[rif]

First off, I wasn't sure which circle to post this in.

The NAD was my first real entrance into the hobby.  I haven't used it in awhile but might put it back into service. As I recall it and it's bigger brother c370 got some good reviews in the late 90s/early 00s.

What was their strength? The pre amp or amp section? Or was it a synergy? Or neither

I could go and read what was written back then. But I'm more looking for your thoughts from where we are now, if that makes sense.

[Letitroll98]

As a generalization, I think the amp section is by far the better side of the NAD products.  Their preamps are nice, very good values for the money, but you can get a lot better by spending a little more.  I'm using the amp side of an old 3020B and am quite frankly stunned by the quality of sound emanating from what cost me $100 in the 70's (albeit another $100 or so to recap and refurbish in the 2000's).  That being said, the synergy between amp and preamp when using the integrated as a whole sounds better than you would think if you listen to the preamp section alone.  If you have a way to bypass the preamp, I would suggest trying the amp section first, but definitely experiment with all options, it's just plain fun to do.