NAD Electronics' C 389 HybridDigital DAC amplifier features the brand's latest Modular Design Construction platform, MDC2 and proven HybridDigital UcD amplifier design. Also, under the hood, you get the same ESS Sabre DAC used in the NAD's up-market Masters Series amplifiers.

The 32-bit/384kHz ESS Technology Sabre DAC chip is renowned for its near-zero levels of clock jitter, wide dynamic range, and ultra-low noise and distortion, and forms the heart of the C 389's digital section. Meanwhile, the output stage employs a customised version of NAD's HybridDigital UcD design, with multiple UcD amplifier modules in balanced bridged configuration and what's described as “an innovative switch-mode power supply” that can provide ample reserves of current on-demand. 

The resulting claimed 130 Watts per channel promises “real-life listening levels with any loudspeaker load”. Moreover, NAD Electronics states that this is delivered with virtually unmeasurable distortion and noise through the audio band.

The C 389 is kitted out with a full suite of digital and analogue inputs, including an ultra-low-noise MM phono stage, HDMI eARC interface, two optical, two coaxial digital inputs and two pairs of line-level analogue inputs with ultra-low-noise buffer amplifiers.

In addition to two sets of speaker outputs, the C 389 has two subwoofer outputs, preamp outputs, and a dedicated headphone amp. Finally, CI-Friendly IR remote, 12V Trigger in/out, IR in/out, and RS-232 Serial port offer seamless integrations with smart home control systems such as Control4, Crestron, RTI, URC, Lutron, and Elan.

When wireless is required, the NAD Electronics C 389 also offers two-way Qualcomm aptX HD Bluetooth.

NAD's Modular Design Construction technology was introduced in 2006, future-proofing MDC-capable products via modules inserted into the MDC slot in the compatible component. MDC2 followed 2021, allowing two-way communication between the expansion module and host component. NAD's first MDC2 module is the MDC2 BluOS-D, which features BluOS high-res multi-room streaming and Dirac Live room correction. This enables the C 389 to be part of a whole-home music system with as many as 64 zones. 

Controlled via the BluOS Controller app, you get access to over twenty streaming services, including TIDAL, Deezer, Qobuz, Amazon Music HD, and Spotify, alongside your personal music libraries. BluOS also offers MQA decoding and rendering, Apple AirPlay 2 and control by popular voice assistants. 

Finally, connect the supplied microphone to the MDC BluOS-D's USB port and run the free Dirac Live app for automated room optimisation.

The NAD Electronics C 389 will be available from Summer 2022 with a suggested retail price of US$1,499.

Visit NAD Electronics for more information