NAD C375BEE User manual

C 375BEE Integrated Amplifier
• 150W x 2 Continuous Power into
4 ohms and 8 ohms
• 250W, 410W, 600W IHF Dynamic
power into 8, 4 and 2 ohms, respectively
• PowerDriveTM circuit
• NAD SR-8 Full System Remote Control
• Headphone socket
• Front panel Media Player (MP) input for
attaching portable MP3 Player
• Relay Input Switching
• Holmgren Toroidal Power transformer
• 7 Line inputs, including two tape in/outs
• All discrete circuitry
• Class A Voltage Stages
(Preamp and Power Amp)
• Distortion Canceling Circuit
• BEE Anti-saturation Clamp
• 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 and switching
• Soft ClippingTM
• IR Input/Output
• 12V trigger out
• RS-232 serial port
• Detachable IEC Power Cable
• Optional PP375 MC/MM Phono Module
• <1W Standby Power Consumption
• Free of lead and other environmentally
dangerous substances
> FEATURES
> POSITIONING
The C 375BEE is far more than a bigger
C 355BEE — in fact, it is much closer in
spec to the M3 Integrated Amplifier from
NAD’s high end Masters Series. It also
incorporates an updated version of NAD’s
“Building Block” concept to make the
addition of the PP375 phono module and
other affordable future upgrades possible.
Attention to the most minute detail is
evident everywhere, from the heavy gauge
steel chassis to the sophisticated power
supplies and copper buss bars channeling
almost absurd amounts of current to the
custom gold plated speaker binding posts.
The C 375BEE boasts many upgrades and
refinements taken directly from the highly
acclaimed NAD Masters Series M3 Amplifier.
These include 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 C 375BEE is fully remote controlled and comes
supplied with the NAD SR 8 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 8 will also operate many other NAD products
such as CD players, tuners, etc.
Flexibility is another NAD strong point. The C 375BEE
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 C 375BEE
can be expanded to meet future system needs. The
C 375BEE sports 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).
The first Preamp Out includes a level trim control to
allow matching of amps or speakers with different
sensitivities. Additionally there is a second Preamp
Out to connect to powered subwoofer, an increasingly
popular option. Another option is to ‘bridge’ the
C 375BEE and add the matching C 275BEE (identical
except without the preamp and source switching) for
one of the most powerful home audio systems you’ll
ever encounter. Power goes from 150W x 2 to over
400W x 2!
For remote on/off switching of ancillary components in
a system, such as power amplifiers or active speakers,
the C 375BEE 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, switching on the remote devices.
Besides the 12V-trigger, the C 375BEE also has rear
panel IR in and out.
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 C 375BEE
tone controls only work at frequency extremes
leaving the critical mid-band essentially unaltered.
The tone control circuits can be completely bypassed
using the tone defeat switch. The C 375BEE 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: PowerDriveTM
The C 375BEE also benefits from NAD’s proprietary
PowerDriveTM circuit topology, now well established
and used throughout the NAD product range. The
PowerDrive topology allows the C 375BEE 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 to enable 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.
Getting high dynamic power from the power supply to
your loudspeaker requires a fast wideband amplifier
stage rugged enough to pass and control high peak
currents without premature protection intervening.
The safe operating limit for the C 375BEE has 4
times the capacity of the typical amplifier in this price
range by using 4 pairs of 220W output transistors
per channel.
The C 375BEE has the lowest levels of distortion and
noise available in its price class and is easily capable of
embarrassing far more expensive products. To prove
it NAD uses Full Disclosure Power (FDP), the most
demanding criteria for performance measurement. FDP
specifies distortion under the most extreme conditions
of low impedance loads and frequency extremes
rather than the simple and easy 1kHz @ 8 Ohms test
quoted by many of our competitors.We use this stricter
performance criteria because it more closely matches
the demands of real music and real loudspeakers.
Maintaining specified distortion at 4 Ohms and at
20Hz and 20kHz is several orders of magnitude
more difficult to achieve than the simple 8 Ohms
and 1kHz test.
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
0.009% at any frequency within the range of human
hearing. Our noise spec is often 10dB (100 times!)
less than that of competing amplifiers. This is far
from a trivial difference as fine detail and nuance
(micro dynamics) are often obscured by noise in lesser
amplifiers, robbing a performance of that illusive sense
of ‘realism’. It is that exciting feeling of being there at
the live performance.
But 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
C 375BEE’s overall musical satisfaction, well-rounded
performance, and stellar value for money.
> DETAILS

