NAD C 298 2-Channel Power Amplifier

NAD C298 – Powerful. Efficient. 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 Electronics are making the amazing new Eigentakt™ (self-clocking) technology, recently introduced to the world in the EISA Award-winning Masters M33, available to a wider audience with the very affordable C 298. We are thrilled to provide this unprecedented level of performance. In short, a perfect companion for the NAD C 658 BluOS Streaming DAC pre-amp, or similar.

Key Features:
– 185W x 2 Rated Output Power into 8 Ohms
– 340W x 2 Rated Output Power into 4 Ohms
– Stereo Dynamic Power 260/490/570W @ 8/4/2 Ohms
– 620W x 1 Rated Output into 8 Ohms Bridge Mode
– Mono Dynamic Power 1000/1100W @ 8/4 Ohms
– Purifi Eigentakt™ Amplifier Technology
– Perfect companion for the NAD C 658
– Balanced Line Inputs
– Single-Ended Line Inputs
– Input Level Control
– Line Output for Daisy Chaining
– 12V Trigger In/Out
– Auto Turn-on with Selectable Threshold
– IR In/Out
– Included Ground Lug
– Detachable AC Power Cord

Owner’s Manual (PDF)

EISA POWER AMPLIFIER 2021-2022
“NAD started its story making amplifiers, and has been researching and developing the technology for almost half a century. All that shows in the unassuming-looking C 298 power amplifier, designed for use in everything from conventional hi-fi and home cinema systems to hideaway custom installations. It has single-ended and balanced inputs for flexibility, and switchable signal-sensing for remote operation, while its energy-efficient Purifi Eigentakt amplification technology gives it the ability to drive just about any speaker with impunity. The sound is spectacular, and upgradable too – switch it into bridge mode, and you have a 600W+ monoblock!”

StereoNET 2020 Product Of The Year Awards – Best Power Amplifier
“Want serious amounts of power plus a sweet, smooth, silky sound? Then that will be the C 298. It thumps out 185W RMS per channel per side – or 620W in monobridged mode, enough to blow your front door off its hinges – yet costs just $3,299. Partner with NAD’s C 658 streaming DAC/preamp that plays practically every format invented – and probably some that haven’t – and it’s a true dynamic duo.”
See the full lineup of award-winning products here

“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.”
Read the full Applause Award review on StereoNET Australia

“Until now, NAD has only used the Eigentakt modules in the NAD Masters M33 flagship streaming system. This release represents a chance for more traditional hi-fi fans to get a taste of Purifi’s recent advances in Class D amplification.”
– What Hi-Fi

Amazing Flexibility
The C 298 may be a basic Power Amp, but the experts at NAD have carefully thought through all the use cases typically encountered to create a 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 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. Included is a Ground Lug that can be very useful 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 Monobloc Amplifier. Start with one and add a second C 298 later when you upgrade your speakers.

Getting the Basics Right
It is surprising how many seemingly advanced products in the market today often miss many of the most basic requirements for satisfying performance. Low noise circuits, accurate channel balance, proper input and output impedance characteristics, high overload margins and stability with difficult speaker loads. NAD starts by getting these things precisely right and advances from there. Our line inputs, both Balanced and Single-ended, can accommodate all kinds of analog source components by offering 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 are all details you can hear.

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, 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.

The generously dimensioned power supply easily allows for 185 watts continuous and over 570 watts instantaneous power for short term musical transients. Innovative Asymmetrical Power-Drive 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.

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.

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.