NAD C658

Preamplifier / DAC / BluOS Streaming Player Airplay 2

The NAD C 658 is a new type of stereo component that immediately challenges preconceived notions and opens up new possibilities for audio playback. You see, there has never been a component before that offers such a rich palette of new and proven technology. Bold claims? Keep reading.

Redefining the Hi-Fi Playback Architecture
As we move deeper into the 21st century, the way music is distributed and enjoyed continues to evolve, shifting from physical media to streaming. The transition from analog to digital is also well underway. The C 658 has incorporated these fundamental truths to create an entirely new type of component that combines a network streamer, a cutting-edge DAC, and many aspects of the traditional preamplifier in one highly convenient package. And thanks to NAD’s exclusive Modular Design Construction, it will stay up-to-date with the latest technology, yet to be introduced but inevitably coming in the future. In fact, an optional 4k HDMI switcher module is now available to extract the best sound from any of the many HDMI sources available (like gaming consoles and STBs). While the C 658 immediately replaces (or adds to) the streamer, DAC, and preamplifier, it also adds many new features you may not be aware of, such as an aptX HD Bluetooth transmitter to use with your wireless headphones. The highly flexible outputs allow for true balanced connections with speakers or powered amplifiers. Single-ended connections for amplifiers and subwoofers are also included, featuring a perfectly executed digital-domain subwoofer crossover. A highly sophisticated MM Phono input is also included, along with line inputs for legacy analog components.

BluOS™ Enabled
Onboard, you’ll find BluOS, the most sophisticated high-resolution streaming system available. BluOS natively supports over 15 streaming music services and indexing over 250,000 tracks from local network sources. The C 658 becomes a node in the BluOS ecosystem, enabling high-resolution network streaming to 64 zones with control options for iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS phones, tablets, and desktop devices. BluOS also supports all major smart home controllers and is available in a wide range of products, making it easy to create an entire home audio system with the C 658 at its center.

NAD’s Traditional Performance and Value
The C 658 is part of our Classic Series of components, which have an enviable reputation for delivering more enjoyment to music lovers for less money. If you want a solid block of hand-machined aluminum with gold-plated accents, you’ll need to look elsewhere. If you want cutting-edge performance and features in a sturdy, no-frills package, then you've come to the right place.

High Resolution in Every Detail
For 45 years, most NAD components have been high resolution, with wide bandwidth, low distortion, and ultra-low noise. We’ve never had the material source for High-Res playback until now. With digital recording and High-Res streaming, combined with advanced technologies like MQA, record labels are unlocking their vaults and releasing Studio Master Quality recordings. MQA decoding is available through BluOS streaming content. The C 658 is pure High-Res from input to output and features the ESS Sabre 32-bit DAC, one of the highest-performing DACs on the market today, with its 118dB dynamic range and incredibly low jitter specs. All preamplifier functions are carried out in the digital domain, including the same wide-spectrum, non-tuning digital volume control used in our Masters Series components. This provides an incredibly short analog signal path that is uniquely identical across all volume settings. Sophisticated active power supplies provide super-clean voltages to all circuits to keep noise and distortion at near-measureable limits.

Make Your Speakers Disappear (It’s Not Magic)
The C 658 is also the first NAD stereo component equipped with Dirac Live Room Correction*, the most sophisticated and effective room correction available. Dirac corrects the impulse response of your speakers, as well as the frequency response of your room, creating a true transparent window to the musical performance. When room resonances are tamed and transient response is corrected, the result is magical. You’ve never heard your speakers sound so invisible or so good!

*Note: The C 658 includes a Dirac Live license with the option for advanced users to upgrade to the Dirac Live Full Frequency version.

Master Quality Authenticated
Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) is a revolutionary end-to-end technology built into every BluOS-enabled amplifier to capture and deliver MQA music to your speakers in its purest form. All BluOS players and systems include a powerful decoder and audio renderer for millions of MQA-encoded songs. The MQA logo shown in the BluOS app indicates that the unit is decoding and playing an MQA stream or file, letting you know you're hearing exactly what the artist recorded and approved in the studio.

Technical Specifications:

• Digital Inputs: 2x optical, 2x coaxial, USB-A, Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth aptX HD
• Analog Inputs: MM phono, 2x line
• Analog Outputs: 6.3 mm headphone, XLR, RCA, subwoofer
• Connections: IR in-out, Trigger 12V in-out
• Frequency Response: 20-20,000 Hz +/-0.3 dB
• THD: 0.005%
• Signal-to-Noise Ratio: 106 dB
• Channel Separation: 80 dB
• Input Impedance: 22 kohm + 100 pF
• MM Phono Input Sensitivity: 1.44 mV
• MM Phono Signal-to-Noise Ratio: 84 dB
• Digital Audio Formats: MQA, DSD, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, MP3, AAC, WMA, OGG, WMA-L, ALAC, OPUS
• Audio Resolution: Up to 32bit/192kHz
• Network: Gigabit Ethernet RJ45, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi
• Dimensions: 435x100x405 mm
• Weight: 10.1 kg