NAD C 658 BluOS Streaming DAC

C 658

BluOS Streaming DAC

The NAD C 658 is a new kind of stereo component, one that at once changes preconceptions and opens new possibilities for audio reproduction. You see, there has never before been a component offering such a rich palette of both new and proven technology. Bold statements? Read on.

NAD C 658是一种新型的立体声元件，它改变了人们的先入为主的观念，同时也为音频重现打开了新的可能性。你看，从来没有一款元件能提供如此丰富的新技术和成熟的技术。大胆的声明？请继续阅读。

Introducing the NAD C 658

Redefining the Architecture of Hi-Fi Playback

As we move deeper into the 21st Century the way music is distributed and enjoyed continues to evolve away from physical media to streaming. It also has moved away from analog to digital. The C 658 has incorporated these fundamental truths to create an entirely new type of component that combines a Network Streamer, a state-of-the art DAC, and many aspects of the traditional Preamplifier into a single highly cost effective package. And thanks to NAD’s exclusive Modular Design Construction, it will keep pace with the latest technology, not yet introduced, but inevitably coming in the future. In fact, an optional HDMI 4k switcher module is available now allowing the best sound from any of the many HDMI sources available (like game consoles and video STBs). While the C 658 immediately replaces (or adds) your Streamer, DAC, and Preamp, it also adds many new features you may not be aware of, like a Bluetooth aptX HD transmitter to use with your wireless headphones. The highly flexible outputs allow for a true balanced connection to powered speakers or amplifiers. Single-ended connections for amplifiers and subwoofers are also provided and include an adjustable subwoofer crossover executed perfectly in the digital domain. A highly sophisticated MM Phono input is also included along with line inputs for legacy analog components.

介绍NAD C 658

重新定义Hi-Fi播放的结构

随着我们深入到21世纪，音乐的传播和欣赏方式继续从物理媒体向流媒体发展。它也从模拟到了数字。C658将这些基本原理融入其中，创造了一种全新的组件，将网络流媒体、最先进的DAC和传统前置放大器的许多方面结合到一个高性价比的封装中。由于NAD独有的模块化设计结构，它将紧跟最新技术的步伐，虽然还没有推出，但未来不可避免地会出现。事实上，现在可选装的HDMI 4k切换器模块，可以从众多HDMI信号源（如游戏机、视频机顶盒等）中的任何一个HDMI信号源中获得最佳音效。虽然C 658可以立即取代（或增加）您的流媒体播放器、DAC和前置放大器，但它还增加了许多您可能不知道的新功能，如蓝牙aptX HD发射器，可与您的无线耳机一起使用。高度灵活的输出端允许与有源扬声器或功放进行真正的平衡连接。还提供了功放和超低音扬声器的单端连接，包括一个可调节的超低音分频器，在数字领域内完美地执行。还包括一个高度复杂的MM Phono输入，以及用于传统模拟元件的线路输入。

BluOS™ Enabled

Also on board is BluOS, the most sophisticated High Res streaming system available. BluOS natively supports over 15 streaming music services and indexing of over 250,000 tracks from local network sources. The C 658 becomes a node in the BluOS ecosystem allowing high res network streaming to 64 zones and control options for iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac OS phones, tablets, and desk top devices. BluOS also supports all major smart home controllers and is available in a wide range of products making it easy to create a whole house audio system with the C 658 at its heart.

BluOS™ 启用

同时，C658也是目前最先进的高解析度流媒体系统，支持超过15种流媒体音乐服务，并可从本地网络源中索引超过25万首曲目。C 658成为生态系统中的一个节点，可将高解析度网络流媒体传输到64个区域，并支持iOS、Android、Windows和Mac OS手机、平板电脑和桌面设备的控制选项。

Traditional NAD Performance and Value

The C 658 is part of our Classic Series of components which have an enviable reputation for giving Music Lovers more enjoyment for less money. If you want a solid block of hand–crafted aluminum with gold plated accents you’ll need to look elsewhere. If you want state-of-the-art performance and features in a sturdy no-nonsense package then you have the right address.

