NAD M33 Streaming Amplifier Review

[galanakop]

Good morning. I am thinking about this multi-machine for MY new sopra 1 speakers that came yesterday. Here in Greece I can find it new at 4800 euros. What do you say I will be satisfied with the overall performance ??? In the future I might add one or two subwoofers the focal as well

 

[Ricardo]

Good morning. I am thinking about this multi-machine for MY new sopra 1 speakers that came yesterday. Here in Greece I can find it new at 3800 euros. What do you say I will be satisfied with the overall performance ??? In the future I might add one or two subwoofers the focal as well

Hello. Where can you find it at 3800 euros?

 

[galanakop]

Hello. Where can you find it at 3800 euros?

It is a price without VAT. Its normal section here is € 5,500

 

[galanakop]

Which country is that?
Here in the Netherlandsthe M33 is € 5499,- and no discount available

Sorry guys. I did it wrong. 4800 the price without VAT that I found him. I inadvertently said something that is not valid. Please join me.
I corrected it items

 

[KjetilA]

Would it be possible to share the settings you’re using to get the distortion to appear? I’d like to test using REW to see if it picks it up.

Hi,
I didn't know I was tagged here, so I'm so sorry for my late respons.
In BluOS:
Settings -> Player -> Audio -> Select attached speakers = 1 subwoofer
Tone Controls = Off

Then play the song 'Ellen Krauss - The one I love'.

 

[KjetilA]

Don't get me wrong. I am not looking for an amplifier. I am interested in a root cause to this problem.
My guess:
Tone Control = on -> no distortion, but a bit quieter in the playback
Tone Control = off -> with distortion, but a bit louder in playback

If my guess is confirmed by KjetilA, this indicates for an overdriven audio signal internally for the next stage (internal gain settings were not set properly by NAD designers in the M33). The end user has no influence on this, as I have already described before.

Yes, NAD lowers the overall volume by 6db when tone contol = on. But even if you cranck up the volume 6db, the distortion is gone.

 

[pogo]

This confirms my assumption and NAD seems to be working on a solution according to my latest knowledge. Changing design settings in one place in such a complex machine can produce other effects in another place. NAD will hopefully not take too much longer to present a good solution.

 

[KjetilA]

This forum topic is so odd.

It has people that drop in from time to time to share the same problem again and again, but then disappear when given feedback on how they can fix their issues (which appear to be user originated). Then there was a mystery firmware update coming from NAD which has not happened.

Now we have folks quoting articles about grain and other negative subjective opinions that golden eared reviewers can hear only with certain speakers. I don’t know what to make of all this, but it seems very un-ASR-like.

My M33 has been operating flawless with the exception of the dumbest (but very beautiful) remote control ever conceived for an amplifier. I tested the distortion issue mentioned a few posts above using REW and didn’t see anything in the measures.

Hi,
Im not sure if you are refering to me ot not, but I have not had the time to follow up in this thread for some time. I'm sorry about that.
When it comes to the distortion, NAD has acknowledged that there is a distortion when SUB = ON and Tone Control = OFF, but they don't have any date for when they are going to get this problem fixed yet.

 

[Descartes]

Hi,
Im not sure if you are refering to me ot not, but I have not had the time to follow up in this thread for some time. I'm sorry about that.
When it comes to the distortion, NAD has acknowledged that there is a distortion when SUB = ON and Tone Control = OFF, but they don't have any date for when they are going to get this problem fixed yet.

They don’t seem very responsive do they?

 

[KjetilA]

They don’t seem very responsive do they?

No, I don't think so. Takes forever to get a response from their support, and I think the answers they provide is mostly "blah".

 

[pogo]

As I said before, the M33 is a very complex machine and does not make a good solution any easier. Especially since the problem is not only on the M33. On top of that comes BluOs with its restrictive specifications. A good example is the lip-sync problem across all inputs (analog/digital), which is also noticeable on the M33 with premature level changes on the VU meter. Interestingly, the problem does not occur directly after a factory reset. But after a short time BluOs sets its latency defaults and that does not make the integration into a HT easier. Problem seems to exist for a long time under BluOs and is actually unacceptable for the M33: Lip Sync issue

 

[wgb113]

It’s a shame this piece has struggled with these issues and it’s why I’ve chosen the Anthem STR. I preferred a USB connection over a streamer but I would have liked to try the Purifi amplification. Room correction was a determining factor and Anthem’s homegrown ARC seems to be implemented much better than NAD’s off the shelf attempt with Dirac. I like that the Anthem will allow me to handle multi-subs in different ways and even save different profiles/input configurations as well.

Hope we start seeing more 2ch components progressing with these various technologies, the competition can only be good for us as consumers.

 

[Stefan]

Dear fellow enthusiasts,

so I finally joined this forum to participate in this thread.

