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NAD C 658 DAC

Anyone have any experience with the new  NAD C 658 DAC / Streamer ? It has a ESS Sabre Chipset but not sure exactly which one.

Contemplating this unit new or a used Mytek Brooklyn or PS Audio PerfectWave. 

Any input greatly appreciated.

Thx
zipiv
zipiv OP
8 posts
 
Olpot....I'm curious the hear more. This unit is getting a very broad range of reviews.

To kind of circle back around I ended up getting a Raspberry Pi 3+ running Ropieee. I also added a DigiOne HAT so I can S/PDIF into the Metrum Acoustics Amethyst DAC I also bought. I'm very happy with this setup and especially the Ropieee OS which acts a Roon endpoint. Just added the MQA module and about to do some a/b with Tidal and Qobuz. Stay safe out there.....what a great time to tinker though.
osullivan_s
2 posts
 
Interesting thread, for sure! Now you've got me thinking about this, after having nearly decided to pick up the Cambridge Audio Azur 851N.
Does anyone have experience with this one? Thanks!
SOS
kbuzz
214 posts
 
olpot I would be interested in some details on the SQ and Dirac benefit of the 658.  I don't need another pre amp, but I would like to try Dirac and need a streamer.  Seems the comments on the NAD are all over the map, from awful to nirvana....any further info would be appreciated...
smike
2 posts
 
I love my C658 and with Dirac Live its game changing! 
toro3's avatar
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toro3
331 posts
 

To be honest, I almost passed on the NAD due to the negative review from Audio Science Review, as well as the many complaints on AVS when this unit was released. Essentially it had a bad rollout. One of the the things that caught my eye was the argument that the software updates addressed many of the initial complaints, essentially making the unit we have today, a different unit from when it was reviewed. Don’t ask me how or what, but at the time it seemed rational which convinced me to purchase a refurbished one - because I’m cheap like that, and I have student loans and a mortgage. Plus I wasn’t fully convinced. 


Learning DIRAC is really key with this unit. Understanding the target curves and curtains, making sure you’re taking good measurements. Each of those points I just mentioned could be broken down into separate sections of tips and hints. Utilization of the UMIK-1 is helpful, too. I wouldn’t say this is a “complicated” unit, but it’s not a set it and forget unit - at least when starting off and planning on using DIRAC. 


Education really pays off. So much so, that I would say that this unit is more than just one step-up from the Node 2i, especially if you have a difficult room.

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