NAD C372 versatility?

I had a 372 as well, though I didn't get around to experimenting with the Pre/amp connection. New they went for under $1000, and I'd say it was decent mid-fi. If you want an improvement, I'd look for a used 375. If you really want to go for separates, Parasound makes some very nice sounding stuff, check out their 2100 or P3 pre amps. Or you could stay in the NAD family with the 165 pre, and an amp from either company would be fine.

These items come up for sale on the used market, but you have to be patient.

I echo the remarks of Akg-ca. In the past, I owned the 162/272 combo; now I own the 375.

Turn the soft clipping switch to off. Turn the tone controls off. Replace the pre-to-power jumpers with ICs. Replace the stock PC. This will take your 372 to its peak performance.

Two areas I'd encourage you to consider before changing anything with your 372 are: (1) clean power, and (2) room acoustics. I've read countless times on this forum that we listen to the power and the room.

With respect to digital, you might want to insert a DAC between the CD and the 372.

NAD seems to bring out polarizing opinions on these forums; people usually either love 'em or hate 'em. IMO, you need to spend somewhere in the $1500-$2000 (used) range on separates to measurably improve on the 372. If you spend less than $1200, you are just trading one flavor for another. For $1000-$1200, you can make several purchases in cables, power, and room acoustics that will have an improvement on the sound and not just a flavor.

I should add that I acquired a brand new C326BEE while I owned the C372. With the C326 I could hear a difference in the approach NAD took when they upgraded from the "2" series, and it was an improvement. Clearer more open sounding than the C372, which sounded a little 2 dimensional and laid back by comparison.

So it would depend on the speakers used, but I preferred the newer NAD line up. The C375BEE would be a solid improvement, they've moved it up market where it now sits at $1499 new vs what the 372 was at, $899. I found an old used ad for a 375 at 950, so not exactly cheap, but I think you'd have to spend considerably more with separates to get beyond the bang for buck level of the current NAD integrateds. YMMV.

From my understanding, the 372 is virtually the 162/272 rolled into one chassis. So adding the 162 would seem redundant. As mentioned, "upgrading" the jumpers should offer a bit more performance.

Bill

Also, that NAD C542 CD player is one fine sounding player. Best $180.00(used) I have ever spent on a player. Definitely one of my better "bang for the buck" audio purchases.