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Recommended Component, Class A 2024 – Stereophile
Editors’ Choice Award 2024 - The Absolute Sound
Solid-State Power Amplifier of the Year Award 2021 - The Absolute Sound
Applause Award Winner – stereonet
Powerful, Efficient, and Equipped with Eigentakt
NAD has introduced some of the most innovative amplifier technology in its nearly 50-year history, starting with the 3020 on through such cutting-edge models as the 2200, the 208, and the M2. Now NAD is making the amazing new Eigentakt™ self-clocking technology available to a wide audience with the very affordable C 298 Stereo Power Amplifier. Eigentakt was recently introduced to the world in the EISA Award-winning Masters M33.
"Recommended Component" Honors
Stereophile honored the NAD C 298 by awarding it the magazine's coveted Recommend Component Class A status for 2024.
According to 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.'"
The Absolute Sound Double Honors
The C 298 won an Editors’ Choice Award 2024 and a Solid-State Power Amplifier of the Year Award 2021 from The Absolute Sound magazine.
"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."
Powerful, Versatile Performance
This new NAD classic amp boasts 185 Watts per channel into 8 Ohms and can be bridged to 620W X 1 into 8 Ohms to create a huge Monoblock. The C 298 is the perfect companion to the critically acclaimed C 658 BluOS Streaming DAC or as an additional two channel amp for reference home theater systems.
Traditional with all NAD components, the C 298 represents exceptional value offering performance, features and technology unmatched by other amplifiers in its class. It will make a compelling upgrade for virtually any advanced hi-fi system and its robust power with upgrade flexibility will drive the most sophisticated and advanced loudspeakers on the market.
Network Product of the Year 2021
SoundStage! named the C 298 Network Product of the Year 2021. "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," notes Evan McCosham.
"A Must-Have Upgrade"
"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," reports Jimmy Hughes in the Australian edition of stereonet, December 11, 2020, which honored the C 298 with an Applause Award.
"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," notes Dave Sung, What Hi-fi?, September 14, 2020
Russell Kent at Tech Week terms the C 298 "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."
Sophisticated Power
NAD has moved away from the old fashioned and very power-hungry linear power supplies and Class AB output stages that waste nearly half of the energy consumed, producing heat rather than sound. Instead, the company has developed even better performing circuits based on switch mode power supplies and Class D output stages. Once thought to be inferior to traditional topologies, NAD's advanced work in this area has created some of the best performing amplifiers regardless of basic design principle. These new designs are very linear over a wide bandwidth and provide consistent performance into all speaker loads, providing a dramatic advance over previous models.
The generously dimensioned power supply 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. This return to first principles has resulted in a stunningly simple approach to some remarkably complex problems.
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 aspects 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, which is 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 effective 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 amazingly powerful monoblock amplifier. Start with one and add a second C 298 later should upgrading speakers be desired.
