Amazing Flexibility

The C 298, while a basic power amp, is designed with rich feature content to cater to various use cases. Selectable balanced inputs make the C 298 a natural choice for studio use or connection to high-end preamps and processors. These inputs include a trim control, useful for matching other components. A line out allows the addition of power on the same channel for additional speakers or subwoofers. Auto-sense with a selectable threshold is perfect for automating complex systems or hiding the amp out of sight in a cabinet. Additionally, a Ground Lug is included, which can be very useful for eliminating ground loops and noise in complex multi-unit systems. The C 298 also features a Bridge Switch that transforms it into an amazingly powerful monobloc amplifier. Start with one and add a second C 298 later when upgrading speakers.

Getting the Basics Right

Many advanced products on the market today often miss basic requirements for satisfying performance. The C 298 excels in low noise circuits, accurate channel balance, proper input and output impedance characteristics, high overload margins, and stability with difficult speaker loads. NAD ensures all these aspects are precisely right before advancing further. The line inputs, both balanced and single-ended, can accommodate various analog source components by offering ideal input impedance characteristics with linear ultra-low-noise buffer amplifiers, preventing any sonic degradation caused by inappropriate loading of the source device. These are all details that can be heard.

Sophisticated Power

NAD has moved away from the old-fashioned and power-hungry linear power supplies and Class AB output stages that waste nearly half of the energy consumed producing heat rather than sound. Instead, NAD has developed 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 principles. These new designs are very linear over a wide bandwidth and provide consistent performance into all speaker loads, offering a dramatic advance over previous models.

The 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, accurately reproducing 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 stages of the C 298. This highly efficient supply also provides near-perfect regulation of voltage across a wide range of conditions, offering a solid noise-free foundation for the amplifying stages.

Purifi ‘Eigentakt’ Amplifier Technology

Purifi, a Danish technology company, has brought together several of the industry’s leading engineers to apply advanced mathematical modeling to solve the last remaining limitations of audio amplifiers. While many good-sounding amplifiers are available today, Purifi has taken a fresh look at every aspect of amplifier performance, finding many seemingly small non-linearities that can make a dramatic difference in overall sound. This return to first principles has resulted in a stunningly simple approach to some remarkably complex problems. With features and technology unmatched by other amplifiers in its class, the C 298 amplifier is an easy upgrade for any system and a surprising partner for the most sophisticated and advanced loudspeakers on the market.