NAD M23 Stereo Amplifier: Best Amp Ever Bench Tested?!?

+1 @bill_k 

I don’t waste my time with other’s subjective opinion.  Sure, I might miss out on something but that is a possibility no matter if I filter by performance or by what other’s think.

It’s you who’ve completely missed the point.  Why use either measurements or subjective opinion to the complete exclusion of the other?  By your own admission here both objective and subjective measurements can be wrong in terms of your own personal tastes/preferences so why would you use only one as your primary funnel?  If they can both be wrong for your tastes, why not use both to help whittle down your options rather than using just one to identify your options?  Using both together you’d be less likely to “miss out on something” or likewise avoid maybe wasting time auditioning something that measures well but doesn’t seem to exhibit sonic qualities that meet with your tastes.  Initially use both together as indications rather than only one as an absolute is what I’m saying here.  Neither is infallible, but both can offer very useful information IME. 

We all screen/filter our purchases, be it by cost, class, power, etc. because we can’t listen to every product on the market. Objective performance is just one possible filter

Correct, but most of us use objective performance as only one filter among many rather than using it as THE ABSOLUTE first filter.  Then, we’re also able to glean that if the vast majority of reviewers and customers say that something exhibits the sound qualities we’re looking for it’s also worth exploring even if it might not ace everything on our spec sheet wishes.  It’s just not that black and white in audio despite how much you might like it to be because there are lots of gray areas and intangibles that measurements don’t capture but that your ears might, and you’re completely closing yourself to many promising products just because they don’t hit a number on your wishlist.  As much as audio is a science it’s also an art, and the art is how the equipment ultimately matches with our tastes and unique hearing abilities that IMO cannot all be measured but must be experienced.  If you close yourself off to options because of numbers you may very well miss the art, which can make all the difference.  To me, use numbers but not exclusively — that’s how I do it. 

Maybe you missed the part in my post where I stated:

I screen products by their objective performance and if this data isn’t forthcoming, they are ignored. Those that publish and meet certain requirements are auditioned.

"are auditioned" means "listened to"...

No, I missed nothing. You said clearly that you use specs to screen components and if they don’t meet your requirements they are ignored. That, by definition, means you use specs to screen for and dictate anything you’ll audition, which also means you won’t listen to or audition anything that violates your arbitrary objective requirements rather than letting your ears being the final arbiter. Face it — you are an ASR disciple trying to pose as an audiophile. By all means buy the NAD. I’m sure you and your measurements will be very happy together. Sad.

I don’t consider or buy audio components from manufacturers who won’t provide measurements. I screen products by their objective performance and if this data isn’t forthcoming, they are ignored. Those that publish and meet certain requirements are auditioned. That’s my approach.

Wait, wasn’t this just copied and pasted from the ASR website?  For those who can’t judge for themselves or trust their own ears I can see this being gospel.  And please, when Gene publishes their “objective” subjective review by all means post that too along with the Crutchfield review when that comes out.  All those who need to be told what sounds good will greatly appreciate it.