传统的NAD性能和价值

C658是我们的经典系列的一部分，它以较低的价格为音乐爱好者提供更多的享受，享有令人羡慕的声誉。如果你想要的是纯手工制作的铝材，再加上镀金装饰，那你就需要去别的地方看看了。如果你想要最先进的性能和功能，并在一个坚固的包装中获得最先进的性能和功能，那么你的地址是正确的。

High Resolution in Every Detail

Most NAD components have been High Res for 45 years with very wide bandwidth, low distortion, and ultra-low noise. We just never had High Res source material to play. With High Res digital recording and streaming, combined with advanced technology like MQA, record companies are opening their vaults and releasing Studio Master Quality recordings. MQA decoding is available through BluOS Streaming content. The C 658 is pure High Res from input to output and features the ESS Sabre 32bit DAC , one of the best performing DACs on the market today with its 118dB Dynamic Range and incredibly low jitter spec. All preamp functions are executed in the digital domain including the same wide range non-truncating digital volume control used in our Masters Series components. This offers an incredibly short analog signal path that, rather uniquely, is identical for all volume settings. Sophisticated active power supplies provide super clean voltages to all circuits to keep noise and distortion at the edge of measurability.

高分辨率的每一个细节

大部分NAD元件在45年的时间里都是High Res，带宽很宽，失真很低，噪音超低。只是我们从来没有High Res的音源素材可以发挥。有了High Res数字录音和流媒体，再加上MQA等先进的技术，唱片公司纷纷打开金库，发布Studio Master Quality录音。MQA解码可以通过流媒体内容来实现。C 658从输入到输出都是纯高阻值，采用ESS Sabre 32位DAC，是目前市场上性能最好的DAC之一，其118dB动态范围和难以置信的低抖动规格。所有的前置放大器功能都在数字域中执行，包括我们的系列元件中使用的宽范围非截断数字音量控制。这提供了一个非常短的模拟信号路径，在所有的音量设置中都是相同的。先进的有源电源为所有电路提供超级清洁的电压，将噪声和失真控制在可测量性的边缘。

Make the Speakers Disappear (It’s Not Magic)

The C 658 is also the first NAD stereo component to feature Dirac Live room correction*, the most sophisticated and effective room correction available. Dirac corrects the impulse response of your speakers, in addition to the frequency response of your room, for a truly transparent window into the musical performance. When the room resonances are tamed and the transient response is corrected, the result is magical. You have never heard your speakers sound this invisible or this good!

^{*Note: The C 658 includes a license for Dirac Live with the option for advanced users to upgrade to a Dirac Live Full Frequency version.}

让扬声器消失（这不是魔术

C 658也是NAD首款采用Dirac Live房间校正*的立体声组件，这是目前最复杂、最有效的房间校正功能。Dirac除了矫正扬声器的脉冲响应外，还能矫正房间的频率响应，为您提供一个真正透明的音乐表现窗口。当房间的共振被驯服，瞬态响应被修正后，结果是神奇的。您从来没有听过您的扬声器听起来如此无形，也没有听过如此好的声音!

^{*注：C658包含了Dirac Live授权，高级用户可选择升级到Dirac Live全频版。}

Master Quality Authenticated

Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) is a revolutionary end-to-end technology built into every BluOS Enabled amplifier to capture and deliver MQA music to your speakers in the purest quality. All BluOS Enabled players and systems include a powerful decoder and audio renderer for the millions of the MQA encoded songs, The MQA logo shown in the BluOS app indicates that the unit is decoding and playing an MQA stream or file, and lets you know that you are hearing exactly what the artist recorded and approved in the studio.

质量认证大师

Master Quality Authenticated (MQA)是一种革命性的端到端技术，内置于每一台Enabled功放中，以最纯正的质量捕捉并将MQA音乐传送到您的扬声器。所有Enabled的播放器和系统都包含了一个强大的解码器和音频渲染器，用于处理数以百万计的MQA编码歌曲。

LINE INPUT, PRE-OUT

THD (20Hz – 20kHz)

<0.005% at 2V out

Signal-to-Noise Ratio

>106dB (IHF; A-weighted, ref. 500mV out, unity gain)

Channel separation

>80dB (1kHz)

>70dB (10kHz)

Input impedance (R and C)

22 kohms + 100pF

Maximum input signal

>4.5Vrms (ref. 0.1% THD)

Output impedance

Source Z + 240 Ohm

Input sensitivity

93mV (ref. 500mV out, Volume maximum)

