xlmstereo
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NAD C326bee - Sleep timer
jgossman
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I've never known (although I'm a youngster at 34) a piece of SS Class A/B equipment that sounds appreciably better, once the power supply and interstage (where the amp isn't direct coupled stage to stage) caps are broken in, then it sounds after about 5 minutes of warm up.  The only reason class a amps sound better is because they don't have anything other than a marginal amount of feedback to ameliorate the distortion of cold start-up.  Because of this, my guess is the "sleep" function is only turning off the anode voltages to the output devices, saving electricity.  I haven't worked on one, so this is just a guess from reading before answering, but depending on the age an NAD piece will have either a discrete class a gain stage in front of the output which is always on or it will have a very good opamp section, which will "warm up" in a matter of a minute or two and behave exactly as designed.

So summed up in 3 words, don't sweat it.

There are bigger fish to fry in audio enjoyment.

Demondog
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I just read through a NAD C326Bee user manual downloaded from the NAD site, and I can find no mention of a timer that would switch the unit to standby. The only way to switch the unit to standby is for the user to press the On/Standby button on the front panel from what I am reading. I guess you could also cycle the main power switch on the back of the unit which would bring it back to standby mode. This only makes sense for the op's desire to use the power amp section alone.

I haven't heard of an auto standby feature in a NAD amp, except for like the C275BEE power amp that I use, which has an "Input Sense AUTO" function that when switched to AUTO, will turn ON after sensing an input signal, and will return to Standby approximately 10 minutes after signal is removed. This is an additional function that you can choose to use, or not use through the use of the rear panel switch labeled "+12V Trigger In / Input Sense" The options are OFF or AUTO.

So I am left with two thoughts. That either your unit has a form of this additional function (even though the downloaded manual doesn't mention it) and you are incorrectly using it, or your unit is broken.

jorisw
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For future reference, here's how one turns off the auto-standby on a NAD C326BEE receiver:

AUTO STANDBY
Auto Standby feature is an integral feature of the C 326BEE that conforms to European ecodesign regulations. When Auto Standby is enabled, the C 326BEE will automatically go to standby mode if there is no active input at current source or no user interface interaction within 30 minutes.
Auto Standby can be enabled or disabled by the following button combinations and Standby LED indicator response. Execute below steps while the C 326BEE is at operating mode.

Press and hold [AUX] button and then press Standby button. Observe
the number of times the Standby LED flashes.
• Auto Standby enabled : Standby LED flashes once.
• Auto Standby disabled : Standby LED flashes twice.

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