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

[Cos]

Depends on the efficiency of your speakers and how closely you sit near them. I can hear hiss a few feet away with amps that measure like the Outlaw when connected to speakers > 90dB sensitivity at very low listening levels or just sitting in idle.

I wish I wasn't so anal about the buz/hiss of my Parasounds on my Personas, when I switched the the ATI Class D, the D stands for "dead silent". It the scheme of things I could not hear the noise more than 2 feet away, but it still annoyed me. Definitely didn't feel like I lost anything sonically.

 

[Timforhifi]

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

Overall very pleased by their performance. Have you ever considered testing arcam glass g amps? I own an arcam avr20 and when I bought it the dealer continued to insist I buy the avr30 and their matching 7 channel class g amps. I just couldn’t see the value in spending so much more for 120 watts a channel. All I was after was 16ch and dirac live bass control. I got that with avr 20.

 

[Danzilla31]

Great article and as mentioned if I was a millionare Id buy the best. Some people just want the best the name the looks and they can afford it and I see nothing wrong with that. Great measuring amp. Also cool the direction audio is going with class D.

I'm hoping @gene can get his hands on some of those new monoprice amps that came out class D. I know they wont measure as well as this but the big boy costs 3,000 for 8 channels that can put out 200 watts into 8ohms and 400 into 4. That's a lot of performance for the money.

 

[PENG]

Overall very pleased by their performance. Have you ever considered testing arcam glass g amps? I own an arcam avr20 and when I bought it the dealer continued to insist I buy the avr30 and their matching 7 channel class g amps. I just couldn’t see the value in spending so much more for 120 watts a channel. All I was after was 16ch and dirac live bass control. I got that with avr 20.

It will be great if Gene could test a couple of the Arcam's. Until then, if you are interested, ASR tested quite a few of them, with measurements only (no subjective tests over there most of the time).

 

[Steve81]

when I switched the the ATI Class D, the D stands for "dead silent". It the scheme of things I could not hear the noise more than 2 feet away, but it still annoyed me. Definitely didn't feel like I lost anything sonically.

I've been perfectly happy with my ATI class D as well. No humming and hissing, just good sound and enough power to get things really rocking and rolling.

 

[Russ56]

Thank you for the thorough review of this high performing amplifier. Just a couple observations:

- I understand SMPS's being highly regulated in comparison to linear supplies thus limiting peak power performance. What I don't understand is the peak power output being less than the steady state power output at the same distortion/load values. I'd be interested in seeing a technical explanation of that.

- I'm curious about the differences in electrical/thermal design and performance between the M23 and the C298. They're based on the same licensed technology and the fact that NAD is able to do their own board design and SMPS design probably gives them some flexibility in ultimate performance compared to amplifiers using the Purifi module and one of the Hypex SMPS modules "off-the-shelf." I get that the enclosure of the M23 and enhanced industrial design drives additional cost and that the more thought-out internal layout would drive some NRE cost above and beyond that of the C298. Given that the C298 tested nearly the same in Stereophile's test in terms of output and as I recall the THD+N performance was similar, it seems like the M23 is simply a variant of the C298 targeted at buyers to whom aesthetics and design practices matter. Is this a fair conclusion?

 

[tparm]

Nice thorough review Gene. I’m looking forward to your listening impressions. Always interesting as each piece in the chain had an affect on overall system performance. I sold all my HT gear which included the C298 to move to a dedicated 2CH rig built around Cornwall IVs. Never before have I heard such differences manifested in gear changes. I struggle with clean vs good (my preferences and purely subjective) sound. I’m keeping an eye out for the second part of this review.

 

[GO-NAD!]

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.

A bit late visiting this thread, considering I'm a NAD fan. Although I did have a problem with my C372 after about 3 years of ownership. But, 12 years after repair, there have been no issues.

 

[highfigh]

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

Has your hearing been tested, lately? If you play loud (and expose your ears to other loud sounds/noise), you WILL lose some acuity- it's not possible to avoid it.

 

[highfigh]

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.

The TA-3200F and Altec 19 speakers was a potent combination.

 

[Verdinut]

The TA-3200F and Altec 19 speakers was a potent combination.

Yes, I enjoyed using this equipment before I switched to surround audio. When I sold the Sony power amp, it was over 45 years old and still functioning flawlessly and with outstanding specs.

 

[highfigh]

Yes, I enjoyed using this equipment before I switched to surround audio. When I sold the Sony power amp, it was over 45 years old and still functioning flawlessly and with outstanding specs.

