this amp sucks if you like it you must be a real audiophile

Power, price, build-quality.

Harsh and grainy in upper-mid and treble.

My entry-level high-end system consists of this amp, the NAD 1000S pre-amp, B and W 640i speakers, Marantz 6000 OSE cd (new component, replacing the 63-KI), Transparent Audio Music Wave Bi-wire sp.cables and Kimber Hero interconnects.
What can I say? There is this harhness in the upper registers, exacerbated by the addition of the new Marantz, which has a very open treble, compared to the KI which was warmer.
Is the amp to blame? I think so, simply because the other components have been highly praised, while the amp has had some rather scathing reviews! Also, a friend who used a pair of them in a bi-amp setup complained of the same problem.
One cant deny that the amp IS very keenly-priced in a market where high power usually means high price. Can anyone recommend an amp that has at least 100w per channel, that sounds sweeter?

fehrgettaboutit

a few glaring ones

let's not get crazy talking about 4 and 5 stars. this is a 2 star amp AT BEST.

everyone else needs to open up their ears and realize there are much better sounding amps for 500 bucks out there, even if the watts per channel rating is a little lower than this unit.

watts per channel does NOT equate to sound quality necessarily. a good circuit design combined with good parts DOES. this amp took some shortcuts. just listen.

"2 STARS FOR YOU...NO MORE STARS FOR ONE YEAR!"
"NEXT!!"

Similar Products Used:

most under 1k amps

It's cheap

It doesn't sound very good

Bought this on the cheap from a New Jersey retailer (mail order). The specs would make you think you were getting a great deal. However, it did not deliver the goods when trying to reproduce music.

Highs are definitely grainy-sounding. Bass is somewhat thick and heavy. A pretty bad combination.

Stick with natural-sounding amps from Rotel (RB980, 981, 990, 991, etc.) or a higher priced set-up from Sonic Frontiers, Bryston. They all reproduce extremely well with accurate timbre.

Sorry, this NAD is up for sale.

Similar Products Used:

Parasound, Rotel, B&K

Harsh. Hurts your ears at any decent level with extended listening.
Stan

Look, this is a decent product. It does not deserve one star. In my opinion there are better amps for the money. In fact, NAD's stereo amps put out better sound for cheaper. Still, if this amp is on sale or available on the used market, its worth checking out.

Inexpensive, decent sized heatsink

Boomy bass, treble is too sharp

This amp sounds harsh in the extremes. Especially the bass, which sounds as if the speakers are too close to the wall. Hooked up the Rotel and everything came together. Music flowed with ease: pace and timbre were just right. Bass was very solid and not pronounced.

Similar Products Used:

Rotel RB980BX, Marantz (Euro model), Adcom GFA5400

Plenty of power, warm and punchy,good bass control,clarity

Sounds boomy at loud levels,not as stylish in appearances when compared to other makers, huge and heavy.

Replaced my Arcam 8P with this power amp due to wear and tear. The Arcam 8P was actually partner with the Musical Fedelity X-Pre and X-PSU in a stereo set-up, combined with the Marantz 6000 OSE CD and a pair of Infinity Reference 60 main speakers. The Nad 216THX does not sound as smooth as the Arcam 8P in comparison and it was found to be a little bright in its mid-range when compared to the 8P. I stilled missed the sound of the 8P which was smooth, warm and punchy. However, the 216THX has more reserved in power in contrast to the 8P 125watts vs 50watts. The boomy bass that I experienced was may be due to the small listening area plus high level of play. I think I also does not run in the 216THX properly yet ( only 30 minutes of playing hrs. each time and was quite inconsistant ).My conclusion: The Nad 216THX is quite a good buy and when playing at a decent level, the bass matches well with my Alpha subsonic 5 active sub and main speakers. Hope to listen to the comments of other audiophile as well. Thanks.

Similar Products Used:

Arcam 8P, Rotel RB 985THX

Clean sound and lots of power.

None.

I bought this in Singapore about 3 months back after I bought a NAD T760 A/V receiver which could not meet my expectations to drive the front speakers.

The other components in my setup are :

A/V Receiver : NAD T760
DVD Player : Pioneer 535K
LD Player : Pioneer CLD 270
Cassette Deck : Nakamichi CR-1
Front Speakers: AE Aegis Three
Centre Speaker: AE Aegis Centre
Rear Speakers : AE Aegis Compact
Powered Sub : AE Aegis Sub

I am using the NAD 216 THX (2X125W) power amp to drive the front speakers, while NAD T760 powers the centre and rear speakers. I went for the power amp as the NAD T760 simply lacks the power to drive the AE Aegis Three speakers for loud stereo listening as well as for action movies in DD format. The NAD combination matches perfectly with the AE speaker package reproducing high quality sound at an affordable price.

I highly recommend NAD 216 THX for driving mid to mid-high range front speakers for both stereo listening and DD movies.

Similar Products Used:

NAD 214

Respectable power, transparent sound.

Unit does not have an output to connect to other amps.

I cannot believe how harsh other reviewers have been to this amp! For the price (I got mine brand-new on Ebay for $420), it is simply better than good. I used it to run my PSB Stratus Bronzes, and the effect was immediate. The sound was much clearer and the base was tight. I will not, however, give this amp a 5 because there is no such thing as perfection on earth.

Similar Products Used:

Arcam 9P, 10P, AMC