NAD C268 $1000
80×2, or 300w mono
(4h, 17 3/16w, 16d, 16 lbs)
What do we want in a GREAT, one thousand dollar power amp?
First of all we want it to sound SMOOTH. It can’t bite.
Your hi-fi will wear you out if it sounds harsh. For over half a century virtually every amp out there at a modest price range has had a nasty edge. Given the technological limitations of the day, even the best bargain amps out there (Hafler, Rotel, Adcom, B&K etc) all skewed abrasive.
With C268 that’s over! We no longer have to live with an edgy sonic signature despite its modest price range.
We need an amplifier to be comfortable with any impedance it sees.
Today we have extremely clear speakers but most still have a very reactive impedance. The plus side of these designs is that we can hear more detail in the music. The down side is, if your amp sounds ROUGH you’ll hear it more apparently than ever. Further, whatever amp you have will sound more distorted as it deals with the peaks and valleys of a reactive speaker load. Many amplifier manufacturers warn you right on the amp to be sure your speakers are 8 ohms- or your amp is in jeopardy of torching itself.
C268 is comfortable into any impedance. You can drive any speaker you like without a second thought about its impedance curve.
We need an amp to be taut and musical in the lower register. We don’t want an amp to color our speakers with its own bloated flavor.
C268 hits the nail on the head by being extremely controlled instead of sloppy. Drum kit attacks, plucks on a stand up bass and the lower register of the piano can be revealed with authentic character instead of being buried by obfuscation.
We need an amp with air but not brightness. We want a 3D soundstage that can purvey a convincing image. We want a dead center image so the singer is right THERE.
C268 has no splash or artifacts. Its character is neutral and authentic to voices and acoustic instruments.
We need an amp that is dynamic and can accelerate quickly. C268 can leap tall buildings in a single bound. It will drive efficient speakers while coasting. More importantly, it can drive difficult speakers (whether SPL or impedance challenges) with aplomb.
We need an amp that has RCA and XLR inputs. C268 supports both single ended and balanced.
We need an amp that can be bridged in case we want to up our game. We don’t want to lose our fannies on a poor trade. C268 will deliver 300 watts in bridged mode! You can buy one C268 today and when you want more speed down the road- just buy another. You don’t have to trade an amp in and take a hit on it.
We want an amp that doesn’t weigh a ton or run hot. C268 runs cool and weighs 16 lbs.
We want our amp to have an input level control so it can interface with virtually any preamp and in virtually any configuration. C268 offers this feature so it is as flexible as you need, regardless of the application it will be used in. It can be stereo, bridged, home theater, single ended, balanced- and deal with virtually any voltage ahead of it.
NAD plays honestly with specs. Almost everyone else CHEATS. NAD’s 80×2 plays at .003% THD. When you see a competitor claim power of 160×2 (for ex), that 160 is at 1% distortion! C268 has 300 times LESS DISTORTION at its rated power that the 160×2 competitor.
Having been in the biz since the early 70s I can tell you that EVERY amp we sold had audible harshness from the distortion of mismatched output transistors. Manufacturers have tried every trick in the book to evade the extra crispy sound endemic to those designs.
C268 uses cutting edge, PowerDrive UcD design to achieve this new level of affordable excellence. NAD created this secret sauce of operation and builds it. No competitor can “buy” the same technology. The best they can do is try to emulate it. Only NAD can provide the full enchilada.
It’s a treat to be able to offer such an affordable and high performing power amp. Virtually all of you with old amps are seeing them die off over the years. Instead of replacing your amp with another brontosaurus, please consider buying a C268, or two, to enhance your musical life and save your aching back.
