NAD C 399 HybridDigital DAC Amplifier

[pogo]

@Eric2
OK, if I understand correctly, you don't have the DIRAC LIVE option.
And what speakers do you use on it?

 

[Eric2]

@Eric2
OK, if I understand correctly, you don't have the DIRAC LIVE option.

I don't.

 

[Jone5]

I have 2x REL T5i subs. I don't think it's a ground loop, I have grounded the subs as REL recommend. There is certainly no hum, and if it was a ground loop I don't see why it would happen only with DL turned on, and it's not been evident with any other amplifier I've used.

There is a single pop when the unit is turned on, but I think that's not terribly uncommon with Hypex amps? I'm sure someone will tell me if I'm wrong.

When streaming - just for interest's sake - do you hear a pop before each song on a playlist? I do.

When streaming a whole album it only pops before the start and not between tracks, but with a playlist it pops between each song.

I havent noticed any pop between the tracks, but today while playing aroung with settings I noticed that the thumb sound is pretty similar to the sound which is produced when switching between subwoofer on/off from the bluos application. Also dirac on off seems to create similar sound.

I’ll try to catch the startup sound to video at some point but its not happening all the time as mentioned.

 

[tparm]

The M33 has XLR inputs (analog/digital).

I like the balanced inputs, but what difference does it make since all the signals on the M33 are digitized? I guess the potential for it be a cleaner (read: quieter) connection? I prefer XLR connections to be used whenever possible but found this curious. Thanks.

 

[pogo]

The balanced transmission can show its advantages over longer distances / in a (very) noisy environment.

 

[unexperienced]

There are no real inside photos yet?

 

[Jone5]

I havent noticed any pop between the tracks, but today while playing aroung with settings I noticed that the thumb sound is pretty similar to the sound which is produced when switching between subwoofer on/off from the bluos application. Also dirac on off seems to create similar sound.

I’ll try to catch the startup sound to video at some point but its not happening all the time as mentioned.

Just a quick update on the matter, I managed to get the startup sound recorded and sent it to the technical support. They asked to remotely connect to my device and were able to verify the issue remotely. The issue was moved to the engineering team to work on, I don't know any details of the cause neither the urgency of the fix.

If there is any other C399 + bluos module owners with subs here, please let me know if you are experiencing the same issue, just out of curiosity.

 

[Deleted member 22141]

My thumping sound during playback has mostly gone away, hadn't heard it for perhaps 10 days, but 2 evenings ago was crazy bad.

I put in a 50Hz notch filter on the DDRC24 feeding the sub output and that certainly cleared it up. Unfortunately the support team are in Canada I think so connecting and I'm in the UK so timezones for remote connections are an issue.

I still get it when changing sources and at the start of a track. I will try to resurrect the support ticket which is currently on hold.

 

[Jone5]

My thumping sound during playback has mostly gone away, hadn't heard it for perhaps 10 days, but 2 evenings ago was crazy bad.

I put in a 50Hz notch filter on the DDRC24 feeding the sub output and that certainly cleared it up. Unfortunately the support team are in Canada I think so connecting and I'm in the UK so timezones for remote connections are an issue.

I still get it when changing sources and at the start of a track. I will try to resurrect the support ticket which is currently on hold.

Seems odd that it comes and goes. BTW, have you tried switching to analog input immediately after powering on the amp and volume up (after few hours of standby), at least for me this always results to very frequent thumbs for the first 1-2 minutes. It almost seems that it is somehow modulated by some chip activity, I was speculating it might be network activity related or just some bootup routines.

Connecting with ethernet or completely switching off router did not change the issue either, but there is no way of turning network completely off the device, so its hard to say if its really related. I mentioned these to the technical support as well (they actually requested the test with ethernet cable, so they at least had some similar thoughts).

Also, doesn't this 50Hz notch affect the sub behavior or do you have crossover set lower than that?

 

[Alexx]

@ Eric2: scusa il ritardo ma ora ho il nuovo Rotel 1592MKII

Posso dirti che ha un suono diverso rispetto al Nad, è più "secco" e meno caldo questo non aiuta con l'abbinamento con i miei diffusori Kef R300.

Se tengo il Rotel dovrò mettere degli altoparlanti che possano esaltare di più la voce e gli strumenti ad arco, perché stranamente sono meno presenti con il Rotel (anche se viene descritto come un freddo amplificatore analitico e squillante) forse lo è colpa dei miei diffusori ma ho trovato il Nad più gradevole nella gamma medio-alta.

Detto questo sto valutando, ma per tornare al Nad temo di avere gli stessi problemi mai risolti che ho avuto con il 399 che ho restituito.

La cosa buona del Rotel è che ha una dinamica favolosa (200 watt per canale), è completamente silenzioso, quindi nessun rumore o urto quando lo accendi, navighi nel menu ecc.

