Description
NAD’s New Classic Amplifiers. Intelligent. Powerful. Efficient.
The Perfect Power
Derived from NAD’s Masters series, the HybridDigital nCore amplifier of the C 399 can deliver a continuous power of 180 Watts per channel and an instantaneous power of 250 Watts per channel. Highly efficient and remarkably powerful, the HybridDigital nCore amplifier can effortlessly reproduce musical transients. Its design is renowned for its wide bandwidth, flat frequency response, clean clipping behavior with instant recovery, high current capability, and stability in demanding low-impedance speaker loads. Noise and distortion are extremely low under all operating conditions, with minimal harmonic distortion levels dominated by second and third-order harmonics. The Hypex nCore design allows the C 399 to produce a neutral, distortion-free sound, even at very high listening levels, with exquisite detail, superb spatial representation, and thrilling dynamics.
The high-resolution ESS Sabre 9028 digital-to-analog converter, designed for near-zero clock jitter levels, ultra-low noise and distortion, and a wide dynamic range, has also been introduced in the Masters series. This premium DAC allows the C 399 to reproduce all your digital sources with astonishing musicality, stunning clarity, and precise sound staging.
Future-Proof
In 2007, NAD introduced the concept of modular construction, an innovative architecture allowing the addition of new functions to existing components. Many NAD products have rear panel slots for MDC (Modular Design Construction) modules that provide HDMI switching, BluOS multi-room music streaming, Dolby Atmos surround processing, and other functions.
The C 399 is the first product to benefit from NAD’s new MDC2 architecture. By enabling bidirectional communication between the module and the component, MDC2 opens the door to new upgrades in the future.
Equipped with Wi-Fi and Ethernet, the optional MDC2 BluOS-D module allows listeners to stream music from their favorite streaming services via the C 399, using the renowned BluOS Controller app for Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows. Like all BluOS-compatible products, the MDC2 BluOS-D has integrated support for dozens of streaming services, supporting Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, and Tidal Connect. Bidirectional communication also allows the MDC2 BluOS-D to stream music from sources connected to the C 399 to BluOS-compatible components in other rooms.
The Dirac Live feature allows you to measure your room’s acoustics using a provided microphone and an intuitive app, then download correction curves to the MDC2 BluOS-D. By compensating for acoustic anomalies in your listening environment, Dirac Live significantly improves bass clarity, imaging, and tonal accuracy. Thanks to its bidirectional architecture, the MDC2 BluOS-D performs room correction for all sources connected to your C 399.
Everything is Connected
The C 399 can accommodate all your digital and analog sources. Its MM phono stage offers ultra-precise RIAA equalization, extremely low noise, and high overload margins. The phono preamp also features an innovative circuit that eliminates infrasonic noise present on all LPs without compromising bass response. There are two sets of line-level inputs with low-noise buffer amplifiers to prevent sound degradation. The C 399 has two optical and two coaxial digital inputs, along with an HDMI-eARC port for playing sound from a connected TV, all while controlling the amplifier’s output with the TV remote.
In addition to two sets of speaker outputs, the C 399 features preamp outputs and two subwoofer outputs. Bidirectional apt-X HD Bluetooth allows 24-bit streaming from mobile devices and high-quality output to Bluetooth headphones. A dedicated headphone amplifier, with low output impedance and high output voltage, is also integrated, allowing the C 399 to drive high-impedance studio monitoring headphones.
A Timeless Classic
Like all NAD amplifiers ever made, the C 399 adheres to fundamental principles: precise volume control with accurate channel balance, low-noise circuits, and correct input and output impedances. But it goes well beyond the basics. With its HybridDigital nCore output stage and high-resolution ESS Sabre DAC, the C 399 can reproduce all your digital and analog sources with an unprecedented level of excitement and refinement for a Classic series integrated amplifier.
Thanks to NAD’s innovative MDC2 platform, the C 399 will keep pace with future developments. Essentially, MDC2 renders obsolescence obsolete. The C 399 can serve as the centerpiece of a world-class music system, today and for years to come. With the C 399 HybridDigital DAC Amplifier from NAD, the legend continues.
Features and Details:
- HybridDigital nCore digital amplifier
- Continuous Power: 1
80 Watts per channel at 8/4 ohms - Instantaneous Power: 250 Watts per channel
- Extremely low harmonic and intermodulation distortion
- Two MDC2 ports for extended functionality
- Optional MDC2 BluOS-D module adds BluOS multi-room streaming and Dirac Live room correction
- ESS Sabre 32-bit/384 kHz digital-to-analog converter with minimal clock jitter
- Very low noise MM phono stage with infrasonic filtering circuit
- Two optical and two coaxial digital inputs
- HDMI-eARC input
- Two pairs of low-noise buffered line-level analog inputs
- Dual sets of speaker outputs
- Bidirectional apt-X HD Bluetooth
- Dual subwoofer outputs
- Dedicated headphone amplifier
- IR remote control
- 12V Trigger in/out
- IR in/out
- RS-232 serial port for control system integration with home automation systems like Control4, Crestron, RTI, URC, AMX, Savant, Elan.
