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NAD M10 Streaming Amplifier Review

iLoveCats

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So, my NAD M10 fried while listening :) Maybe the protection circuit and/or heat protection were not so effective after all.
Wow. How much do you use the unit? Mine is also ~2 years old and it's on the main viewing tv and used heavily.
 

SIY

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Wow. How much do you use the unit? Mine is also ~2 years old and it's on the main viewing tv and used heavily.
Ditto. Mine is in my main system and is used for several hours a day. Zero issues.
 

Sal1950

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Not used daily, but occasionally used for loud listening as was the case during the failure.
Bummer,
What speakers were they driving?
 
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Sal1950

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Triangle Signature Delta's, highpass at 80 Hz was active.
With these specs they don't appear to be too bad a load,
Fairly easy actually.
Sorry about that amp, good luck.
Sensitivity (dB/W/m): 92
Minimum impedance: 3,2
Nominal impedance: 8
 

mr-audio

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Hi everyone. New here. Here is my M10 V2 review after about a week.

BTW my original NAD 3045, almost 40 yo, purchased while in college, is still going strong.

I also have a Yamaha R-N803 streaming receiver and Klipsch Forte IIIs, Klipsch RP5000s, JBL ES80s
  • Pro
    • NAD Sound Quality: separation, detail, dynamics all very good (I won't belabor this cause there is enough subjective testing in online reviews) (Note: I have not tried Dirac and probably won't use)
    • Streaming features, Display, BluOs. The M10 ‘Future-Fi’ packaging is Industry leader right now
    • BluOS worked well and I liked the layout
    • Radio Paradise a nice built in service to start fast,
    • BluOS presets nicely shown on M10 preset display
    • Basic startup/BluOS,/Network was flawless
    • Streaming setup Tidal, Tunein, Amazon was flawless
    • Alexa voice control works too (not yet default) have to 'ask Blue Voice…’
  • Con
    • At loud levels the high mid range may seem too loud and fatiguing...need more testing
    • I’ll rarely use the touchscreen so paying for something I may not use
    • No phono input for a turntable (so rules it our for my basement system)
    • VU meters are input only so no us to indicate power amp performance…(btw my old NAD has nice VU Meters that still work!)
    • BluOS can like so many apps, be finicky or confusing at times, but thats not the NAD M10 fault really
    • Price is pretty stiff considering a Yamaha R-N803 has same power/streaming for 1/4 the cost
    • No Pandora. NAD blames BlusOs, who blames Pandora APIs. But really, no excuse
  • Tips/Cautions
    • NAD Support is not great-Support site is abysmal to search makes it very difficult to find if existing Q/A exists, you cant even search for a simple string like “M10 V2”. Submitting a question even for basic ops can take a couple days for their overseas team to answer. The online manual is very light, so a lot of questions are answered only by trial and error.No NAD sponsored M10 V2 owner forum
    • Tidal Connect support is ???
  • Bottom line
    • I like it but deciding if the 'value' is worth it considering the price
(Additional info after critically testing using my Forte IIIs)
  • Well I have to say the M10 does *not* sound any better than the Yamaha 803 when driving the Forte IIIs.
    • It sounds about as good and maybe there is a very slightly greater separation
    • But on the other hand the Yamaha sounds slightly smoother in a few places, esp at high volumes
    • But this is using extremely critical A/B listening...practically speaking in normal listening I cant say I could tell one over the other
  • So
    • Is the NAD M10 V2 a great package with great sound? YES
    • Is it worth >$2100 premium just for the display, smaller size, and a few other features? I would say NO
    • Will I keep it or return it? odds are on returning it frankly
 

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mr-audio

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An update on my M10 V2....I returned it and will work with other options. Rationale below:
  • The sound was not that much better than any of the existing systems I have.
  • The touchscreen display is really not that compelling due to its programming (its physical look/resolution/crispness/responsiveness is great)
    • Only support 8 presets
    • Does not allow you to access BluOS favorites
    • The VU meters are not Amp based...so just a gimmick (I mean really, who needs VU meters for input signal?)
    • The display usage is pretty basic (presets/inputs/settings, plus the 'while playing' displays)
  • The Cost is just hard to swallow given the above
 

Flak

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An update on my M10 V2....I returned it and will work with other options. Rationale below:
  • The sound was not that much better than any of the existing systems I have.
  • The touchscreen display is really not that compelling due to its programming (its physical look/resolution/crispness/responsiveness is great)
    • Only support 8 presets
    • Does not allow you to access BluOS favorites
    • The VU meters are not Amp based...so just a gimmick (I mean really, who needs VU meters for input signal?)
    • The display usage is pretty basic (presets/inputs/settings, plus the 'while playing' displays)
  • The Cost is just hard to swallow given the above
Unfortunate (from my point of view) that you didn't have the time/opportunity of using Dirac Live... I'd expect that it would have improved the weak aspects of the Forte IIIs and I was interested in your comments as I'm thinking of the Forte IVs :)
 

VSMI

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Hi all,

I am considering replacing my Hegel H120 + Squezebox Touch (running Roon) with M10 V2, primarily to address room acoustic issues and also future proofing and convenience. Can M10 be controlled by my Logitech IR remote?
 

