NAD C399 Review - Death of a legend?

[@steverino5054]

Finally, a serious (green) reviewer. I've been wait for so long. lol

[@stjernholmreviews]

Tom says thanks! Those PH.Ds aint just for show! 🙂

[@davidsarinelli5832]

Fantastic amp. Yes, output is the same in 4 and 8 ohm, but the sound is massive, clean and punchy. Packing ESS DAC, nCore and Dirac Live really shows. Fuck the design, most people just use their phone/tablet and the BluOS app anyway.

[@stjernholmreviews]

Thats the whole point. They kind of HAVE to, but still there is a total lack of consistency.

[@loryssloryss7770]

Is it sound bright

[@Joenerk]

Don't believe the criticism. NAD C399 works much more similarly to their higher spec products than what is suggested. Yes, the front panel menu is tedious but once used for configuring sources and line levels, its job is done. BluOS is great. It's like Roon but free. Dirac for this model does not offer bass management, but that does not mean that it ignores bass in its calculations. Sorry but having owned the NAD C658 and currently using the Bluesound Node, I cannot agree that BluOS is sparse at all.

[@stjernholmreviews]

@Joenerk Tom is not criticizing bluOS. He is criticizing that NAD has not implemented the C399 control very well inside BluOS. This was a lazy way of avoiding to make a good app for controlling all the settings in the amp themselves, and it does not provide very much control, leaving the user with a little control in BluOS, some on the remote, and some deep in the menu navigation hell of the C399. Legends should not be Lazy. They should be working hard at it all the time. He also says, that you might not understand what ROON actually does, if you think that BluOS can even be compared to ROON. Roon has a playback DSP ENGINE and enriches all your music with a ton of metadata from various sources, that lets you explore & discover music in extremely powerful ways, as well as unifying your libraries and streaming services into one.

[@Joenerk]

@stjernholmreviews But Tom did indeed criticise BlueOS. There is "implementation" of BlueOS, it is a mobile app user interface. I am aware of what Roon is. While BluOS will not serve recommendations, it does collect metadata for your music libraries. It also sends and groups music to multiple speakers through the home. I feel that Tom does not know much about BluOs, Bluesound, NAD group companies, or their products.

[@zenguitar65]

I completely agree. I've had my c399 for over 6 months. I love it every time I sit down for a listen. It never disappoints! The unit menu is somewhat non-intuitive, but after a couple of weeks of fine tuning my setup, it wasn't an issue any longer. Same with BluOS, a short learning curve, but now it's easy to use. No connectivity or operational issues here. I do recommend folks make sure the BluOS is fully updated. No regrets here. Cheers!

[@zenguitar65]

​@@stjernholmreviewsBeing Roon Ready is another of the C399's assets.

[@stjernholmreviews]

@@zenguitar65 oh, yes!

[@StephenCurry-13]

I have a NAD C399 paired with an original pair of KEF LS50's and a sub crossed over at 70hz and I must say it sounds fantastic (after running the full version of Dirac that is). Now, with that said, the review is not inaccurate by any means. The interface is dismal, BlueOS doesn’t offer much in the way of customization, and the design is sterile. I initially had issues with Dirac not working with the sub (just like the reviewer), and ended up submitting a ticket to NAD. After speaking with tech support, it turns out the fix was to rollback to an older version of Dirac (version 3.4.4). Not a great solution, but it resolved the sub issue. In the end, once everything is configured, it’s sort of a set it and forget it device. I have mine tucked away in a cabinet as I use this setup strictly for streaming and playing the occasional CD. While the few reviews I have seen regarding the C399 are a mixed bag, I’m genuinely happy with the sound produced in the end.

[@stjernholmreviews]

Tom agrees. But, if the design goal was to build a "tuck-away" device, dont you think that the design is all wrong, then? Its big, bulky and there is nothing you need on the front panel. How are you doing with the clicks on the sub outputs though track changes on streaming? And seriously? Dirac has been around for quite some time.. How it is even possible to release a version with a bug that severe, can only make one speculate. Its sloppy at best! :-). Thanks for watching, and enjoy the big, fat sound!

[@stephencurry7561]

@@stjernholmreviews I don't believe it was mean't to be a tuck away device, but that's certainly how I use it. I'm lucky enough to have a large enough cabinet to accommodate. Regarding sub clicks when changing songs, Initially, this wasn't an issue. I did however develop this issue briefly after a BlueOS update. The fix for me was to hard reset BlueOS and then hard reset the NAD OS. After that, the issue subsided and hasn't returned. Lastly, as you stated, Dirac has been around for a while; I completely agree that NAD was sloppy in releasing a product that's locked into using a previous version. It would certainly seem that QA was an afterthought with this product. Given the minor nuances experienced, I still find it to be a worthwhile purchase at this price point when powering something as hungry as the KEF LS50's.

