Nad C 300 – integrated stereo amplifier

Simplicity, affordability and efficiency are the result of the alchemy that gave rise to this C300 integrated amplifier.

NAD’s philosophy is simple: fewer parts, better sound. This means you strip away the frills and can focus on quality without driving up the price. If you think about it, this idea makes perfect sense: take a high-end receiver, trim the fat, and you’re left with high-end sound at a mass-market price. I mean, if you have a Sony with 50,000 useless options retailing at the same price as this spartan NAD, which product do you think contains the higher-quality parts? No NAD product captures these ideals better than the C300; what you get is little more than volume, bass and treble controls, no display... nothing that might take money away from the parts that generate the sound.

NAD has a formidable reputation when it comes to integrated amplifiers: the C300 is Erik Edvardsen’s latest creation, partly a continuation of the NAD C320 and a revision of the 310. The pre-amplifier circuit is virtually the same as that of the C320, winner of numerous awards. The C300 uses MOS-FET power stages exclusively. Although the C300 is derived from the 310, it cannot be seen as a direct replacement: its superior performance and high-quality components make it more competitive than the 310, albeit at a slightly higher price.
Flexibility is another NAD strength: the C300 has seven line inputs (including two tape inputs/outputs to facilitate dubbing) for a variety of connection options; the headphone output will drive virtually any non-electrostatic headphone. It features a tone control function, which, however, operates only at the extreme frequencies, leaving the midrange essentially unaffected. The tone control circuits can be completely bypassed using the bypass switch. It does not have a built-in phono stage for a turntable, so it will need to be connected to either a pre-amplified turntable (such as the Denon DP 300F or similar) or an external phono pre-amp.

The front panel includes source selection controls (7 in total), a volume control, 2 tone controls, a balance control and a headphone socket. The on/off switch is located on the front panel and a ‘Tone Defeat’ control allows you to bypass the tone settings. The build quality of the electronics is impressive, starting with the double-sided epoxy glass printed circuit board in a stunning turquoise blue. The power transformer is enclosed in an aluminium housing to prevent any spurious radiation. Progressive filtering is carried out first by two 2200-microfarad capacitors, followed by two further 10,000-microfarad capacitors. The gain circuits and drivers are arranged symmetrically and operate in Class A.

Although 25 watts per channel may seem low, it is important to remember that not all watts are equal; these are high-end watts measured with ultra-low distortion, coupled with NAD’s power envelope circuit, which allows the amplifier to deliver many times more power to the speakers for short bursts when the music demands it.

A fully functional unit in excellent cosmetic condition.