NAD Electronics | SKU: NEW-NAC298 | Barcode: 786357001388

NAD C 298 Power Amplifier

NAD's 298 C power amp with Eigentakt self-clocking technology boasts 185 Watts per channel into 8 Ohms and can be bridged to 620W X 1 into 8 Ohms to create a huge Monoblock.

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$3,099.00

Condition

New Demo Open Box

Available in 8 days or less

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Purifi Eigentakt, at One Hundred and Eighty-Five Watts

The C 298 is where NAD put Purifi's Eigentakt technology into a mainstream amplifier, and the measurements are the reason to care. It makes 185 watts per channel into 8 ohms and 340 into 4.

Eigentakt was designed to hold distortion essentially constant regardless of load and level. The practical effect is that the amplifier behaves the same whether it is driving an easy speaker quietly or a hard one loudly.

Bridged to mono it makes 620 watts into 8 ohms, so a pair of these builds a system that most listeners would never manage to outgrow in a domestic room.

Inside the Chassis

THD stays below 0.005% from 1 watt to the full 185, into 8 ohms and 4 ohms alike. Signal-to-noise is better than 120dB A-weighted, and frequency response holds within 0.2dB across the audible band.

The damping factor is better than 800 from 20Hz to 6.5kHz, which is the range where cone control actually matters, and it is what keeps bass tight rather than approximate.

Balanced XLR and single-ended RCA inputs are both fitted at 56k ohms, with 1.43 volts giving full output in fixed-gain mode. The chassis is 435mm wide, 120 high and 390 deep, weighing 11.2kg.

Who Is This Amplifier Best For?

Your speakers are hard work — 185 watts into 8 ohms and 340 into 4, with damping above 800, drives demanding loads without the amplifier's distortion rising to meet them.
You care how an amplifier behaves at low volume — Eigentakt holds distortion below 0.005% from a single watt upward, so the amplifier does not need to be loud to be at its best.
You may want more later — bridged to mono the C 298 makes 620 watts into 8 ohms, so a second unit builds a system you are unlikely to outgrow.
Your preamplifier is balanced — XLR and RCA are both fitted at 56k ohms, so a long balanced run arrives quiet and no preamplifier is loaded down by it.
You do not own a preamplifier yet — the C 298 is a power amplifier, with no volume control and no input switching. Choose a partner from our preamplifiers to complete the system.

How Does It Connect to Your System?

Connect your preamplifier by balanced XLR or single-ended RCA. Speakers go to the binding posts. For mono, set bridged mode on each amplifier before you connect anything to it.

At 120mm high and 11.2kg it needs an ordinary shelf rather than a reinforced one, and it does not run hot enough to need clearance planned around it.

Pairs Well With

Here are some great companions:

Preamplifier: Required, and the natural next decision — see our Preamplifiers.
Speaker Cables: Carry the current properly — see our Speaker Cables.
Interconnects: Balanced XLR is the better run from preamp to amp — see our Interconnect Cables.
Audio Rack: Give the amplifier a proper shelf — see our Audio Racks.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much power does it make?

185 watts per channel into 8 ohms and 340 into 4 ohms. Bridged to mono it makes 620 watts into 8 ohms.

What is Purifi Eigentakt?

A Class D amplifier technology designed to keep distortion essentially constant regardless of load and output level, rather than rising as the amplifier works harder.

How low is the distortion?

Below 0.005% from 1 watt to the full 185, into both 8 and 4 ohms, with signal-to-noise better than 120dB A-weighted.

Does it take balanced inputs?

Yes. Balanced XLR and single-ended RCA, both at 56k ohms, with 1.43 volts for full output in fixed-gain mode.

How big is it?

435mm wide, 120mm high and 390mm deep, weighing 11.2kg.

What warranty does it carry?

NAD's warranty is set by the distributor in each country rather than published as one global term. Call us on 800-942-0220 and we will confirm the US term.

See It in Action

SoundStage! reviews the C 298 and its Purifi output stage:

A measured comparison against a rival Class D amplifier:

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Learn More

Want to learn more about power amplifiers, bridging an amplifier to mono, or building a separates system? Visit our Learning Center for guides, tips, and expert advice.

