NAD Silver S100 Preamplifier

The NAD S100 is a the logical center of the most ambitious, sophisticated series of components in NAD history. It is a supremely transparent-sounding, versatile, and elegantly simple way to make sure that the sound of any program source reaches a power amplifier just as it came in - with no overlay of even the most subtle coloration. The S100 is as close to "invisible" sonically as an analog audio product can be. The outstanding transparency and subtlety of detail in the sound it passes on from the best recordings and broadcasts is the product of three vital considerations: superb power-supply quality; pure Class-A operation of all circuitry; carefully thought-out choices of components and physical layout. The power supply is built around an efficient, low-noise toroidal transformer, with more than 10, 000 microfarads of very-low-ESR capacitance - more than many power amps! From input to output, the S100's circuits are engineered for very-low-distortion Class-A operation, with a vanishingly low output impedance (long an NAD hallmark) that reduces the sonic impact of cable impedance to near insignificance. And it provides a choice of primary outputs: conventional, unbalanced RCA jacks, and fully balanced XLR jacks. Unlike those in many consumer products, the latter are true "pro-audio" outputs capable of delivering up to 20 volts to 600-ohm loads while significantly reducing susceptibility to external hum and noise. Signal routing in the S100 is a core consideration, handled with careful layout and costly components. Instead of the more common (and less expensive) and signal-coloring electronic switching, the S100 uses sonically transparent gold-contact relays. And it uses gold-surfaced signal connectors exclusively, both inside and on its rear panel. To provide solid low-frequency behavior, the S100 is true DC-coupled. Its circuit topology is so stable under all operating conditions that no DC servo-circuitry is needed to maintain low DC-offset.