NAD M66 - finally someone makes a decent 2-channel preamp!

[Hear Here]

BluOS 4.14.9 available

• Save a preset from the Now Playing Screen
• Enhanced DIRAC Bass Control crossover settings on NAD M66
• DIRAC Live Room Correction for M33v2
• Tone controls added to PULSE CINEMA and PULSE CINEMA MINI
• Backup and Restore Playlists
• New BluOS Radio Service
• Playlists are now sorted in alphabetical order
• Simple AV Listening Modes added to the POWERNODE N33

Do you think that it is better to take new mesaurements?

Thanks for this summary. I'm not sure what you mean by your second point. I have long been hoping that BluOS would allow different (or no) XOs for Main speakers vs Subs.

When will NAD allow owners with full-range main speakers to use them to their full potential? As soon as I tell BluOS there's a sub present, it INSISTS on an XO being given and this applies to the main speakers, even though (in my case) my mains have twin 12" drivers so shouldn't be nobbled by NAD.

 

[sharock]

Dirac Live ART is never coming to the M66 is it?

 

[AlfaHolic]

Dirac Live ART is never coming to the M66 is it?

It will arrive the same day that DLBC arrives for the M33 ver.1.

 

[Mike-48]

>> Enhanced DIRAC Bass Control crossover settings on NAD M66 <<

Has anyone figured out what that means in practice? I am using an M66, and when I set up a calibration using the new release, I didn't see anything about DLBC crossover settings that was different, never mind "enhanced." Is it something behind the scenes?

 

[Stefano]

>> Enhanced DIRAC Bass Control crossover settings on NAD M66 <<

Has anyone figured out what that means in practice? I am using an M66, and when I set up a calibration using the new release, I didn't see anything about DLBC crossover settings that was different, never mind "enhanced." Is it something behind the scenes?

no i'm looking for informations, maybe is better to ask to support team, don't know if this update needs new measurements.

 

[Stefano]

This is the repy from Support team.

(BluOS)

Feb 26, 2026, 11:54 AM EST

Hello xxxx

Thank you for contacting The BluOS Support Crew.

Yes, its a good idea to redo the measurements after the update.

Currently, we don’t have a timeline or estimate for when Dirac Live ART will be available for the M66.

What I can assure you is that our engineering and QA teams are actively working on this, and it remains a priority for us. As soon as we have a reliable schedule or any meaningful update to share, we will communicate it promptly.

In the meantime, I encourage you to sign up for the NAD Newsletter to stay informed about the latest news and updates.

I'lll mark it as Solved for now.

 

[sharock]

This is the repy from Support team.

(BluOS)

Feb 26, 2026, 11:54 AM EST

Hello xxxx

Thank you for contacting The BluOS Support Crew.

Yes, its a good idea to redo the measurements after the update.

Currently, we don’t have a timeline or estimate for when Dirac Live ART will be available for the M66.

What I can assure you is that our engineering and QA teams are actively working on this, and it remains a priority for us. As soon as we have a reliable schedule or any meaningful update to share, we will communicate it promptly.

In the meantime, I encourage you to sign up for the NAD Newsletter to stay informed about the latest news and updates.

I'lll mark it as Solved for now.

No timeline = never.

Just like when DLBC was supposed to be added to the C658.

 

[Descartes]

No timeline = never.

Just like when DLBC was supposed to be added to the C658.

Unfortunately typical, same with Anthem AVM90 and DTS:X Pro never released

 

[danielsmi]

Firmware 4.14.9 includes also Auto Sense for HDMI ARC input. Interesting that they did not care to list that in the release log…. Took pretty long time

OMG OMG OMG OMG this is the one basic feature I've been begging for! And they don't even list it! I wouldn't have known if I hadn't gone back to the previous page to read your post!

Ok it works pretty well. If I turn on my AppleTV it now turns on my TV and my M66 which then turns on my M23 via trigger, and if I play music or a video the sound comes out right away! OMG this is so basic but so nice to have. This has been the most annoying thing about the M66 for me, constantly battling the audio source and having the HDMI source selected but audio still not coming out of it until I press enter.


Only downside is that the M66 doesn't turn off when I turn off my AppleTV, which I guess I'm ok with because I do sometimes watch videos through AppleTV then switch to listening to audio through Tidal Connect and then turn off my AppleTV so I wouldn't want that to turn off my M66 in that case. But if I haven't switched to a different audio source then I think turning off the AppleTV should also turn off my M66.