Recommended Component 2024, Class A – Stereophile

"'The NAD C 298 is a transparent, uncolored, powerful stereo power amplifier,' concluded KR, adding that even in stereo mode it can easily drive most speakers 'to levels that exceed domestic tranquility.' Measuring man JA commented that the C 298 continues NAD's tradition for conservative and competent engineering but 'sets a new standard for combining very high power with supremely low distortion.'"

"'...a pair of bridged-mono NAD (C 298s) offered explosive dynamics without breaking a sweat...'"

- Stereophile, April 1, 2023

Editors’ Choice Award 2024 - The Absolute Sound

Solid-State Power Amplifier of the Year Award 2021 - The Absolute Sound

"This feature-laden amp is built around a new Class D output-stage module, the Eigentakt, that brings unprecedented performance to switching designs. Rated at 185Wpc into 8 ohms, the C298 has generous dynamic headroom, and can easily be configured to operate as a 1000W monoblock. The bass is nothing short of spectacular—powerful, dynamic, tuneful, and tight. This bass prowess translates into a visceral feeling of rhythmic drive and flow. The mids and treble are clean and open, if a bit forward in perspective. A lot of amplifier for the money."

- The Absolute Sound, December 2024

Applause Award Winner – stereonet

"The C 298 power amp is compact, silent, powerful, efficient, eco-friendly and sounds great. In tandem with the C 658 streaming pre, it's a formidable combination."

- Jimmy Hughes, stereonet, December 11, 2020

Network Product of the Year 2021 - SoundStage!

"With the C 298’s balanced and single-ended inputs, auto-on sensing, fixed and variable gain, enough power output for most applications, the ability to be used as a far more powerful monoblock, and the serviceable but nonextravagant build quality and visual design long typical of this company, NAD has done a wonderful job of implementing Purifi Audio’s Eigentakt amplifier technology into a commercial product that is, at least in features and looks, distinctly their own. The C 298 is also a conventional-looking amplifier that will visually fit nicely into any traditional audio system."

"I think the C 298’s sound quality, too, would be welcome in any system, almost regardless of that system’s total price. In my own rig it provided clean, smooth sound that was never clinical or etched, and its speed, dynamics, and power output resulted in no shortcoming that I could hear..."

"The value propositions NAD has been fine-tuning for decades are continued in the C 298. If you’re in the market for a new power amp, and that part of your budget goes even as high as $5000, it will be worth your while to give the C 298—at only $1999—a good listen. You might save yourself a bundle."

- Evan McCosham, SoundStage! Hi-Fi, March 15, 2021

"The NAD C 298 is a transparent, uncolored, powerful stereo power amplifier. It can easily drive most speakers to levels that exceed domestic tranquility. A bridged pair extends the power capability further still. The NAD C 298 challenges more expensive amps and should impress discerning listeners regardless of budget."

- Kalman Rubinson, Stereophile, May 21, 2021

"The C 298 is another positive moment in the year for the Canadian company on the back of the launch of its M33 and M28, and there are still a few months to go."

- Dave Sung, What Hi-fi?, September 14, 2020

"A must-have upgrade for your hi-fi set or a pretty perfect addition to a good DAC / preamplifier, and that for a reasonable price."

- Russell Kent, Tech Week

"The C 298 is impressively powerful, and combines its heft with speed and detail. The result is a sound that's exciting and revealing, and likely to put all but the most reluctant loudspeakers on the front foot. The C 298 is not quite 'entry-level', but it's still serious value."

- Mark Craven, hi-finews.com, November 22, 2021

"Equally unshakable was the grip with which the NAD held the bass of the Gauder speakers in its control – that was a great display of its qualities. What was noticeable in this combination, which is admittedly rather unrealistic due to the wide gap between the price ranges, was that this power amp is tending slightly towards a somewhat bright sound characteristic.

"With this, it immediately dispelled two common prejudices against Class D power amplifiers: that they, equipped with this kind of circuitry, cannot control critical loudspeakers and that they tend to soften the higher frequencies, accompanied by a loss of resolution. No, the NAD C 298 presented itself with all the virtues one expects from a really good power amplifier."

- Michael Lang, Stereo Magazine, March 17, 2021

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