NAD C 399 HybridDigital DAC Amplifier

[Esque]

Does anyone know if there's a chance NAD will ever get this unit to function properly?
After rabbit holing myself into the issue of inter-sampling it seems like NAD units are having this issue for over 4 years.
Besides the sound turning into absolute shit when playing certain songs through the BluOS module. The unit has other problems as well.

- "thump" through my sub every time I switch sources.
- "thump" through my sub every time a new song starts playing through the BlusOS module.
- "click" sound every 15 minutes or so when using the HDMI input.
- Volume changing without touching the remote.
- SPL/Volume changed after an update.
- Phono ground screw without thread lock on the nut inside.
- The remote feels like a complete afterthought. At first I thought they included the wrong model. However NAD can't be bothered desiging a different remote. For a 2k amp.

I guess having this much tech into one appliance and it working allright is just too much to hope for.

On the positive note, it has plenty of clean power without breaking a sweat.

 

[kndy-]

Anyone struggling with audio-video desynch/ latency?
It's been driving me nuts for the past week and I tried a lot of things.

My installation is: PC - Topping DX3 Pro - Line Out to C389 (I wish I could get rid of the Topping but how do you connect C389 to your PC?)
LG C1 - HDMI e-ARC - C389. Everything I play on my Freebox Player (internet box) seems out of synch.

I tried switching AV mode in BluOS on and off, playing with the 50ms but I can't seem to find a proper setup...

Any help please?

 

[Witterings]

Anyone struggling with audio-video desynch/ latency?
It's been driving me nuts for the past week and I tried a lot of things.

My installation is: PC - Topping DX3 Pro - Line Out to C389 (I wish I could get rid of the Topping but how do you connect C389 to your PC?)
LG C1 - HDMI e-ARC - C389. Everything I play on my Freebox Player (internet box) seems out of synch.

I tried switching AV mode in BluOS on and off, playing with the 50ms but I can't seem to find a proper setup...

Any help please?

Are you using Dirac .... I think this can introduce latency.

 

[pogo]

BluOS has an intentional latency of at least 50ms. If this causes problems, your TV, ... must have a compensation function.

 

[kndy-]

I did try to turn the Dirac curve off, and activate the Bypass function from my C1 or make the audio delay from 0 to 50ms, it didn't fix it.

 

[pogo]

BluOS 4.6.3
Released September 17, 2024
• New MQA Libraries
• New chassis firmware for the NAD C 399, C 389, C 379 and C 3050
• Initial support for the Bluesound NODE (gen 5) and NAD C700 V2

 

[Esque]

New FW didn't fix any issues for me.

 

[pogo]

What are these issues?

 

[Esque]

What are these issues?

There's a few, however the most prominent:

- When having Dirac and sub out active, intermitted distortions occurs when streaming music.
- "thumping" sound through the subwoofer. This happens between songs when streaming and when switching between sources.

Having done some research, NAD has been struggling with issues in the digital domain since the C568.

The NAD c399/c389 have other minor issues and questionable design choices. For the money and from an established company like NAD, I did expect more. The menu, the app, the Dirac setup, the remote control, its just not a coherent setup. Im quite tech savvy and have had experience with Dirac before so I worked it out on the desktop version of Dirac and through the web portal of the amp. Because the remote control and menu structure are a nightmare. You also can't get a universal remote for the thing because NAD chooses to have fk separate buttons for on/off....

Bought the NAD brand new, to have an easy to operate, hassle free solution to listen to music.
But now Im, trouble shooting, sending data logs, opening support cases, updating FW's.

The people at NAD are very much aware of the issues. However they chose to keep quite and hope they can fix it with an OTA. A product that's on the shelve of retailers should not have these issues, especially 2 years after the release.

They rather expand their product line with more incomplete products which I'm 95% sure have the same defects..

 

[y260]

I have been curious about the audio latency on the C 399/C-series amps in general. From what I hear using the Dirac/BluOS module introduces lag, somewhere in the neighborhood of 50ms. I was curious about whether not using the module reduces latency below 50ms, so I sent NAD an email:

"I know that BluOS module and DIRAC add some latency due to sound processing, in the neighborhood of 50ms. This is too much latency for my setup. If I do not use that BluOS module, would latency be reduced? Or is the C379/3050 always going to have minimum latency of approx. 50ms? Thank you in advance!"

They replied:

"Yes there will always be some latency due to the Digital to Analog conversion."

