NAD M10 Streaming Amplifier Review

[AudioScience Enthusiast]

M10 V3 with DLBC has just been announced today, so where’s the promised DLBC upgrade for V1/V2 owners?

 

[JGQC]

Dear NAD ... not hopeful but maybe it will be available later with an update? But the fact that they announce DLBC as a feature of V3 doesn't look well for V1/V2.

 

[AudioScience Enthusiast]

Dear NAD ... not hopeful but maybe it will be available later with an update? But the fact that they announce DLBC as a feature of V3 doesn't look well for V1/V2.

Totally agree. I am sending an email to NAD to confirm now and will report back.

 

[AudioScience Enthusiast]

Totally agree. I am sending an email to NAD to confirm now and will report back.

Ok, that was quick, I got a response from NAD already, maybe being an M10 V2 owner helps.

It does seems to be a template though. But at least they referred to the situation as an ‘undue delay’ instead of outright saying they’ve ‘given up.’ While it’s still frustrating, this wording offers a glimmer of hope for us. Or am I just being too optimistic and giving NAD too much credit at this point?

Dirac Live Bass Control is not available for the M10 V2. We do apologize for the undue delay regarding Dirac Live Bass Control in the M10 V2. We are currently working with DIRAC to implement their Dirac Live Bass Control into our products. They are an excellent partner and are mutually excited about our implementation. We do not have any updates to share regarding when this will be supported on the M10 V2.​

 

[JGQC]

I am surprised, I also emailed them since I had done so in the past about the same issue. I will update if I get the same answer.

 

[JoetheLion]

Ok, that was quick, I got a response from NAD already, maybe being an M10 V2 owner helps.

It does seems to be a template though. But at least they referred to the situation as an ‘undue delay’ instead of outright saying they’ve ‘given up.’ While it’s still frustrating, this wording offers a glimmer of hope for us. Or am I just being too optimistic and giving NAD too much credit at this point?

Dirac Live Bass Control is not available for the M10 V2. We do apologize for the undue delay regarding Dirac Live Bass Control in the M10 V2. We are currently working with DIRAC to implement their Dirac Live Bass Control into our products. They are an excellent partner and are mutually excited about our implementation. We do not have any updates to share regarding when this will be supported on the M10 V2.​

We have already been put off with such statements for years with several devices from NAD. I have therefore now sold all of mine (C 658, T 778, M10 V2).
Apparently other companies (D/M) have a better connection to Dirac.

 

[JGQC]

We have already been put off with such statements for years with several devices from NAD. I have therefore now sold all of mine (C 658, T 778, M10 V2).
Apparently other companies (D/M) have a better connection to Dirac.

I agree, but it's the first time lately that I see them a bit more forward about it. But yeah, not holding my breath.

 

[SIY]

It's a pity, but I suspect that there might have to be a hardware change to accommodate the new firmware. It's not enough to make me want to trade in my M10 v1, which has worked exceptionally well and continues to do so.

 

[pogo]

I suspect that there might have to be a hardware change to accommodate the new firmware.

On what technical facts is this assumption based?

 

[SIY]

On what technical facts is this assumption based?

"Suspect." Words matter. Commercially, if it were just a firmware update, there's no marginal cost involved to them to include older gear. They didn't, so...

 

[AudioScience Enthusiast]

NAD hasn’t outright stated they have given up though, based on the response I received and posted above.

Unless they are just stringing us along to produce more bad taste in our mouth. Maybe someone with more experience with NAD could provide more insights.

 

[pogo]

Dirac's current goal seems to be a two-license system. Only DL full bandwidth and DLART will be offered in the future.
Until recently, there were often phase errors in DL calibration and it is not clear whether this bug has now been 100% fixed. This has probably also led to the return of licenses for D&M devices. This could also be one of the reasons for the delay. The DL calibration is currently being revised.

 

[AudioScience Enthusiast]

Dirac's current goal seems to be a two-license system. Only DL full bandwidth and DLART will be offered in the future.
Until recently, there were often phase errors in DL calibration and it is not clear whether this bug has now been 100% fixed. This has probably also led to the return of licenses for D&M devices. This could also be one of the reasons for the delay. The DL calibration is currently being revised.

