NAD M23 Stereo Amplifier Review

[XaVierDK]

NAD needs to learn from designers from topping. Not worth the money for that level of sinad.

You would never in a million years hear the difference and this design has substantially more power and much higher level construction

 

[Spkrdctr]

Surely all that information is provided on the NAD Web site. Do we really need to add work to Amir’s plate for providing information that is readily available elsewhere?

Someone had to say it!

Adam, are you saying Google is your friend?

 

[Mart68]

Agreed, except for price which has been subjected to a huge markup for pretty cosmetics and the “Master Series” name. Knowing NAD, they will release an almost-identical version of the amp in a plainer box and charge half the price in their regular “black box” series.

Be interesting to see if they do. Certainly I'd forgo the fancy case to save a grand and a half.

But in terms of the current market its in about the right range. In UK it's £100 cheaper than a Benchmark AHB2.

Now if they were asking ten grand then I'd just laugh. No stereo amplifier needs to be that expensive.

 

[PeteL]

Cool excellent however the lower tier c298 actually has variable input sensitivity.
Amp should at least have some gain settings imho , this totl product omits that feature ?

My guess is that they want their statement trophy product to measure as SOTA as can be. Any pot will hurt channel balance and noise a bit. Whether it matters, is really up to any. They probably also expect you to buy their matching Pre.

 

[Mnyb]

My guess is that they want their statement trophy product to measure as SOTA as can be. Any pot will hurt channel balance and noise a bit. Whether it matters, is really up to any. They probably also expect you to buy their matching Pre.

Hopefully the pre actually match it’s not unknown to have to much gain everywhere ?

 

[Billy Budapest]

Really, NAD seems to be the only mainstream manufacturer with a robust dealer network and service infrastructure to incorporate Purifi modules—so if that kind of support is important to you, they are the only game in town. And you pay for that.

That being said, NAD has a less-than-spectacular reputation for reliability. I say that as someone who has owned a large variety of NAD products since the early 90’s (and currently have an NAD receiver which has been trouble free for 10 years).

 

[Music1969]

@amirm

Many CLass D amps in the past you show switching frequency - why not this time ?

 

[leManu]

And it probably and hopefully will have much longer and better parts support and service, plus it won't have a newer and "better" successor every half year making it losing its re-sale value drastically.

I'm trying to sell an almost brand new Hypex Nilai500 with no luck. The resale value for those class D amp is pretty bad. Maybe a Nad with brand name recognition will give a bit more of it, but I wouldn't expect much.

 

[PeteL]

Hopefully the pre actually match it’s not unknown to have to much gain everywhere ?

Sorry I am not sure what you mean by "not unknown to have too much gain everywhere"?

 

[SuicideSquid]

NAD needs to learn from designers from topping. Not worth the money for that level of sinad.

It's comments like this that people on other forums zero in on when slagging ASR and its members.

SINAD is not the only thing that matters. Power output is massive, build quality looks to be top notch, and as others have noted, NAD has a long track record of supporting its products.

Is extra power, build quality, and support worth $1,500-$2,000 more than a Topping amp? That's up to each individual buyer, but to suggest it's bad because a less-expensive amp has a better SINAD measurement, especially when this amp is audibly perfect, is just silly.

 

[Blockader]

So what’s the point of rejoicing when toppings dacs are having 120db. In 2023, everything should have 120db min as a standard

Because SINAD of an amp does not matter, if it doesn't have enough power. The highest priority challenge in class D design is to maximize efficiency and power while making class D amps capable of driving very low impedance loads. Max power output should not be sacrificed for the distortion that you won't hear. Purifi is providing great class D solutions to the market and If Topping can make a 1000W into 1 ohm amp with 110db SINAD (which 1ET7040A is capable of) we can rejoice that too.

Btw Purifi is going to launch 1ET9040BA which is going to be capable of pushing 1500W into 2 ohms.

 

[SuicideSquid]

Because SINAD of an amp does not matter, if it doesn't have enough power. The highest priority challenge in class D design is to maximize efficiency and power while making class D amps capable of driving very low impedance loads. Max power output should not be sacrificed for the distortion that you won't hear. Purifi is providing great class D solutions to the market and If Topping can make a 1000W into 1 ohm amp with 110db SINAD (which 1ET7040A is capable of) we can rejoice that too.

Btw Purifi is going to launch 1ET9040BA which is going to be capable of pushing 1500W into 2 ohms.

Also, because once you get over 95-100 SINAD in an amp, you're well beyond "audible difference" territory and into "engineering bragging rights" territory. You're WAY better off with an amp that has a SINAD of 101 that has the features, power output, and build quality you need, rather than an amp with 120dB SINAD that doesn't meet your needs in other respects.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

I'm trying to sell an almost brand new Hypex Nilai500 with no luck. The resale value for those class D amp is pretty bad. Maybe a Nad with brand name recognition will give a bit more of it, but I wouldn't expect much.

Dunno. I sold my M28 with ease. Keeping my C298s.

 

[Ornette]

Cool excellent however the lower tier c298 actually has variable input sensitivity.
Amp should at least have some gain settings imho , this totl product omits that feature ?

The M23 does have a 3-position gain switch. Stereo mode: 19dB (low), 23.9dB (mid), 29.2 (high).

 

[Verig]

I'm trying to sell an almost brand new Hypex Nilai500 with no luck. The resale value for those class D amp is pretty bad. Maybe a Nad with brand name recognition will give a bit more of it, but I wouldn't expect much.

Sure, recognized hifi brands sell well and Masters series goes into "I want one... but cheaper" category for many. No problem at all.

 

[pma]

So far our tests have been with resistive loads of 4 and 8 ohm. Let's add reactive (capacitive/inductive) load into the equation including going down to 2 ohms:

They made excellent job with their power supply.

 

[amirm]

The M23 does have a 3-position gain switch. Stereo mode: 19dB (low), 23.9dB (mid), 29.2 (high).

Ah, my bad for missing that....

 

[JDS]

And it probably and hopefully will have much longer and better parts support and service, plus it won't have a newer and "better" successor every half year making it losing its re-sale value drastically.

Or not. I have been very unhappy with the service support from NAD re: my T758v3 AVR. I certainly would not weigh NAD's brand equity as a point in their favor at this point.

Maybe they still do things right on their 2-channel products. As far as I can tell, with their AVRs, not so much.

 

[AdamG]

Ah, my bad for missing that....

Based on the picture in your 1st post. Looks like gain is set to High. Is that the gain used in tests?

 

[mdsimon2]

I'm trying to sell an almost brand new Hypex Nilai500 with no luck. The resale value for those class D amp is pretty bad. Maybe a Nad with brand name recognition will give a bit more of it, but I wouldn't expect much.

You are selling a DIY product at full retail price, that is always going to be a tough sell. Certainly not comparable to trying to sell a commercial offering at a reasonably reduced price a few years down the line.

Michael