I'm assuming this performance will hold true for the M33 all in one box and the cheaper C298 power amp. Guess that solves my NAD v Benchmark conundrum.
This is the main reason I come here. Not for the Class AB trash talk, but because marketing departments shouldn't claim (or hint at) what they can't deliver.
We may know a bit more soon when amir pulls the top off, but I'm a bit puzzled by the assumption that a 7 channel amp should perform exactly like the "reference design" or any stereo amp. I know that the test is made with two channel driven, but still, all amps are on and biased. The review holds it's power with multiple channels, this is good, but can we really blame everything on the 2 dB extra Gain, as As
@amirm said or to the fact that "they sacrificed noise and distortion for a few more watts" as
@voodooless said? the "reference" power supply (or supplies) can't work for these 7 channels, nor the one in the Benchmark. It's a different amp not only for the input buffer, but also for power distribution, and for the power supply itself. We cannot draw conclusions that a 2 channel version would measure the same. As there should be a small but measurable difference between a mono block and a stereo amp using the same module, and yes, buffer gain change too, but it's my belief that overall performance, it's the sum of little things, not a single thing that we can so easily pinpoint and draw conclusion. It's the whole design.