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

[Jaxjax]

Question for the group... had a salesperson from Upscale Audio tell me today that they just received several M66 units and they available to ship now. This contradicts info I've received from other dealers who indicated it will be several more weeks until they have any in stock (Crutchfield said mid March). On top of this, the guy offered to take $500 off the list price.

Anyone have experience with these guys?

I've delt with Upscale for years. Mostly with Sean & Kat on TT builds but am familiar with them all. They won't rip ya off if thats what your asking. They deal with me & i'm about as difficult to deal with for condition of things as you can get. Sean at Upscale says I have a high level of exactitiude...lol Kevin D. is a kick in the pants,,,great guy !!!!
Joe

 

[al2002]

SNIP……Kevin D. is a kick in the pants,,,great guy !!!!
Joe

Not sure how to interpret this. Care to elaborate ?

 

[DanR]

I've delt with Upscale for years. Mostly with Sean & Kat on TT builds but am familiar with them all. They won't rip ya off if thats what your asking. They deal with me & i'm about as difficult to deal with for condition of things as you can get. Sean at Upscale says I have a high level of exactitiude...lol Kevin D. is a kick in the pants,,,great guy !!!!
Joe

Good to know, thanks

 

[markrubin]

First impressions M66:

The first thing you notice is how heavy this thing is in the box: actually the box itself is responsible for most of the weight but the M66 looks as good as any NAD Masters unit. I fired it up and it installed a software update.

My excitement quickly turned to disappointment when ROON reported the M66 was not ROON Ready/certified. With ROON providing zero visibility on the certification process, we don't know when certification could happen. The M66 was intended to replace my beloved NAD M50.2.
I am in my second year of waiting for ROON certification on my Anthem AVM90.

The VU meters are great...when they work: if you switch modes for the display, for example switch from analog to digital VU meter display, the VU meters will operate for a few minutes, then gradually fade to zero: only a reboot of the player fixes this issue and it is repeatable.

There is no hard manual: just a quick start guide. The USB stick has the quick start guide and some Dirac curves.

so far I wish I had not been an early adopter for this unit

 

[markrubin]

regarding the HDMI eARC interface: it does not send video: appears to be an eARC input only
(I cannot find any menu items for this) my display recognizes the M66 but there is no video output of cover art as in M50.2 and M33.
I am finding lots of glitches in the BluOS app interface for the M66: one example is settings/playback brings up autofill toggle: but hitting back does nothing: it locks up on this screen until I close/restart the app: this is only one example
This is not going well for me

 

[Nocko!]

Fight for us!
Someone must go the first steps - Thank you for your courage and reports! Go on…
Nocko!

 

[markrubin]

Fight for us!
Someone must go the first steps - Thank you for your courage and reports! Go on…
Nocko!

I will keep going but I can see this unit was released too early....very disappointed

 

[emme]

I will keep going but I can see this unit was released too early....very disappointed

looks like it was released late and too early . a rare feature.
these reports are not encouraging me to buy one .

 

[pogo]

The software for the M66 is still under development. You can recognise this by the BluOS version, which has three digits at the end.

 

[markrubin]

The software for the M66 is still under development. You can recognise this by the BluOS version, which has three digits at the end.

The BluOS version is 4.2.105
to the good. I will say the M66 is beautiful, the display is huge, and I like the VU meters....and of course it sounds great.
Lots of potential to be much better....

 

[Nocko!]

Heads up. There will definitely be more updates to come. If not, I think you can return the device.

I hardly dare to ask: Under certain circumstances and if it doesn't take too much trouble, may I ask to ask a few questions about the M66 that concern its function?

But be careful: If I ask, everyone else will have questions, too...

Nocko!

 

[markrubin]

Heads up. There will definitely be more updates to come. If not, I think you can return the device.

I hardly dare to ask: Under certain circumstances and if it doesn't take too much trouble, may I ask to ask a few questions about the M66 that concern its function?

But be careful: If I ask, everyone else will have questions, too...

Nocko!

feel free to ask away.....this thing is a keeper for me...but I intend to keep pressure on NAD to clean up the firmware

 

[Nocko!]

