Stereophonic, baby.
I love when companies hearken back to their earlier days and designs, which is what NAD has done with the new retro-looking NAD C 3050 LE Stereophonic Amplifier, that gets its looks from the ’70s era NAD 3030, to celebrate 50 years in business. But don’t let those looks deceive you—the C 3050 is packed with the latest and greatest tech. NAD has to offer.
Thanks to the included Roon Ready BluOS-D MDC2 module, the C 3050 LE is a streaming integrated amp, that also offers Dirac Room Correction, AirPlay 2, two-way aptX HD Bluetooth, and HDMI eARC connectivity. On the amplification side, the new/old NAD offers 100 Watts of HybridDigital output power into 8 and 4 Ohms. There’s also an ultra-low-noise MM phono stage for that real ’70s feel.
The NAD C 3050 LE Stereophonic Amplifier is limited to just 1,972 individually numbered units worldwide for $1972 (ha!). Expect to see these retro beauties hit NAD retailers starting mid-November, 2022.
Company Website: NAD
Specifications
LINE INPUT, PRE-OUT (Analog bypass on)
THD (20 Hz – 20 kHz): <0.005 % at 2V out Signal-to-Noise Ratio >95 dB (IHF; A-weighted, ref. 500 mV out, unity gain)
Channel separation: >100 dB (1 kHz) | >90 dB (10 kHz)
Input impedance (R and C): 28 kohms + 360 pF
Maximum input signal: >4.5 Vrms (ref. 0.1 % THD)
Output impedance: 440 ohms
Input sensitivity: 270 mV (ref. 500 mV out, Volume maximum)
Frequency response: ±0.3 dB (20 Hz – 20 kHz)
Maximum voltage output -IHF load: >2 V (ref. 0.1 % THD)
PHONO INPUT, PRE-OUT (Analog bypass on)
THD (20 Hz – 20 kHz): <0.03% at 2 V out Signal-to-Noise Ratio >79 dB (200 ohms source; A-weighted, ref. 500 mV out)
Input Impedance (R and C): 46 kohms/100 pF
Input sensitivity: 5.5 mV (ref. 500 mV out, Volume maximum)
Frequency response: ±0.3 dB (20 Hz – 20 kHz)
Maximum input signal at 1kHz: >80 mVrms (ref. 0.1 % THD)
LINE INPUT, HEADPHONE OUT (Analog bypass on)
THD (20 Hz – 20 kHz): <0.005% at 1V out Signal-to-Noise Ratio >96 dB (32 ohms loads; A-WTD, ref. 2 V out, unity gain
Frequency response: ±0.3 dB (20 Hz – 20 kHz)
Channel separation: >60 dB at 1kHz
BluOS AUDIO
Supported audio file formats: MP3, AAC, WMA, OGG, WMA-L, ALAC, OPUS
Supported high- resolution audio file format: FLAC, MQA, WAV, AIFF
Sampling rate: up to 192 kHz
Bit depths: 16 – 24
BluOS SUPPORTED SERVICES***
Streaming cloud services: Amazon Music, Bugs, CustomChannels, Deezer, IDAGIO, KKBOX, Napster, Neil Young Archives, nugs.net, Qobuz, Qsic, Spotify, SOUNDMACHINE, TIDAL, Tunify
Internet radio: CALM Radio, iHeartRadio, LiveXLive, RADIO.COM, Radio Paradise, SiriusXM, TuneIn
Integration partners: Control4, Crestron, ELAN, Lutron, Push, Roon, RTI, URC
Voice Control Integration: Skills and support for Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple’s Siri with corresponding enabled devices and App
BluOS CONNECTIVITY
Network connectivity: Gigabit Ethernet RJ45 | Wi-Fi 5
Supported network file share protocol: Server Message Block (SMB)
USB: 1 x Type-A port for connection to USB memory stick (FAT32 or NTFS formatted) and supported peripherals
Bluetooth quality: aptX HD 5.0
Bluetooth connectivity: Two-Way (Receive and Headphone modes)
USER INTERFACE
Supported operating system: Music playback from network shares on the following desktop operating systems: Microsoft Windows XP, 2000, Vista, 7, 8 to current Windows Operating Systems and macOS versions
Mobile Application: Free BluOS Controller App available for download from the respective App stores of Apple iOS devices (iPad, iPhone and iPod), Android devices, Kindle Fire and Windows or macOS desktops
MAIN IN, SPEAKER OUT
Continuous output power into 8 ohms and 4 ohms: 100W (ref. 20 Hz-20 kHz at rated THD, both channels driven)
THD (20 Hz – 20 kHz): <0.03% (250 mW to 100 W, 8 ohms and 4 ohms) Signal-to-Noise Ratio >95dB (A-weighted, 500 mV input, ref. 1 W out in 8 ohms)
Clipping power: >115 W (at 1 kHz 0.1 % THD)
IHF dynamic power: 8 ohms: 180 W | 4 ohms: 250W | 2 ohms: 300 W
Peak output current: >20A (in 1 ohm, 1 ms)
Frequency response: ±0.3 dB (20 Hz – 20 kHz)
Channel separation: >75dB (1 kHz) | >70dB (10 kHz)
Input sensitivity (for 100 W in 8 ohms): 540 mV | Digital: -6dBFS
Power consumption – at Auto Standby ON and Network Standby OFF: 0.5 W*
Power consumption – at Auto Standby ON and Network Standby ON: 2.0 W**
Power consumption – OFF mode (Power switched OFF): 0.1 W
Frequency band: 2.402G- 2.480G
DIMENSION AND WEIGHT
Gross dimensions (W x H x D) ****: 435 x 110 x 355mm | 17 1/4 x 4 3/8 x 14 inches
Net weight: 10 kg (22 lbs)
Shipping weight: 12.6 kg (27.8 lbs)
* – After 20 minutes of no user interface interaction and no active source input
** – With established wired or wireless network connection, wireless Bluetooth connectivity and no user interface interaction and no active source input for 20 minutes
*** – Supported services may vary over time. Inquire via support.bluos.net for updated list.
**** – Gross dimension includes feet, volume knob and extended front and rear panel terminals.
