C-328, $700, 50×2 (2 3/16h, 17 1/8w, 11 1/4d, 13 lbs)
NAD’s C328 is THE MOST SERIOUS integrated amp at a cheap price. Why?
It starts with the amplifier section. NAD has a conspicuously better power amp on board than any integrated we’ve seen this side of $1100. While rated at 50×2, C328 will exceed 100 w/ch on peaks.
Please realize… virtually everyone else CLAIMS their full power. There isn’t any headroom!
Hence with real world listening, C328 performs like Michael Jordan. It can JUMP as the music demands. Invariably NAD’s competitors are lucky to reach rated power. They have virtually no ability to “accelerate” as music demands. NAD produces fire and brimstone- if music dictates it!
C328 is comfortable with any impedance you throw at it. That alone separates it from the field of competition.
EVERY speaker out there has a varying impedance that WILL drop to 4 ohms or less at some point in its graph. C328 is fine with that. The other guys run hot and break at low impedances.
Look right on the unit you might be interested in. Yamaha for example, is quite straightforward about it. Good for them- for being honest.
On their grand-ish A-S-801 there is a switch to throw, for protection, based on the electrical finger print of the speakers you connect to it. Yet even that’s a bit dicey. Because if a speaker is called an 8 ohm speaker, it will invariably drop to 4 ohms in its path. It might even fall to an ohm or two. That means you always have to select the extra protective resistors, which tamp down the sound quality.
With NAD C328, this is NO issue. Just buy the speakers you like, and you’re good to go. With almost everyone else, you need to do your compatibility homework first.
NAD supports C328 with its hybrid power supply design. This means it has an analog power supply which is more robust and less noisy than the other guys. Further, NAD’s PowerDrive topology offers a second high voltage rail to its more basic, well regulated design. This allows NAD to achieve 2X peak power! NAD also employs Soft Clipping which rounds off the spiked edge of an amp’s clipping performance if you go a little crazy. Soft Clipping eliminates a harsh or grainy attitude if you ask for more volume.
NAD preamp sections use Class A voltage- meaning the transistors don’t switch on/off. They’re always on which precludes time shift problems.
C328 has a 24B, hi-res DAC! It features two OPT inputs and two COAX inputs. Four should be enough. If you have an older CD player or a generic streamer, connect via digital and get the advantage of NAD’s DAC vs whatever is built in your lesser source box.
C328 has an MM phono input. The phono section is not generic. NAD pays attention to the specs of the RIAA curve to insure you get a quiet, accurate phono section. You don’t need an outboard phono preamp.
C328 has two high level RCA inputs, dubbed TV and Streaming. But you can use these for any high level sources.
C328 has Bluetooth has well.
C328 has a secret weapon, its BASS EQ circuit. C328 can bump up your low end, 7dB at 80Hz to give some added muscle to speakers that need it! A general “bass control” covers a far too broad range to be remotely useful. BASS EQ is right where you want it!
C328 has a subwoofer output jack in case you’d like to add one.
C328 has a high quality C15 power cable input connection vs a flimsy C7.
C328 uses nice quality binding posts on the rear. We encourage you to get Kimber 4 PAIR speaker cable with SBAN connectors.
The Music
Musically C328 reveals musical TEXTURES that you typically don’t get for under a grand. Some people like Steinways. Others {like Angela Hewitt} prefer Faziolis. C328 has the transparency to reveal these nuances better than the big box brands which mask such musical treasures.
C328 has such outstanding resolution that it is almost always smarter to buy C328 and put more money in your speakers- than reversing the equation.
C328 is a particularly fine mate with Wharfedale’s affordable D12.1 or D12.2.
Even better, C328 is definitely up for driving the exquisite Wharfedale Lintons or Denton 85s.
And of course C328 is a solid recommendation with the Heresy 4, a speaker just waiting to rock your world!