Sal1950

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Unfortunate (from my point of view) that you didn't have the time/opportunity of using Dirac Live...
+1
A good part of the M10 V2 price is the inclusion of the excellent DIRAC Live DRC software.
I think you may have missed out of the whipped cream and cherry-on-top for tweaking the SQ.
YMMV
 

mr-audio

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OK an update on my review (and return) of the M10 V2.

I ended up rebuying the M10 V2 and am quite happy now. Why? in a word, the user experience after some adjustments. Reasons below...

  • I really missed the BluOS software. Especially the Windows app. I can work on my Windows 11 computer (also works on Mac) and surfy my multiple sources using BluOS. Really like that, and that it stays in sync with other instances on my phone or on the M10 of course, so it a nice advantage in my opinion, for NAD or any BluOS managed audio gear.
  • I moved the M10 onto a new leather desk (I just made) and so its within visual and arm's reach. Makes the display and the touchcreen worth it. Makes my new desk and even nicer control center (speakers are behind me at other end of the office).
  • Honestly, I decided you only live once so go ahead and splurge on the money. I can't justify the value based on the sound, because while great, its really no better than the Yamaha 803 at 1/4 the cost. (although like many have pointed out, I have not used DIRAC yet). C700 seems a much better value but I decide to splurge for the larger screen and slightly better internals in the M10 v2
1638283292927.png
 

Sal1950

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Jone5

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With these specs they don't appear to be too bad a load,
Fairly easy actually.
Sorry about that amp, good luck.
Sensitivity (dB/W/m): 92
Minimum impedance: 3,2
Nominal impedance: 8
To follow up: After the insurance claim went through, I opened the unit just to see what went wrong. As you can see from the attached picture a capacitor (?) on the hypex module around SMPS has melted and probably shortcircuited? I did not see any other visible damage other than overall hazy coating on all components nearby. Hard to say what has happened, the packaging is quite tight and possibly the power supply components can heat up faster that expected on some OEM casing/design. Presumably the temperature sensors are somewhere else on the board, near transistors and cannot of course measure and counteract overheating of other components.

Unfortunately, hypex does not sell the nc252mp module to individuals so just changing the amp module to fix the unit is not possible.

BDBE319F-7003-45DF-816D-95D92D330B35.jpeg
 

EJ3

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Not selling the hypex does not sell the nc252mp module to individuals so just changing the amp module to fix the unit is not possible. It is ABSOLUTLY shameful. (But possibly due to some stupid liability laws that some individuals in our society have created for us?).
 

Sal1950

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Unfortunately, hypex does not sell the nc252mp module to individuals so just changing the amp module to fix the unit is not possible.
That sucks, what are you supposed to do now, just eat the cost? :(
 

Prolix

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So I just jumped right in and picked up a V2 for my living room. This is a shared use situation and it needs to be simple and "just work." I'm happy with how the thing functions except for one annoyance I can't figure out. If I'm listening to the tv through ARC and want to switch to Spotify, all I have to do is hit play and the unit automatically switches inputs and plays music. Great. HOWEVER, If I'm streaming Spotify and turn on the TV, the input does not automatically switch to ARC. I have to hit a button on the remote to switch the input back. This means I have to keep the remote around all the time, and I sold this to my wife as a no additional remote situation. Is there a way to get it to switch inputs back to ARC automatically? The included documentation is virtually useless.
 

MusicScience

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So I just jumped right in and picked up a V2 for my living room. This is a shared use situation and it needs to be simple and "just work." I'm happy with how the thing functions except for one annoyance I can't figure out. If I'm listening to the tv through ARC and want to switch to Spotify, all I have to do is hit play and the unit automatically switches inputs and plays music. Great. HOWEVER, If I'm streaming Spotify and turn on the TV, the input does not automatically switch to ARC. I have to hit a button on the remote to switch the input back. This means I have to keep the remote around all the time, and I sold this to my wife as a no additional remote situation. Is there a way to get it to switch inputs back to ARC automatically? The included documentation is virtually useless.
Only network input can auto switch the source, multi source streaming device such as devialet, dCS DAC, behave the same.
 
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