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I love your way of describing amps and how they make you feel John rather than regurgitating list of meaningless specs. This looks like a great product albeit a bit pricey. Apart from the reviews, I look forward to your videos as they are a great source of new music to listen too. I have just added several more of your tracks to this weeks playlist. 👍👍👍👍👍
John? 2 months ago you shared a video of the cambridge cxn. Are you able to compare the sound of the nad with the cambridge on dac usage? With spotify, is there a difference in sound and which sounds better to you? Whats the main difference?
As a complete aside: This is the first time I've heard Jungle/DNB mentioned with respect to anything audiophile related, and as a longtime fan of the genre, it absolutely made my day.
John, I'm a super lo tech hifi Guy (tubes and vinyl) and your channel focuses on high tech yet despite that I have to say your info and production is super compelling. Your content is consistently super high level, great work man!
im loving beirut right now... half the fun of your reviews is all the music you talk about... having room and being able to have all the info of the artists as I listen along is great just love it. cheers darko
I been a fan of NAD for over 22 years and use their Equipment since then. At the moment I use the NAD C-388 and Im happy with it did not have the time to experiment with the Dirac yet .The new NAD integrate is a way forward and I never regretted to switch to D power.Thanks for the great review and I do appreciate that you always have a open mind and review equipment that has a forward looking view.
The best video you made in the past 9 months! Please consider reviewing Lyngdorf’s Room Perfect, because I am considering purchasing one of their products and would like to know how it compares with a Dirac product. Thanks in advance.
@@mlkm87 I have Lyngdorf 2170. And ordinary smaller living room (cca 5x4 m). On Xavian Ambra bookshelf speakers engaging Room Perfect slightly bettered sound but on Audio Physic Tempo 25 it is useless. Too much thin dry sound. Lyngdorf said RP will not bettering sound on all speakers. Its nice amp but iam only using (in case of strong heavy bass) predefined 2 bass corection (called OPEN and MORE OPEN), which are very helpfull. But many people praised RP not so many like me do not.
Yes, and through in the MARS system as well! I love the 'idea' of room correction. Hard to wrap one's head around altering the signal on purpose though!
Great vid, could you please just pass a quick comment on how you felt the NAD compared to the Hegel ‘after’ applying Dirac? I understood that before Dirac then the NAD had more insight but was not as smooth; the comments from the Dirac application implies it (with your/Terrys tweaks) brought smoothness to it. Can we conclude then that resulted in the NAD being better across the board (I.e now just as smooth but also the extra detail insight)? Thank you.
NAD used to have an MDC module with a USB-B input. It is not available anymore, unfortunately. Hopefully there will be a newer version of it in the future.
Yeah, I gave up on my room and, for my digital streaming and storage, invested in a minidsp STUDIO with Dirac. I also gave up on trying to negotiate different speaker placement in our living room. I still do not use room correction on SACD or vinyl. I’m very pleased with the results fro the application of Dirac, very pleased indeed. The improvement is too obvious to give it up. Years ago, I tried the dspeaker Anti-mode and really didn’t like what it did across the frequency range. With Dirac, my speakers still sound like Revel speakers, only better.
Around 40 years ago my brother built a pair of Klipschorn copies from a company called Speakerlab. Klipsch's patent had run out so legal to do so. Long story short as they are always placed in corners the room effects were amplified and overall sounded pretty lumpy. I was working as an audio salesman (and still am) and had access to the just introduced Shure 615 equalization analyzer. After a learning curve we managed to smooth out the response with the analyzer combined with a Soundcraftman equalizer. We were stunned at the difference in the main seating position! Several of my audio salesman friends thought it was the best system they ever heard. I use Dirac all the tiime now and currently use an M10 with a M33 demo on the way shortly(also use MInidsp) so I would suspect anyone with Klipschorns would love the results with Dirac, although admittedly I have never tried it. DSP room correction is the future of home audio IMHO.
was about to comment something similar after seeing him play forest drive west. somewhat pleasasant to see an audio gear channel that isn't just a dude testing the gear with zeppelin and floyd haha
Glad you reviewed the M33. I have been waiting for months to find a video review, glad it was you. I would be curious if you would consider reviewing some of the MDC modules in future videos? Thanks for the quality videos.
John, I really love your reviews and this one prompted me to buy a MiniDSP SHD (so I could room correct my turntable as well with DIRAC without throwing away the rest of my stereo to buy the NAD). I just wanted to give you one bit of advice about your episode on relying on “experts,” which would on the surface seem pretty sound advice. I’ve had as many as 40 electrical engineers reporting to me before and I would like to share with you that they very frequently disagree, sometimes very passionately, even though they all went to top tier schools and all graduated near the top of their classes. The great adventure in life is figuring out which ones are actually right, because many of them aren’t. Keep up the great work. I love that nothing sounds more “musical” to you. That term was always incomprehensible to me too.
As a convert to Sonarworks last year, I can vouch for how effective it and Dirac must be to improving your music listening experience. If done properly and preferably after a bit of room acoustic treatment first, it's a revelation!
Great review! Thanks! I'm glad that your recent reviews became more dynamic and live in terms of information delivery to your current and future subscribers. Great job! Once again, thanks!
