NAD

This year NAD has been quite busy introducing three new HybridDigital integrated amplifiers, the C338 at $649, the C368 at $899, and the C388 at $1599. There is also an amazingly full-featured new AV receiver, the T758 V3 at $1299.

The first-ever hi-fi amplifier to have Chromecast built-in, the C338 allows you to stream music wirelessly directly from a mobile device or any music streaming app. With its built-in Bluetooth, the C338 can also wirelessly connect to any smartphone, tablet, or Bluetooth-enabled device within range so you seamlessly stream your favorite music apps or libraries in high-fidelity. Adding a turntable is simple since the C338 already has a high-quality phono preamplifier built in. Power, volume, source selection, and device settings are all controlled using the intuitive interface of the NAD Remote App for iOS and Android. Built with NAD's music-first approach, the C 338 is equipped with the most advanced components previously found only in their highest-performance models.

The search for a high-performance Class-D solution led NAD to HybridDigital, an innovative amplifier technology that uses a variable modulation frequency to bring out the life-like qualities of music, while reducing distortion under every operating condition. This highly optimized design gives phenomenal performance to the C 338 amplifier, both measured and subjective.

Here's a list of the C338's most intriguing features:

• 50 watts/channel of Continuous Power into 8 or 4 ohms
• First hi-fi amplifier to feature Chromecast built-in
• Integrated Bluetooth for added music streaming flexibility
• Built-in Phono Preamp
• Stereo Line, Optical Digital, and Coax Digital inputs
• NAD Remote App support for tablet and smartphone
• Dedicated Headphone Amplifier
• Subwoofer Output

The C368 and C388 HybridDigital models are very similar overall except that the C368 offers 80 watts/channel of power while the C388 has an impressive rating of 150 watts/channel. In addition to all of the features described above for the C338, these two models offer a very different form of music streaming from the C338. Both have two “MDC” or Modular Design Construction slots that allow the user to add additional capabilities now or in the future. Streaming is achieved by plugging in a BlueSound MDC card which adds all of the advanced music streaming (either wireless or Ethernet) of the BlueOS operating system. One can listen to music from thousands of Internet radio stations, Spotify Connect, Tidal, etc. as well as access and control any music files stored on your home network on a computer or network attached drive. All BlueOS control is achieved using the BlueSound app easily installed on an iOS or Android device. One can use multiple BlueSound-enabled devices to form a multi-zone system which allows each user to listen to the music source of choice quite independently of what is being played in other zones. The BlueSound MDC card is available for $399.

Some of the features of the C368 and C388 include:

• Bluetooth ADP4 with aptX supported
• MM Phono input
• Multiple analogue line inputs
• Multiple coax and optical digital inputs
• Two sets of loudspeaker outputs, A and B, which can be used separately or at the same time
• Preamp/Subwoofer out
• Dedicated headphone amplifier
• MDC Slots for future upgrades^**
• Smartphone Control App

^**This NAD exclusive feature allows you to customize your amplifier with additional capabilities and features, now or in the future. The two available MDC slots can, in addition to the BlueOS system described above, accommodate a variety of upgrade modules including 4K video capable HDMI switching, additional digital inputs, and additional analogue and phono inputs.

The T758 V3 AV receiver is the latest version in their T758 series and offers both performance and feature improvements in many areas. For example, this latest model includes both Dirac room correction circuitry and is BlueSound-ready, right out of the box. The T758 V3 also uses the MDC system described above, and all digital audio and video circuits are on MDC cards that give NAD-quality sound right now but which also let the user upgrade to future AV standards without having to purchase a new receiver. With MDC, the ability to upgrade the T 758 V3 to include future digital formats is unique and unprecedented.

Features of the T758 V3 include:

• 7 x 60 Watts/channel into 8 Ohms, all channels driven simultaneously
• Modular Design Construction which includes AM 230 Audio Module and VM 130 Video Module
• HDMI (3 in / 1 out) 4K Ultra HD Full Support with 4K/60p / 4:4:4 / HDCP 2.2
Dolby Atmos and DTS HD Master Audio support coming soon via user-installable software update
• Dirac Live Room Correction Suite and NAD SpeakerIQ speaker setup with supplied microphones
• BlueOS Enabled for wireless or Ethernet multi-room music streaming
• Hi-Res Audio playback including 24-bit/192kHz FLAC / WAV / AIFF
• Independent source and volume controls for Zone 2