The Best Amplifier We've Ever Measured? - NAD M23

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I have Revel F208s with the Outlaw amps, sit about 8-9 feet. I play loud. I hear no hiss. Ever.

You won’t hear any hiss at any distance when the volume is 75dB even if THD+N is 1%.

And if you have hearing impairment, you won’t hear any hiss even at 10%.

 

[Trell]

You won’t hear any hiss at any distance when the volume is 75dB even if THD+N is 1%.

And if you have hearing impairment, you won’t hear any hiss even at 10%.

Even if the THD+N is dominated by noise and not distortion?

 

[Steve81]

Even if the THD+N is dominated by noise and not distortion?

The sound of my old outlaw amp was dominated by transformer hum even after servicing

 

[Trell]

The sound of my old outlaw amp was dominated by transformer hum even after servicing

That sucks.

 

[mono-bloc]

And at six grand they should be good, Unfortunately there not, as they use a non-repairable Class D Purifi module , Also there power outputs are heavily over stated, Regardless of all the measurements and testing, Try them powering something like a middle of the range Magico, or a Maggie. I can think of a lot better value in amps for my 6 grand.

 

[3db]

I hope NAD has solved their reliability issues. Despite measuring it as good as it does, the black cloud of reliability of their products still looms in my mind. I hope NAD has solved their reliability issues.

 

[Mikado463]

Wow, touchy bunch some of you are! All I asked was whether those differences were audible or not. I think most would agree that's a relevant question for an audio product.

No, you asked why would you pay a premium for something not audible. FWIW there are other reason besides audibility many of which are intrinsic. Regardless, to each his own.......

 

[buckchester]

Those are very nice speakers.

Thanks! I agree. Best sounding ones that I have ever heard.

 

[buckchester]

So that's consistent with what Gene said, "when connected to speakers > 90dB sensitivity at very low listening levels or just sitting in idle."

The F208's sensitivity is < 90 dB, not >90 dB as measured by Stereophile and you said you played loud, so the M2220's THD+N is good enough for your use but probably not good enough for someone who uses >92 dB speakers and listen mostly to classical music that has a lot of quiet passages and gaps between movements and does not want to hear any noise.

Interesting! Thanks for the helpful info. I wouldn't have realized that.

 

[PENG]

Interesting! Thanks for the helpful info. I wouldn't have realized that.

Keep in mind too we are talking about AVR and integrated amps so the preamp's SINAD/THD+N has to be considered. In absence of the necessary specs and measurements, one would have to do it by ears, in a quiet room.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Even if the THD+N is dominated by noise and not distortion?

What noise are you talking about? The only noise I'm seeing is hiss noise.

If you can hear hiss noise when you are sitting 7 ft away, that amp should be thrown away. And if you can still hear that noise when the music or movie is playing even at 70dB, the amp is really defective and should be in the trash.

Which working amp is this noisy?

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

I hope NAD has solved their reliability issues. Despite measuring it as good as it does, the black cloud of reliability of their products still looms in my mind. I hope NAD has solved their reliability issues.

Have you heard many reports of their unreliability?

 

[Verdinut]

So that's consistent with what Gene said, "when connected to speakers > 90dB sensitivity at very low listening levels or just sitting in idle."

The F208's sensitivity is < 90 dB, not >90 dB as measured by Stereophile and you said you played loud, so the M2220's THD+N is good enough for your use but probably not good enough for someone who uses >92 dB speakers and listen mostly to classical music that has a lot of quiet passages and gaps between movements and does not want to hear any noise.

I question that hearing of hiss with a speaker with a sensitivity of 90 dB. Twenty five years ago my hearing acuity was good, and I was using Altec Lansing speakers with a sensitivity of over 100 dB. I never heard hiss while driving them with a Sony TA-3200 power amp at the time, unless I was at less than 1 foot from them with the amp in idle.

 

[Golfx]

Have you heard many reports of their unreliability?

I have had two of their distribution amps have to be returned (CI 8-120). Attached is my review at crutchfield. Left a bad taste for their customer support.

 

[lovinthehd]

Have you heard many reports of their unreliability?

I've read of a few....and some apply the Not Always Dependable moniker to them as a result.