Great review, you kept me engaged until the end , Thanks for being unbiased especially when it comes to the digitizing of the vinyl signal and the room correction program. I learned a lot about the versatility of these modern units. You can have it all with good sound in one box, that in it's self is tough to get my gearhead brain around. I think i might be ready to try a modern class D amplifier,,, well maybe in a month or two!
Hi John, I am 59 and have been into hi end audio since I was 12, really. I agree with you , ranting about analog versus digital is becoming a mute point as the technology moves forward we are not living in 1990 when digital was crap. I also have been Involved in professional audio both the studio and live settings. The end result is the thing my ears what to hear. That said getting your room the best it can be is the way to go and then use what you need. System/ lots of tubes , turntables, DACS/ Vandersteen 5 and magnepan . People have fun, go see live music ,if you can and buy some nice wine. 😷❤️🇨🇦
Hi John, wondering, in your description of the Hegel sounding a bit more 'meaty' than the NAD, was with or without the Dirac correction turned on? or both? Would love more info on this part. Thanks! Great video
Slam dunk! Thanks for the incredible amount of educational material. I don't have anything quite as nice to listen to, but I am still always looking forward to your articles, podcasts, etc. Also, Terry is awesome. Keep it going dude. Eigentakt is so fascinating!
Love your stuff. Would love for you to hear a Benchmark Media LA-4/AHB2 stack; another new amp technology. Adore the way you describe the sound. I've heard this unit and you're 100% spot on. Great work, John!!
It's all fun and games until someone gets pointed in the eye with an M33 remote! Thanks for the in depth look at this, and it was great to hear the development background of the anno section in the podcast. I use powered speakers so actually would like a "super preamp" version of this
I have an M10 and was initially dubious especially using it with phono. After using Dirac just for the low range NAD give you for free I immediately paid for the full range Dirac. It took some practice to get it right but Dirac is a game changer.
Nice review again John . It does look good Didn't you find that it missed bass and pushed the mid range almost until it was false? I ended up buying the Naim Nova and I was really confused as to why the Naim sounded more powerful than the NAD? On paper the NAD should have kicked the Naim to the curb but for me this didn't happen. Any ideas? I'm still waiting for a trip to Berlin where I would love it if I bring my speakers for you to review :) still dreaming here
Hi John, And thanks for the excellent review, something that I would find very interesting would be a comparison between a Lyngdorf TDAI-3400. I think Peter Lyngdorf is involved in the Eigentakt amplifier also and both have room correction, Class D, Streaming, similar pricing and so on.
Bought this device. It's awesome. But, there is a 100ms delay in the audio due to BluOS processing. This is a known issue in these devices and therefore I have to ship it back. I'm unable to DJ or play any instrument or use it for any monitoring purposes. Cinema integration is also troublesome due to this delay, lip sync issues are there and unsolvable.
I just bought you a cup of coffee on Patreon - keep up the good work! ... I'll reach out to Terry for a remote Dirac calibration once I get the M33.. Cheers
NAD chief designer and Director for Marketing state that the remote was designed to ensure that users need not complain about misplaced remotes anymore. 😬
Someone tell me if the M33 has any type of home theater pass through, if it has this I am all in...John I love your channel and your demeanor, keep doing what you do!
Thank you John. The longer I've had my little old Bluesound Node 2.1, the happier I am with it. So, in a few years, I'll make the big JUMP to the NAD M33. BluOS reminds me of the MacOS--most days, it just works. (And I used to work in a PC lab). Great review, and thanks for the detail targeting potential users.
You had me at RHCP button, great review once again. It’s too bad it can’t stick around for future comparisons, which is what this is all about after all. Cheers!
Do you find that Dirac still maintains the 'life' of the music? I have only had a brief experience of room correction in a Linn demo, with their Space Optimisation technology. The rep was very pleased with the result of turning it on, and I could definitely hear the bass tighten up and the sound become more controlled, but at the expense of all the life and joy of the music being removed. We all came out of the room saying that it sounded better with the room correction turned off. It is obviously not the same as spending a good amount of time at home setting it up right, but I didn't think it was a very good advert for Linn. I can only hope that they did it in a rush.
Oliver Butcher I had a linn source and space optimisation for a long time and hated their room correction. You measured everything and entered the stats into boxes and what walls and floors were made out of and then it calculates and does it’s thing and your music is gone. Tried lots of things and spent a lot of time with it but hated it. You’re (linn) telling me that SO wants to know that my speakers are on spikes , measure the height, and don’t forget the plinth, yup another ten mm and then it’s supposed to be better? It’s nothing more than an over complex and music robbing graphic equaliser imo!
I was so near to choosing this amp. I was sceptical on the analogue-to-digital approach, but this has proven my fears unfounded. The only thing that stopped me waiting the extra time for this to hit my local dealer was that it is manufactured in China. I just couldn't bring myself to do it, so I went a more traditional analogue approach and went for a Musical Fidelity M6si instead. Thanks for the great review once again, John. You are a master of your craft and I love watching your channel.
