NAD C 3050 LE
The NAD C 3050 LE is a limited-edition integrated amplifier built for NAD's fiftieth anniversary. LE stands for Limited Edition. Just 1,972 units were produced, each individually numbered and sold with a certificate. The number is no accident: NAD was founded in 1972, and the US price was set at $1,972. An MDC2 BluOS streaming module is included. It was unveiled at High End Munich.
Visually, the C 3050 LE is a loving nod to the NAD 3030 of the 1970s — the model that immediately preceded the famous 3020. The front panel carries the original New Acoustic Dimension logo in its cursive typeface, dual VU meters, and controls that echo the 1974 original, all wrapped in a real walnut veneer cabinet. Inside, though, it is thoroughly modern: NAD's HybridDigital UcD amplifier technology (based on Hypex's UcD102 module) delivers 100W per channel of continuous power and 135W of instantaneous power, with a high-resolution DAC built around TI PCM5242 chips handling streams up to 32-bit/384kHz. There's an MM phono stage with RIAA equalization and infrasonic noise suppression, plus bass, treble, and balance controls, a mono-RCA sub output with crossover adjustable via the BluOS app, and outputs for main and secondary speaker sets as well as headphones.
The MDC2 slot is how NAD future-proofs the amp: owners can insert modules to add features down the line. The included BluOS module brings network streaming and multiroom capability, and the amplifier supports BluOS, MQA, and Dirac room correction. Hi-Fi News measured the C 3050 LE and found its overall gain to be +29.1dB. It noted that frequency response extends to 23kHz (re −3dB) unless the amplifier is used via its Main In RCA jacks, which route directly to the Hypex module. Stereophile confirmed the 100Wpc continuous output into 8 ohms (20dBW). SoundStageNetwork's measurements showed the response essentially flat within the audioband, which backs up NAD's ±0.3dB claim.
With a numbered run of only 1,972 units, the C 3050 LE is hard to find. Audioholics described it as "impossible-to-find," and factory-refurbished examples have appeared at retail. NAD also released a non-LE version, the C 3050, which is nearly identical cosmetically and functionally, at a lower price. The amplifier weighs 9.8kg.
Known specifications:
- 100Wpc continuous power, 135Wpc instantaneous power (8 ohms)
- Hypex UcD102 Class D module / HybridDigital UcD technology
- TI PCM5242-based DAC, up to 32-bit/384kHz
- MM phono stage, bass/treble/balance controls, sub output
- MDC2 BluOS module included (streaming, MQA, Dirac)
- Limited to 1,972 numbered units, $1,972 US price
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