Need some $500 & under Amp recommendations

Ya, I'm so confused...

Nad has great reviews from hi-fi magazines, then I go to AudioReview.com and the c352 received some pretty terrible write-ups.

Tough to tell... some alternatives that keep popping up are Marantz PM7001, Rega Mira (older), Outlaw RR2150, Rotel RA1062, older Creek units...

Idk, I've been researching this fairly intensely for quite a while now and keep running in circles at this point.

I'll give another vote to the NAD, which I own and enjoy as much for the fact that it's feature-rich (tone controls, headphone jack, remote, balance knob) as its sound quality--which is quite good. The remote is jumpy--about a 5 decibel leap per tap, which is usually too much, so I get up and down half the time anyhow. A sub hooked up to the spkr outs would be viable. As far as your other considerations go, definitely check out the Creek 4330--there's a 4330 SE listen on Agon right now that I'd buy if I hadn't just spent a year on the amp merry-go-round.

Marantz integrateds are great on features and have very good sound, but I owned one that had a cheap-o transformer that buzzed loudly, and it turned out to be a problem typical for that model (the 4000something). I do think that's been corrected in newer models, on the other hand, and they have a great phono stage. A friend of mine owns the Rotel, and its sound is very dry and detailed, which you may or may not like--I don't, really. One other possibility--the Jolida 1501 or 1301, new or used. I owned the 1501 and it had the best sound I've had in my system, was tunable with tubes, rock solid bottom end (huge damping factor) and built like a tank--but few features. The 1301 is 30w and $300? new.

Happy hunting. I don't see how you can go wrong with any of them--each has its good and less-than-perfect aspects, but they're all solid performers.

excellent, thanks for the info.

The Jolida sounded better than your Nad C352?

I would like to be able to hook a subwoofer up though... is there any disadvantage to hooking one up via speaker terminals?

Djembeplay--to my ears, the Jolida did sound better than the NAD (I own the 325BEE). When I switched to the NAD, I lost bottom end extension, clarity of low-end attack (loose sounding bass drum, contrabass), and some warmth and wetness to the mids and highs. On the other hand, it did take some time and expense to tube roll for the sound I wanted from the Jolida. I'm happy with the NAD, and it's a great value, but it's by no means the last word at the price (nor is the Jolida, quite likely; beauty is in the ear of the beholder, and for me these days that includes the NAD's features). Here's hoping one fits your tastes and budget nicely. As long as the sub accomodates it, I don't know that there's any disadvantage to hooking up to the spkr terminals.

I'll make a recommendation as you have researched the contenders. Buy the one you like used and if it isn't what you like you can sell it with little risk. I've done this more times than I care to admit. Not really very risky when buying from members in good standing. It keeps those UPS/fedex drivers busy.
You can't go wrong with any of the amps recommended so far.