Customer Reviews

NAD C 389

Great neutral sound for the money. Makes my Paradigm Reference 60 speakers provide the sound stage detail I was looking for. Easy to set up and navigate through their menus. Crutchfield sales team was helpful in my purchase decision.

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Crisp clean sound

Very happy with it so far. I have used it with an optical cable from my CD player as well Bluetooth from my phone. The sound is crisp and the various frequencies come out vividly even at lower volumes. My setup is with Ohm Walsh 2000 speakers.

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Exemplary Sound

This is paired to an older Onkyo cd player, an Audio-technica record player, and out through KEF Q Concerto speakers. I had previously had this setup powered by a Sony amplifier, and immediately the sound quality jumped lightyears. It wasn't volume levels that became better, it was the one every frequency of sound became more dynamic and alive, and the sound stage immediately widened. Easily the best amplifier I've heard in a home setting.

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Wunderbar!!!

B&W 607 S2 were connected to NAD C328. Now with the C389 the speakers came alive What had been a good listening experience became great. Clarity improved, percussion is crisper. TV are sharper. Earl connection is a nice step up. I knew 90 more watts would make a difference but I am quite pleased and amazed at the improvement. Sounds wonderful in my small living room with a sub.

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A Year Later, Happy as Ever

I was searching for an audiophile-grade integrated amplifier for a 2.1-channel sound system which would be located in my office of medium size. After reading reviews and watching YouTube videos on various amps, I chose the NAD 389 integrated amp. The brand has stood the test of time as a top notch producer of great sound and quality build. After owning this unit for over a year, I am still as delighted with it as the day I took it out of the box. The sound quality is everything I would expect and more for an amp in this price range. Other than the sound, there are also subtle things about the 389 that I love, like the simple design of the face of the unit and the heavy-weighted volume control. Overall, I believe the performance to cost ratio of the NAD 389 cannot be beat.

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Smooth operator

Nothing can compete at this price! It drives Magnepan .7 speakers (4ohm, 84db) with ease in a 14x16 room. Subwoofer integration is good (better with the room correction accessory?). Lots of power and functionality in a relatively small size. Plus, it hardly gets warm even after long listening sessions.

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NAD C 389

This amp definitely made an improvement in the sound quality coming from the Goldenear speakers that I have.

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NAD C 389

Never gets hot. Unlike the last amp I used which stayed hot even when low volume. This thing is great. I use it for t.v since it has a hdmi in a 2.1 channel set up.

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NAD C 389

Top rated equipment. Just as advertised. Zero regrets, no hassles.

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NAD C 389

This is a beautiful, well-built component. Unfortunately, I had to return it as it was not compatible with my 30 year old Bose 901 speakers. Great customer service from Crutchfield.

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Replacement for Denon PMA-600NE

My previous integrated amp was the very affordable Denon PMA-600NE. Put simply, the NAD C389 sounds much better. The bass is tighter while the mids and highs seem more natural. The Denon had no trouble playing loud but as the volume increased, so did the harshness. The NAD is just easier to listen to at higher volume. For reference I'm using Polk RTi10 floor standing speakers that were purchased ~15 years ago. It would be nice if the NAD's display showed more information. Maybe incorporated digital VU meters for that eye-candy factor? I usually listen to Optical 1 or HDMI eArc which is displayed in large font. Unfortunately, the volume level, selectable between dB or Percent, is in a much smaller font. I wish the font sizes were reversed. I change the volume level much more frequently and if the font was larger it would be easier to read from across the room. This is the first class D amp I've ever owned. All things considered, I'm happy with it so far.

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Great Sound, But Breaks & Terrible Repair Service

This is a great sounding amp. However, if it breaks, good luck getting it fixed. On mine, one optical audio input failed when the unit was a little more than two years old and the second one failed about a year later (both out of warranty). NAD's "Factory Authorized Service Centers" (the entire US list is less than one page long: https://support.bluos.net/hc/article_attachments/15100856393367) are one and two hours away by automobile from me, and they are both sole proprietorships in little, cluttered shops that are overloaded with work and that have months-long service backlogs. No one else will touch the amp. I will not buy another NAD product. The last Sony amp I bought lasted nearly 30 years before it needed a repair, and it cost a lot less than this one.

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Great bang for the buck.

As a longtime owner of separate components, I was hesitant to buy an integrated amp. The NAD C389 has not disappointed. The sound is very natural, definition is superb, no harshness even at high volume. The Bluetooth in receiver mode has good range. And power to spare. NAD got it right with this unit. My only complaint is that the two separate (A/B) speaker outputs are not switchable; both of them are always "on." This is not made clear on the Crutchfield site or in any of NAD's marketing materials. I assumed I'd be able to ditch my speaker selector box, but nope. Fortunately I already owned one.

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