hooking up my cdp directly to amp?

The c541 does not have a variable output which means some form of attenuation is required before feeding the signal to your amp. If you do go direct into a power amp with the NAD, put your fingers in your ears as you hit the play button.

very sorry for the dumb question i shoulda tried it before posting. thanx Kevin

You will gain a lot of transparency, if the CDP has the voltage output to sufficiently drive your power amp and you use a good attenuator. You have a Pioneer receiver hooked up to a power amp?