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

@mirolab 


And yet, Stereophile said this about the M22:

Conclusions
Overall, NAD's Masters Series M22 power amplifier acquitted itself with distinction. Despite its small size, it has all the wallop necessary for staggering volume levels, and, if necessary, can be bridged to meet even more outsize demands. At $3000, the M22 is more than fair value in view of its compact size, excellent build quality, a tolerance for driving difficult loads, and, most of all, its transparent sound. It is an outstanding amplifier in every way, and I could happily live with it.
 

Specs and measurements can be interesting but ultimately unimportant.  I listen to how a component sounds. How does it shine light on a performance.  Consider visual perception.  You have day light, incandescent, flourescent. Dappled light, shading etc. I listen to music because it's beautiful. It can come from a highly b resolving, or mid fi system. As long as it's interesting and shines light on the performance.  Measurements are ultimately meaningless except as an exercise in engineering. But I'm not an engineer. I listen for the love of artistic creation and expression. 

@prefab 

I disagree. Specs can tell you if your amp has enough power for your speakers. They can tell you if your amp will handle the impedance of your speakers. Specs can tell you if the character of the sound will change with the changing impedance of your speakers. Specs can tell you if what you are hearing is signal or distortion. Specs can tell you how efficient your amp is and how much energy you are wasting if you leave it on. Maybe none of that matters to you and perhaps ignorance is bliss. To a great many it is all relevant information that can be used to improve the performance of an audio system as well as lead to more accurate and enjoyable listening experiences.

@kuribo - Entirely your right to disagree. Specs are far from meaningless and can indicate many things, but not necessarily how a component will ultimately sound. Some would define audio ignorance as choosing a component by the specs without regard for how it actually sounds in a specific system. Specs should certainly be considered but cannot definitively predict sonic performance, our ears and perception are the ultimate arbiters. Enjoy the music however it pleases you most!

+1 @bill_k