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.
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.