NAD Electronics C 658 BluOS Streaming DAC Preamplifier

The C 658 features BluOS, the most sophisticated High-Res streaming system available. BluOS natively supports over 15 streaming music services and indexing of over 250,000 tracks from local network sources. The C 658 becomes a node in the BluOS ecosystem, allowing high-res network streaming to 64 zones and control options for iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac OS 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 a whole house audio system with the C 658 at its heart.

The C 658 is part of NAD’s Classic Series of components, which have an enviable reputation for giving music lovers more enjoyment for less money. If you want a solid block of handcrafted aluminum with gold-plated accents, you’ll need to look elsewhere. If you want state-of-the-art performance and features in a sturdy no-nonsense package, then you have the right address.

Most NAD components have been ready for high-resolution audio for 45 years with very wide bandwidth, low distortion, and ultra-low noise. With high-res digital recording and streaming, combined with advanced technology like MQA, record companies are opening 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 best performing DACs on the market today with its 118 dB dynamic range and incredibly low jitter spec. All preamp functions are executed in the digital domain including the same wide range non-truncating digital volume control used in NAD’s Masters Series components. This offers an incredibly short analog signal path that, rather uniquely, is identical for all volume settings. Sophisticated active power supplies provide super clean voltages to all circuits to keep noise and distortion at the edge of measurability.

The C 658 is also the first NAD stereo component to feature Dirac Live room correction (with an upcoming software update), the most sophisticated and effective room correction available. Dirac corrects the impulse response of your speakers, in addition to the frequency response of your room, for a truly transparent window into the musical performance. When the room resonances are tamed and the transient response is corrected, the result is magical. The C 658 includes a license for Dirac Live with the option for advanced users to upgrade to a Dirac Live Full Frequency version.

• BluOS network streaming with MQA decoding
• ESS Sabre DAC
• Dirac Live room correction (via future software update)
• Gigabit Ethernet
• Dual-band Wi-Fi ac/n
• 2-Way Qualcomm aptX HD Bluetooth
• 2 x MDC slots for future expansion
• MM phono input
• 2 x line inputs
• 2 x optical inputs
• 2 x coax inputs
• Balanced preamp output
• Preamp output
• Stereo subwoofer output
• High-current headphone out
• USB socket for adding optional wireless output module
• IR input with Learning Function
• Trigger Out/In