NAD C 3050LE: Integrated amplifier in a old school design

Integrated amplifier NAD C 3050LE (LE – Limited Edition, limited edition), released in edition 1972 at a price of $1972 per piece. The design of the device, of course, takes us back to the early 70s. At the same time, the NAD C 3050LE produces 100 W per channel of HybridDigital UCD power.

BluOS MDC 2.0 streaming module – with Tidal Connect, Spotify Connect, Apple AirPlay 2, Roon Ready, two-way Bluetooth and Dirac Live room correction. 32-bit/384 kHz DAC based on TI PCM5242, available via HDMI eARC, coaxial or TOSLINK. There is an MM phono stage, a subwoofer output, two sets of speaker cable terminals, a preamp output and input, and a separate headphone amplifier. Everything is more than modern.

This amplifier is a tribute to NAD's past as the C 3050LE celebrates NAD's 50th anniversary in audio electronics. The 3050LE takes many of its visual cues from the C 3030, a 30Wpc Class A/B amplifier from back in the day. These include large, backlit volume meters, balance/tone controls, and push-button switches.

They first appeared in 1976 on the predecessor to arguably NAD's finest amplifier, the 20-watt-per-channel Model 3020. NAD has given its 50th Anniversary model all of the above—upgrading the A/B grade to a D grade—plus a real wood veneer finish.