Beware of NAD M3 Fire Hazard


My $3k NAD M3 started shooting sparks out the top and burned the shelf that was 8" above. Luckily I was home and not sleeping or the house would have burned down. If anyone has one of these I advise them to unplug it when not in use. I took it to two different repair shops and they said it would be about $800 to just get it running and there may be board issues. They advised not to take the gamble. Anyone have any suggestions on what to do with it?
pwb
The newer NAD products, users have reported reliability issues as posted in the forums over a period of time. They, NAD rested on their earlier reputation of building reliable good sounding units for the money which is certainly not the case now for some units.

After some research it appears the M3 was designed by NADs director of  advanced development, Bjorn Eric Edvardson in China.

It also appears that there is not too many reported issues other than one I could find which was described by the owner as switching to stand-by mode while listening to music or switching off while in standby mode. A tech posted that he thought a leaky capacitor in the protection circuitry was the issue.
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Disappointing reply by NAD. I have read similar issues, if rare, so i guess they dont read forums.

DON’T buy secondhand NAD no matter how old
I’ve had NAD BEE units, of various iterations, for 15 years, and never ONCE had an issue with them. In fact, I recommend them to friends, 4 of whom have had their units in their stereo systems for 6 or more years, and even now, nary a problem.

Certainly, it’s understandable why you feel as you do, but isn’t this a bit like being thrown off ONE American Quarter horse (the most docile and recommended for first-time/beginning riders) and vowing never to get one one again because the first AQ horse was a bad experience?

What happened with your NAD can happen with ANY amp, friend. Don’t lose yourself in the delusion that it can’t. I had two extremely expensive amps blow (not in the same way, but still - they BLEW!)

That said, given the PTSD you’re having, a different amp would be the most logical course of action.
With the cheaper NAD range yes, but Master Series stuff competes alongside products from companies with great aftercare.
The M33 was on my shortlist, but after reading this I will go with Lyngdorf