NAD C 658 DAC

friendly *bump*

The NAD C 658 is on my radar and I'm just waiting for Dirac to be released (due June 2019) before embarking on some demos.

This post has been prompted by a couple of points touched on in earlier comments and I'd really appreciate more info if anyone can offer it.

Dave & Troy mentioned the Nuprime STA-9 as a possible amp for the NAD but Nuprime apparently doesn't have a UK dealer.  Notwithstanding the observations about the build quality of PS Audio, I wondered if anyone has experience of their Stellar S300 amp with the C 658?  Other power amps on my radar include the Parasound NewClassic 275 v.2 and the 2125 v.2.  The Parasound A23 is just too much.  Nord amps have also been noted but I don't need that much power.

The other point relates to cables and the reference to "Wireworld Gold" - was that the Eclipse 7 or the Eclipse 8 (or something else)?

If anyone can help, great.  If not, thanks for reading.

@jnehma1:  thanks for the NAD M10 suggestion but, sadly, it's beyond my budget (GBP £2,500 to £3,250 to include both power & pre-amp).  A lottery ticket shall be purchased later today :) .

@audiotroy:  many thanks for responding.  Hopefully, I will find a way of sourcing a NuPrime STA-9 in the UK to include in the demos over the coming weeks.  The option of making monoblocks of 2 bridgeable stereo amps has already been noted and absolutely not discarded.

Happy listening all.

For info, NAD's MDC HDM-2 is already available - 3 ports in and 1 out.

Hadn't thought about the DAC myself - time to make some enquiries and find out more!

@jnehma1 :  Hmmm!  I knew the NAD M10 was an integrated amp but, for some reason, had completely confused the price point.  You are obviously right about the price being well within budget as a standalone unit.  However, the M10 doesn't have enough digital inputs for me (I need 2x coax + 1x (pref 2x) optical).  Ironically, it has an HDMI input which is extra for the C658 (at least until an ex-demo units become available with the HDMI module already installed).

Unfortunately, the search is now on pause due to an unforeseen blip in my circumstances.  For now, it's idle browsing and keeping an eye on the various NAD C 658 & related threads for developments (and references to possible alternatives).  Experience has taught me that fate of this nature is, sometimes at least, a blessing in disguise.  Maybe a new version, or a completely new product (whether or not NAD) will appear in the next few months blowing away the C 658.  Alternatively, it will just be a rather frustrating wait before I can go ahead and get something that's already out there.  The joy of music / hi-fi....

Happy listening all.

Despite the array of glitches involving the NAD C 658, I’m heading ever closer to bagging one. My search has resumed (it had stopped due to personal circs) and, as at now, only the C 658 remains on my list. Demo will be done within the next few weeks. If for some reason the C 658 doesn’t cut it, then it’s going to be a long wait to save up for the Anthem STR pre-amp (+ RME ADI-2 additional headphone amp).

In case it’s of interest to anyone, Parasound options had been considered but there are too many reviews and forum posts echoing a similar theme; this being along the lines of "The Parasound "X" is really good....but, IMO... other products (usually named) better it...". In addition, a rock artist I’m familiar with has a Parasound Halo HINT 6. Great, you’d think. However, in his case, ownership of a particular product shouldn’t necessarily be taken as a recommendation (long story! :) ). The Elac Alchemy DDP2 was also considered but it has pre-set filters instead of tone controls.

For all the problems identified with the C 658, the SQ is consistently well regarded. Some forum posts (not necessarily here) have referred to brightness but having spoken to dealers and taken into account overall observations by users and dealers (including @audiotroy), that doesn’t seem to be a widespread problem - more a tweaking / system / speaker matching issue.

The demos will also be for a power amp which is likely to be a Nord One MP NC252 (maybe the SE version) or a Mytek Brooklyn Amp. Just because it will be there, I’ll also give the NAD C 268 a whirl.

To @audiotroy, the Nuprime STA9 was on my list but UK distribution is very limited and getting a demo would be difficult. Luckily, there are lots of options for power amps and I think the three still in contention will all do a decent to excellent job.

Assuming the NAD C 658 parts me from a chunk of cash in the next few weeks, I’ll post again with thoughts and observations. Unless anyone would really prefer I didn’t.... ;)

@geeqner  Just to confirm that the basic version of Dirac is free.  On another forum, most posters are happy with the difference it makes but a few have shelled out for the paid-for version and are also happy.  I've not checked the details but I've seen chatter about a further version of Dirac being in the works, one that deals with subwoofers.

All things being equal, my demo (C 658) is tomorrow....

Well, I post with just a little trepidation! The demo went ahead but the outcome was close to being as unexpected as could be imagined in hi-fi terms.

In short, I didn’t get the NAD C 658. The search for a new amp setup was because I *thought* there was an issue with my current Rotel RA-1572 integrated with the bottom end disappearing when playing busy/dense music (and a couple of other more minor events). However... post follows mainly about the demo but there is a bit about comparing the SQ of the Rotel and the NAD C658.

I took the Rotel to the demo with the intention of showing the store the "problem" ((same store as original purchase). Except.... the "problem" didn’t reproduce with other speakers. I tried 3 amp setups: the Rotel on its own; the Rotel as a pre-amp with a NAD C 268 as a power amp and, finally, the full NAD combo (C 658 + C 268). With each set up, I tried different speakers. Imagine by full on surprise when each amp set up sounded broadly similar with every speaker. Of course, if the Rotel on its own had the "problem" identified, it would have sounded markedly different. That’s when the penny dropped that the problem was far more likely to be my current speakers. Slightly embarrassingly, a couple of people had asked whether that was the issue (crossover points etc). Blithely, I had cast it aside.... "No, no; it’s the amp" was my earnest and now obviously inaccurate reply. Sometimes, the Homer Simpson moment just hits home. Doh!

So, having gone in with real intent and fully expecting to walk out with a gleaming new NAD C 658, I did indeed indulge. In a pair of Monitor Audio Gold 100 G5 speakers :o) (is there a "scratch head" emoji?). In short, the "problem" with the Rotel doesn’t reproduce with either the MA Golds, nor the KEF R3s which I also demoed. I preferred the MAs because, to my ears, they were a fraction tamer than the KEFs although the latter may well work well with the NAD for the reasons below.

The NAD C 658 is obviously feature rich compared to the Rotel, so that’s a gimme. However, on the off chance it’s of interest to at least someone, here’s my take on the SQ comparison. On a same speaker basis, the audio characteristics of the amps are much more comparable than I expected. If anything, the Rotel offers marginally more detail and the lower frequencies are marginally rounder. Higher frequencies are very similar and I couldn’t detect and significant differences with mids. Drums and percussion have slightly more depth with the Rotel. In truth, if anyone had dropped in without knowing which equipment was being used, I think most would have been hard pressed to hear significant differences without an extended listen. Overall, the NAD is slightly more restrained (not to say it is restrained), hence it being arguable that the KEFs will not sound too "zingy" with the NAD.

In short, if I had specifically wanted streaming and/or room correction and didn’t already have an amp, I would *probably* have gone for the NAD. The NAD is a touch more expensive than the Rotel although, of course, the NAD will also need a power amp which will add to the overall cost. On purely SQ? I’ll sit on the fence and put it down to personal preference... :-) .

To those already with the NAD and those who eventually pull the "buy" trigger, good luck and happy listening.