[@stjernholmreviews]

@@stephencurry7561 Thank you for that very useful information, Stephen. Nobody at NAD cared to reach out and tell me this. I will add your findings to the video description!

[@Hung_P]

@@stephencurry7561hello Stephen, how are you finding the bass response on the LS50 without the subwoofer? i am looking at purchasing the Kef R3 with the C399, and not sure if you can give me an idea on this performance of this pair (i definitely welcome your opinion), but i will purchase a subwoofer. Hung

[@stephencurry7561]

@@Hung_P I find the bass to be adequate after Dirac correction. My speaker placement is less than optimal due to the room design and size (it's a little large and open for LS50s), and Dirac made all the difference. Now, with that said, I do prefer utilizing a sub for daytime listening sessions where I may be driving the speakers a tad more. For my evening sessions, I don't utilize a sub, nor do I feel like I need to. Highs shimmer without any sibilance, mids are clean and sound natural, and lows are full and how one would expect them to sound for a speaker this size (don't expect them to defy the laws of physics). Again, I am generally pleased with the combo once everything was configured. I can't speak to the KEF R3 and NAD C399 combo, as I haven't heard them together. My guess, given their performance with the LS50s, is that you would be in for a treat.

[@tessie4204]

Please review the Marantz MODEL M1 !!!

[@TM-fx2pi]

I had a feeling this unit was not worthy of a full comprehensive review. That’s unfortunate but even Andrew Robinson brought that up about NAD a while back. It seems they are just recycling the same components in a re arranged chassis much like S.M.S.L. Unfortunate from what use to be a good company. Thanks for the review Tom !!

[@scottlowell493]

and an SMSL is a fraction of the cost.

[@stjernholmreviews]

@TM-fx2pi Thank you for the comment. They might still be a good company, but they lost focus and have not adapted very well to "the new world" of streaming it seems. Tom says thank you (he is way to cocky about him running the show, its unbearable!) :-)

[@marcgoldin8937]

Do you think that NAD will fix this issue? Or is the company so far gone that they will just slowly fade away? It's sad to see a company that was once great now make products that have such great potential that don't work when you try to use them.

[@stjernholmreviews]

I dont think NAD will fade away, but I think they will need to rethink who they are and how they serve the market. The lineup is a good example of a company that lost their vision to some degree, trying to fill out every little crack on a product matrix. They seem stuck in old school engineering, "fixing" the market demands by slapping on a not very well implemented streaming module to a old school amplifier. Eventually, they will fix the bugs like the ones we found, but since they are still there, years after release of the product, one can only speculate that they dont move that fast or actually care that much for software? Remember, nothing can replace your own assessment. Try one, and trust your experience. Thanks for watching.

[@Arthax83]

And I was thinking of buying c389. Need to be aware it seems.

[@stjernholmreviews]

Nothing can replace your own assessment. If you are looking for a traditional amplifier and will use a external streamer or source, none of the criticism applies, really. it's the software and streaming implementation that is disjointed. You still get a lot of sound performance for the money with NAD. Tom says hi and thank you for watching.

[@Arthax83]

@@stjernholmreviews thank you, Tom!

[@Gadgetdad007]

There is a NAD app. I use it with my NAD 388. 🙂

[@stjernholmreviews]

It does not seem to work with the 399. How you like the app. Does it give you control over all those parameters in the menu?

[@leeroyjenkins8417]

Theme song at the end is 🔥

[@stjernholmreviews]

@leeroyjenkins8417 Thank you for noticing! Tom is considering doing a EP! Thank you for supporting the channel!

[@phonatic]

"Damn you for making me do this." 😂 If the C399 is really that bad to handle, "Not Adeptly Designed" might to be a good fit here. 😉

[@sjors01]

I use Primare a35.2 amp fore beter sounding ten original power amp inside.

[@stjernholmreviews]

@sjors01 Using the NAD as a pre-amp only?

[@Brett1334]

Let’s not mention the awful looking remote NAD keeps supplying with its products! 90s vomit and not the good kind!

[@stjernholmreviews]

Is there a good kind of vommit? :-)

[@djfirestormx]

garbage, I had bought a used one and after a few days couldnt sell it fast enough. the power supply does not even make rated power

[@stjernholmreviews]

@djfirestormx how could you tell about the power? How was that measured?

[@djfirestormx]

@@stjernholmreviews i have a friend that is a professional amplifier service technician, he has the tools. it failed miserably. it can not double power at 4 ohm (which is the biggest red flag) and it only produced 68% the rated power at 8 ohm. besides that I have an amplifier meausres perfectly at the rated spec and the power difference was astronomical. not sure if you are defending or offended someone calls the product for what it is

[@igorfridrich1070]

😂😂🤣🤣 ... of course 🤦‍♂️

[@Darokkk]

If you open the amp you'll see that fastons connected on the power socket are easy to move...I soldered mine and got a lot of more stable power and great soundstage