I have actually owned both (I think an older C320?). Based on what I heard, not what I read in a magazine, I would take the Cambridge A3i.
The A3i was designed by Michael Creek (Creek Audio).
It also has a very good phono stage built in, so you can add a turntable. The only real difference between it and a Creek amplifier, is that it is made in Asia instead of the UK.
The NAD is a very nice amp as well, but it seemed slightly bland to me anyway. The bass seemed a little slower, which to some may make it sound warmer. But that kind of warmer came accross as bland for my taste anyway.
I would still own my A3i, except after I put it in my work office, I discovered I really needed a remote to control the volume and mute without leaving my desk. So I traded it for a Creek 4330R amplifier, which you may also want to consider if you can spare another $100+ on the used market.
They do sound about the same, the Cambridge actually has a little more power.
You really can't go wrong with an NAD either, so you will probably be happy with either.
The A3i was designed by Michael Creek (Creek Audio).
It also has a very good phono stage built in, so you can add a turntable. The only real difference between it and a Creek amplifier, is that it is made in Asia instead of the UK.
The NAD is a very nice amp as well, but it seemed slightly bland to me anyway. The bass seemed a little slower, which to some may make it sound warmer. But that kind of warmer came accross as bland for my taste anyway.
I would still own my A3i, except after I put it in my work office, I discovered I really needed a remote to control the volume and mute without leaving my desk. So I traded it for a Creek 4330R amplifier, which you may also want to consider if you can spare another $100+ on the used market.
They do sound about the same, the Cambridge actually has a little more power.
You really can't go wrong with an NAD either, so you will probably be happy with either.