I'm considering various options to go along with a pair of KEF Blades. The features I want are DIRAC (or RP), streaming (mostly Tidal, hopefully Spotify HiFi soon..), and ARC. The options I'm considering are the NAD M33, NAD M10 v2 + McIntosh MC462, or McIntosh MA9000 integrated.
I was initially drawn by the new rave reviews of the newer Purifi amps in the NAD M33, and it has all the features I want. Having said that, NAD support claimed that since the Blades have a minimum impedance of 3.2 ohms (nominal 4 ohm), it may overheat or overextend at higher volumes. I thought this a bit strange as the Purifi 1ET400A lists specs for 2 ohms, and at any rate, it seems like my ears would give up long before the M33. Any thoughts here?
That being the case, I am also considering the NAD M10 v2 + McIntosh MC462. But I wonder if the M10 V2 use the same DAC as the M33? It says it uses ESS Sabre DAC, but can't seem to find definitive information if it's the same ES9028PRO that's in the M33. Would I be leaving something on the table DAC-wise by going with the M10 V2 + MC462 as opposed to the M33?
The third option I'm considering the MA9000 integrated with the upgraded DA2 module (for HDMI and also has the ES9028PRO DAC), but my concerns are with room correction. The MEN220 carries quite the premium for RoomPerfect, and I've considered the SHD Studio, but then I think I would have to use optical out for the TV in that case (TV / SHD Studio / MA9000). In addition, I would need to add a Bluesound Node to the mix (BluOS preferred to Volumio for family-friendly use). Also, the McIntosh DA2 module says it expertly downmixes Dolby & DTS for 2-channel audio, but would that be any different from either of the NAD integrated options downmixing to 2.0?
Lastly, I have considered an AVR, something like the NAD T 778, but I'm fairly confident that I'll be sticking with 2 channel only, so all the features (and the bit of extra noise) that comes with an AVR felt unnecessary. The only question I have here is whether having an AVR, even for a 2.0 setup, would improve my movie & TV viewing experience compared to the M10 or M33 in terms of downmixing surround content (but at what cost?)?
I'm leaning towards the first 2 options, but information on the above questions, and any suggestions/recommendations are appreciated!
I was initially drawn by the new rave reviews of the newer Purifi amps in the NAD M33, and it has all the features I want. Having said that, NAD support claimed that since the Blades have a minimum impedance of 3.2 ohms (nominal 4 ohm), it may overheat or overextend at higher volumes. I thought this a bit strange as the Purifi 1ET400A lists specs for 2 ohms, and at any rate, it seems like my ears would give up long before the M33. Any thoughts here?
That being the case, I am also considering the NAD M10 v2 + McIntosh MC462. But I wonder if the M10 V2 use the same DAC as the M33? It says it uses ESS Sabre DAC, but can't seem to find definitive information if it's the same ES9028PRO that's in the M33. Would I be leaving something on the table DAC-wise by going with the M10 V2 + MC462 as opposed to the M33?
The third option I'm considering the MA9000 integrated with the upgraded DA2 module (for HDMI and also has the ES9028PRO DAC), but my concerns are with room correction. The MEN220 carries quite the premium for RoomPerfect, and I've considered the SHD Studio, but then I think I would have to use optical out for the TV in that case (TV / SHD Studio / MA9000). In addition, I would need to add a Bluesound Node to the mix (BluOS preferred to Volumio for family-friendly use). Also, the McIntosh DA2 module says it expertly downmixes Dolby & DTS for 2-channel audio, but would that be any different from either of the NAD integrated options downmixing to 2.0?
Lastly, I have considered an AVR, something like the NAD T 778, but I'm fairly confident that I'll be sticking with 2 channel only, so all the features (and the bit of extra noise) that comes with an AVR felt unnecessary. The only question I have here is whether having an AVR, even for a 2.0 setup, would improve my movie & TV viewing experience compared to the M10 or M33 in terms of downmixing surround content (but at what cost?)?
I'm leaning towards the first 2 options, but information on the above questions, and any suggestions/recommendations are appreciated!