Build & Looks
Contents
The Nad C 658 belongs to the Classic Line and is quite a large device (43.5x10x40.5). The front is clean and the appearance sober but nicely finished. In the middle we see an elongated screen on which a lot of information is displayed which unfortunately, as so often, is not so easy to read from a distance. On the right side of the screen we see two buttons to select the inputs and a somewhat separate volume control. On the left there is a 6.3mm headphone output, a rotary disc to dive into the menu and the on/off button. The many applications of the Nad C 658 can fortunately also be carried out via the extensive remote control
Modular
At the back we see a fine selection of inputs: one usb, twice optical, twice coaxial, twice rca and a phono input. Actually, anything you need. Because this is a streamer we also see an ethernet connection and two wifi antennas. Two, because there’s also Bluetooth aptX HD on board. Outputs are both balanced and single-ended and there is a sub-out. The connection for the power cord completes the well-filled but clear back. If you require additional connections such as HDMI or 4K Video, an MDC module can be added.
In the menu itself you can also adjust a lot of things. This allows you to control the treble, bass and balance, rename inputs, switch off unused inputs and dim the screen. After a short habituation we quickly find our way in the menu and set everything the way we like it. We stay away from the tone control.