Ok, thank you. Let's start right away with my questions from above:

1. Is there something like a "Home Theater Bypass". Can you set one of the analog inputs that way that there is no volume control or a fixed volume?
If yes:
1a. Do you know if the two home cinema channels can be corrected by Dirac?
1b. Is there still a signal path to the subwoofer outputs if the home cinema input is activ?

2. Does the display "time out" and is switched off when there is no control from the remote? Does it wake up again, when for example the volume control is touched?

3. How does the web interface of the M66 look like - if there is a web interface.

The next 1.000 questions will come. Many, many thanks and good look the M66.
Nocko

 

[da Choge]

1. Is there something like a "Home Theater Bypass". Can you set one of the analog inputs that way that there is no volume control or a fixed volume?

One of the online video reviewers that talked to NAD directly, has stated that NAD intends to enable a Home Theater Bypass mode in one of their future firmware updates. However, NAD is notoriously slow in enabling features like Roon-Ready, etc, so I don't know when you could count on that happening. AFAIK, Home Theater Bypass is NOT a feature in the current firmware. I was also hoping for a subwoofer input (RCA) that would digitize an analog subwoofer signal in order to enable older AVR/AVPs to utilize the M66's four independent DLBC subwoofer outs, but no such luck (unless they happen to do that with one of their future plug-in add-on modules, but I don't have the slightest idea if that is even a possible path via the module bays).

 

[Nocko!]

@da Choge: Yes, there's a lot of talk about the M66 and what it is capable of. But looking at my own history with NAD devices most of what is stated in reviews or videos seems like paid advertisements. The only one I trust at the moment is user markrubin.

I know this forum is about sound, measurements and science but there should also be a branch where we could discuss the features and flaws of modern hifi and video gadgets. Looking at my trusty ML326 it does all the things that were announced in the manual and there is a in-deep description how to control the preamp via network (something I desperately need). Looking at the M66 there aren't even any manuals. How could NAD announce the M66 back in May last year and deliver the first devices eight months later and the only trustworthy review (by markrubin) is full of disappointment? I know I am off-topic and embittered...would be great if I am wrong.
Nocko!

 

[markrubin]

One of the online video reviewers that talked to NAD directly, has stated that NAD intends to enable a Home Theater Bypass mode in one of their future firmware updates. However, NAD is notoriously slow in enabling features like Roon-Ready, etc, so I don't know when you could count on that happening. AFAIK, Home Theater Bypass is NOT a feature in the current firmware. I was also hoping for a subwoofer input (RCA) that would digitize an analog subwoofer signal in order to enable older AVR/AVPs to utilize the M66's four independent DBLC subwoofer outs, but no such luck (unless they happen to do that with one of their future plug-in add-on modules, but I don't have the slightest idea if that is even a possible path via the module bays).

I think this is the correct answer for question 1
re question 3: there is a separate web page best answered by posting screen shots.....stand by

 

[pogo]

how to control the preamp via network

You can find this here under Smarthome integration: Link

By default, you can access the M33/M66 via a web interface:

 

[pogo]

1. Is there something like a "Home Theater Bypass". Can you set one of the analog inputs that way that there is no volume control or a fixed volume?
If yes:
1a. Do you know if the two home cinema channels can be corrected by Dirac?
1b. Is there still a signal path to the subwoofer outputs if the home cinema input is activ?

2. Does the display "time out" and is switched off when there is no control from the remote? Does it wake up again, when for example the volume control is touched?

1) Yes for the M33 and this will be the same for the M66.
1a+b) Yes for the M33 and this will be the same for the M66, but your AVP/AVR must be able to compensate the BluOS latency of 50ms. In analogue bypass, the latency is not present, but also DL and the sub outs.
2) Yes for the M33 and this will be the same for the M66.

 

[pogo]

Here is an example of how you could realise a 4.x surround setup with the M66 if DL is to be used and the AVP cannot compensate the BluOS latency of 50ms: Link

​

 

[markrubin]

there are also some on screen menus that are not available from the web gui: I will post some during the day: feel free to ask questions