 

[danielsmi]

HDMI auto sense makes my system so much easier to use. It's been kinda embarassing for a while now. Multiple times family members have tried to use my system to watch a movie or whatever and I have to be there to figure out how to get the sound to play out of the M66. If I'm not home then they basically can't figure it out on their own.

This is a huge usability improvement.

 

[Melting735]

Hi everyone. I recently got an NAD M66 (latest firmware) to replace my Anthem AVM70 since I’m now running a 2.2 setup. Overall I like it, but I’m having some issues with HDMI ARC, auto standby, and CEC behavior.

My setup:

• Samsung TV (UN98DU9000)
• HDMI ARC with CEC enabled
• Roon via Ethernet
• HDMI auto-sense ON
• Auto standby ON

The problem is that standby and wake are not reliable. Sometimes the M66 doesn’t go into standby, and sometimes it does, but the TV can’t wake it up.

Here are the behaviors I observed:

1. If I turn off the TV, the M66 goes into standby after about 15 minutes, but BluOS still shows HDMI ARC as “playing” (timer running, Photo 1). When I turn the TV back on, the M66 does not wake up.
2. If I turn off the TV and manually turn off the M66, HDMI ARC shows as paused (Photo 2). Then when I turn the TV back on, the M66 wakes up correctly.
3. If I turn off the TV and switch the M66 to another input (without playing anything), it goes into standby normally, and the TV can wake it up again.
4. If I turn off the TV and manually pause HDMI ARC in BluOS, the M66 never goes into standby at all, no matter how long I wait. I eventually tried turn it to standby manually, but standby button failed to work and remote power button stopped working too. Unplug power and retart won't help. Everything back to normal after factory reset, but I don't want to try this again. WOW!

It seems like the M66 is still detecting HDMI ARC as an active stream even when the TV is off, so the session never properly ends. I don’t think it’s a TV issue because the same TV works perfectly with my AVM70, Apple TV, Xbox, etc.

Has anyone else seen this behavior with the M66 or other BluOS devices? Is this expected or a firmware issue? Any workaround? Right now my workaround is to manually turn off the M66 or switch inputs before turning off the TV, but that’s not ideal for other family members.

Thanks!

 

[vddobrev]

Hi everyone. I recently got an NAD M66 (latest firmware) to replace my Anthem AVM70 since I’m now running a 2.2 setup. Overall I like it, but I’m having some issues with HDMI ARC, auto standby, and CEC behavior.

My setup:

• Samsung TV (UN98DU9000)
• HDMI ARC with CEC enabled
• Roon via Ethernet
• HDMI auto-sense ON
• Auto standby ON

The problem is that standby and wake are not reliable. Sometimes the M66 doesn’t go into standby, and sometimes it does, but the TV can’t wake it up.

Here are the behaviors I observed:

1. If I turn off the TV, the M66 goes into standby after about 15 minutes, but BluOS still shows HDMI ARC as “playing” (timer running, Photo 1). When I turn the TV back on, the M66 does not wake up.
2. If I turn off the TV and manually turn off the M66, HDMI ARC shows as paused (Photo 2). Then when I turn the TV back on, the M66 wakes up correctly.
3. If I turn off the TV and switch the M66 to another input (without playing anything), it goes into standby normally, and the TV can wake it up again.
4. If I turn off the TV and manually pause HDMI ARC in BluOS, the M66 never goes into standby at all, no matter how long I wait. I eventually tried turn it to standby manually, but standby button failed to work and remote power button stopped working too. Unplug power and retart won't help. Everything back to normal after factory reset, but I don't want to try this again. WOW!

It seems like the M66 is still detecting HDMI ARC as an active stream even when the TV is off, so the session never properly ends. I don’t think it’s a TV issue because the same TV works perfectly with my AVM70, Apple TV, Xbox, etc.

Has anyone else seen this behavior with the M66 or other BluOS devices? Is this expected or a firmware issue? Any workaround? Right now my workaround is to manually turn off the M66 or switch inputs before turning off the TV, but that’s not ideal for other family members.

Thanks!

Well, I faced all these problem with M66, and many more, they are documented in this thread. I replaced the M66 with Anthem STR, and now 100% happy. If you are within your return period, consider returning the M66 to save yourself from this headaches... but of course this is totally my subjective opinion with the M66, I could not live with its shortcomings.