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NAD Electronics C 3050 Integrated Amplifier with BluOS MDC2

BH #NAC3050BLUOS • MFR #C 3050 BLUOS
5 reviews
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NAD Electronics C 3050 Integrated Amplifier with BluOS MDC2
Key Features
  • 2.1-Channel Amplifier Configuration
  • 100W per Channel HybridDigital UcD Amp
  • Updatable MDC2 Module Slot
  • BluOS-D MDC2 Module Pre-Installed
Created for NAD's 50th anniversary, the NAD Electronics C 3050 Integrated Amplifier is a modern amplifier in a retro design. Paying homage to NAD's 3030 amplifier, the C 3050 features a satin walnut sleeve, dual VU meters, push-button controls, and NAD's 1970's cursive branding. Underneath the vintage exterior you will find advanced capabilities such as BluOS high-res streaming, Dirac Live room calibration, voice assistant support, and NAD's HybridDigital UcD amplifier. Delivering 100W of continuous power per channel into 4 or 8 ohms, the C 3050 works with a wide variety of speakers and makes a great cornerstone to any home audio system.
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NAD Electronics C 3050 Overview

Created for NAD's 50th anniversary, the NAD Electronics C 3050 Integrated Amplifier is a modern amplifier in a retro design. Paying homage to NAD's 3030 amplifier, the C 3050 features a satin walnut sleeve, dual VU meters, push-button controls, and NAD's 1970's cursive branding. Underneath the vintage exterior you will find advanced capabilities such as BluOS high-res streaming, Dirac Live room calibration, voice assistant support, and NAD's HybridDigital UcD amplifier. Delivering 100W of continuous power per channel into 4 or 8 ohms, the C 3050 works with a wide variety of speakers and makes a great cornerstone to any home audio system.

High-Performance Amp and DAC
Employing NAD's HybridDigital UcD amplifier technology, the C 3050 can deliver 100W per channel of continuous power and 135W per channel of instantaneous power. Noise and distortion are extremely low throughout the entire audio band. The digital section is built around Texas Instruments' PCM5242 32-bit / 384 kHz high-resolution differential DAC, a design noted for its dynamic performance and very high tolerance to clock jitter. The result is neutral, distortion-free sound, even at high listening levels.
MDC2 Upgrade Module
The C 3050 incorporates the latest generation of NAD's Modular Design Construction future-proofing technology. With MDC2, owners can add new features and functions by inserting an MDC2 module into a slot at the back of the component. MDC2 is an all-new design that allows two-way communications between the expansion module and host component. The C 3050 comes with NAD's MDC2 BluOS-D module pre-installed. The MDC2 BluOS-D adds two leading-edge capabilities to the C 3050: Dirac Live room correction and BluOS high-resolution multi-room music streaming.
BluOS-D
Using the intuitive BluOS app, cue up music from more than 20 popular streaming services, including several that offer lossless and high-resolution audio, including Amazon Music Ultra HD, Deezer, Qobuz, and Tidal. You can access thousands of internet radio stations through BluOS or play music from your own digital music library. Like all BluOS-enabled products, the C 3050 supports high-res audio to 24-bit / 192 kHz. It also has MQA decoding with rendering capability, for studio-quality playback from Tidal.

With the MDC2 BluOS-D installed, the C 3050 can be part of a whole-home music system with as many as 64 zones, all with independent source and volume control. You can have different music playing in different zones, or group zones together to play the same music simultaneously. The two-way architecture of the MDC2 BluOS-D lets you stream music from any source connected to the C 3050 to BluOS-enabled components in other rooms.

Dirac Live
Dirac Live enables the C 3050 to overcome the weakest link in most sound systems, the listening room itself. Using the included calibrated microphone and an app running on a smart device or personal computer, Dirac Live plays test tones through your speakers, then analyzes the results and creates filters that correct problems like standing waves and unwanted reflections. Thanks to MDC2's two-way communications, Dirac Live works on all sources connected to the C 3050.
Two-Way Bluetooth
Two-way Bluetooth aptX HD allows you to stream music to the amplifier from a mobile device or stream music from the amplifier to a pair of wireless headphones.
Pre-Out and Main-In Connections
Pre-out connections let you use the C 3050 as a preamp only and add a separate power amplifier. Alternatively, use the pre-out and main-in circuit to connect an external EQ.
Additional Features
  • Support for Apple Airplay 2, Spotify Connect, and Tidal Connect
  • Voice control via Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Apple Siri
  • MM phono stage input
  • Optical, digital coax, and HDMI eARC digital inputs
  • One set of line-level analog RCA inputs with low-noise buffer amplifiers
  • Speaker A and B outputs
  • Subwoofer output
  • Dedicated headphone amplifier
  • Control via IR remote, 12V trigger out, IR in
  • Seamless integrations with smarthome control systems such as Control4, Crestron, RTI, URC, Push, Lutron, iPort, and Elan
UPC: 786357002859

