NAD C 658 DAC

The C658 has appeared on my radar as well.

I have a "classic" NAD 7025PE Receiver that is presently serving as my Pre-Amp.  In the past, I was impressed with "the little receiver that COULD...."  But now, I am seeking something to move the audible performance up a few notches

I am looking for a new "Pre-Amp" for around $1500 and am running a set of ELAC UB5s on stands and a Goldenear ForceField Amplified Sub. With an Emotiva XPS-2 and the Amped-Sub, I should have Power to spare.  My setup is in a Living Room and has to contend with Speaker Placement limitations and furniture.  It sounds like the C658 with Dirac could be a great tool for making my gear "sing in harmony".

However - one thing that seems to REALLY surprise me is the lack of good information from users (like on U-Toob). It almost makes me wonder if Web-Based information on this unit has been "Sanitized". Usually, a piece of gear like this would tend to generate more "buzz", but my impression is that the unit fell short of expectations and/or reviewers are waiting to see it implemented WITH Dirac.

I suspect that NAD got into some problems with the software and/or legal wrangling with Dirac that threw the product delivery schedule out-of-whack (Dirac was a feature that was somewhat touted from the beginning, but seems to have only recently materialized [AND at additional cost...] in any serious form). Or maybe NAD released it a bit prematurely before they had the details hashed-out with Dirac. I wonder if any semi-serious reviews will be published soon, highlighting the use of Dirac and Dirac-Live in conjunction with it.

@rockaddict19 - Let us know how it works out / what your initial impressions are.

The only other thing that makes me a tad leery of the C658 is that it does ALL of the pre-amp / source selection functions in the DIGITAL domain. I TRY to not be an "Analog Snob" but unless the DSP and D-to-A and A-to-D is really "cutting edge", I worry that the sound quality will suffer and whether it will really be an "upgrade" from what I am using now (or not)? It SUPPOSEDLY shares a lot of the tech used within the Masters M10/M12 products, but to WHAT degree?. It would have been "cool" to see an "Analog Bypass" mode built into the C658.

[My NAD 7225PE Receiver that is presently serving "Pre-Amp" duty was a nice, solid little unit - but it is probably past it’s prime and I believe it to be the Weak Link in my current system (but I could be wrong)...]

But then again, in my less-than-optimal listening room (Living Room) the benefits of Dirac and fresh (NEW) electronics may outweigh any penalty incurred. The other options (at least, the current Front-Runners) in my research are the Emotiva XSP-1 (fully-balanced Analog WITH built-in Sub Management) and PS Audio Stellar Gain Cell / DACT or perhaps a gently-used 2-channel HIGH-End Pre if I can get a good deal on one. If I go with the NAD, I could probably offset part of its cost by selling my Node 2i.

Also - Anybody know what the C568 is running for a PROCESSOR "under the hood".  It's one thing to have good A-->D & D-->A Converters, but if the thing is going to run Dirac / apply EQ Curves and Timing Algorithms generated externally by Dirac - the thing needs some relatively high "processing horsepower" and Memory.

Another option that I had not considered before, but now also appears to be a possibly good solution would be to pick-up a used / re-furb Emotiva XMC-1 in a 2.1 setup. 

Although it was designed primarily for HT (which may normally be considered a "no-no" in Audiophile circles), it probably has superior  processing and A-D / D-A capabilities [It sounds lie a multi-processor BEAST] with features including:

-MAIN PROCESSOR: TI AM-1808 Sitara Arm9 32 bit 375MHz 
-24/192k Burr Brown DSD1796 main zone DACs.
-Has fully balanced circuitry for the L&R Front Channels
-Can probably be had for less than a new NAD Unit