Shown with optional
PP375 phono module
C 375BEE Integrated Amplifier
> REAR LINE DRAWING

NAD Electronics International reserves the right to change specifications or features without notice. NAD is a registered trademark of NAD Electronics
International. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form whatsoever without the written
permission of NAD Electronics International. © 05/09 NAD Electronics International.
www.NADelectronics.com
> SPECIFICATIONS
Pre-Amplfier Section
Line level input, Pre OUT
THD (2V in 2V out,
CCIF IMD, DIM 100) >0.004% (ref. 20Hz – 20kHz)
Signal/Noise ratio IHF >102dB (A-weighted, ref. 500mV)
>110dB (A-weighted, ref. 2V,
Volume maximum)
>92dB (A-weighted, ref. 100mV in
100mV out - unity gain)
Channel separation 1kHz >80dB
10kHz >70dB
Input impedance (R and C) 100kΩ+ 320pF
Maximum input signal >8V rms (ref. 0.1 THD)
Output impedance
Pre out 75Ω
Variable out <325Ω
Tape out Source Z + 1kHz
Input sensitivity 158mV (ref. 500mV out)
Frequency response ± 0.1dB (ref. 20Hz - 20kHz, Tone defeat ON)
± 0.5dB (ref. 20Hz - 20kHz, Tone defeat OFF)
Maximum voltage output
IHF load >10V (ref. 0.03% THD)
600 ohm load >10V (ref. 0.03% THD)
Tone Controls
Treble ± 5dB at 10kHz
Bass ± 8dB at 100Hz
Power Amplfier Section
Main IN, Speaker OUT
Continuous output power
into 8Ω and 4Ω (Stereo) >150W (ref. rated THD,
20Hz-20kHz, both channels driven)
Continuous output power
into 8Ω (Mono, Bridge mode) >330W
Rated THD
(CCIF IMD, DIM 100) <0.009% (ref. 20Hz - 20kHz)
Clipping power >170W (ref. 1kHz 1% THD)
IHF dynamic power 8Ω 250W
4Ω 410W
2Ω 600W
IHF dynamic power 8Ω 800W
(Bridge mode) 4Ω 1200W
Peak output current >50A (ref. 1Ω, 1ms)
Signal/noise ratio >102dB (A-weighted, ref. 1W)
>123dB (A-weighted, ref. 150W)
Power Amplfier Section - continued
Damping factor >200 (ref. 8Ω, 50Hz and 1kHz)
Frequency response ± 0.1dB (ref. 20Hz - 20kHz)
3Hz – 70kHz (ref. -3dB)
Input impedance 10kΩ + 200pF
Input sensitivity 1.2V (ref. rated power)
Voltage gain 29dB
Headphone output impedance 68Ω
Channel separation 1kHz >85dB
10kHz >75dB
Trigger Out
Output resistance <120Ω
Output current 50mA
Output voltage +12V
Overall Specifications
CD IN, Speaker OUT
THD (250mW to rated power,
CCIF IMD, DIM 100) <0.009% (ref. 20Hz - 20kHz)
Signal/Noise ratio >94dB (A-weighted, ref. 1W)
>113dB (A-weighted, ref. 150W, volume set for 2V input)
Frequency response ± 0.2dB (ref. 20Hz - 20kHz, Tone Defeat ON)
10Hz – 65kHz (ref. -3dB)
Channel separation 1kHz >80dB
10kHz >70dB
Power Consumption
Rated power 290W (ref. 230V AC 50Hz; 120V AC 60Hz)
Standby power <1W
Idle power <120W
Dimension and Weight
Dimensions (W x H x D) Net 435 x 133 x 352mm
Gross* 435 x 150 x 396mm
Net weight 15.3 kg
Shipping
weight 18.0 kg
* Gross dimensions include feet, extended buttons and rear panel terminals.
Note: Installers should allow a minimum clearance of 55mm for
wire/cable management.
C 375BEE Integrated Amplifier