My experience with various room correction software; appear to "fix" some things which seduce you into believing they're better but ultimately screw with the sound. Better to spend time with speaker placement and room treatments, which you should do anyway. Genelec appear to have the best solution to date as they have complete control and worth reading up on. It's very early days for these solutions.
Neil Gaydon Well if you don’t believe in tone controls etc then ok, but for me the ability to tune the frequency response of the system to suit the room and get the sound w3 like seems like the way to go.
Great video. I got the M10, and spent a great deal of time in getting the Dirac filters right. I found that correcting to 1KHz or 2Khz worked best for my system rather than going full frequency. I agree with you that It's such a significant difference maker that the amp itself takes a back seat. Only thing it lacks is a bit of power, so I'm quite interested in M33.
Thanks to JD and others who put some very valuable advise on audio gear up online, I've been able to move through this hobby and "ascend" (LOL) up to a simplified Heaven 11 Billie integrated amp, a Lumin D1, Qobuz with Sonus Faber Signums. It might seem this M33 would be a logical upgrade to have even more efficiency/integration and technology (thinking soundstage improvement) but then I do wonder if the emerging world of the "super soundbar" will be the future of hifi with even more integration between amplification/software/drivers?
Dear John Thank you again for a great review, when you compare the Hegel with the NAD do you base this on the JBL´s as the laudspeakers you used ? Best regards Kurt
The NAD M33 is $7,000 in Canada. Canadian dollars, but that means I can get three NAD C388 amps for that money and still buy a decent DAC from Schiit Audio.
Wonderful to follow a audio reviewer that embraces audio tech on the level Darko does. A lot of thought have gone in to the description of the sound characteristics of this “super integrated”. Thank you.
Thank you for keep the video short and not going back over old ground. I personally would love to see more on Dirac, can you Dira any amp, if so would they all sound the similar??
Good evening John, thanks for your great channel. I recently started my audio journey and it’s been a joy! I’m struggling with a (maybe silly) beginner-question that I hope you can help me with. I have the NAD M33 and I’m happy with it. I noticed that it makes a soft buzzing sound, which is only audible when I put my ear close to, right above it (can’t hear it at the listing position). To prevent getting fixated on it, I’d like to understand if it’s normal for the device to make a soft buzzing sound or if it should basically be completely silent? Your wisdom is more than welcome. Thanks and nice evening!
Hi John, fantastic job on doing all that in 20 mins? I am very aware of what you always say ‘i will not have an answer if you ask me what about this vs that?’ But I do have a question - how does it compare to the naim sound?? I know your atom is in a very different price bracket but how do they compare in sound signature (at least from memory)?
There is an extra stage of conversion required to input non Sony/Phillips digital data, where schist had to make a special interface. And not essential as it requires special circuitry to implement correctly.
Fantastic review. Thanks for this detailed review. Wonder if the digitization of the phone stage by Dirac is specific for this model or other NADs with Dirac and phonostage do it too.
Just a note the packaging for this is the same weight as the amp. So be prepared if like me you bought it whilst travelling on a bus its like carrying home a small teenager!
Great stuff John. I think this might be the best video I've seen on your channel so far. The only downside is now I desperately want one of these and can't begin to afford it. Not A complaint, only a reality.
Very good review. Thank you. Beirut is well an American folk groupI have their record album the flying club cup and it is a gem.This vinyle sounds great 👍🏻
I am getting one, but i won't be using dirac. some good studies published recently that dirac creates audible nulls while trying to iron out inaudible "problems." But i love that this unit sounds good, is light weight, and is effectively a useful all in one. Thanks for the review.
Great review. And good info for those who don't know what Dirac is about. I thought I'd found what I was looking for, but sadly no HT bypass is a deal breaker for me.
Hi John, fantastic video as always and very informative. Can I ask how you found out where you issues are in your room and how you determine the frequency its at, I'm assuming its mainly bass that causes the biggest issues? (going from when I was into hifi in my teens and 20's, big break inbetween and now back into it when i was 49 now just turned 50 :) )
Yes, I am a "vinyl guy," and no it is not always a mistake to digitize a turntable signal. I digitize the bottom couple octaves of ALL of my sources because there are not a lot of good analog alternatives in the market for bass room correction. Also, some records that I want to listen to I purchased in "less than pristine" condition, and they benefit from pop and tick correction through my SweetVinyl SC-2 which converts the phono stage output to 24/192 before correction. I also use Audyssey (full-band) room correction for video (home theater) sources. All of these thing have their place, as does upper-band full-analog output from high-quality vinyl.
John, another great review. If you think Dirac sounds good, you have to try Acourate. Also, just got my hands on a Technics SU-G700 for giggles and wow, does it sound great compared to my NAD class d gear - maybe worth a review as well?
I planing to buy a new amplifier for my Buchard s400 soon and what I take from this video is going with a good amplifier like Hegel h190 (my budget) will make me very happy indeed 👍 one other option are to buy Buchards upcoming class-D amplifier (as a current customer I will get a very good offer) which also has room correction software and Madz Buchard has been promoting this software a lot!! So the big question for ME to answer are, do I want to get into digital domain or not? Tough choice for someone who just want to listen to music.
