price. many inputs and outputs including preamp outs.

poor bass and soft overall sound. no phono input. poor reliability.

Soft clipping
Decent flat sound
50 generous watts

Harsh high volume playing

I was just testing this receiver at a hi fi store near my house, playing intermezzo 2.6 powered bookshelf speakers. They get harsh when turned anywhere above 60% it seems. This is not the amp to buy for the price range, if you have other options. There was a little bit of hiss to be heard when no signal was coming through.

Price, power, tight bass, clean sound, pre-out connections, no-nonsense styling. A great amp for someone looking to get great sound for a low price.

Remote doesn't turn off the stereo. Oh well.

A little while back I decided it was time for me to purchase a decent stereo amp to complement the rest of my audio gear. What I got exceeded my expectations. Enter the NAD C-340, a no-nonsense integrated amp with the kind of clarity, attack, and warmth I was looking for. The bass is clean and tight, the mids are presented just right, and the highs are incredibly sharp (maybe a bit too sharp). Stereo imaging is good too, and having the option of the pre-out / main-in connections opened up a whole new world in terms of integration with my sub. As for the power, lets just say that 50 watts has never sounded so strong. Oh, by the way, the unit's simple, uncluttered look was one of the reasons why I bought it... Overall, for the price I paid for it, the C-340 was a steal.

Similar Products Used:

Denon, vintage Nikko and Kenwood, Harman Kardon

Makes listening to most cd's at least tolerable, and sounds great on the better ones. Easy to listen to for long periods due to it's overall warm balance.

For its price range, none.

This is one of the very few pieces of audio equipment at this price point that does not sound shrill and lean when playing cd's. Although not a very open sound, it is otherwise very well balanced and very warm, while still retaining a fair amount of detail. Exceptional sound for the price; I prefer the warm overall balance to the sterile, lightweight sound of my Linn Classik.

Similar Products Used:

Linn Classik, Audio Reasearch LS3, Forte Model 4, Meridian 206

Does not colourise music. Solid, troublefree operation. Takes any source thrown at it.

Looks. But has some charm to it nevertheless. The remote control sucks with half the keys non-operational. No phono output.

Using this amp for more than 3 years paired with a Mission 774. Upgrading to surround amp. Sad to decomission it...but will still operate from study room paired with a B&W602(!?) This amp has a nice warm personality, with crisp, punchy sound. IMO closest you can get to "straight line with gain" at this price point. Does particularly well with classical/jazz.

Similar Products Used:

Marantz, Bose, Sony, JBL...

I bought this amp about four years ago. First off I would like to say that this amp will suit some people just fine, particularly those who don't want to spend a lot of money and just want a decent sound to listen to their collection with. For that purpose this amp is a good buy. However, my opinion is that if you are someone who has any critical inclinations when it comes to you're music, a person with scrutinizing tendencies then you're going to have to look elsewhere and probably spend a bit more money. The good points: *Warm tonally. *Excellent sense for small to medium dynamics. *Really nice depth. *Though rated at fifty watts, this amp sounds like its got you a decent bit more. *Decent bass. *Good sound stage. The bad points. *Bad timing. - This will become a problem for some people after living with this amp for a while. Its seems to force it's own rythmn onto the music, kind of like the amp hijacks the signal and takes control of the wheel. *Hazy sounding. - The sound is a bit too mixed together. *Neutrality. - There's some mid bass emphasis, with an equal bit of upper midrange emphasis. *Can be a bit thin sounding, escpecially with voices. To sum up I don't this is a bad product, I just think it depends on who you are. The amp is pleasing to listen to casually, but if you wan' to really get into the recording, and experience a lot of a recording has to offer the non-neutrality, haze, and especially the timing are going to get in the way. I give this amp a 4 for value, as it does very well for it's price, though I believe improvents could be made, the timing being the biggest problem. Still, its great for those who want a decent sound for casual listening. Be sure to check out the reviews of the c350 though, i haven't listened to it myself. Mabye some things have been improved. For the audio lover though, I don't think the c340 is worth it. Just my opinion.

Musical and enjoyalbe.

Not for big watt egos...

