NAD C298

Traditional with all NAD components, the C298 represents exceptional value offering performance, features, and technology unmatched by other amplifiers in its class. The new NAD basic amplifier is a compelling upgrade for virtually any advanced HiFi system and its robust power with upgrade flexibility will drive the most sophisticated and advanced loudspeakers on the market. NAD has moved away from the old fashioned and very power-hungry linear power supplies and Class AB output stages that waste nearly half of the energy consumed, producing heat rather than sound. Instead, the company has developed even better-performing circuits based on switch mode power supplies and Class D output stages. Once thought to be inferior to traditional topologies, NAD's advanced work in this area has created some of the best performing amplifiers regardless of basic design principles. These new designs are very linear over a wide bandwidth and provide consistent performance into all speaker loads, providing a dramatic advance over previous models.

The generously dimensioned power supply easily allows for 340 watts continuous into 4 ohms and over 570 watts instantaneous power for short term musical transients. Innovative Asymmetrical PowerDrive fully utilizes every last watt available with its vast reserves of dynamic power available to accurately reproduce musical transients without distortion or compression. This highly efficient supply also provides near perfect regulation of voltage across a wide range of conditions and provides a solid noise-free foundation for the amplifying stages.

Purifi is a Danish technology company that has brought together several of the industry's leading engineers to apply advanced mathematical modeling to solve the last remaining limitations of audio amplifiers. While there are many good sounding amplifiers on the market today, Purifi has taken a fresh look at every aspect of amplifier performance and found many seemingly small non-linearities that can make a dramatic difference in the overall sound. This return to first principles has resulted in a stunningly simple approach to some remarkably complex problems. The Eigentakt modules are manufactured by NAD under license from Purifi, allowing NAD to optimize these specifically in combination with the custom-designed power supply and input stages of the C298.

The C298 may appear to be just a basic Power Amp but NAD engineers have carefully thought through all the use cases typically encountered to create rich feature content. Selectable balanced inputs make the C298 a natural for studio use or connection to High-End Preamps and Processors. These inputs include a trim control useful for matching to other components. A line out allows further addition of power on the same channel for additional speakers or subwoofers. Auto-sense with a selectable threshold is perfect for automating complex systems or hiding the amp out of sight in a cabinet. NAD even included a Ground Lug that can be very useful for eliminating ground loops and noise in complex multi-unit systems. Added to all this connectivity is a Bridge Switch that turns the C298 into an amazingly powerful Monoblock Amplifier. Start with one and add a second C298 later should upgrading speakers be desired. The C298's MSRP is $1999. Info and photos by NAD Electronics.