NAD C 3030

For many people, NAD is one of the companies most closely associated with the affordable integrated amp. The company has produced a long line of sturdy and capable devices, each resplendent in its battleship grey livery. Sure, that grey has got darker and the range of features on offer has increased - but the principle is unchanged.

The C 3030 arrives in the midst of this, and it rather changes things up. We’ll come to the looks in the ‘Living With’ section later on, but the specification of the C 3030 is different to most other NAD integrated amplifiers  - and most of its key rivals too. The C 3030 sports an impressive selection of different inputs - in no particular order, you get line-level RCA, a moving magnet phono stage, digital optical, HDMI eARC and a Bluetooth connection. This is a very flexible device in terms of the different things you can connect to it.

Where things get more interesting is that no connection type on the back is replicated more than once - normal enough for HDMI and Bluetooth, but rather more restrictive when we get to the optical and RCA inputs. Effectively, the C 3030 has a broad-but-shallow selection of inputs - which could be exactly what you need. There is also a C 3030S available which has the same inputs but adds an internal BluOS streaming module for an extra £250.

The amp itself is a Class D design, and is one of the less ornate types of Class D amp that NAD uses. It produces 50 watts into 8 and 4 ohms, which doesn’t seem that much - but, as with a few NAD devices I’ve looked at over the years, the devil is in the detail. First, that 50 watts is achieved at a quoted THD of 0.03% which is really very low indeed - so that output will be clean. Then there are also peak figures quoted of 120W, 250W and 390W into 8, 4 and 2 ohms respectively. In real-world terms, the C 3030 should not struggle with most remotely compatible speakers. 

This power is made available to a single set of speaker terminals and a 6.3mm headphone socket on the front panel. Something that might be handy for owners is the inclusion of a single subwoofer out with a switchable crossover of 80Hz, and another very useful feature has been borrowed from other NAD devices: the Bluetooth module not only accepts an incoming signal but can output whatever the C 3030 is currently playing to a pair of wireless headphones. Very handy indeed, potentially.

Sound Quality 

First things first: that 50W output might not be as impressive a number as some rivals, but the NAD doesn’t struggle to drive any speaker I connect to it and it always feels like it has plenty left in reserve while it does so. Don’t discount it because the headline number isn’t large. 

Beyond power, the NAD is a genuinely likeable amplifier. Everything that the C 3030 does has a warmth and richness to it that is consistently well judged. Too much of it would leave some tracks sounding syrupy and congested, but here it’s enough to ensure that voices and instruments come across as rich and full-bodied. This also helps with less-than-stellar mastering as well. 

Everything is underpinned by more-than-respectable bass, too. The NAD extracts commendable depth from every speaker I attach to it and does so while maintaining articulation and detail - it never sounds like a blunt instrument. What I find particularly gratifying about the C 3030 is it never sounds ‘fast’ (or ‘slow’, for that matter) - it simply seems to respond to the tempo being asked for with a really well-judged sense of flow. In this regard, you can actually hear the family resemblance between the C 3030 and the formidable M33 v2 at more than four times the price.

Believe it or not, I’m not done. The digital board of the C 3030 maintains the tonal balance of the amp as a whole, so switching between the analogue and digital inputs is a seamless proposition. Against this, the phono stage has to be content simply being very good - there are amps at this price point (like Rega’s very talented Brio Mk7) that can outperform it but, equally, if you try and plug an HDMI cable into a Brio you are going to be out of luck. The HDMI eARC on the NAD is more than a convenience feature, too - it handles dialogue in fine style, while pushing effects beyond the screen in a wholly convincing way. 

Living with the NAD C 3030 

The C 3030 uses the NAD ‘Classic’ casework and is the most affordable product so far to do so. This has some positive user aspects day-to-day - apparently physical controls are retro, so the C 3030 has both tone and balance controls as well as a dedicated button to select each input, which makes it easier to use than many rivals. You get a decent remote control too, and the standard of build is more than acceptable for the asking price. Areas where rivals can stumble, like the ‘power up and down’ function on the HDMI eARC are also completely stable and reliable. 

This more affordable device does without the wood effect used on the pricier models, and I think the look is going to be less divisive as a result. The VU meters won’t be to everyone’s taste, but the end result is unlikely to scare the horses. The use of a rotary encoder with no fixed start or end point means the same unappealing row of LEDs is needed to denote the volume level, which isn’t terribly attractive, and the VU meter gearing is a little odd - to get them really moving you’ll have to be listening loud. 

All of this is subjective against the more significant consideration that the connectivity of the C 3030 simply might not be enough for some use cases. Elect to use an external phono stage, for example, and you’ve got no more analogue inputs to use. The broad-but-shallow approach has some limitations but, for someone coming from a soundbar or wireless speaker, the NAD’s inputs will make a great deal of sense. I suspect NAD will sell more of the C 3030S model with the onboard streamer, but I respect it building this pure-amp version as well. 

Conclusion

The NAD C 3030 is an interesting take on what an integrated amp should be, and quite different from its grey ancestors - but it balances new functionality and a different aesthetic with the same balance of refinement and energy that has been winning the brand loyal customers for decades. Some people might need more inputs, but many will be won over by the NAD’s charms.

Listening notes 

Duke Garwood Satin Warrior
At times this incredible record takes on an almost hypnotic quality and the NAD balances this flow and rhythmic energy with excellent tonal realism and stereo imagery to really bring it to life. 

Miike Snow Miike Snow 
This immaculately mastered pop-meets-electronic-niceties lets the NAD show its grasp of rhythm and timing, as well as offering an excuse to really wind some volume on and get those VU meters bouncing 

‍Fever Ray Fever Ray
Not a recording for the ages, this collection of styles and tempos shows that the NAD can always find the musical quality in a recording and then proceed to deliver some deeply satisfying low end shove to partner it.

If you don’t have a vast collection of things to attach to it, the NAD’s impressive combination of joy and refinement will be enough to do justice to all of it in an attractive and user-friendly way. Behind the retro front lurks a thoroughly modern device that works impressively well.

A combination of the NAD and the deeply talented Fyne F55E is going to be compact, aesthetic pleasing and endlessly pleasurable to listen to. It’s a reminder of just how good affordable hifi is at the moment.