...

Has anyone noticed any delay difference between using the BluOS module and otherwise? Ideally the unit is not designed with an artificial set latency for a module that not everyone has a need for.

 

[Esque]

I have been curious about the audio latency on the C 399/C-series amps in general. From what I hear using the Dirac/BluOS module introduces lag, somewhere in the neighborhood of 50ms. I was curious about whether not using the module reduces latency below 50ms, so I sent NAD an email:

"I know that BluOS module and DIRAC add some latency due to sound processing, in the neighborhood of 50ms. This is too much latency for my setup. If I do not use that BluOS module, would latency be reduced? Or is the C379/3050 always going to have minimum latency of approx. 50ms? Thank you in advance!"

They replied:

"Yes there will always be some latency due to the Digital to Analog conversion."

...

Has anyone noticed any delay difference between using the BluOS module and otherwise? Ideally the unit is not designed with an artificial set latency for a module that not everyone has a need for.

There's an analog bypass function, according to NAD the signal should then follow a completely separated path staying analog all the way.
With Dirac on and using the ARC/HDMI input, there definitely is lag.

 

[marian81]

Váš televízor musí podporovať eARC. Ak áno, port alebo porty, ktoré ho podporujú, sú zvyčajne jasne označené (eARC)

Dobrý deň, mám rovnaký problém s prepojením HDMI a HDMIeARC s týmto blu ray modelom od SONY. Dozvedel som sa, že prehrávač musí mať aj HDMIeARC kompatibilitu.

 

[marian81]

Môžete vysvetliť, čo myslíte tým, že sa nepodarilo úspešne prepojiť prehrávač Bluray? Ako je to prepojené? Doteraz som nemal problém používať eARC s mojím televízorom; ako už spomenuli iní, skúste iný kábel, ak je k dispozícii, alebo dokážte, že ten váš funguje cez nejaký iný vstup.

Dobrý deň, mám rovnaký problém s prepojením HDMI a HDMIeARC s týmto blu ray modelom od SONY. Dozvedel som sa, že prehrávač musí mať aj HDMIeARC kompatibilitu.

 

[marian81]

Môžete vysvetliť, čo myslíte, že sa nepodarilo prepojiť prehrávač Bluray? Ako je to prepojené? Doteraz som nemal problém používať eARC s mojím televízorom; ako už spomenuli iní, iný kábel, ak je k dispozícii alebo dokážte, že ten váš funguje cez nejaký iný vstup.

Váš televízor musí podporovať eARC. Ak áno, prístav alebo porty, ktoré podporujú, sú zvyčajne jasne označené (eARC)

Môžete vysvetliť, čo myslíte, že sa nepodarilo prepojiť prehrávač Bluray? Ako je to prepojené? Doteraz som nemal problém používať eARC s mojím televízorom; ako už spomenuli iní, iný kábel, ak je k dispozícii alebo dokážte, že ten váš funguje cez nejaký iný vstup.

Môžete vysvetliť, čo myslíte tým, že sa nepodarilo úspešne prepojiť prehrávač Bluray? Ako je to prepojené? Doteraz som nemal problém používať eARC s mojím televízorom; ako už spomenuli iní, skúste iný kábel, ak je k dispozícii, alebo dokážte, že ten váš funguje cez nejaký iný vstup.

Translated by moderator. Please post in English going forward.

Hello, I have the same problem with HDMI and HDMIeARC connection with this blu ray model from SONY. I learned that the player must also have HDMIeARC compatibility.

 

[ChaosPony]

I have this amplifier with a B&W DB4S subwoofer. Using HDMI eARC from my TV.

A whooshing sound (sort of like wind blowing) can be heard from the sub whenever it thinks it should play audio. This makes quiet scenes in TV shows or movies unbearable, as the sound can be heard easily in the background.

From reading this thread (I am no hi-fi expert), it seems a possible solution is to set the crossover frequency lower. By default it is 80hz on the amplifier. However, this seems to require the pricey BlueOS module.

I have lowered the volume of the subwoofer through the B&W app and it helps a little, but it is not a permanent solution.

 

[ChaosPony]

So I bought the BlueOS module and can now confirm that lowering the crossover helped out a ton with this issue. The DB4S still sometimes makes a whooshing sound, but that seems to be just how the subwoofer is designed. Lowering the crossover frequency prevents the sub from activating when only dialogue is heard, for instance.