Combining the highest levels of audio engineering with an extensive feature list, and more than adequate power for all but the most ambitious systems, the C 326BEE keeps the concept of affordable hi-end alive and well. With the very high dynamic power and low impedance drive capability of NAD’s proprietary PowerDrive™ circuit, the C 326BEE is able to accurately control even difficult to drive loudspeakers while sounding musical, detailed, coherent and relaxed.

The C 326BEE boasts many upgrades and refinements taken directly from the highly acclaimed NAD Masters Series M3 Amplifier. These include application of Bjorn Erik Edvardsen’s innovative and patented Distortion Canceling Circuit in the output stage and BEE Clamp in the power supply. An improved tone control circuit and revised PCB layout has reduced distortion and noise to unprecedented levels. Taken together, these improvements mark a sharp upturn in performance that must be heard to be fully appreciated!

The C 326BEE has 7 line inputs and the pre-amplifier section can be separated from the power amplifier for easy upgrades or adding ancillary equipment. Thus the C 326BEE can be expanded to meet future system needs. The C 326BEE sports a pre-amp output: many systems benefit from the use of multiple power amplifiers for “Bi-Amping” (using separate power amplifiers to drive the bass and treble section of a loudspeaker). Additionally, there are two monophonic Subwoofer OUT that can be connected to powered subwoofers - an increasingly popular option.

The C 326BEE tone controls only work at the frequency extremes leaving the critical mid-band essentially unaltered. The tone control circuits can be completely bypassed by using the Tone Defeat control button. The C 326BEE also incorporates NAD’s acclaimed switchable “Soft Clipping” circuit, which significantly reduces the risk of damage to loudspeakers due to prolonged high power operation.

The C 326BEE also benefits from NAD’s proprietary PowerDrive circuit topology, now well established and used throughout the NAD product range. The PowerDrive topology allows the C 326BEE to deliver maximum performance under virtually any circumstance, independent of the loudspeakers it is driving. The circuitry automatically senses the impedance characteristics of the loudspeaker and will then adjust its power supply settings to best cope with that specific load. PowerDrive topology is a practical approach to enable an amplifier to easily deal with musical dynamics and difficult speaker loads. Thus we have the highly desirable characteristics of high dynamic power and low impedance drive capability in one affordable package.

The C 326BEE has the lowest levels of distortion and noise available in its price class and is easily capable of embarrassing far more expensive products. To prove it, NAD uses Full Disclosure Power (FDP) - the most demanding criteria for performance measurement. FDP specifies distortion under the most extreme conditions of low impedance loads and frequency extremes rather than the simple and easy 1kHz @ 8 Ohms test quoted by many of our competitors. We use this stricter performance criterion because it more closely matches the demands of real music and real loudspeakers. Maintaining specified distortion at 4 Ohms and at 20Hz and 20kHz is several orders of magnitude more difficult to achieve than the simple 8 Ohms and 1kHz test!