Does bright mean loud? - NAD, Cambridge Audio

arjs_1

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Hi friends,

I had been reading on this forum, the word 'bright' many times. I couldnt figure out exactly what it meant.

Now, today i auditioned NAD355 and Cambridge audio 640a v2 from different dealers, each time paired with floorstanders.
Though both amplifiers are rated at 80W, I found the NAD to be overall much louder than the CA even though they both have similar power ratings.
It didn't seem to me that CA packed in that much power.

Could you please help me figure out whats going on ? Does 'bright' (as NAD is sometimes referred to) mean that the amplifier will sound louder?
I had almost made up my mind to buy the CA 640a while going to the shop after the many reviews I've read, but the CA audition was a bit disappointing.

The NAD355 is a bit beyond my budget; the 325 is within budget, but there isnt a demo piece in Delhi. Considering that NAD amps are 'brighter' would the 325 pack in as much power/punch as the CA 640a ?

Thank you for any inputs!
 
I think (and I may be completely wrong) bright means tinny - more emphasis on high frequencies - some times highly resolving systems can appear bright to people, and other way round too. Make a system bright, and sell it off as having "more details".

regards
 
Hi friends,

I had been reading on this forum, the word 'bright' many times. I couldnt figure out exactly what it meant.

Now, today i auditioned NAD355 and Cambridge audio 640a v2 from different dealers, each time paired with floorstanders.
Though both amplifiers are rated at 80W, I found the NAD to be overall much louder than the CA even though they both have similar power ratings.
It didn't seem to me that CA packed in that much power.

Could you please help me figure out whats going on ? Does 'bright' (as NAD is sometimes referred to) mean that the amplifier will sound louder?
I had almost made up my mind to buy the CA 640a while going to the shop after the many reviews I've read, but the CA audition was a bit disappointing.

The NAD355 is a bit beyond my budget; the 325 is within budget, but there isnt a demo piece in Delhi. Considering that NAD amps are 'brighter' would the 325 pack in as much power/punch as the CA 640a ?

Thank you for any inputs!

Hi:

The word 'bright' does not mean 'loud' by any means. When the 'treble' gets over the edge or sharp, that is what is termed as 'bright'. In a 'bright' setup your ears will only hear 'sharp' sound, with bass and imaging supressed. A setup that produces only bright sound without any musicality could be (what I heard)...

MS + Yamaha amp

You got it completely wrong here, NAD is NEVER bright, please make note. NAD is a warm-sounding amp with a rounded treble (treble never sharp). NAD 355 is a lovely amp with 'bags of bass', so the 'expensive' part plays a role here. Yes, NAD amps really go loud.

Now, coming to CA 640A V2, from my experience (check signature), it's a good budget amp, and that's all about it. From 1 year of using the 640, i have noticed that they do indeed lack the bass punch and yes they might fall in the 'bright' amp territory. So, it means that if you pair the 640 with a 'bright' speaker, there are chances that the treble might get a little excited.

To your other question, whether 325 is good than 640 ? - i don't know what speakers you're using, if it's a budget BS (bookshelf) speaker, the 325 would produce enough bass and more with subtle loss of detail - the detail can be had using the 640 with loss of bass and power of the 325.

PS - The CA 640A V2 is 75 wpc.
 
Last edited:
thanks a lot anm and vinod_david
any idea how nad325 will sound with floorstanders? (sonus) will the power be enough to drive floorstanders?
 
boss do not go by ratings always - NADs go loud and with decently efficient (read sensitive) speakers can sound great and loud. I tested NAD 325 multiple times with Jam c407, s 606, wharfdale 9.6 etc mission m34/35 etc. Nad drives them with ease.

BTW wrt to the brightness part anm is more or less correct - NADs are never bright but rather warm. And they tend to push bass a lil bit forward. Overall it pips the 640 v2 any day.
 
Hi

You may want to search for some definitions. However as others have noted bright is not related to SPL (loudness). Bright/warm/laidback talk to particular emphasis on the frequency range. People like them for particular reasons. One thing that this affects is the genre of music you listen to.



Hi friends,

I had been reading on this forum, the word 'bright' many times. I couldnt figure out exactly what it meant.

Now, today i auditioned NAD355 and Cambridge audio 640a v2 from different dealers, each time paired with floorstanders.
Though both amplifiers are rated at 80W, I found the NAD to be overall much louder than the CA even though they both have similar power ratings.
It didn't seem to me that CA packed in that much power.

Could you please help me figure out whats going on ? Does 'bright' (as NAD is sometimes referred to) mean that the amplifier will sound louder?
I had almost made up my mind to buy the CA 640a while going to the shop after the many reviews I've read, but the CA audition was a bit disappointing.

The NAD355 is a bit beyond my budget; the 325 is within budget, but there isnt a demo piece in Delhi. Considering that NAD amps are 'brighter' would the 325 pack in as much power/punch as the CA 640a ?

Thank you for any inputs!
 
if it is rated 80wpc @8 ohms, it should comfortable drive decent floorstanders, like Supra has mentioned. If you are looking for budget FS, then those mentioned by him are strong contenders.
I have 50wpc@8ohm harman kardon amp, and in my room about 12x15ft, it drives my jbl speakers to quite high level at 11 o clock. Normally I hear at about 10.

regards


thanks a lot anm and vinod_david
any idea how nad325 will sound with floorstanders? (sonus) will the power be enough to drive floorstanders?
 
thanks a lot anm and vinod_david
any idea how nad325 will sound with floorstanders? (sonus) will the power be enough to drive floorstanders?

The following speakers can be driven at ease by 325 [imo]...

* Diamond 9.5/9.6 (the slight brightness of 9.6 can be rounded off by the warmth of 325)
* MS 906i
* Mission m34i/m35i
* MA BR5 (could really gel well with these forward-sounding speakers)


Please audition.
 
Hi, i own a NAD C355BEE + Mission M32i bookshelves and the sound is sweet and i like them very much (lot of lovely detail and power). Also, i have auditioned NAD 325 with few FS and they drive them comfortably. Why not look at NAD C326BEE (not sure whether available in India), but have audiotioned them in SIN with FS and probably competitively priced within your budget (quoted SGD 630 in Singapore). They are extremely good. Check it out as it is the latest which replaced 325. Just my thought.
rgds swami
 
to the thread starter
please note a very important point

warm and bright are terms used to describe systems as specified by members above but you should in no way be swayed by what others describe an amp or speaker to be(bright warm etc)
bright/warm depends on YOUR ears only!
it is only when YOU hear the treble sharp can you call it bright.

i say this becuase one mans bright does not always mean its bright for another.hence never judge equip by reviews only.
hear it yourself
 
That's correct. Also, at times you do not know yourself unless you audition more stuff along with it. So try to compare to another item in higher price range, and maybe one at the lower price range.

regards

to the thread starter
please note a very important point

warm and bright are terms used to describe systems as specified by members above but you should in no way be swayed by what others describe an amp or speaker to be(bright warm etc)
bright/warm depends on YOUR ears only!
it is only when YOU hear the treble sharp can you call it bright.

i say this becuase one mans bright does not always mean its bright for another.hence never judge equip by reviews only.
hear it yourself
 
A beautiful, well-constructed speaker with class-leading soundstage, imaging and bass that is fast, deep, and precise.
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