Integrated Amp Reviews

NAD C 3050 LE BluOS streaming integrated amplifier Associated Equipment

Sidebar 2: Associated Equipment

Digital sources: Roon Nucleus+ file server with HDPlex linear power supply; iPad mini 2 running BluOS app; Ayre Acoustics C-5xeMP disc player, Z-Systems RDP-1; MBL N31 CD player-DAC; NetGear Nighthawk router.
Integrated amplifier: NAD M10.
Power amplifiers: Parasound Halo JC 1+ monoblocks.
Loudspeakers: KEF LS50.
Headphones: Audeze LCD-X, Sennheiser HD-650.
Cables: Digital: AudioQuest Vodka (Ethernet), DH Labs (AES3), generic plastic TosLink optical (15'). Interconnect: Canare (3m unbalanced). Speaker: AudioQuest 10' Robin Hood. AC: AudioQuest Dragon Source & High Current, manufacturers' own.
Accessories: Target TT-5 equipment racks; Celestion 24" speaker stands; Ayre Acoustics Myrtle Blocks; AudioQuest Fog Lifters cable elevators; ASC Tube Traps, RPG Abffusor panels; AudioQuest Niagara 5000 Low-Z Power/Noise-Dissipation System and AudioQuest Niagara 1000 Low-Z Power/Noise-Dissipation System (source components). AC power comes from two dedicated 20A circuits, each just 6' from breaker box.
Room: 20' (left side), 25' (right side) × 16' × 8'.—John Atkinson

COMMENTS
georgehifi's picture
Submitted by georgehifi on April 7, 2023 - 1:25pm

Na! shame, it could have been, they missed out on DAB/+ and Internet Radio tuners.

Cheers George

John Atkinson's picture
Submitted by John Atkinson on April 7, 2023 - 2:12pm
georgehifi wrote:
Na! shame, it could have been, they missed out on DAB/+ and Internet Radio tuners.

As you can see from the BluOS control window image, BluOS can stream Internet radio stations. (WNYC in this case.)

John Atkinson
Technical Editor, Stereophile

ednazarko's picture
Submitted by ednazarko on April 7, 2023 - 2:39pm

I blame NAD, and the 3020 that I bought as a young lad, for a lifelong, impossible to shake addiction to great sounding audio at reasonable prices.

Chick Korean's picture
Submitted by Chick Korean on April 7, 2023 - 4:37pm

I have owned numerous of them over the years, both new and pre-loved. At present I have an M33 powering my main system, a C388 with a BluOS module in my bedroom and a C316BEE with a NODE next to me on my desktop. During the pandemic I tried out a Cambridge EVO150, returned it, then a Hifi Rose RS520 and I returned that as well, and finally settled on the M33, returning to the BluOS ecosystem where I belong.

georgehifi's picture
Submitted by georgehifi on April 7, 2023 - 2:39pm

More saying wifi by it's self to your home internet, for costless music 24hrs a day. Stations like Radio Paradise and Mother Earth's HD stream.

Cheers George

Chick Korean's picture
Submitted by Chick Korean on April 7, 2023 - 4:39pm

TuneIn--literally thousands of free music and talk stations to choose from and save as faves...for free

georgehifi's picture
Submitted by georgehifi on April 8, 2023 - 5:48pm

But looks like it doesn't do Mother Earth's Radio 3 different HD genres "FLAC 2800kbps/96kHz" which is what I want.

https://support.bluos.net/hc/en-us/articles/360000199908-What-Music-Serv...

Cheers George

Long-time listener's picture
Submitted by Long-time listener on April 7, 2023 - 7:08pm

Those bile-yellow VU meters don't match or complement the black front panel, and neither the black front panel nor the yellow VU meters complement that oddly-colored, artificial-looking wood grain on the top. This thing is impossibly ugly.

Nirodha352's picture
Submitted by Nirodha352 on April 8, 2023 - 11:24pm

True. But that is one of the reasons it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg: no money was spent its looks. Given its price it is forgivable. I have seen hideously expensive gear looking like it was made in a shed. Far more objectable.

Long-time listener's picture
Submitted by Long-time listener on April 10, 2023 - 7:59pm

Certainly if it performed well, I could get used to its looks. But I'm inherently suspicious of anything Class D from NAD after my experience with their M32, which sounded awful.

JHL's picture
Submitted by JHL on April 9, 2023 - 4:25am

Hat's off to NAD for styling this component. The parchment gauge rectangles and needles are the perfect nod to classic Japanese electronics and compliment the wood-look case. The smart NAD black recalls decades of all-go, no-show brand identity.

The overall effect is aimed straight at the heart of functional, minimalist, classic, table-top audio, a place NAD will be especially at home. Nice work, boys. More.

Jeffreylee's picture
Submitted by Jeffreylee on April 10, 2023 - 11:26am

Must be easy to review gear at Stereophile these days. This is the second time Atkinson has just skipped reviewing the phono stage of an expensive item despite having a turntable -- and if there's something wrong with his turntable he certainly has access to others.

Trevor_Bartram's picture
Submitted by Trevor_Bartram on April 12, 2023 - 2:31pm

Why is everything so expensive now? In 2001, I got a bonus check, I treated my wife to some jewelery and treated myself to a NAD C340 int. amp & matching CD player ($300 each). I still use the C340, the CD player lasted 10 years of heavy use before it started skipping, no complaints. Last Black Friday I purchased an Echo Link ($160), Schiit Modi DAC ($130), Fire tablet ($40) for control & stream uncompressed from Amazon Music Unlimited ($90/year). I'm having a ball catching up on music I don't have on CD. These multi kilobuck integrateds are an expensive solution to a simple problem!

jellyfish's picture
Submitted by jellyfish on April 16, 2023 - 12:55pm

can someone please verify if there are multiple models of this unit. there are different power output meters (or VU meters per john). one variation shows wattage up to 60 watts, and another show meters up to 150 watts. what gives?

msl2023's picture
Submitted by msl2023 on April 21, 2023 - 8:25pm

The Dirac looks very interesting. That's something you won't find elsewhere in one box without having to mess without a cluster of add ons.

The retro look is decent... but did NAD ever make an amp with vinyl wrapped wood grain like this before? Reminds me of cheap receivers from back in the day. They may have missed the mark on that one. Take a look at new Leaks in comparison.

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