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NAD C 399
As the new flagship of NAD’s Classic series of integrated amps, the C 399 HybridDigital DAC Amplifier takes NAD’s commitment to lasting value and sonic excellence to a whole new level.
The C 399 employs NAD’s Hypex HybridDigital nCore amplifier circuitry, which until now has been available only on Masters Series amplifiers. Its digital section is built around a 32-bit/384kHz ESS Sabre DAC, the same chip used in NAD’s acclaimed M10 and M33 Masters Series amplifiers.
The C 399 is the first amplifier to incorporate the latest generation of NAD’s Modular Design Construction (MDC) technology. MDC2 lets users add optional modules that provide functions such as BluOS multi-room music streaming and Dirac Live room correction.
NAD's new classic amplifiers. Intelligent. Powerful. Efficient.
Perfect Power
Trickled down from NAD’s Masters Series, the C 399’s HybridDigital nCore amplifier can deliver 180 Watts per channel continuous power, and 250 Watts per channel instantaneous power. Highly efficient and remarkably powerful, the HybridDigital nCore amplifier can produce musical transients effortlessly. The design is renowned for its wide bandwidth, flat frequency response, clean clipping behaviour with instant recovery, high current capability, and stability into demanding low-impedance speaker loads. Noise and distortion are vanishingly low under all operating conditions. The minute levels of harmonic distortion are dominated by sonically benign second and third harmonics. The Hypex nCore design enables the C 399 to produce neutral, distortion-free sound even at very high listening levels, with exquisite detail, superb portrayal of space, and thrilling dynamics.
Also trickled down from the Masters Series is the ESS Sabre 9028 high-resolution DAC, a design noted for near-zero levels of clock jitter, ultra-low noise and distortion, and wide dynamic range. This premium DAC enables the C 399 to reproduce all your digital sources with amazing musicality, stunning clarity, and precise soundstaging.
Future Proof
In 2007, NAD introduced Modular Design Construction, an innovative architecture for adding new functions to existing components. Many NAD products have rear-panel slots for MDC modules that perform HDMI switching, BluOS multi-room music streaming, Dolby Atmos surround processing, and other functions.
The C 399 is the first product to feature NAD’s new MDC2 architecture. By enabling two-way communications between the module and component, MDC2 opens up the future for new upgrades.
Equipped with Wi-Fi and Ethernet, the optional MDC2 BluOS-D module lets listeners play music from their favourite streaming services through the C 399, using the acclaimed BluOS Controller app for Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows. Like all BluOS-enabled products, the MDC2 BluOS-D has integrated support for dozens of streaming services; and supports Apple AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect, and Tidal Connect. Two-way communications also enable the MDC2 BluOS-D to stream music from sources connected to the C 399 to BluOS-enabled components in other rooms.
The Dirac Live function lets you measure your room’s acoustics using a supplied microphone and intuitive app, and then upload correction curves to the MDC2 BluOS-D. By compensating for acoustic anomalies in your listening environment, Dirac Live dramatically improves bass clarity, imaging, and timbral accuracy. Thanks to its two-way architecture, the MDC2 BluOS-D performs room correction for all sources connected to your C 399.
Everything’s Connected
The C 399 can accommodate all your digital and analogue sources. Its MM phono stage delivers ultra-precise RIAA equalization, extremely low noise, and high overload margins. The phono preamp also features an innovative circuit that suppresses the infrasonic noise present on all LPs, without compromising bass response. There are two sets of line-level line inputs, with low-noise buffer amplifiers to prevent sonic degradation. The C 399 has two optical and two coaxial digital inputs, plus an HDMI-eARC port for playing audio from a connected TV, while controlling amplifier output with the TV’s remote control.
In addition to two sets of speaker outputs, the C 399 has preamp output jacks and dual subwoofer outputs. apt-X HD Bluetooth allows 24-bit streaming from mobile devices. Also built-in is a dedicated headphone amplifier with low output impedance and high output voltage capability, enabling the C 399 to drive demanding high-impedance studio monitor headphones.
A Timeless Classic
As with every NAD amplifier ever made, the C 399 gets the basics right: a precise volume control with accurate channel balance, low-noise circuits, and correct input and output impedances. But it goes far beyond the basics. With its HybridDigital nCore output stage and high-resolution ESS Sabre DAC, the C 399 can reproduce all your digital and analogue sources with a level of excitement and refinement that is unprecedented for a Classic-series integrated amplifier.
Thanks to NAD’s innovative MDC2 platform, the C 399 will keep pace with future developments. Essentially, MDC2 makes obsolescence obsolete. The C 399 can serve as the hub of a world-class music system today, and for years to come. With NAD’s C 399 HybridDigital DAC Amplifier, the legend continues.
