C 700 V2

The NAD C 700 V2 is a streaming amplifier: amplifier, DAC, network streamer and HDMI eARC input in one slim case, ready for a pair of speakers.

NAD is part of the same group as Bluesound and Cyrus, so the C 700 runs BluOS, the streaming platform shared across all three. That gives it proper multi-room capability and good handling of large local music libraries.

What Apple Home actually does with it

This is an AirPlay 2 device rather than a HomeKit accessory.

• It appears in the Home app as a speaker you can play to, and as an AirPlay target in Control Centre.
• You can put it in a room and group it with HomePods for synchronised multi-room audio.
• Siri can send music to it by room name.
• It can be the audio output in a scene or an automation.

Power, input selection and volume stay with the unit, its remote and its own app. The Home app does not control those.

Before you buy

The HDMI eARC socket is the feature that decides it for many people. It lets the amplifier take sound from the television over one cable, so a pair of good speakers replaces a soundbar and still works as a hi-fi.

NAD quotes power conservatively by industry standards, so compare its figures carefully against brands that do not.

The NAD C389 is the larger integrated amplifier in the range.

Specifications