NAD C 298 Power Amplifier

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 run a preamp or a streamer/DAC with its own volume — that is where the controls sit, and Masters M66 BluOS is built for this

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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