Frequency response

±0.3dB (20Hz – 20kHz)

Maximum voltage output – IHF load

>4.5V (ref. 0.1% THD)

Tone Controls Treble

>±7.0dB at 20kHz; Bass: ±7.0dB at 60Hz; Balance: -10dB

PHONO INPUT, AUDIO PRE-OUT

THD (20Hz – 20kHz)

<0.01% at 2V out

Signal-to-Noise Ratio

>84dB (200 Ohm source; A-weighted, ref. 500mV out)

>76dB (MM cartridge source, IHF; A-weighted, ref. 500mV out)

Input sensitivity

1.44mV (ref. 500mV out, Volume maximum)

Frequency response

>±0.3dB (20Hz – 20kHz)

Maximum input signal at 1kHz

>80mVrms (ref. 0.1% THD)

LINE INPUT, HEADPHONE OUT

THD (20Hz – 20kHz)

<0.005% at 1V out

Signal-to-Noise Ratio

>110dB (32 Ohms loads; A-WTD, ref. 2V out, unity gain)

Frequency response

±0.3dB (20Hz – 20kHz)

Channel separation

>>60dB at 1kHz

Output impedance

6 Ohms

DAC

Supported audio file formats

MP3, AAC, WMA, OGG, WMA-L, ALAC, OPUS

High resolution audio formats

MQA, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, Supports converted DSD playback via the BluOS desktop app (only)

Native sampling rates

up to 32bit/192kHz

Bit depths

16 – 24

BluOS

Supported operating systems

Plays music from network shares on the following desktop operating systems: Microsoft Windows XP, 2000, Vista, 7, 8 to current Windows Operating Systems and Mac OS X versions

User interface mobile operating system

luOS – Free Android and iOS App available online at Google Play and Apple App store

Supported cloud services

Spotify, Amazon Music, TIDAL, Deezer, Qobuz, HDTracks, HighResAudio, Murfie, JUKE, Napster, Slacker Radio, KKBox, Bugs

Free internet radio

TuneIn Radio, iHeartRadio, Calm Radio, Radio Paradise

Bluetooth quality

Bluetooth aptX HD wireless built-in

Bluetooth connectivity

Two-Way (Transmit and Receive)

Network connectivity

Gigabit Ethernet RJ45

WiFi 5 (802.11 ac/n)

DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT

Dimensions (W x H x D)**

435 x 100 x 405mm (17 1/8 x 3 15/16 x 16)

Shipping Weight

10.1kg (22.3lb)

NAD C 658 review

What Hi-Fi? Awards 2020 winner. Ticks most of the boxes that a good music streamer should Tested at £1499 / $1499

OUR VERDICT

This compelling all-round performer goes the extra mile to offer the most competitive features on the market

FOR

• Musical, transparent performer
• Complete streaming solution
• Dirac Live and BluOS

AGAINST

• Looks don’t match the price tag

You have to feel for whoever is in charge of box-ticking in the product design chain of a music streamer. The range of desirable features available to a network streamer gets ever wider as more services, codecs and technologies continue to work their way into the vast and volatile world of streaming.

With the NAD C 658 priced at the more premium end of the market, you’d expect it to tick off most of them, which it does. A streamer, DAC and preamplifier combination, this NAD is a real Swiss Army knife of a hi-fi component.

Features

The C 658 uses the BluOS streaming platform, which was developed for Bluesound kit and has since expanded to other brands within the Lenbrook parent company, such as NAD, and been licensed to other manufacturers, including Dali. 

The platform and its accompanying BluOS app is an access point for many streaming music and radio services, including Spotify, Amazon Music, Tidal, Deezer, Qobuz, HDTracks, Napster, TuneIn Radio and iHeartRadio. It can also access local and networked music, supporting files up to 32-bit/192kHz and including MQA, of which over 250,000 tracks can be indexed.

It facilitates multi-room pairing with any other player in the BluOS ecosystem, and, thanks to a recent update, also boasts another form of multi-room and streaming for Apple devices courtesy of AirPlay 2.

The app – available on iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac OS phones, tablets and computers – sets the benchmark for streaming platforms alongside those from Naim and Linn. 

