NAT audio

Hi. . .I received your PM but will respond here for others to share.

I owned the NAT Generator Monoblocks and Symmetrical preamp a few years ago. The amps were rated at 180W per channel at the time, and they sounded more "solid state" than what might be considered a "tube" sound. They were very detailed and powerful. The Symmetrical was one of the nicest sounding preamps I've ever heard (not that I've heard a large number). It was very detailed, but still musical. The best of both worlds.

The only negative, and a big one in my opinion, was the reliability of the equipment. While things may have improved since I owned this equipment, I would not purchase another NAT product based on my experience.

I currently own Atma Sphere MA-1 Silver Edition amps, with their MP-1 preamp. While not as "sexy" as the NAT gear, the OTL sound is hard to beat.

Catastrofe, sorry for the awful pun, but did you have a "catastrophe" re Nat reliability?
I'm in a position to audition ex demo Nat Audio Utopia 2 box pre and SE2SE monoblocks, at a v. reasonable price.
These are really going to have to be my last component upgrades since my financial situation is changing in a major way in the next couple of yrs, and your comments are making me cool twds the brand.
Can you expand on the positives of the sound, but esp. on the issues you had. If you don't want to do this publicly, please send me a PM.
I would REALLY value your views, there are VERY few user comments on the Nats.

The Symmetrical gave me the most trouble. It produced a loud "snap" through my speakers at random times. Loud enough for me to have concerns about driver integrity. No amount of trouble shooting could resolve the issue, but I believe it had something to do with the resistor based volume control.

One issue in the US is the lack of dealers/service centers. . .I'm sure if I'd had other repair options my opinion may be different.

I don't typically have multiple pieces of equipment on hand for comparisons, but the NAT gear sounds great. I would put it up against anything in its price class. Compared to my Atma Sphere MA-1s, I would say the NAT Generators are a little "thicker". The Symmetrical would be very close to the MP-1.

Bob, I find Atmasphere stuff a little sharp and brittle from my limited experience, so the Nats being thicker sounds right up my street.
My main issue w/the Utiopia/SE2SE monoblocks demo was an almost overpowering bottom end - tbh, I believe Nat bass is stellar, but the energy was just creating an almost bass-centric dark presentation. When I switched to Audion SETs, I got a more delicate, evenly balanced sound. hence I bought the Audion Black Shadows to go w/my Hovland HP200 tube pre.
But after a year of my Hovland/Audion, my mind drifts back to that Nat demo, and I'm really curious as to how that muscular bass perspective will sound now.
Bear in mind I've heard the Koda K10 recently, $25k!!!, and truly SOTA re bass performance, and more neutral amps much more anaemic in the bass, so i have excellent ref pts to make a decision.

spiritofmusic said:

Bear in mind I've heard the Koda K10 recently, $25k!!!, and truly SOTA re bass performance, and more neutral amps much more anaemic in the bass, so i have excellent ref pts to make a decision.

Click to expand...

Spirit , have you heard the Koda k-70 , any opinions/experiences . Apologies for being OT .

No such luck, although I had the interesting experience of auditioning the K10 for a couple of weeks, feeding my Audion Black Shadow SETs.
First impressions were poor, it really didn't work w/the supplied after mkt pucks and one set of PCs I was using.
Sound was fat and diffuse, not worth 25 cents let alone $25k.
But moving to the current PCs I'm using (Sablon Quantum Gran Corona) and current isolation pucks (Symposium Rollerblocks Jnrs), and a few more days' warm up, the performance was transformed: amazing timing/no smear, transparency and detail to die for, an amazing tube like tonality, and bass performance I've not heard from anything else.
But the latter came at a price, a certain spotlit beauty/lushness, that meant music never got down and dirty when needed, ie a certain gloss. Importantly too, I was let down by the volume, 24 steps, that I could never quite get the right level on, graduations a little too coarse.
At half the price I'd prob buy it like a shot, but at the exhalted $25k I need it to be perfect, and it just falls a little short. I am splitting hairs a little, but I feel it's balance was a little fat in my system.
But what it does well ie bass/lack of timing smear/tube like tonality for ss, it's SOTA I believe.
From what I can glean, the K15 is a more balanced performer, and the volume control has finer graduations, so would prob address every shortcoming of the K10. However in ther UK, it's 60% more expensive.
My exposure to the Nat amps last yr is the closest to the Koda sound, for less than a fifth of a complete Koda chain, and I'm hoping if I can get past unreliability concerns, I get the Koda spell for a much more affordable price.

To be fair to Atma-Sphere, it really depends on what speakers the amps are hooked up to. I just heard a system where the little 30 watt rig was just beautiful, clear, natural, and really punchy.

Sorry my reply here is a bit off topic, addressing a poster above.

As far as NAT, I would live to hear one, and I know a guy a couple of hours away with some of those big amps who invited me. Gonna get down there soon I hope.