British hi-fi mainstay NAD has announced two new products in its Classic Series: the C 359S streaming amplifier and C 569 CD player.
The C 359S brings streaming smarts to a traditional Class AB amplifier courtesy of the BluOS platform. And the C 569 uses NAD's Dynamic Digital Headroom (DDH) and QRONO d2a technologies to bring out more detail, depth and presence from your CD collection.
While the C 359S uses Class AB amplification, it foregoes the large transformer and linear power supply usually associated with that design. Instead, it employs a high-current, low-noise switch mode power supply that's derived from NAD's flagship Class D amplifier platform.
Power conversion, signal processing and amplification are kept separate by a modern multi-layer architecture, while grounding, current paths and signal routing minimise unwanted interaction between the amp's various functions.
NAD claims the C 359S is "a remarkably quiet, responsive amplifier" that delivers 2 x 70 watts of continuous power into 8 ohms, and can handle demanding loudspeakers "without compromise".
Hi-res streaming and multi-room audio come courtesy of the BluOS platform, so you can beam audio to speakers dotted throughout the house. With aptX HD Bluetooth also onboard, a phono input for turntables, plus an HDMI eARC port for connecting to your TV, it's equipped to handle multiple audio sources.
By redirecting deep bass to the subwoofer via high-pass filtering, it eases the load on the main speakers and amp for better clarity, imaging and headroom within a 2.1-channel setup.
And the design is recognisably NAD, with push buttons, knob controls and a bundled IR remote.
The C 569 CD player sits between the entry-level C 538 and flagship (and much more recent) C 589. Onboard is the latter's Qrono d2a filtering technology, which refines timing and resolution for a more natural performance from PCM- and MQA-encoded music.
NAD's own Dynamic Digital Headroom (DDH) tech eliminates inter-sample clipping so that percussion and transients can hit harder and cleaner without digital distortion.
Both of these technologies are part of NAD's "Music First" design, which "favours musicality, tonal balance and clarity over exaggerated detail or specs", creating performances that are "naturally engaging" even during long listens.
Onboard are an ESS Sabre DAC, improved op-amps and a refined power supply that should lower noise while preserving low-level details, while the C 359 can also be used as a CD transport with a separate DAC.
The C 359 is out now and costs £1099 (around $1400 / AU$2000), while the C 569 CD player is coming in late November for £749 (around $1000 / AU$1400). The C 569 is just a tad pricier than the Award-winning Arcam CD5, so it'll be fascinating to see how they compare.
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