I asked a dealer who has heard both the Hegel H390 and the NAD M33 (without Dirac setup) and who also sells both what he would buy and he said the NAD M33 is the one he would buy. He said both are great but the detail and transparency of the M33 is amazing. He also described the M33 as very dynamic and very full bodied in it’s presentation. He also said Dirac offered much greater flexibility In adjusting the sound to your room and preference.
Hegel H390 or NAD M33 for Bowers and Wilkins 802D2 speakers?
I am looking for a one box amplifier, streamer, and Dac for my B&W 802 D2 speakers. My listening room is about 400 square feet with 18 foot ceilings.
I previously had a 200 watt Cambridge Audio 840W amplifier and 840 E pre-amplifier with a bluesound node 2 streamer DAC that I was pretty happy with but was looking for a step up in sound and a one box solution. I bought a NAD M10 six months ago but sold it after a few months because it didn’t seem to be as musical, rich, lively and dynamic as my previous Cambridge system. With the Dirac activated (standard version up to 500 HZ) on the NAD M10 the bass tightened up but the sound stage seemed to be pushed too far back in the room and the speakers seemed to have a veiled sound with the mids and highs toned down too much.
I think I have narrowed my replacement down to the Hegel H390 or the NAD M33. Both the Hegel H390 and NAD M33 are about $7,000 MSRP in Canada and both seem to be getting great reviews. I was leaning towards the Hegel H390 but the brand new NAD M33 seems to be getting some great reviews and as a bonus looks much better than the Hegel H390. My hesitation with the NAD M33 is my prior experience with the NAD M10 but perhaps the big brother newer M33 with Eigentakt technology has solved some of the issues I have had with the M10?
I will probably be only streaming Tidal and Spotify from my music system with no plans for vinyl. I am looking for a a warm, lively, dynamic sound and listen to everything from pop music, classical, jazz, vocals, and classic rock.Any suggestions on which of these 2 to buy? Unfortunately I probably won’t be able to take either of these home to try in my room with my speakers before I buy.
Thanks for any help offered!
I previously had a 200 watt Cambridge Audio 840W amplifier and 840 E pre-amplifier with a bluesound node 2 streamer DAC that I was pretty happy with but was looking for a step up in sound and a one box solution. I bought a NAD M10 six months ago but sold it after a few months because it didn’t seem to be as musical, rich, lively and dynamic as my previous Cambridge system. With the Dirac activated (standard version up to 500 HZ) on the NAD M10 the bass tightened up but the sound stage seemed to be pushed too far back in the room and the speakers seemed to have a veiled sound with the mids and highs toned down too much.
I think I have narrowed my replacement down to the Hegel H390 or the NAD M33. Both the Hegel H390 and NAD M33 are about $7,000 MSRP in Canada and both seem to be getting great reviews. I was leaning towards the Hegel H390 but the brand new NAD M33 seems to be getting some great reviews and as a bonus looks much better than the Hegel H390. My hesitation with the NAD M33 is my prior experience with the NAD M10 but perhaps the big brother newer M33 with Eigentakt technology has solved some of the issues I have had with the M10?
I will probably be only streaming Tidal and Spotify from my music system with no plans for vinyl. I am looking for a a warm, lively, dynamic sound and listen to everything from pop music, classical, jazz, vocals, and classic rock.Any suggestions on which of these 2 to buy? Unfortunately I probably won’t be able to take either of these home to try in my room with my speakers before I buy.
Thanks for any help offered!