Il subwoofer lo controlla alla perfezione e in assenza di segnale, anche con il volume al massimo sugli altoparlanti, non si sente il minimo rumore e fruscio.

Questa eccellente qualità mi ha colpito molto quindi cercherò di mantenerla.

Cos'hai fatto? hai preso il 1572?

Diffusori Qauli del valore di circa 1500 euro pensi che potrei combinarli per un suono più caldo e dettagliato?
Grazie mille a presto e buona giornata.

 

[Jone5]

Good news about the subwoofer thumb noise issue, a day after my last post I received a beta firmware from the technical support team to test if the issue is fixed and with short initial testing it seems to be completely gone I need to thoroughly test during the weekend, but I have high hopes.

I have to say that the NAD technical support has been very informative, timely in its responses and surprised me completely with the very fast response from the engineering/development team once they could verify the issue with the remote connection. Excellent customer service all in all, regardless of the fact whether the issue is fixed or not in a more thorough testing.

If its truly now gone, I can again say that the C399 is an excellent amplifier with respect to price, features and sound quality.

 

[Deleted member 22141]

Good news about the subwoofer thumb noise issue, a day after my last post I received a beta firmware from the technical support team to test if the issue is fixed and with short initial testing it seems to be completely gone I need to thoroughly test during the weekend, but I have high hopes.

I have to say that the NAD technical support has been very informative, timely in its responses and surprised me completely with the very fast response from the engineering/development team once they could verify the issue with the remote connection. Excellent customer service all in all, regardless of the fact whether the issue is fixed or not in a more thorough testing.

If its truly now gone, I can again say that the C399 is an excellent amplifier with respect to price, features and sound quality.

Hopefully it will resolve my issue too. Fingers crossed.

 

[Alexx]

Quindi risolti anche i vari rumori/bump quando lo accendi, lo spegni, navighi per controllare alti, bassi, selezioni le sorgenti del menu, ecc?

è risolto anche il controllo del subwoofer?

Se è così è una buona notizia, altrimenti è meglio che tenga il Rotel, credo.

 

[VintageFlanker]

NAD C399 measured at Stereo DE:

Stereo: Produkt

www.stereo.de

Decent power under 8Ω, very little headroom under 4Ω. THD is decent at 0.003% for 5W. FFT Spectrum is far from SOTA, tho.

It doesn't look like a nc252mp. In fact the power figures are very strange. So typo(s) or something new from Hypex.

What we learn however is that is not NC252 inside. To me it looks like a pair of either NC400 OEM or 500 OEM with a custom SMPS :

There are no real inside photos yet?

Up there.

 

[Jackpine]

I've got mine unboxed and slipped in the the BluOs module. Will be hooking it up later today.

 

[Deleted member 22141]

I'm running on the custom firmware now. The thumps between tracks are still there but seem fainter. The general background thumping seems to be much reduced in my apartment, so it's hard to tell for sure whether the firmware change has made much difference, but I haven't heard any regular problems since having the custom firmware in place.

 

[spyne]

So what's the general consensus on these? I'm considering replacing my electronics and this is on the shortlist.

Current system
TV + Squeezebox Touch + Sony bluray player all feeding into...
PS Audio Stellar Gaincell DAC/Pre (yes, yes, I am NOW educated on how bad this unit is), going into
PS Audio Stellar S300 (not a bad unit, but likely better to be had for similar money)

Looking to replace the PS Audio pair with an integrated like the NAD C399, Cambridge Evo150, Marantz Model 40n (any of which would also replace the squeezebox touch), or just replace the Gaincell with something like a Topping D90SE or Gustard X18.
The Squeezebox is still a trusty little thing that gives me no issues so I'm not really in a great hurry to replace it.

 

[Deleted member 22141]

You've got a perfectly decent amplifier in the S300.

My recommendation to upgrade your system would be the miniDSP SHD - gives excellent streamer, DAC, DSP + Dirac Live room correction.

The DSP/DL in the miniDSP is a step above the C399.

At some point I'm sure Amir will get one to test, I suspect it will do okay for an all-in-one, but won't match SHD + amp combo.

 

[spyne]

My recommendation to upgrade your system would be the miniDSP SHD - gives excellent streamer, DAC, DSP + Dirac Live room correction.

I did look at the SHD, but sadly it is over $2000 to get one landed here in Australia.
I've also had...uninspiring experiences with Volumio in the past, so being locked into that software for streaming gives me pause.

 

[pogo]

The DSP/DL in the miniDSP is a step above the C399

What sound advantages do you see with the SHD?
I see more disadvantages, like longer signal paths, more connectors, not per design optimized adaptation regarding gain, ...