Going in, I wondered if the Google Chromecast built into NAD’s C 338 would provide no more than a more seamless variant of the $35 Chromecast dongle Google sells. It was indeed seamless -- and more. NAD has made Chromecast easier to use, more flexible, and sound better. In fact, so remarkable is NAD’s implementation that I wish they’d sell a Chromecast box as a separate source. The C 338 is filled out with an impressive, natural-sounding DAC, and an amplifier section that should easily fill most rooms. The NAD C 338 is an excellent value, especially for those interested in using Chromecast.

For as long as I can remember, stereo audio has an element of convenience vs purist performance to it but rarely have they been as clear as they are here. The NAD C338 is not the best sounding £600 amplifier you can buy. There are some other readily obtainable models that can sound punchier and more exciting without losing the NAD’s wonderfully sweet and involving presentation. The catch is that none of these amps can get anywhere near the breadth of well integrated functionality that the NAD offers. This is an outstandingly flexible product – a truly modern amplifier that has clearly been carefully designed to handle the requirements of 2017. The NAD isn’t a perfect amp but it does so much with sufficient ability that it has to be considered worthy of recommendation.

While offering all of the inputs that count — including Chromecast Built-In, which turned out to be a very good sounding high-resolution WiFi-based streaming solution — the NAD grabs hold of the recording and, when paired with a complimentary pair of speakers like the GoldenEar BRX, provides a seamless sphere of energy for music to unfold within. What you get for US$699 is a component that just asks for a pair of speakers in order to give you a complete system that will reward by delivering all the music that you have time for and in a convincing, engaging, and (dare I say) fun manner.

THE NAD C 338 HYBRID DIGITAL INTEGRATED AMPLIFIER offers great sound, Chromecast, Wi-Fi, and the ability to drive any speaker for a very-reasonable $650.

You get a lot of amplifier for the money with the NAD C338, which combines Chromecast streaming, pleasant sound and well-chosen features in well-known minimalist NAD packaging. Although we are dealing with a fully equipped amplifier with plenty of inputs, the price is at the lowest end of the field. However, NAD is being overtaken by Onkyo, which trumps radio, multiroom and built-in streaming services.

As an entry level audiophile component, I think the NAD C 338 Hybrid Digital amplifier can be the ideal gateway for many people who love music and maybe would see themselves as future audiophiles. The biggest reason for this is that it can be a just-add-speakers type of system for the modern user who already has a digital music subscription and is looking to take things to the next level. Really, you can add a decent set of bookshelf speakers to this system and you’re coming in right around the $1,000 mark, while still being able to add a subwoofer to fill out the sound, and there is a lot of room to add other source components, should that pique your interest down the road.

Overall, NAD C 338 teaches quality sound lessons to many amplifiers in its class, continuing the tradition of NAD in cheap integrated amplifiers, to have very good amplifiers, nice and careful sound meeting the requirements of audiophiles who want to start with a good amplifier at no great cost.

Delivers your money’s-worth in terms of features, but not in performance