Helping to fuel the growing demand for vintage and retro-influenced home audio components, NAD Electronics has introduced its C 3050 integrated amplifier.

NAD‘s newest amplification product features a retro industrial design that houses the company’s latest amplification and home-entertainment technologies. Internally, the C 3050 utilizes a HybridDigital UcD output stage and Texas Instruments PCM5242 differential DAC (digital-to-analog converters) that are designed to work together in tandem to provide high levels of sound quality.

NAD, which is a brand of parent company Lenbrook International, points out the integrated amplifier also incorporates NAD’s MDC2 future-proofing architecture that enables integrators to install an optional module into the MDC2 expansion slot on the rear panel to update the amp or add new capabilities such as the BluOS high-resolution multiroom streaming platform or Dirac Live room correction technologies.

“The C 3050 may look like a throwback to the 70’s, and deliberately so, of course.” comments Cas Oostvogel, product manager, NAD Electronics.

“Yet at the same time it eclipses many of today’s amplifiers in upgradability, performance and forward-looking features.”

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C 3050 Integrated Amp Strikes Balance of Old School and New School

Elaborating on the amplification section of the new retro-inspired integrated amplifier, NAD notes the amplifier is rated to produce 100 watts of power per channel and peak power capabilities as high as 135 watts.

Explaining the whole-house audio and streaming audio options the C 3050 provides, NAD says the integrated amp provides compatibility with the BluOS wireless, high-resolution audio streaming platform. Enabling the streaming technologies of the integrated amp, the C 3050 offers provisions for dual-band Wi-Fi, Ethernet to support the ability to stream more than 20 streaming services. Those include high-resolution audio content up to 24-bit/192kHz with MQA from services such as Amazon Music Ultra HD, Deezer, Qobuz, and TIDAL. Through BluOS, integrators installing the C 3050, along with other BluOS-enabled products can deliver audio to as many as 64 zones.

Taking a look at some of the input and output options the C 3050 provides, the rear panel offers a moving magnet (MM) phono input for turntable connection, as well as HDMI eARC to support digital connectivity, along with coaxial, optical digital inputs, and a pair of line-level analog inputs. The amp also provides A/B speaker switching, and a subwoofer output.

NAD stresses the C 3050 supports headphone enthusiasts through its inclusion of a dedicated headphone amplifier, and the company notes the unit’s pre-out/main-in jacks allow integrators to connect to a more powerful amplifier, or the ability to use the integrated amp as a preamplifier.

According to NAD, the amp provides a wealth of control options that include the BluOS Controller app, which is available for iOS, Android, macOS and Windows, and users can utilize voice control via Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri from Apple. Some of the traditional control options the integrated amp provides include an IR remote control, and installer-friendly features like 12-volt trigger and IR inputs.

Externally, the C 3050 integrated amplifier employs a walnut vinyl-wrapped cabinet, along with dual VU meters, push-button input controls, and a dark-gray front panel that includes the company’s original 1970s New Acoustic Dimension cursive typeface logo.

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