Hey, why not one more opinion? For all the nay sayers, I've listened to a lot of amps and to this particular one for going on five years. To my ears this modest little amp, which I purchased for a second system, is very musical. Sure, its not quite equal to the twin 300 watt mono amps [the old Kenwood Purist series] I use in my other system, but I still like the way it sounds. I did have a problem with an loose interior connection after the warantee expired,but it was easily repaired. Would I buy another NAD product-yes.

Solid perfomance, GREAT value. Nice tone controls too. The abiltity to use just the pre-amp if you eventualy want to move up into higher a higher end seperate amp.

None.

First off I'd like to thank the folk who run Audioreview. Your site has been a huge help to me in shopping for stereo equipment. That said I feel this is a wonderful amp for anyone looking to get into higher end audio but don't have big bucks to spend. The 340 provides plenty of clean power to drive all but the biggest, most demanding speakers. I am very pleased with my current set-up of the NAD, a Denon DCM-370 CD player, and a pair of Polk Audio Monitor Two's. I get a clean, balanced sound with great mids and highs and nice imaging. Not a lot of bass but that's more the fault of the small Polks and not the amp. This amp is highly regarded by various audio magazines for good reason. The C-340 is a discontinued model and has been replaced by the C-350. Which means if you shop around you should be able to find good used examples for under 200 bucks, making this amp the deal of the century.

Similar Products Used:

Nad 3020, some Yamaha stuff.

Excellent value for money. Clear, natural, musical sound. Unobtrusive styling. Works well with a variety of other components -- reveals differences, but is not unduly sensitive to what''s connected to it.

Did not have a built-in phono section; had to buy an NAD PP-1 phono preamp to go with it. (Not an issue unless you own a turntable and LPs, as I do.) The rear-panel RCA input jacks for different sources are a little close together, so connections can get crowded if one connects multiple sources.

The NAD C340 is a well-made amp which provides excellent sound. I have owned and listened to mine for more than a year. I am satisfied with it, would buy one again, and would recommend one to people assembling a good-quality system on a moderate budget. It produces a clean, clear signal with plenty of reserve power on tap to follow the dynamics of the music. The sound is slightly warm, but I like that much better than the clinically accurate but cold and impersonal sound of some other amps. It reveals clearly the differences between CD players, other sources, and cables which you connect to it. Coupled with a Cambridge Audio D500 CD player and MAS Grey interconnect cables, it produces clear, detailed, musical sound which one can listen to for extended periods without fatigue. (Contact Audioparts@aol.com if you are interested in information and pricing on the cables, which also offer excellent value.) The controls are simple, clearly laid out, and do what they are supposed to do without fuss. While this is not the ultimate audiophile amp, and one could probably find a somewhat better amp if willing to spend a lot more money, it provides excellent value for money. This is a great amp for people who like to listen to music, and are more interested in performance and value than in owning the ultimate in equipment. While all reviewers are entitled to their opinions, I am skeptical about a couple of the negative reviews below. One reviewer wrote his review almost immediately after acquiring the amp, and before living with it for long enough to form a balanced and carefully considered opinion. Another complained about its sound after moving from one residence to another, suggesting that the problems mentioned were probably more the result of room acoustics in the new residence, speaker placement, or damage to components during the move, than the quality of sound produced by the amplifier. In my experience, in my home, this is a great amp, and I''m happy with it.

Similar Products Used:

Dynaco solid state and tube amps; Technics and comparable mass-market products.

Good for harsh sounding systems. Solid build.

Muffled, unnatural sound. Remote stopped working and was of poor quality anyway.

I came on this site to re-review this amp, having praised it when I first got it back in 1999 on this site. Then I find the last reviewer has made exactly the same points I was going to! When I first got this amp, I was very pleased with it, as my system had sounded harsh before in my wooden-floorboarded room. The NAD tamed the harshness and brought a stronger bass in the mid-range. But ever since I moved my system out of that room, it has sounded unnatural, muffled, had boomy bass and very weak sounding drums. I endured this for a good couple of years, then finally gave up recently and replaced the NAD with an Arcam Alpha 9. The difference was staggering, much better ambience, more taut bass, generally just a more natural sound. NAD pleases inexperienced buyers like myself as it sounds quite thick and powerful to start with, but like me and the guy below, you will tire of it eventually.

Similar Products Used:

Cambridge A3i (my original amp before the NAD), Arcam Alpha 9.