The BluOS app is easy to operate, with its pull-out sidebar menu listing sources and services and offering quick access to playlists and content you’ve selected as a favourite or preset. It’s a nicely designed app and reliably responsive; even switching from songs in one music service to another or to a local library is smooth.

BluOS may be at the heart of the C 658, but the NAD’s impressive features don’t end there. For one, there is two-way Bluetooth aptX HD, which allows high-quality transmission of the NAD’s audio playback to a pair of wireless headphones and, perhaps more typically, can receive tracks over Bluetooth from a smartphone or other Bluetooth-enabled source device.

And there’s plenty of opportunity to use the NAD as the nucleus of a multi-source system, too, thanks to its analogue and digital inputs, which include two opticals, two coaxials and a single USB (fed to an ESS Sabre 32bit DAC), plus two RCAs and an MM phono for hooking up a compatible turntable. 

Recognising that audio industry technologies and standards are being updated all the time, NAD has taken considerable care to futureproof the C 658 through the brand’s modular construction.

Its design means that all major digital circuits can be upgraded and replaced down the line, while a future expansion of functionality can be accommodated courtesy of two Modular Design Construction slots, one of which can be filled with NAD’s now-available 4K passthrough-compatible HDMI module (£299) to facilitate the connection of, say, a game console, Blu-ray player and set-top box.

The icing on the cake is built-in support for Dirac Live room correction. Also found in NAD’s M10 and some of the brand’s surround sound machines, the calibration technology measures the acoustics of a room and optimises performance accordingly. It’s something we rarely see on two-channel kit, which we find ourselves wishing wasn’t the case.

The process is simple: plug the supplied microphone/USB adapter combination into the C 658, download the Dirac Live app and follow the instructions, taking multiple measurements by placing the supplied microphone in different points around your listening position.

The software analyses your room’s frequency response and generates a sonic filter, which you can save to your smartphone. The process takes around 20 minutes, however, given the amount of tweakery on offer, you may want to factor in some time to experiment. 

Sound

Dirac Live calibration proves its worth during our testing, opening out the sound and giving it a livelier disposition. In its pre-correction state, the electronic jazz embodied in Muff’s Ufofka bursts onto a broad soundstage laden with clarity and subtle detail, but activating our room correction filter in the app gives it a lift. There’s more space for the cacophony of simultaneous sounds – wild drum beats, intense trumpets, pensive strings – to move, too.

The software adds an extra edge to what is already a hugely entertaining and informative performer. The Knife’s I Just Had To Die demands energy, and the NAD’s rendition shows plenty of it as it encourages the steadfast percussive beat and bubbly organ melody along. Throw it a more barren track, such as For The Morning by Tyler Ramsay, and the focus and insight of the NAD’s midrange come to the fore, providing a true sonic visualisation of the track’s meandering finger-picking and languid vocal.

We put the NAD’s phono stage on trial as we settle the groove on Pink Floyd’s In The Flesh?. That musicality and insight arise once again, and the NAD's animation and sonic heft play to the track’s stirring dramatisation. For those with plans to use the C 658 as the hub of their system, it’s good to know its quality is all-encompassing. 

The NAD comes in at a price point dominated by three-time Product of the Year winner, the Cambridge Azur 851N – and it rises to the challenge. While not as rhythmically regimented as its rival, the NAD counters with an unmatched lucidity. Its impressive level of expression involves you in the music, while dynamics have a natural fluidity.

Build

The only place where this streamer lets us down is in its physical exterior. The C 658 doesn’t exactly look the part of a high-end hi-fi component, its matte finish and asymmetrically laid out plastic controls are hardly indicative of its price tag.

The two screw-in antennas for dual-band wi-fi and Bluetooth don’t help the aesthetics either, although the screen in the centre is useful for glancing at playback information to save you getting your phone out of your pocket. And we’ve no qualms with the quality of the NAD’s construction.

The plain, black plastic build of the remote control doesn’t exactly entice you to choose it above the control app, so you may wish to set another remote in your household up to control the NAD via IR learning.

Verdict

The NAD C 658 is one of the most fully furnished, future-proofed and intuitive streamers we’ve come across – and at this sub-£2000 price, one of the most convincing performers. It puts a big, bold tick in a great number of boxes. Nice work, NAD.

SCORES

• Sound 5
• Features 5
• Build 4