NAD’s limited-edition amp is the 70s hi-fi fetish object I’ve at all times needed

The Nineteen Seventies had been infamous for a lot of issues, however an achievement considerably forgotten by historical past is the notoriously good-sounding – and cool-looking – hi-fi gear produced throughout that period.

Audio firms like JBL, Yamaha, and Marantz have been glancing again at their basic Nineteen Seventies speaker and amplifier designs to create new variations with the identical look however up to date innards. And now NAD has joined the identical retro-themed social gathering with its limited-edition C 3050 LE Stereophonic Amplifier.

With its walnut veneer wood case and golden LED-lit VU meters, one every for the left and proper channels, the C 3050 LE sports activities the nice and cozy, welcoming look of the perfect built-in amps of that period, and can be an ideal match for lots of the greatest stereo audio system. The amp was produced to have a good time the 50-year anniversary of the model, which launched again in 1972, and might be manufactured in a restricted launch run of 1,972 numbered items.

Whereas NAD’s built-in amps within the Nineteen Seventies usually had an influence ranking of 20 watts per channel (spec’d throughout the complete frequency band, which was a uniquely consumer-friendly strategy for the time) the C 3050 LE is rated for 100 watts per channel utilizing the identical “Full Disclosure Energy” strategy the corporate has been utilizing for many years.

Options embrace Wi-Fi streaming through the corporate’s app-controlled BluOS multiroom platform, AirPlay 2 and two-way aptX HD Bluetooth help, the latter for connecting to the perfect wi-fi headphones, and an HDMI eARC enter. The retro but totally fashionable C 3050 LE additionally includes a phono stage for connecting among the finest turntables and a headphone amplifier to plug in the perfect over-ear headphones.

Pricing for the C 3050 LE is, you guessed it, $1,972 / £1,756 / round AU$3,530. The restricted version built-in amp might be offered at choose NAD retailers beginning in mid-November. 

Evaluation: for hi-fi, what’s previous is new once more 

A 50-year anniversary presents a incredible alternative to look again at your previous, and NAD, an revolutionary model that has persistently produced reasonably priced parts backed by the corporate’s dependable Full Disclosure Energy rankings, has heaps to boast about.

All through most of its historical past, NAD’s built-in amplifiers have had a fundamental, conservative look – they had been there to make music, to not be gawked at and drooled over. The restricted version C 3050 LE, then again, hits all of the 70s hi-fi design excessive factors – large knobs and buttons, warm-looking VU meters, easy wood exterior – and is completely drool-worthy.

This new nostalgia development within the hi-fi world – together with the businesses talked about earlier, manufacturers like Mission, Wharfedale, KLH, and NAD’s sister-brand PSB, have all launched audio system with vintage-inspired seems – is a really constructive improvement. That’s as a result of it lets designers faucet into the class of hi-fi’s golden age whereas producing audio system and amplifiers that benefit from the huge technical developments which have taken place for the reason that originals had been produced and offered.

For anybody who misses out on NAD’s limited-run built-in amp, the excellent news is that a typical C 3050 model with related specs and lots of the similar options will even be accessible, and will probably be offered by NAD’s full worldwide retailer community. At $1,299 / £1,160 / round AU$2,075, will probably be much less expensive than the restricted version model, however you may be certain it gained’t have the identical superior classic vibe.