NAD

NAD has just released their new C700 Bluesound streaming integrated amplifier at $1499. Inside the solid aluminum housing is their HybridDigital UcD amplifier that delivers 80 watts/channel. The highly-efficient UcD amplifier design is characterized by ultra-low noise and distortion through the entire audio band, regardless of the loudspeaker load. The audiophile-quality DAC in the C700 supports up to 24-bit/192kHz high resolution audio and MQA. With BluOS built in at no extra cost, you can access over 20 streaming music services, listen to hundreds of internet radio stations, and easily connect to your own music library. Listen in one or multiple rooms by adding up to 63 additional BluOS players for the ultimate multi-room experience. Other key features include:

• 5-inch high-definition color information display shows album art, track progress, and system settings.
• Remote-controlled by intuitive BluOS Controller apps for Android, iOS, Mac OS, and Windows.
• MQA decoding and rendering
• Lossless and high-resolution streaming from Amazon Music HD, Deezer, Idagio, Qobuz, and Tidal
• Support for Apple Airplay 2, Spotify Connect, and Tidal Connect.
• Voice-controllable via Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri, and Google Assistant
• Optical and coaxial digital inputs
• HDMI eARC input
• USB Type A port for connecting an external drive containing your personal music collection
• Two pairs of line-level analogue inputs
• Subwoofer output with filter settings controllable from the BluOS app
• Wi-Fi and Gigabit Ethernet connectivity
• Two-way aptX HD Bluetooth

The C399 HybridDigital DAC integrated Amplifier ($1999) is the new flagship in the brand's Classic Series of integrated amplifiers. The C399 is the first Classic Series device to benefit from the nCore amplification platform used in the Masters Series. It features a 32-bit/384kHz ESS Sabre DAC to provide ultra-high-quality audio signal music playback and exceptional digital and analogue connectivity options. The C399 is also the first product to include the latest generation of NAD's Modular Design Construction (MDC) called MDC2, allowing for improved flexibility and additional features. The MDC2 BluOS-D module has also been introduced in parallel with the C399 at $549. In addition to adding Bluesound capability, with this module installed, the C399 has become the first NAD component to feature post-purchase upgrades for Dirac Live. Like the first generation of the MDC platform, there are upgrade paths for BluOS hi-res multi-room streaming and music management, Apple Airplay 2, and two-way aptX HD Bluetooth.

Additional key features for the C399 include:

• Continuous Power: 180 Watts per channel into 8/4 Ohms
• Two MDC2 Ports for expanded functionality
• Optional MDC2 BluOS-D module adds BluOS Hi-Res multi-room music streaming and Dirac Live room correction.
• Jitter-free, 32-bit/384kHz ESS Sabre DAC, same as in C658, M10 V2, M33: ES9028
• Ultra-low noise moving magnet phono stage with infrasonic filtering circuitry
• Two optical and two coaxial digital inputs
• HDMI-eARC input
• Two pairs of line-level analogue inputs with a low-noise buffer amplifier
• Two pairs of speaker outputs
• Two-way Qualcomm aptX HD Bluetooth
• Dual subwoofer outputs
• Dedicated headphone amplifier

The latest addition to the Masters Series is the M23 stereo power amplifier offering 200 watts/channel of continuous power into 8 Ohms at $3749. This product is essentially the power amplifier section of the M33 integrated streaming amplifier. The M23 employs Eigentakt Class-D amplifier modules manufactured by NAD under license from Denmark's Purifi Audio. Purifi's load-invariant design provides wide, flat frequency response, even into challenging loudspeaker loads. Noise, harmonic distortion, and IM distortion are virtually unmeasurable at all frequencies and output levels. Another benefit of the Eigentakt design is extremely low output impedance and correspondingly high damping factor, for rock-solid control of the loudspeakers output. Eigentakt outperforms previous Class-D implementations by a significant margin, delivering transparent, detailed sound with expansive sound staging and holographic imaging, at all listening levels and with all types of program material, even during complex musical passages. The M33 has both RCA and XLR input connections that auto-sense when there is an input signal and then turn on the amplifier. With its elegant all-alloy casework, the Masters M23 HybridDigital Stereo Power Amplifier is as pleasing to the eye as it is thrilling to the ears.