NAD C 389 Hybrid DAC Amplifier Review | The Best All-In-One Amplifier?

Aaron Jenkins reviews the versatile, quiet, and powerful NAD C389.
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About Aaron Jenkins:
After discovering high-end audio in the mid-2000s, Aaron got hooked when visiting the California Audio Show -- where he entered a ballroom expecting to see an opera singer he heard from the hallway and instead found a pair of YG Acoustics Anats. While he doesn't have the space (or budget!) for such mega speakers and their accompanying hardware, he's been trying ever since to re-create some of the magic of that experience in real-world rooms.
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What Is The Absolute Sound?
The Absolute Sound magazine has been a leading publication in high-end audio since 1972. Since the early 2000s, The Absolute Sound has expanded to include web, newsletter, digital magazine, social media, KZbin and Substack platforms. The Absolute Sound platforms have a global audience of over 500,000 audiophiles.
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[@carminedesanto6746]

GM ❄️☕️ I go back to the OG 3020 intergraded amp …DAMN I’m old 😆

[@Skebetine]

Great to see TAS reviewing products in this range!

[@valvaholic6800]

I was baited I clicked Now I’m enlightened! Worth an audition definitely Great review!

[@KeithHeinrich]

A while back I tossed up between the C389 with BlueOS and M10 but I went with the M10. Similar performance with different packaging, both fabulous. No regrets.

[@miles267]

Thanks for this review. I’ve just “upgraded” from a standalone Node 2i to the NAD C399. Life changing.

[@AudioElectronicsChicago]

can't go wrong with the NAD brand 👍🏻

[@adrianalexander2651]

Hey - Aaron - well done! Nice to be on your team!

[@aaronjenkins3217]

Thanks, Adrian!

[@adrianalexander2651]

@@aaronjenkins3217 appreciate the kind words by the way I enjoy your reviews.

[@attrktmarketing4582]

Thank you. I’m interested to know how does this compare in terms of sound to the similarly species c3050?

[@gtrguyinaz]

Great review… I had a Spectron class D …. 20 years ago and it was great until died..

[@pierred3348]

What are the op-amps NAD uses? And can they be upgraded?

[@jimdailey1985]

I have a nad preamp that is awesome.

[@christiancrudale7452]

Is it better than Lyngdorf tdai 1120?

[@miles267]

Can this C389 be powered on/off from a mobile app (iOS or Android) without requiring the included remote control?

[@bigggiesmalls5422]

How would I connect my Apple tv box to it if I cant use HDMI?

[@quizshorts2023]

Do a comparison to an equivalent Peachtree amp.

[@melbguy1]

Is this The Absolute Sound or Steve Guttenberg's channel??

[@stimpy1226]

Do you think that this component can drive, Maggie LRS+

[@CarlVanDoren61]

Coda Ts v3 800w@4ohm 👍 Get 20.7s, thank me later 😊 Node N130, W4S DAC2V2SE

[@siriosstar4789]

very well presented . concise and lucid delivery devoid of a bevy of ' Ums' and other annoying stammering . 😂

[@siriosstar4789]

i reread my post and had to laugh because it sounded like a flowery wine review . 😂

[@floydlaza8751]

I cannot remember any NAD prior to this that was that black colour ...

[@mrpmj00]

I love my $1k Parasound 2125v2 but I upgraded to the $2400 NAD C298 (same Purifi module as NAD M23) which sounds even better. Music=Apple Music lossless

[@davidmorgen4558]

Hook up for a cd player?

[@SeanSisco]

Yes it does. It has optical and coaxial inputs that you can use from either a CD player or CD transport. It also has 2 analog inputs if you want to use the internal DAC of your CD player.

[@hillelbrandes6283]

Of course; optical, coaxial (digital) and line level (analog) inputs.

[@davidmorgen4558]

thanks@@SeanSisco

[@SeanSisco]

@@davidmorgen4558 You bet!

[@mpi5850]

Why on earth would you not review the C399 instead????

[@danielpudvay1486]

What’s the difference between the two?

[@kurtkuczewski6303]

Wow. What a commercial

[@robertwoodward9231]

So 1600.00 for all in one but you have these other components hooked so this great sound youre hearing adds up to hmm, 3 grand..

[@spacemissing]

Regardless of any other considerations: No tape loop, no sale.

[@pgansz]

Guy, you called room reflections, modes, and nulls "distortion". What in the absolute heck are you doing...

[@AT-wl9yq]

What else could they be? Distortion is anything that alters the signal in a manner that takes away from fidelity. For example, if your room tends to excite certain frequencies, and they come through louder than all the others, that's a distortion. You're moving away from a flat response. If you are thinking that distortion means something like a blown woofer that sounds bad because its breaking up, you would be correct. But that's just one type of distortion. There are many others.

[@jim97405]

When KZbin TV starts with 30 second intros, I won't watch

[@goodsound4756]

When you ask "the best all in one?" in the title of this video, but you do not answer it, because there is no comparison with the competition like Cambridge, Naim or Linn, how would you know? Please refrain from such Clickbait.

[@edd2771]

It’s called a rhetorical question.

[@goodsound4756]

@@edd2771 😉

[@osteopic]

Clickbait.

[@t.j.bennett6454]

You’re a very good reviewer and I respect your writing capabilities. But pretty pretty please quick tongue and lip smacking. It’s extremely potent in its ear piercing abilities lol. I had to find another video to watch. I think your mic probably doesn’t help

[@AT-wl9yq]

I thought I was the only one. At least he doesn't have a mouthful of gum.