Description
Real dual mono integrated amplifier NAD S300. It comes from the NAD’s high-end series, the Silver Line. Introduced for the first time around the year 1999, just after the legendary Gryphon Tabu Century had stopped being sold. Why do I mention the Danish Gryphon? Well, because these are basically the same amps…
By the S300 you don’t need to ask yourself the question: Does it supply my speakers sufficiently? It definitely does! Extremely powerful gear putting out 2 x 100/200/300 @ 8/4/2 Ω . Built like an armoured valuables truck, it weights 25,5kg.
The heart of the amp is a pair of huge, high-efficiency toroidal power transformers brought by Toroid. Each channel is
additionally equipped with 4 Nichicon power caps. Total capacity of accumulated power equals 40000uF per
channel. Power transistors Sanken 2 x 2SC2922 and 2 x 2SA1216, Alps potentiometer (fully motorized, very
precise), Meisei M4-24H relays, top quality speaker and input terminals, balanced XLR input, separate power transformer for non-audio circuits.
Retail price in the UK in 1999: 1500£
Relative price in the UK in year 2014 using the retail price index: 2320£
Retail price in the USA in 1999: 2200$
Relative price in the USA in year 2014 using the retail price index: 3130$
Pictures
Manufacturer's description
Integrated amplifiers have been an NAD focus from the very beginning: Indeed, NAD’s first international product, the Model 3020, is remembered (and widely used!) even today as being among the most acclaimed value audio designs of any era. So designing a Silver Series integrated amplifier was viewed by NAD’s engineering team as a special task.
Deceptively simple on the outside, the S 300 deploys advanced engineering to perform at a level rarely if ever before reached by an integrated amplifier at this price. First, the Model S 300 produces substantial power: 100 watts per channel (both channels driven at 8 ohms; 20 Hz- 20 kHz at <0.07% THD), from circuitry that literally follows dual-mono layout from input to output. Each channel is the mirror image of the other physically and electrically, and even the power supply – that is, supplies – comprise two discrete units with two, entirely separate Holmgren-type ultra-low-hum power transformers. This approach utterly eliminates unwanted signal interactions, and equips the S 300 with internal power of unprecedented stability and freedom from hum and noise.
Next, the S 300’s amplifier circuits avoid overall (“global”) negative feedback altogether, a factor today accepted as critical to achieving legitimately high-end sonic definition and refinement. Nevertheless, meticulous, inherently linear circuit design maintains the S 300’s distortion and noise performance at a solidly “modern” level – 0.07 percent THD+noise – that would be happily accepted for most conventional, feedback-based designs.
Additionally, guarding this musically pure signal are sonically transparent gold-contact relays that manage all signal routing, in place of the more usual (and far less costly) electronic switches. And to eliminate digital circuits as a possible noise source, the S 300’s operational logic/control system employs yet another, fully independent power supply (with yet another, fully independent transformer). Minimal wiring, carefully chosen, top-grade circuit devices including metal-film resistors and polypropylene capacitors, and a remarkably high-precision, motorised volume-control all make the S 300’s design qualify as one of the finest-sounding amplifiers, integrated or otherwise, yet devised.
In keeping with the NAD Silver Series design concept the S 300 incorporates a fully-balanced input among its five line-input positions, for full compatibility with the S 500 CD player. The Silver Series S 300 integrated amplifier is equipped with NAD-Link inter-component control, and is supplied with an NAD full-system remote handset. Control is also available via the exclusive S 70 system remote controller.
Technical specification
Pre-Amp Section
Line level inputs
- Line level input impedance (R + C): 10kΩ / 20kΩ (unbalanced / balanced)
- Maximum input signal: 7.5V
- Frequency response (20Hz – 20kHz) +0/-0.16dB
- THD 0.04%
Line level outputs
- Output impedance Tape: Z +10kΩ / Z + 1.5kΩ (unbalanced source / balanced source)
- Remote control: Yes
- Power Amp Section
- Continuous output power: 100W (20 dBW) @ 8Ω *
- Rated distortion <0.75%
- Clipping Power: 108W (20dBW) **
- Frequency response: ±0.02dB
- Signal/noise ratio: 79dB / 99dB (ref. 1 W / ref. rated power)
Physical specifications
- Dimensions (W x H x D): 450 x 150 x 395mm
- Net weight: 26kg
- Shipping weight: 28.12kg
* Minimum power per channel, 20Hz-20kHz, both channels driven, with no more than rated distortion
**Maximum continuous power per channel
Reviews
“In my opinion the S300 has an incredible sound, but be aware that a warming up period of about two hours at least is absolutely necessary to really enjoy his possibilities, also for the type of sound, the s300 really need a warm CD player, of course S500 is the better match, but others can do a great job too, in my case I use a Creek CD53 with good results.”
Gustavo, audio-forums.com, 8th February 2004
“
Treble:
Great sounding treble with a great presence, but in the bright side, little acid trebles, at least under my configuration.
Mids:
Wow, the mids are incredible, the voices are focus, perfectly positioned in the center of the stereo image.
Bass:
Perfectly controlled, natural and with a great presence.
Soundstage:
The great focus on mids can fool you about soundstage, but the 3D image is great and deep behind the vocals and perfectly pin point localization.
Warm:
This amplifier is very warm compared to other solid state integrates. Not as sweet as tubes.
Detailing:
great, with a huge definition, but not as Mark Levinson.
Construction and Built:
Made in heaven, according to my research is a Ghrypon Tabu under NAD skin, all the components and specifications are the same, except for the trafos, C Core for the Tabu, Hölmgren for the NAD, also the Dumping factor is different, 150 for the Tabu, 100 for the NAD. The rest is identical, same sanken amplifiers, same capacitors, same potentiometer and same layout”
adolf72160, audioreview.com, 12th February 2003
“Coloro che cercano il migliore amplificatore disponibile dovrebbero guardare oltre la tradizionale combinazione di pre e finale di potenza ed esaminare da vicino il NAD modello S300. La sua superba costruzione e la qualità del suono ne fanno uno dei prodotti di massimo valore presenti nella sua categoria e anche in quelle superiori.”
audiocostruzioni.com