Short background story before hand: I am located in Germany (so no native English speaker ) and have received my first NAD M33 in November 2020, after having to wait for quite some time. I was very happy with the unit besides that it made some high frequency noise out of the unit when you came closer to it (not noticeable when I was sitting at my listening position). But in April of this year around the time the 6th April update of BluOs was released, it suddenly displayed a message on the screen that something is wrong with "serial communication" and it stalled. So I started an BluOs update routine and it always quit with "Error 11". NAD couldn't connect to the unit, so I it was decided that I receive a new unit in exchange. I had to wait for 6 weeks, in which I couldn't listen to music or watch a movie with my projector.

Now that I have the new unit I am very happy to also discover that it doesn't make the high frequency noise. So maybe the first unit had a defect from the start.

So I discovered this thread because I was curious what others had to say on the M33 and to make use of its full potential. My setup is the NAD M33 with the MDC HDM-2 module + Lindemann B 605 speakers + SVS SB-16 Ultra subwoofer as a 2.1 system. This I also use for "home cinema" with a projector. I also use Dirac Live full version.

I was very curious at to why I have not been completely satisfied after having measured and applied the NAD filter with Dirac Live. So I have tested what has been stated before, to switch between "Select Attached Speakers - 1 Subwoofer" and "Select Attached Speakers - No Subwoofer" option when Dirac Live filter is active and "Tone Controls - OFF". And wow, what a difference. The track "Lost Without you" by "Freya Ridings" mentioned earlier in this thread is painful to listen to because of the distortion when the subwoofer is selected ON (1 or 2). It immediately changes back to perfect when subwoofer is selected OFF. So this has something to do with how the M33 works internally, right? This is definitely not acceptable in my point of view. Even if it only occurs on some tracks that have been recorded "problematic".

Also I can not believe this only affects some M33 units as it is more of a software not hardware problem, isn't it? I rather believe that not every speaker is capable of showing it. The Lindemann B 605 have the Scan Speak Revelator series mid and tweeter, and it shows it absolutely clearly.

As somebody mentiones they have been in contact with NAD about this and they already are working on it I suppose it is not of much help if I contact them, too. But somebody mentioned that this could also be a problem which can't be solved? In this case I need some input because I could still return the unit during the next week.

What do you think?

Best regards,
Stefan

 

[Descartes]

Dear fellow enthusiasts,

so I finally joined this forum to participate in this thread.

Short background story before hand: I am located in Germany (so no native English speaker ) and have received my first NAD M33 in November 2020, after having to wait for quite some time. I was very happy with the unit besides that it made some high frequency noise out of the unit when you came closer to it (not noticeable when I was sitting at my listening position). But in April of this year around the time the 6th April update of BluOs was released, it suddenly displayed a message on the screen that something is wrong with "serial communication" and it stalled. So I started an BluOs update routine and it always quit with "Error 11". NAD couldn't connect to the unit, so I it was decided that I receive a new unit in exchange. I had to wait for 6 weeks, in which I couldn't listen to music or watch a movie with my projector.

Now that I have the new unit I am very happy to also discover that it doesn't make the high frequency noise. So maybe the first unit had a defect from the start.

So I discovered this thread because I was curious what others had to say on the M33 and to make use of its full potential. My setup is the NAD M33 with the MDC HDM-2 module + Lindemann B 605 speakers + SVS SB-16 Ultra subwoofer as a 2.1 system. This I also use for "home cinema" with a projector. I also use Dirac Live full version.

I was very curious at to why I have not been completely satisfied after having measured and applied the NAD filter with Dirac Live. So I have tested what has been stated before, to switch between "Select Attached Speakers - 1 Subwoofer" and "Select Attached Speakers - No Subwoofer" option when Dirac Live filter is active and "Tone Controls - OFF". And wow, what a difference. The track "Lost Without you" by "Freya Ridings" mentioned earlier in this thread is painful to listen to because of the distortion when the subwoofer is selected ON (1 or 2). It immediately changes back to perfect when subwoofer is selected OFF. So this has something to do with how the M33 works internally, right? This is definitely not acceptable in my point of view. Even if it only occurs on some tracks that have been recorded "problematic".

Also I can not believe this only affects some M33 units as it is more of a software not hardware problem, isn't it? I rather believe that not every speaker is capable of showing it. The Lindemann B 605 have the Scan Speak Revelator series mid and tweeter, and it shows it absolutely clearly.

As somebody mentiones they have been in contact with NAD about this and they already are working on it I suppose it is not of much help if I contact them, too. But somebody mentioned that this could also be a problem which can't be solved? In this case I need some input because I could still return the unit during the next week.

What do you think?

Best regards,
Stefan

Sounds like a nightmare, I would just return it especially since it’s so expensive!!

 

[Beershaun]

I would contact them to document the occurrence with your new unit. It helps give priority to fixing the problem if more customers report it, and it may give you a warranty return or upgrade claim in the future if they offer a fix to people who have documented the problem with them.

 

[Kaboo]

Dear fellow enthusiasts,

so I finally joined this forum to participate in this thread.