NAD Electronics C 3050 Specs

Key Specs
Channels
2.1
Power Output per Channel
2-Channel Driven:
100 W at 8 Ohms / 20 Hz to 20 kHz / 0.03% THD (RMS)
Rear A/V Outputs
1x Stereo RCA Pre-Out
1x RCA Subwoofer Pre-Out
Speaker I/O
4x Gold-Plated Binding Post Pairs
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)
Bluetooth
Bluetooth 5.0 Dual-Mode
Amplifier
Amplifier Type
Integrated Amplifier (Preamp/Power Amp Combo)
Channels
2.1
Amplifier Class
Class-D
Power Output per Channel
2-Channel Driven:
100 W at 8 Ohms / 20 Hz to 20 kHz / 0.03% THD (RMS)
Dynamic Power per Channel
180 W at 8 Ohms
Frequency Response
20 Hz to 20 kHz ±0.3 dB (8 Ohms)
THD+N
< 0.005% (2 V, Both Channels Driven)
THD
< 0.03% (20 Hz to 20 kHz, 100 W)
Channel Separation
> 75 dB (1 kHz)
> 70 dB (10 kHz)
Speaker Impedance
4 to 8 Ohms
Audio Processing
Auro 3D Support
No
Supported File Formats
AAC, AIFF, ALAC, FLAC, MP3, PCM, WAV, WMA via Network/Optical TOSLINK/Digital Coaxial
Supported Sample Rates
Up to 192 kHz / 24-Bit (AAC, AIFF, ALAC, FLAC, MP3, OGG, WMA)
DAC
384 kHz / 32-Bit (Texas Instruments' PCM5242)
Connectivity
Rear A/V Inputs
1x Stereo RCA
1x Stereo RCA (Phono MM) with Ground Screw
1x HDMI
1x Optical TOSLINK
1x Digital Coaxial
1x USB-A
1x Stereo RCA Power Amp Direct
Rear A/V Outputs
1x Stereo RCA Pre-Out
1x RCA Subwoofer Pre-Out
Front I/O
1x 1/4" / 6.35 mm Headphone Output
Other Rear I/O
1x 1/8" / 3.5 mm (IR) Input
1x 1/8" / 3.5 mm (12 V Trigger) Output
1x USB-A (Service) Input/Output
1x Micro-USB (Service) Input/Output
2x Bluetooth Coaxial F-Type Input
1x Wi-Fi Coaxial F-Type Input
Speaker I/O
4x Gold-Plated Binding Post Pairs
HDCP Support
Yes
Audio Return Channel (ARC)
eARC
HDMI CEC
Yes
Media Card Slot
No
A/B Speaker Selection
Yes
Bi-Amp Capability
No
Input Impedance
Line, RCA: 28 Kilohms
Phono, Phono (MM): 46 Kilohms
Input Sensitivity
Line, RCA: 270 mV
Phono (MM): 5.5 mV
Max Input Level
Line: > 4.5 Vrms
Phono (MM): > 80 mVrms (1 kHz)
Rated Output / Impedance
RCA Pre-Out: 2 V / 440 Ohms
Headphone: 2 V / 2.2 Ohms
Signal to Noise Ratio
> 95 dB (8 Ohms / A-Weighted)
Total Harmonic Distortion (THD)
Line: < 0.005% (2 V Input)
Phono: < 0.03% (2 V Input)
Headphone: < 0.005% (1.2 V Input)
Channel Separation
Line, RCA:
> 100 dB (1 kHz)
> 90 dB (10 kHz)
Wireless Connectivity
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac)
Bluetooth
Bluetooth 5.0 Dual-Mode
Supported Audio Codecs
aptX HD
Wireless Audio Protocols
AirPlay 2, Spotify Connect
DLNA Support
No
Control
External Control Support
Android/iOS Control App, Control4, Crestron Command, ELAN, RTI, URC
Virtual Assistant
Works with Alexa, Works with Google Assistant, Siri
Mobile App Compatible
Yes: Android & iOS
App Name: BluOS Controller
Power
Input Power
100 to 240 VAC, 50 / 60 Hz
Power Consumption
Network Standby: 2 W
Standby: 0.5 W
Physical
Dimensions (W x H x D)
17.1 x 4.3 x 14.0" / 435.0 x 110.0 x 355.0 mm (Antenna Removed, including Protrusions, with Feet)
Weight
22 lb / 10 kg
Packaging Info
Package Weight
21.88 lb
Box Dimensions (LxWxH)
21.8 x 16.5 x 9.6"

NAD Electronics C 3050 Reviews

Retro-modern Hi-Fi

By Scott
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2024-10-29

The looks caught my eye, the specs sealed the deal. This is EXACTLY what I wanted in an amp. Dirac worked amazing and produced a neutral filter for my room. Phono preamp sounds good, eArc for multimedia TV playback is a great touch. This amp was built for me, a casual listener who wants a value laden, practical amp that has a few tricks up its sleeve. Great purchase!

A Non-technical Review

By William
Rated 5 out of 5
Date: 2023-12-26

I have very little technical knowledge that informs typical reviews of high fidelity electronics, so reader beware! In my younger days, I was somewhat a dilettante audiophile and had KLH speakers connected to an amp/tape deck/turntable system, but that was all abandoned decades ago. So, in my recent move to a new house, I thought I'd revive those days to the best of my (limited) ability. I googled KLH speakers and the Model 5's looked exactly like my 1975 KLH speakers so I bought them. One of the reviews I read mention the NAD 3050 anniversary edition and - I'll be darned - the VU meters looked exactly like the meters on my SONY tapedeck! SO I bought it! I received both components as promised, shipped on time. The set up and connections were very easy. Both units look gorgeous. But while I have little technical knowledge, I do have ears. My first musical test was Beethoven and they sounded just awful. I immediately understood that my small home is awful acoustically - bare walls, floor and ceiling create enormous reverberation, echoes, distortion etc. So, I then had to research and order some acoustical panels, which I have not received and installed yet. So, I can't even give a qualitative amateur review of the sound yet - but hope to soon. But one thing' for sure: this is getting expensive!

See any errors on this page?

Is the enclosure solid wood or metal clad with ...

Is the enclosure solid wood or metal clad with walnut covering?
Asked by: John
The NAD Electronics C 3050 Integrated Amplifier with BluOS MDC2 features a wood grain vinyl wrap.
Answered by: Bennie
Date published: 2024-03-17
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