It is fashionable to omit tone controls nowadays: However,
provided that the tone controls are properly designed, they can
be really useful tools in making improvements to the overall
sound. The C355BEE tone controls only work at the frequency
extremes leaving the critical mid-band essentially unaltered. The
tone control circuits can be completely bypassed by using the tone
defeat switch. The C355BEE also incorporates NAD’s acclaimed
switchable “Soft Clipping” circuit, which significantly reduces the
risk of damage to loudspeakers due to prolonged high power
operation.
Design: PowerDrive™
The C355BEE also benefits from NAD’s proprietary PowerDrive
circuit topology, now well established and used throughout
the NAD product range. The PowerDrive topology allows the
C355BEE to deliver maximum performance under virtually any
circumstance, independent of the loudspeakers it is driving. The
circuitry automatically senses the impedance characteristics of
the loudspeaker and will then adjust its power supply settings
to best cope with that specific load. PowerDrive topology is a
practical approach for enabling an amplifier to easily deal with
musical dynamics and difficult speaker loads. Thus we have the
highly desirable characteristics of high dynamic power and low
impedance drive capability in one affordable package.
NAD also takes a stand against the meaningless “brochure power”
touted by many of our competitors by offering Full Disclosure
power specs. We specify minimum continuous power, across the
entire audible range of frequencies, at rated distortion, for both
8 and 4 Ohms with all channels driven simultaneously. Perhaps
even more importantly, we also specify Dynamic Power at 8, 4,
and even 2 Ohms, which better describes the way the amplifier
will perform in the real world, with musical signals and reactive
loudspeaker loads.
Less Distortion = More Music
Noise and distortion mask the fine details of a musical recording
robbing musical texture and dimension and replacing them with
non-musical artifacts. NAD has spent the last 35 years perfecting
our designs to have the lowest distortion and highest power in its
price class. This cannot be overstated! Our competitors often rate
distortion at only 80% of rated power, and even then can’t match
our very conservative spec of 0.03% at any frequency within the
range of human hearing. At 80% power our distortion drops to
0.005% or less. Our noise spec is often 10dB (100 times!) less
than that of competing amplifiers. This is far from trivial.
However, even the most carefully reported specs cannot fully
describe the sonic performance of an amplifier. Only your own
ears can finally judge our achievement. We urge you to listen
and compare NAD to other products in its price range, and even
higher. We don’t think you’ll find anything that comes close to
offering the C355BEE’s overall musical satisfaction, well-rounded
performance, and stellar value for money.
SPECIFICATIONS
Pre-Amp Section
Line level inputs
Input impedance (R+C)
Input sensitivity, rated power
Signal/noise ratio
Signal/noise ratio preamp out
Frequency response (20Hz - 20kHz)*
Line level outputs
Output impedance
Tape
Power Amp Section
Continuous output power into 8Ω
Rated Distortion (THD 20Hz - 20kHz)
Clipping power
IHF dynamic power at 8Ω
IHF dynamic power at 4Ω
IHF dynamic power at 2Ω
Damping factor (ref. 8Ω, 50Hz)
220kΩ / 100pF
300mV
98.0dB ref. 1W
110dB ref. 500mV
±0.3dB
80Ω
Source Z + 1kΩ
80W (19.5dBW)
0.02%
92W
140W (21.5dBW)
220W (23.4dBW)
270W (24.3dBW)
>160
Input impedance
Input Sensitivity (for rated power into 8Ω)
Voltage gain
Frequency response; 20Hz-20kHz
Signal/noise ratio; ref 1W
Signal/noise ratio; ref rated power
Phones
Physical Specifications
Net Dimensions (W x H x D)
Gross Dimensions (W x H x D)**
Net Weight
Shipping Weight
20kΩ/ 1nF
940mV
29dB
+/-0.1dB
105dB
124dB
68Ω
17 1/8 x 4 1/2 x 11 7/16”
(435 x 116 x 292mm)
17 1/8 x 5 x 13 1/8”
(435 x 130 x 338mm)
18.75 lbs (8.5kg)
23 lbs (10.4kg)
* Tone Defeat on
** Gross Dimensions include volume knob / speaker terminals / connectors / feet.
Note: Installers should allow a minimum clearance of 2 - 4 inches for wire management.
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