If this means my M10 V2 will skip DLBC and go straight to DLART, I will take it!

But does V2 has the hardware to process DLART?

 

[AudioScience Enthusiast]

I don't usually do this, but I'm feeling so frustrated that I've drafted another email to NAD today. Feel free to use my text below as a template and customize it. The important thing is to send it to NAD to make our frustrations heard and put pressure on them to take action, rather than allowing them to placate frustrated customers with vague assurances or minimal information⁠ for years now.

Thank you for your reply regarding my inquiry about Dirac Live Bass Control on the NAD M10 V2. I appreciate you taking the time to respond.

I must express my deep disappointment that DLBC is still unavailable for the NAD M10 V2. Having purchased this product based on NAD's promise to implement DLBC, I find the extended delay particularly frustrating. Several years have passed since that initial commitment, and many owners—myself included—feel let down, as evidenced by numerous posts on leading forums.

While I understand that NAD is working hard with DIRAC to implement DLBC into your products, simply asking us to check your social media channels for updates is not sufficient. Many other owners on various forums are sharing this sentiment about the delay. We need more concrete information and a clearer timeline.

I respectfully request that NAD provide more substantive updates on the progress of DLBC implementation for the M10 V2. Perhaps you could even pleasantly surprise us by revealing that you're working on DLART for the M10 V2, bypassing DLBC altogether. In any case, a rough timeline or a more detailed explanation of the challenges you're facing would go a long way in maintaining customer trust and patience. Your loyal customers deserve more than just being directed to social media channels for potential news.

I hope you can understand our position and provide more transparency on this matter. I remain hopeful for a positive reply from you soon.

 

[JGQC]

Ok got an answer from NAD, it will never come. At least we know now.

Dear xxxxxx,

When a new version of a product is released it is often the case that internal hardware updates were implemented.

One of the reasons for releasing the M10 V3 was in order to offer DLBC. This requires upgraded internal components.

Unfortunately due to its processor limitations DLBC would not run properly on the M10V2

 

[AudioScience Enthusiast]

Ok got an answer from NAD, it will never come. At least we know now.

If this email is confirmed to be the true stance of NAD, then basically they have been stringing us along all these years with vague assurances meant to mislead and assuage backlash, which is classic behavior of bad faith.

If I had the technical skills, I would start a petition/website to expose this, so they will exactly get what they deserve from the lack of transparency all this time.

 

[JGQC]

I can assure you it’s real and coming from them.

 

[AudioScience Enthusiast]

I can assure you it’s real and coming from them.

Don’t get me wrong I don’t doubt the message you received. But there’s no double confirmation yet and it might have been a message from their junior or entry level support which may not be uto by date with the work of the development team. Hard to say.

I will see how they respond to my message once they do.

 

[katsu]

Here is the response I got from NAD support:

"Thanks for contacting the NAD Electronics Support Crew. As the subwoofer ports on the M10/M10v2 are in parallel they can not be managed independently using Dirac Live Bass Control, therefore unfortunately support for this will not be coming. Currently the only NAD product able to upgrade to Dirac Live Bass Control is the M66 (and of course the upcoming M10v3)"

In terms of the relevant law, I would suggest NAD has made false or misleading representations. Given NAD is Canadian the law is described here; But all countries where NAD sells this product will have similar law.

One relevant misrepresentation, at least in terms of V1, is here

"For more difficult rooms or systems using multiple subwoofers there will be optional enhancements that can be purchased by the customer directly from Dirac."

I couldn't see any other statements.

 

[AlfaHolic]

In NAD’s July 20, 2020 press release for the M33 under the heading “Dirac Live Room Correction on Board”, NAD stated: “The M33 also supports Dirac’s advanced ‘Bass Control’ feature with two independent subwoofer outputs.*” The footnoted material says “*Some features will be available via a future software update.”

When I purchased my M33, I understood that language to mean that NAD would make DLBC available through a firmware update and I suspect other purchasers did as well. And there is no way that language can be reconciled with NAD’s current position that only the M66 and v.3 of the M10 can be upgraded to DLBC.