 

[lazylex]

For those not wanting to pay the name-brand premium, there are a dozen assemblers out there building Purifi amplifiers for 1/2 to 1/3 the price, with warranties and technical reviews available.

With that being said, do your homework if going this route on feedback and warranty info. Been running two amps from one of these sources for the last few months and have been thrilled with the performance. My air conditioning unit bought me a beer.

 

[jeffca]

Not to trash this amp or NAD, but I wouldn't buy this amp for a few reasons:

• A few companies offer Purifi mono and stereo amps for significantly less cost
• For a home theater or stereo set-up, having a mono amp very close to the speakers is slightly better than having the amp in a rack with long speaker cables (again, slightly)
• Seeing tests as exhaustive as yours for the Purifi Eigentakt 1ET-400A Monoblock, the results were basically identical

There isn't a really compelling reason to buy this amp. Again, nothing against NAD. I've owned their equipment in the past.

If a boutique manufacturer can give you the exact same performance for half the price, I'm hard pressed to understand why you would buy this.

I couldn't even find warranty info on the NAD site for this amp. On the Classic line, it's only 2 years. I'm assuming this isn't part of that.

So, again, why buy this amp? It's over priced. It does look nice.

 

[Timforhifi]

In my setup I’ve gone through many amps over the years. About 3 years ago I tried a NAD t977. Big heavy 80lb 140x7 class a/b amp. Really shocked me how good it was, no hums or hiss. Power was surprising too, just as powerful as my parasound a51 or rotel 1095. So after a year of running this t977 I found a used m28 7channel NAD for a nice deal. I couldn’t resist and now use both amps together. My canton vento speakers sound great on both amps and I couldn’t be any happier with these. Really helped my 7.2.6 theater come together.

Gene have you ever tested or seen bench tests of this t977? Seems like it’s a lot more powerful than 140x7. I feel like it’s dynamics when pushed are better than any monolith or Emotiva amp that I’ve owned. Probably similar to the parasound a51.

 

[gene]

Not to trash this amp or NAD, but I wouldn't buy this amp for a few reasons:

• A few companies offer Purifi mono and stereo amps for significantly less cost
• For a home theater or stereo set-up, having a mono amp very close to the speakers is slightly better than having the amp in a rack with long speaker cables (again, slightly)
• Seeing tests as exhaustive as yours for the Purifi Eigentakt 1ET-400A Monoblock, the results were basically identical

There isn't a really compelling reason to buy this amp. Again, nothing against NAD. I've owned their equipment in the past.

If a boutique manufacturer can give you the exact same performance for half the price, I'm hard pressed to understand why you would buy this.

I couldn't even find warranty info on the NAD site for this amp. On the Classic line, it's only 2 years. I'm assuming this isn't part of that.

So, again, why buy this amp? It's over priced. It does look nice.

Gotta love the argument anytime we review a high end piece of gear that:
"the same performance can be had for less money."

Yet, there are very few instances where this is ever true. Also, those making such claims are rarely ever a consumer seeking the best gear and are instead seeking the best value. This amp is not for them.

I don't know of any boutique brands building their own PuriFi modules and SMPS power supplies and offering various gain options customizable to the users needs. Yes the NAD amp is expensive but there are many esoteric amps out there far more expensive with much less performance as I showed here:

The cosmetics and excellent build quality is worth it for a discriminating buyer that wants performance and looks all wrapped in one package.

 

[gene]

In my setup I’ve gone through many amps over the years. About 3 years ago I tried a NAD t977. Big heavy 80lb 140x7 class a/b amp. Really shocked me how good it was, no hums or hiss. Power was surprising too, just as powerful as my parasound a51 or rotel 1095. So after a year of running this t977 I found a used m28 7channel NAD for a nice deal. I couldn’t resist and now use both amps together. My canton vento speakers sound great on both amps and I couldn’t be any happier with these. Really helped my 7.2.6 theater come together.

Gene have you ever tested or seen bench tests of this t977? Seems like it’s a lot more powerful than 140x7. I feel like it’s dynamics when pushed are better than any monolith or Emotiva amp that I’ve owned. Probably similar to the parasound a51.

Nope, this is the first NAD amp I've ever tested.