Features & Details
- Hybrid Digital nCore Amplifier
- Continuous Power: 180 Watts per channel into 8/4 ohms
- Instantaneous Power: 250 Watts per channel
- Vanishingly low harmonic and intermodulation distortion
- Dual MDC2 Ports for expanded functionality
- Optional MDC2 BluOS-D module adds BluOS multi-room streaming, Bluetooth aptX-HD send and receive and Dirac Live room correction
- Jitter-free 32-bit/384kHz ESS Sabre DAC
- Ultra-low-noise MM phono stage with infrasonic filtering circuitry
- Two optical, two coaxial digital inputs
- HDMI-eARC input
- Two pairs of line-level analogue inputs with low-noise buffer amplifiers
- Dual set of Speaker outputs
- Bluetooth aptX-HD playback
- Dual subwoofer outputs
- Dedicated headphone amplifier
- IR remote
- 12V Trigger in/out
- IR in/out
- RS-232 Serial port for control integration with home automation systems
- Control4, Crestron, RTI, URC, AMX, Savant, Elan certified
FRONT PANEL
BACK PANEL
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Compact power with reference-class detail
The NAD C 399 packs 180W of nCore power into a compact, well-engineered chassis and delivers an exceptionally clean, neutral presentation. Reviewers consistently praised its ultra-quiet noise floor, wide dynamics and precise imaging, and its ESS Sabre–based DAC and robust headphone stage extend its versatility (HomeTheaterHifi, The Absolute Sound).
Construction and ergonomics feel premium for the price, with tidy I/O and a satisfying volume control; the MDC2 BluOS-D option adds streaming and Dirac Live room correction for integrators seeking DSP and multiroom capability (Audioholics, SoundStage Solo).
Ideal for two-channel listeners who want reference-level sonics, flexible connectivity, and the option to expand into streaming/room correction without stepping up to NAD’s Masters price tiers.
Pros
- Robust, high-current amplification that drives difficult loads with authority — delivers sustained 180W per channel and effortless transients.
- Exceptionally low noise floor and neutral, highly resolving soundstage and imaging that reveal fine detail without coloration.
- Feature-rich, modular platform: ESS Sabre DAC, excellent phono and headphone sections, plus optional MDC2 BluOS-D module for streaming and Dirac Live.
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Cons
- HDMI eARC handshake can be intermittently unreliable on some setups, requiring reboots to restore TV audio passthrough.
- Full streaming, MQA and Dirac Live require the optional MDC2 BluOS-D module (additional cost), which some users must budget for to unlock all features.
Sound Quality
92/100
Dynamics
92/100
The nCore hybrid digital amplifier and high current capability deliver strong headroom and effortless transient behavior (ecoustics: 'musical transients effortlessly'; SoundStage Solo: 'deliciously dynamic', HomeTheaterHifi: 'more than stout enough to drive any speakers'). Reviewers report the amp never running out of steam and retaining clarity at high levels, which aligns with an excellent dynamics rating for this topology and power class.
Soundstage Imaging
91/100
Multiple reviews note a spacious, three-dimensional presentation with precise, stable imaging (HomeTheaterHifi: 'dynamic and three-dimensional sound stage'; SoundStage Solo: 'excellent soundstage and imaging'; The Absolute Sound: 'Imaging and soundstaging are as solid, precise, and stable'). The C 399's low distortion and quiet background help produce convincing depth and instrument placement.
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Build Quality
88/100
Build and ergonomics are praised—tidy I/O, solid remote and attractive styling, plus a well-finished volume knob (SoundStage Solo unboxing: 'exactly as well-built as you’d expect an NAD component to be'). While reviewers acknowledge Masters-series components use even finer materials, the C 399 is described as robust and well-constructed for its class and price.
Features Connectivity
95/100
Very well equipped: high-end ESS Sabre DAC, multiple digital inputs (coax, optical, HDMI eARC), excellent headphone amp, built-in phono with selectable loading, MDC2 BluOS-D modular streaming/Dirac Live option (adds Wi‑Fi/Ethernet, AirPlay2, MQA, USB, BluOS streaming), 12V/IR integration and more. The combination of flagship DAC, modular streaming/room-correction, strong digital I/O and headphone capability places it at the top of the allowable feature score range.
Value for Money
94/100
Reviewers repeatedly call the C 399 an outstanding value—'reference level performance to a reasonable price point' (HomeTheaterHifi), 'so far off the charts' in value (The Absolute Sound), and several reviewers noted it outperformed much more expensive gear in blind comparisons. Multiple critics said NAD could have charged more and still represented excellent value, supporting a strong value score.
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