Network Audio Players/Servers

You can use NAD's C 700 in 'dumb' mode if you wish, but its BluOS streaming module and associated app is a key selling point, not only in terms of operational ease-of-use (the player doesn't ship with a physical remote) but introducing network-based sources and multiroom potential. There are iOS, Android and Kindle versions of BluOS for smart devices, plus Mac and Windows desktop iterations, and all provide control over hardware setup (including establishing a Bluetooth headphone or speaker connection) and source selection/playback management.

It's mostly intuitive, with album artwork and info given prominence during playback, but some housekeeping (hiding unused sources, adding 'favourites', etc) can make it slicker still. One feature – a 'quality' filter of tracks and albums from your local library (options are 'CD', 'High Resolution' and 'MQA') – is particularly useful, as the C 700's own display doesn't show sample/bitrate beyond a tiny coloured dot when an MQA file is detected.