reproduction. In typical NAD style, however, you get a good deal more. The sound is very refined - not in the least bit bruising. Spinning an old faithful like the Cure's Mixed Up through NAD's C542 CD player, a natural partner to this amp, I was very pleasantly surprised by the level of detail retrieval. Rhythmic nuances lost through other amps in the same budgetary ballpark remain very much intact. Soundstage width and horizontal placement is very strong, and colouration is very low, without the trade-off of compressed or homogenized sound.  

Apart from the C372's flexibility, and the system-control advantages of owning one in an all-NAD system, many potential buyers will be looking at those output statistics and thinking about generating block-rocking beats. High power levels might also appeal in reproducing the scale of an orchestra or the dynamics of a live concert. The NAD certainly delivers in this regard, and maintains its composure at full tilt. I suspect the NAD's generous way with current and voltage also contributes to its relatively high resolution when handling low-sensitivity speakers like my midget Castles.

Don't You Want Me, Baby?

The minor shortcomings of the sound of the C372 are scarcely worth mentioning. Maybe there could be more snap to transients, maybe the bass could muscle up a little more, maybe the soundstage is a little on the shallow side. All these quibbles might be resolved by careful selection of sources, speakers, and cables. The fact remains that this amp does a very solid job, communicating the music it's fed in commendable style. If it doesn't quite step into the realm of its more expensive integrated brethren, that's nothing to complain about.

So who's this one for? My guess is the first-time 'proper' system-builder (ie not your typical loan-burdened tertiary student), wanting a "safe-bet" high fidelity system. That is, a system with a source-friendly amp at its core, one capable of driving just about anything without stress, and with enough transparency in reserve for development if the bug bites. But if you want to pull chicks, get one of them low-riding Mazdas.

For your nearest NAD dealer