Integrated amplifiers — NAD C 316BEE V2

The NAD C 316BEE V2 is the entry model in NAD's Classic Series of stereo integrated amplifiers. It continues the line of affordable NAD integrated amplifiers that began with the 3020 in 1978. The V2 update added a moving-magnet phono stage to the earlier C 316BEE and kept the compact chassis and NAD's focus on delivering current into real loudspeaker loads.

Key specs that matter

Continuous power is 40 W per channel into 8 or 4 ohms from 20 Hz to 20 kHz with both channels driven, at under 0.03% THD. Clipping power at 1 kHz is above 45 W into 8 ohms and above 60 W into 4 ohms. IHF dynamic power reaches 90 W into 8 ohms, 120 W into 4 ohms and 170 W into 2 ohms. The damping factor exceeds 200, and signal-to-noise for the line inputs is above 95 dB (A-weighted, ref. 1 W). Line input sensitivity is 200 mV. The MM phono stage has a sensitivity of 2.95 mV, an overload margin of 71 mV and RIAA accuracy within 0.3 dB.

Engineering and use context

NAD's PowerDrive circuit adapts the operating point of the output stage to the load the speaker presents, which allows short bursts of current well above the continuous rating before clipping. This is the reason for the gap between the continuous and dynamic power figures. Power comes from a toroidal transformer rather than the E-I type common in budget amplifiers, with low-ESR smoothing capacitors and discrete output transistors. Connections include five line-level RCA inputs, the MM phono input and a front 3.5 mm socket for portable players. Bass and treble controls, with a range of 8 dB at 100 Hz and 5 dB at 10 kHz, can be bypassed with the Tone Defeat switch. The front headphone output has an 8 ohm output impedance and stays below 0.03% THD into 300 ohms at 2 V. Channel separation exceeds 70 dB at 1 kHz, standby consumption is below 0.5 W, and an IR remote is included. The amplifier measures 435 x 90 x 285 mm and weighs 5.5 kg.

Pairing

The dynamic power reserve allows the C 316BEE V2 to drive 4 ohm speakers and stand-mounts of moderate sensitivity, around 86 to 88 dB, in rooms up to about 20 m2. Moving-magnet cartridges and high-output moving-coil designs connect without extra hardware, but low-output MC types require an external step-up. There is no DAC on board, so digital sources need their own conversion, for example a CD player or streamer with analogue outputs.

Alternatives

NAD's C 338 adds a DAC, Bluetooth and Chromecast streaming to a Classic Series chassis with 50 W per channel.