NAD C355BEE User manual

The C355BEE is the latest in NAD’s range of affordable, yet very high performance Integrated Amplifiers.
Building on the strengths of our highly acclaimed C352 (winner of What Hi-Fi Amplifier-of-the-Year and the
Hi-Fi Choice Gold Award among many others), the C355BEE boasts many upgrades and refinements taken
directly from the highly acclaimed NAD Masters Series M3 Amplifier. These include the application of Bjorn
Erik Edvardsen’s innovative and patented Distortion Canceling Circuit in the output stage and BEE Clamp in
the power supply. An improved tone control circuit and revised PCB layout has reduced distortion and noise
to unprecedented levels. Taken together, these improvements mark a sharp upturn in performance that
simply must be heard, to be fully appreciated!
Features:
The C355BEE is fully remote controlled and comes supplied with the NAD SR 6 system remote control.
The remote control features an ergonomic form, with large buttons that are differentiated by shape and
position, to make operation intuitive and enjoyable. The SR 6 will also operate many other NAD products
such as CD players, tuners, etc.
Flexibility is another NAD strong point. The C355BEE has 7 line inputs (including 2 tape in/outputs with
dubbing facility) and the pre-amplifier section can be separated from the power amplifier for easy upgrades
or adding ancillary equipment. Thus the C355BEE can be expanded to meet future system needs. The
C355BEE sports 2 pre-amp outputs: Many systems benefit from the use of multiple power amplifiers for
“Bi-Amping” (using separate power amplifiers to drive the bass and treble section of a loudspeaker). With
the second Preout 2 facility an extra power amplifier, such as NAD’s C272, which has identical amplification
factor (gain) as the C355BEE’s power amp section - is easily connected. This output can also be used to
connect a powered subwoofer, an increasingly popular option.
For remote on/off switching of ancillary components in a system, such as power amplifiers or active
speakers, the C355BEE is equipped with a 12V-trigger system. When switching the amplifier on, the 12V-
trigger output is also activated which in turn can activate a 12V-trigger input and switch on the remote
devices. Besides the 12V-trigger, the C355BEE also has rear panel IR in and out and an RS-232 port to
allow interface to advanced home automation systems. In fact, NAD is a ‘certified partner’ with AMX and
Crestron, leaders in the field of home automation guaranteeing compatibility with these systems.
C355BEE Stereo Integrated Amplifier
• 80Wx2ContinuousPowerinto8ohms
• 140W,220W,270WIHFDynamicpowerinto8,4and2ohms,
respectively
• PowerDrive™circuit
• NADSR5FullSystemRemotecontrol
• Headphonesocket
• FrontpanelMediaPlayer(MP)inputforattachingportable
MusicPlayer
• RelayInputSwitching
• HolmgrenToroidalPowertransformer
• 7Lineinputs,includingtwotapein/outs
• Alldiscretecircuitry
• Shortsignalpathfrominputtooutput
• AllsocketsGoldplated
• Tonecontrolsdefeatswitch
• Main-ampinput&2pre-ampoutputs
• SpeakerA+BOutputs
• SoftClipping™
• IRInput/Output
• 12volttriggeroutput
• RS-232Interface
• DetachableIECPowerCable
Features
Details

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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