Yup. And yet the subs make noise. Perhaps it needs a reboot.
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NAD M66 - finally someone makes a decent 2-channel preamp!
- Thread starter jhaider
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I think you need to assume the second of these, and act accordingly - returning the unit if this is a dealbreaker.
You cannot expect they will implement this in an update until they actually have.
Not so. There is an unswitched link from the analog sources (just before the analog VC) and the input to the gaintrim, buffer and ADC. From there, the BluOS module feeds the subwoofer DACs directly.
Nocko!
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I think you are right:
The hardware seems at least sufficient, the sound with DLBC is really great, but the firmware and software is a disaster. I am talking to the international NAD support for weeks now but all I hear is "BluOS-Blabla". At the moment I can't even switch the device on or off with the remote control . For this I would have to activate the "15 minute standby", which is completely unacceptable.
With the M66 you get a preamplifier with a mandatory Bluesound node in front of it. That's pretty poor and unfortunately completely ruins the concept. And I definitely mean everyday use here and not my special interest in home integration.
You have to have very modest expectations or little experience with good equipment if you are uncritically satisfied with the device.
At the moment I can only recommend that everyone stays away from the M66.
Despite everything, I'll probably keep mine because I'm extremely happy with the sound and it fits perfectly with my system with two full-range speakers and two pretty decent active subwoofers. But this is not thanks to NAD, but to Dirac (although there a some questions, too...).
If anyone knows of a comparable device that you can buy in Europe - bring it on.
For all of you who like a great preamp with professional options and reliability - look somewhere else.
Nocko!
P.S.: I saw that there were some questions above about latency and subwoofer control. Unfortunately, I won't be able to work on the M66 again until the weekend at the earliest. If you still have any questions by then, just ask again.
Nocko!
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If I think about it, I might give it a quick try this weekend.
But that would mean that in addition to the digital crossover, there is an analog crossover that is activated in “analog direct mode”. And this analog crossover can be controlled with the BluOS app?
I don't really believe that...
Nocko!
pogo
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DSPeaker Anti-Mode X4 might tick a lot of boxes?
Perhaps relevant but certainly not comparable.
Nocko!
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Thanks MingChops, nice device!
But I was obviously not really precise: I am searching for a stereo preamp with DLBC. I think I am a Dirac fanboy...
I was already thinking about a Stormaudio preamp for a 5.2 system.
Nocko!
I'd be keen to here why you think they are not comparable? For me the M66 and the X4 are on my cross shop list (but no decision will be made however until Primare release their new 2ch line up, probably next year).
As 2ch preamps with room correction and 4 sub outs however, they seem comparable? - is there something I'm missing?
I don't consider the integration of BluOS to be of much relevance here, and in fact decoupling the streaming side could well be argued to be a better approach anyway, as you can very easily change external streamers to keep up to date with the latest standards and services etc.
I quite like BluOS myself and I have a Node, so that could easily be sat in front of an X4, but for now I'm using LMS and the Node is unused, but that's what's nice about not having paid for an integrated streamer essentially.
pogo
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DLBC and DLART are the gamechangers
pogo
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I installed the unofficial BluOS NAD Remote App from CRW Solutions on my iPad (source code on github).
You can even switch off the M33 with it
And a myriad of i/o.DLBC and DLART are the gamechangers
Nocko!
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Off topic:
Very interesting: How can you stand the poor BluOS when you know LMS? I can only guess that you prefer streaming services like Spotify & Co, which might be easier to integrate with BluOS. But with well managed / tagged FLACs BluOS seems totally crappy to me. No lyrics, nearly no way to edit Playlists, no large covers, no plug-ins, nothing like the great "Material Skin". Apparently there isn't even a way to control BluOS via a web interface. I may be wrong on some points, but the hype surrounding BluOS is completely incomprehensible to me. The only advantage I see is that you don't need a computer or NAS to run the server.
Sorry, didn't mean to start a "religious war".
Nocko!
Nocko!
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Hello Pogo,You can even switch off the M33 with it
I recognize your black humor
...for me the app is desperately trying to connect to the M66 via Telnet /TCP/IP. So I can watch as an app rubs salt into my still open wound...
Nocko!
On paper they would be my preference too, but the only thing that matters is how they perform and what the finished result (validated in REW) is.DLBC and DLART are the gamechangers
I like both in vaguely equal measures I think. There's nothing poor about BluOS I think, I've been using it since the Node 2i so that's about 4-5 years I guess. I've found it wonderfully stable and has always been a nice experience to use.
By contrast, LMS looks just that little bit worse (I use Material skin like most, but it's still not as pretty), occasionally is a bit finnicky with updates (sometimes platform related), but of course is massively more powerful with the open plugin architecture. I feel with SqueezeDSP now that was the game changer and why I went back to LMS. I've used LMS since Touches were new, so must be 14ish years now?
Neither are my favourite, per se. I enjoy both very much, and I would recommend either depending mostly on a users IT skills (or lack of).
I listen to 95% local FLAC. My tagging is perfect and both LMS and BluOS operate and manage mostly identically - LMS has the addition of EP's as a category which is nice.
The last 5% is Deezer, HiFi tier. For which there is now a community plugin for. It's decent (and amazing considering this is developed for free!), but I would hand the Deezer integration to BluOS. Though this is mostly down to the fact that the Deezer and SqueezeDSP plugins don't mix well, it means you can't pause (or scrub), which is mildly annoying.
In an ideal world though, and something I may do, is move to Tidal - because IMO no one does a streaming integration better than the vendors own app can do it, and so Tidal Connect is probably the way to go (now they have ditched MQA).
Exactly, what matters is the end result. The technology is merely a means in which to get there.
I wouldn't rule out a Dirac based product, on paper as mentioned I believe it probably appears my preferred route, and a manufacture like Primare I believe will be a bit more consistent and reliable with their product and the integration of Dirac, than others!!
- As there certainly seems more scope to have a poor experience with Dirac, be it a manufactures doing via bugs in the integration, or user error in calibration process. However Dirac itself does seem to me to be a very good solution for the actual correction processing.This feels as a conversation very akin to which standalone ecu is best, and the reality of that is very much more down to how familiar your tuner is with a specific ecu!