I sold a Sony TA-F6B after the volume control needed cleaning again (too often) and it was a royal PITA to do- the face needed to come off, then the screws holding the control panel and the nut securing the control had to be removed to make it possible to remove the freaking control. Once that was out, the screws holding it together needed to be loosened, in order to spray the cleaning solution into the wipers FOR EACH SOURCE! I finished that endless task and cleaned it up for shipment and when I connected it to the speakers that I had used when the Sony was still in the system, I was reminded of how good it sounded. I really liked it, but I decided that an amp of that age would eventually develop a problem that would be very difficult to repair because the parts would be unavailable. The NAD frequency response is spec'd to 20KHz- the Sony was rated DC-100KHz +0dB/-.1dB (it's the last spec shown on the fuzzy photo in the link before 'Continued on Pg 2')- the distortion is in the ~.02% range, but it also showed IM distortion, which the NAD doesn't. I had one of the service techs run analysis on the BPI Distortion Analyser and power at rated distortion was 176W/channel, which was significantly higher than its stated 100W/channel.

https://static.freeservicemanuals.info/media/img/thumbs/ta-f6b.pdf.jpg

 

[Boomtheroom]

Ever so often a product enters our lab that absolutely blows us away and redefines a category. The NAD M23 is such a product as you can see in my test report. This type of Class D design marks the end of an era of inefficient linear amplifiers.

The NAD M23 is a 200wpc stereo amp that utilizes the SOTA Class D Purifi 1ET400A reference design to push the envelope of performance and efficiency. Weighing just a tad over 21lbs, this amp can double down with halving load impedance and be bridged to get 1kwatt of power as a monoblock. What is most impressive about this amp is the extremely low noise and distortion performance that forced us to redesign our test fixture to more accurately measure. Is this the best measuring amp in Audioholics 23+ year history of reviewing AV gear?



View attachment 57839

Read: NAD M23 Stereo Amplifier Bench Test Report

You said you were going to do a listening test in this video, cant find it tho.

 

[isolar8001]

You said you were going to do a listening test in this video, cant find it tho.

Yeah...give Gene hell for a post from two years ago...that damn Gene.

 

[gene]

I added my listening impressions of the M23 to the test report and turned it into a review and republished:

NAD M23 Stereo Amplifier Review

The NAD M23 is a 200wpc stereo amplifier utilizing the SOTA Class D Purifi 1ET400A to push the envelope of performance and efficiency. Is this the best amplifier we’ve reviewed in our 25 year history?

www.audioholics.com

 

[Nondemo01]

I added my listening impressions of the M23 to the test report and turned it into a review and republished:

NAD M23 Stereo Amplifier Review

The NAD M23 is a 200wpc stereo amplifier utilizing the SOTA Class D Purifi 1ET400A to push the envelope of performance and efficiency. Is this the best amplifier we’ve reviewed in our 25 year history?

www.audioholics.com

Thanks Gene! Great write up! (Any chance of an ATI AT542NC review on the horizon? I think ATI is the OEM for several high-end multichannel amps and I'm interested in pairing it with some new Arendal 1528 Tower 8s. #droolworthy.)

 

[Golfx]

There a several companies that assemble Purifi modules into excellent amplifiers. Here in the US you can visit Buckeye and VTV. Overseas you can visit Nord, March or Apollon. All will offer much cheaper prices than ATI‘s builds. ATI does offer more robust cases and longer warranties than most.

 

[Nondemo01]

There a several companies that assemble Purifi modules into excellent amplifiers. Here in the US you can visit Buckeye and VTV. Overseas you can visit Nord, March or Apollon. All will offer much cheaper prices than ATI‘s builds. ATI does offer more robust cases and longer warranties than most.

From the literature I have read, ATI builds their own PS where Buckeye and VTV just assemble parts into a case. ATI's 7 year warranty is near unheard of and Morris Kessler has been designing amps for decades. I looked at Buckeye and for the money, they seem okay. However, not sure what support you get from Dylan after their 2 year warranty runs out. I know on some Monoprice amps (ATI builds), they replaced the toroidal at near the 5 year mark. I'm also not that into paying someone to put "stuff in a box" that I could do for less. For me, it's not worth the risk and I'll go with a proven company with decades of experience. If I pair ATI with Arendal, that's nearly 10 years of worry free performance from my gear. I will gladly pay for that comfort. But thanks though!

 

[Golfx]

From the literature I have read, ATI builds their own PS where Buckeye and VTV just assemble parts into a case. ATI's 7 year warranty is near unheard of and Morris Kessler has been designing amps for decades. I looked at Buckeye and for the money, they seem okay. However, not sure what support you get from Dylan after their 2 year warranty runs out. I know on some Monoprice amps (ATI builds), they replaced the toroidal at near the 5 year mark. I'm also not that into paying someone to put "stuff in a box" that I could do for less. For me, it's not worth the risk and I'll go with a proven company with decades of experience. If I pair ATI with Arendal, that's nearly 10 years of worry free performance from my gear. I will gladly pay for that comfort. But thanks though!

Well you seem very comfortable with your decision and that is a good thing for pride of ownership. I just didn’t know how experienced you were.

It just occurred to me your comment about “stuff in a box” prompts me to say that ATI is just using Purifi modules that they stuff in a box.

 

[Nondemo01]

Well you seem very comfortable with your decision and that is a good thing for pride of ownership. I just didn’t know how experienced you were.

It just occurred to me your comment about “stuff in a box” prompts me to say that ATI is just using Purifi modules that they stuff in a box.

Actually they are Hypex NCore designed specifically for ATI. I also know that they used their PS (toroidal) that Amir tested over at ASR favorably. It's still one of the best performing he's seen. I believe they have more peak power as a result of their in-house design.

But for the budget conscious, Buckeye and others, are pretty good.