M33 First Impressions Review
I've now had the M33 for two weeks and would like to provide an update on the experience. Usually, after a week of use, the sheen wears off for any shiny new toy and the reality sets in. Fortunately, the affinity for the M33 has only grown over the last two weeks.
Remote Control
As noted in the review, the remote control that came with my unit had terrible range and it seemed to get hot. It eventually ate through two sets of batteries in two nights, so I contacted NAD. They asked me to send it back and they sent out a new replacement right away.
The new remote control stays cool now and batteries last. The build quality also seems much better than the first one I got; the bottom cover no longer rattles. It's amazing how a small thing like eliminating a rattle can make something seem so much better quality.
Unfortunately, the range is still not that great for my use, but I now realize this is by design. NAD designed the remote control so that you can hold it at an angle to read the key labels while pressing the buttons. The IR transmitter is angled down rather than flat on the front.
Dirac Live
It took a while to get Dirac Live sorted out to my liking. There were a few times that I followed everything exactly as required, but the imaging ended up being slightly off centre. I found the most consistent results came from using the uMic pointing up with the 90d calibration file, or by using the supplied microphone from NAD which also points up.
With Dirac Live setup, as most people find, the bass was a bit lacking, or perhaps the more appropriate statement should be, that I have become too accustomed to excess bass and was missing some of it. I found an excellent resource online at
https://mehlau.net/audio/dirac-live-2/
The author there provides excellent how-to to setup Dirac Live, and also went to the trouble of putting online target Harman Curves. I found the +8db curve to work very well in my room. It provides enough bass to satisfy that need while not bloating it. For when I want something more conservative, I use the NAD Curve available from
NAD Curve (<500Hz) or
NAD Curve (Full Frequency).
Conclusion
This is a remarkable amplifier that does pretty much everything I wanted and more. The real test of any good electronic device is if it gets used. Since getting the M33, I find myself using it much more than the 390DD because it has a super high convenience factor. I tell Siri to play some music in the living room and music plays.
The sound quality was expected to be good considering it uses Purify modules, but what really surprised me is the impact of Dirac Live. When you take Purify and add Dirac Live, the outcome is really tangible. The imaging is spooky good and my humble Monitor Audio Silver 6's have never sounded or imaged this well before.
All in all, I'm very happy with the purchase and feel it may even be a bit of a bargain, or at least good value for the money.