NAD C298

Features

Class D Amplification: 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 they have 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.

• Purifi Eigentakt Amplifier Technology: The NAD C 298 is a stereo power amplifier featuring Purifi Eigentakt Amplifier Technology that promises expansive power and lower distortion and noise floor. Combining already renowned self-oscillating Class D amplifier technology with novel feedback algorithms, Eigentakt nearly eliminates harmonic and intermodulation distortion and allows for an even, wide and load-invariant frequency response with negligible output impedance. NAD's renowned designers worked closely with Purifi Audio to customize the Eigentakt implementation to ensure every product featuring the technology would meet the high standards NAD is known for. For this reason, NAD manufactures its own Eigentakt modules rather than buy off-the-shelf.
• Asymmetric Power Drive: The C 298's generously dimensioned power supply easily allows for 185 watts continuous 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. It can operate with any AC mains voltage from 100V to 240V and provides pure DC power to all the various stages of the C 298. 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.

Operation Modes: The NAD C 298 can be operated in Stereo mode to power a pair of loudspeakers or in Mono mode to power a single loudspeaker.

• Stereo Mode: The NAD C 298 will support 8-ohm and 4-ohm speaker impedance loads in Stereo mode.
  • Continuous Power: @ 20-20kHz with 0.005% THD
    • 8-Ohm: 185 watts x 2 channels
    • 4-Ohms: 340 watts x 2 channels
  • Peak Power: @ 1kHz with 0.1% THD
    • 8-Ohm: 260 watts x 2 channels
    • 4-Ohms: 490 watts x 2 channels
• Bridged Mode: The C 298 will support 8-ohm speaker impedance loads in Mono mode.
  • Continuous Power: @ 20-20kHz with 0.005% THD
    • 8-Ohm: 620 watts x 1 channel
  • Peak Power: @ 1kHz with 0.1% THD
    • 8-Ohm: 1,000 watts x 1 channel

Balanced & Unbalanced Inputs: The NAD C 298 offers a stereo Balanced (XLR) input and stereo unbalanced (RCA) input to for connection to your preamplifier or processor. These selectable balanced and unbalanced input provide ideal input impedance characteristics with linear ultra-low-noise buffer amplifiers to prevent any sonic degradation caused by inappropriate loading of the source device. These inputs also include a trim control useful for matching to other components. The Balanced XLR inputs allow long cable runs without noise pickup or signal loss; all you get is great sound without the possibility of noise pickup or interference.

• Input Select: You can select either a balanced XLR or unbalanced RCA connection; you cannot use both.
• Input Level: You can select the balanced or unbalanced inputs to be Fixed or Variable. When set to Variable, you can control the input level to adjust the audio output level of the C 298.
• Auto Sense: The Auto Sense feature instantaneously turns the C 298 to operating mode from standby mode if it senses a specific input signal level applied to either the balanced or unbalanced inputs.. There are three Auto Sense levels (0.85mV, 1.7mV, and 3.7mV).

Unbalanced Line Output: An unbalanced RCA line output for each channel allows you to daisy-chain another power amplifier to add additional speakers to the same channel.

Ground Lug: The NAD C 298 even includes a Ground Lug that can be very useful for eliminating ground loops and noise in complex multi-unit systems.

12V Triggers: The NAD C 298 is outfitted with a +12V Trigger input and +12V Trigger output. Each trigger consists of a mono-minijack (3.5mm). The +12V trigger output lets you turn on/off other components along with the C 298; while the +12V trigger input lets you turn on/off the C 298 from another component device.

Detachable AC Power Cord: The NAD C 298 comes with a 6' detachable IEC 3-prong AC power cord that will need to be plugged into an AC power outlet, surge protector, or line conditioner.