Short background story before hand: I am located in Germany (so no native English speaker ) and have received my first NAD M33 in November 2020, after having to wait for quite some time. I was very happy with the unit besides that it made some high frequency noise out of the unit when you came closer to it (not noticeable when I was sitting at my listening position). But in April of this year around the time the 6th April update of BluOs was released, it suddenly displayed a message on the screen that something is wrong with "serial communication" and it stalled. So I started an BluOs update routine and it always quit with "Error 11". NAD couldn't connect to the unit, so I it was decided that I receive a new unit in exchange. I had to wait for 6 weeks, in which I couldn't listen to music or watch a movie with my projector.

Now that I have the new unit I am very happy to also discover that it doesn't make the high frequency noise. So maybe the first unit had a defect from the start.

So I discovered this thread because I was curious what others had to say on the M33 and to make use of its full potential. My setup is the NAD M33 with the MDC HDM-2 module + Lindemann B 605 speakers + SVS SB-16 Ultra subwoofer as a 2.1 system. This I also use for "home cinema" with a projector. I also use Dirac Live full version.

I was very curious at to why I have not been completely satisfied after having measured and applied the NAD filter with Dirac Live. So I have tested what has been stated before, to switch between "Select Attached Speakers - 1 Subwoofer" and "Select Attached Speakers - No Subwoofer" option when Dirac Live filter is active and "Tone Controls - OFF". And wow, what a difference. The track "Lost Without you" by "Freya Ridings" mentioned earlier in this thread is painful to listen to because of the distortion when the subwoofer is selected ON (1 or 2). It immediately changes back to perfect when subwoofer is selected OFF. So this has something to do with how the M33 works internally, right? This is definitely not acceptable in my point of view. Even if it only occurs on some tracks that have been recorded "problematic".

Also I can not believe this only affects some M33 units as it is more of a software not hardware problem, isn't it? I rather believe that not every speaker is capable of showing it. The Lindemann B 605 have the Scan Speak Revelator series mid and tweeter, and it shows it absolutely clearly.

As somebody mentiones they have been in contact with NAD about this and they already are working on it I suppose it is not of much help if I contact them, too. But somebody mentioned that this could also be a problem which can't be solved? In this case I need some input because I could still return the unit during the next week.

What do you think?

Best regards,
Stefan

appears that this is a design issue that Nad says they are working on a fix for.Contact them and voice your concerns.This has been known about for some time now.Many months I believe.Who knows if they are trying or if there is even a fix for the units.If you get some news on a real fix please post to this group

 

[pogo]

What do you think?

From my point of view, that's the right way to go, and that's how I do it:

I would contact them to document the occurrence with your new unit. It helps give priority to fixing the problem if more customers report it, and it may give you a warranty return or upgrade claim in the future if they offer a fix to people who have documented the problem with them.

In any case make the warranty extension to 5 years.
NAD has confirmed each of my findings and they should be fixed in one of the future updates.
Despite these currently existing limitations, which also do not affect everyone equally, this machine is hard to top

Greetings from sunny Germany...

 

[pogo]

My setup is the NAD M33 with the MDC HDM-2 module + Lindemann B 605 speakers + SVS SB-16 Ultra subwoofer as a 2.1 system.

Have you also considered the possibility of connecting the subwoofer via pre-out, i.e. not using the subwoofer function on the M33?

 

[Stefan]

In any case make the warranty extension to 5 years.

This is the first thing I have done

I would contact them to document the occurrence with your new unit.

Contact them and voice your concerns.

I gave the German Dali / NAD support a call this morning and they said that I should raise a service request out of the BluOs app. This will be the direct way to NAD. I give this a try later on today.

Sounds like a nightmare, I would just return it especially since it’s so expensive!!

This has been my thought right after the first unit broke. But to be honest, everyone deserves a second try (I haven't been aware of the new problem at that time).

Despite these currently existing limitations, which also do not affect everyone equally, this machine is hard to top

I guess so, the only other one-box solution right now seems to be the Lyngdorf TDAI-3400, but I am not sure if amplification and useability (vs. BluOs app) are equal to the M33.

Have you also considered the possibility of connecting the subwoofer via pre-out, i.e. not using the subwoofer function on the M33?

This of course I could do, but in exchange loose the Dirac Live functionality which is worth most in the frequency range of 0-200 Hz...
I am not completely familiar with the SVS app at the moment, as I have the SB-16 Ultra only for some weeks now and if that gives an equally good result as Dirac Live.

 

[pogo]

I guess so, the only other one-box solution right now seems to be the Lyngdorf TDAI-3400, but I am not sure if amplification and useability (vs. BluOs app) are equal to the M33.

This of course I could do, but in exchange loose the Dirac Live functionality which is worth most in the frequency range of 0-200 Hz...
I am not completely familiar with the SVS app at the moment, as I have the SB-16 Ultra only for some weeks now and if that gives an equally good result as Dirac Live.

I had also considered the TDAI-3400, but it was not an option for me, because the damping factor would have been too low for my passive subwoofer. It would probably not be a problem in your setup.
The SB-16 Ultra is also DIRAC LIVE corrected when connected via the pre-outs. You should only have to adjust the crossover frequency, volume and possibly the phase via the SVS app. Thus, the distortions should no longer be an issue for you.