British hi-fi news Oct 2021
I have a love/hate relationship with hi-fi mags. I enjoy the conversation around great gear. But I’m aghast that almost all these writers have come to accept that uber high end products are everyday gear that YOU can, and should purchase.
Most reviews don’t say much with fancy prose and opinions based on nothing but blue sky. But there are a few mags that do more than throw bouquets around. That is the case with the hi-fi news.
This leads me to two of the most remarkable amplifier products of the last decade. The NAD M33 integrated amp ($5500), and NAD C298 ($2200) power amp. They have a lot in common on the amp side. Since hi-fi news just raved the C298, we’ll go there. Keep in mind that M33 is a full featured integrated and the amp within is basically a bigger brother to C298.
Eigentakt
Both of these amps use the innovative Eigentakt amplifier design. Distortion stays low into high frequencies. The amps are impedance invariant. Just buy the speakers you like- you don’t have to worry about the impedance!
NAD’s C298 power amp, $2200 (185×2) is an absolutely remarkable addition to our arsenal. It is not another me too power amp. It is innovative, sounds great and has a strong international company to support it. Before smelling the flowers, let’s look at what hi-fi news ACTUALLY MEASURED.
*C298 is rated at 185×2 into 8 ohms
It clipped at 265 w/ch!
Most amps barely reach their rated power.
C298 exceeds its rating by 30%.
If NAD was anyone else, they would claim a power rating of 250 w/ch,
and be honest while doing it. It is actually to their sales detriment that
they’re so conservative.
*C298’s clipping is “feathered” or “soft clipping.”
This means it won’t have a hard, or biting edge as you push it.
*C298’s distortion specs “are fabulously low” and challenge the level of the gear doing the testing!
.0002%@ 10w/ch, .0006%@ 100w/ch.
Even at 100 w/ch, THD is .0006% !
Top traditional amps claim approximately .1% THD.
A traditional amp measures 166 times more in distortion at 100 w/ch, and 500 times more at 10 w/ch.
NAD is allowing you to see the picture without snow obfuscating the fine details.
hi-fi news Commentary:
*The C298 proved to be more than just a power amp in the same way that a Ford Mustang GT is more than just a car. There is a serious bang for your buck here married to a delivery that feels clean and pure. There seems to be little or nothing between you and the music.
*There’s an astonishing sense of dynamism here, particularly when you remember the C298’s price tag.
*There’s no fear the experience becomes clinical or dry. There’s so much excitement to be had from its exuberance, power and rhythmic ability that any craving for something mellower doesn’t last for long.
*The brass instruments and rat-a-tat snare drums emerged from silence with the speed of an Old West sharp shooter, but there was a light touch to the proceedings too. The C298 didn’t overstate its power, and the sweeping string notes that followed were writ both large and lush. The amp also let the piece’s warmth and energy shine through. Magnificent? At this price, I’d say so!