Bridgeable Stereo Amp
NAD Electronics announced another high-performance amplifier that uses Purifi Eigentakt™ amplification technology. The new C 298 two-channel Class D amp pumps out 185-watts per channel into 8 Ohms and can be bridged to 620-watts x 1 into 8 Ohms to create a huge Monoblock.
The NAD C 298 amp has a generously sized power supply that easily allows for 340 watts continuous into 4 ohms and over 570 watts instantaneous power for short term musical transients. Innovative Asymmetrical PowerDrive fully utilizes every last watt available with its vast reserves of dynamic power available to accurately reproduce musical transients without distortion or compression. This highly efficient supply also provides near perfect regulation of voltage across a wide range of conditions and provides a solid noise-free foundation for the amplifying stages.
Purifi ‘Eigentakt’ Amplifier Technology
Purifi is a Danish technology company that has brought together several of the industry’s leading engineers to apply advanced mathematical modelling to solve the last remaining limitations of audio amplifiers. While there are many good sounding amplifiers on the market today, Purifi has taken a fresh look at every aspect of amplifier performance and found many seemingly small non-linearities that can make a dramatic difference in the overall sound.
The Eigentakt modules are manufactured by NAD under license from Purifi, allowing NAD to optimize these specifically in combination with the custom designed power supply and input stages of the C 298.
The C 298 may appear to be just a basic power amp but NAD engineers have carefully thought through all the use cases typically encountered to create rich feature content. Selectable balanced inputs make the C 298 a natural for studio use or connection to high-end preamps and processors. These inputs include a trim control useful for matching to other components.
A line out allows further addition of power on the same channel for additional speakers or subwoofers. Auto-sense with selectable threshold is perfect for automating complex systems or hiding the amp out of sight in a cabinet. NAD even included a Ground Lug that can be very useful for eliminating ground loops and noise in complex multi-unit systems. Added to all this connectivity is a Bridge Switch that turns the C 298 into an ultra powerful monoblock amplifier. Start with one and add a second C 298 later should upgrading speakers be desired.
Key Features
- Purifi Eigentakt Amplifier Technology
- 185W X 2 Continuous Power into 8 Ohms
- Bridge Mode Creates Monoblock of 620W X 1 into 8 Ohms
- Balanced and Single Ended Line Inputs (switchable)
- Input Level Control
- Line Output for Daisy Chaining
Price & Availability
The NAD C 298 will be shipping in October 2020 for $1,999 (U.S. MSRP).