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The NAD M33 will cancel your complaints about Class D

There are many reasons to like one type of sound over another. Even among what are considered very good amplifiers there’s a broad range of tastes and preferences among audiophiles. Just ask a SET aficionado!

However, no class is more maligned, inappropriately, than Class D. To hear some regulars tell it, Class D sound will thin your blood, make your teeth fall out and ruin your enjoyment of just about everything because it sounds so (fill in a lot of tropes from the 1980’s here).

I’ve been listening to NAD’s prior collaboration with Bruno Putzy and I can tell with some confidence that none of those tired old tropes apply. For reasons related much more to tonal balance than anything else, I’m sticking with Class A/B in my main system, but with the introduction of the next gen Anthem AVR receivers and the NAD M33 I may be making the switch back to class D.

You don’t have to like the M33 or the Anthem’s but can we at least agree that it’s time to retire the old guard of reasons not to buy Class D? Lets lay those poor phantoms to rest.
erik_squires
noble100's avatar
noble100
2,419 posts
 

Good point, jjss49. Some class D naysayers just parrot comments about class D they heard elsewhere, it doesn’t seem to matter much which century or decade they heard it in, many haven’t even bothered to audition a good quality class D amp and yet they don’t hesitate to dismiss them out of hand.
Comments like the one from cdamiller5 are worthless without supporting details. Why even bother posting?
Hopefully, cdamiller5 will take this post as the semi-constructive feedback that it was intended as.

Tim
anotherbob's avatar
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anotherbob
344 posts
 
I’m betting many of those bashing or dismissing the NAD M33 have not actually heard one, (they are backordered most places) much less did a direct comparison with their preferred unit(s). It has won numerous awards and has had great reviews. I actually have one and it sounds freaking amazing over my admittedly mid-fi SVS Prime Pinnacle speakers. It is absolutely NOT lean, and it sounds better to me without the full Dirac room correction implemented, probably because I’ve got a decent amount of physical room correction in my listening room already. It is also somewhat future “proofed” with two bays available for new hardware. Flawless streaming, too.

And geez teo_audio....do you think you could say more with less rambling?!
dougeyjones's avatar
dougeyjones
163 posts
 
This place is insufferable sometimes. 

OP acts like it’s some miracle that NAD has created a good Class D product when really they’ve just licensed a Bruno Putzey PuriFi topology and done a mediocre job implementing it. 

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/nad-m33-streaming-amplifier-review.17302/

I spend less time here every week.
jaulbrich's avatar
jaulbrich
22 posts
 
Lots of the usual audiophile blowviating above, especially "teo"😆  Ok, I have a new system that includes the following:  Moon 820S Ext. PS, Moon 740P PreAmp, Moon 680D dac, Audioquest 5000 PC, B&W802D, pair of REL 820S.  I am using a pair of NAD M22 v.2 in bridge mono mode (900W, $3200.00ea).  I demo'd several other of the standard highend power amps at a local store with same speakers and components.  Honestly, I was hoping to hear such a difference that I would be "forced" to spend $20-$40K to get the "true" hi-end sound.  I am sure if I dropped the $60K a piece for the Moon 888 mono blocks, it would sound better...after all, it would have to sound better, right?  No doubt it would, but $120K better?  Here is my offer for any of my fellow audiophiles in the Denver/Boulder area: contact me and bring you amp(s) over and let's listen.  I am open minded and could be convinced otherwise, but other than that this  is a pointless discussion based on "positions."
cowan217's avatar
cowan217
112 posts
 
I tend to agree; I had a Classe Sigma integrated amp that was class D and it sounded great, also had an NAD Master series integrated before that, it was equally good. I use a Pass 250.8 on my main system running Harbeth HLS5 super Plus in a dedicated 13x22 listening room. The amp is wonderful- but- can heat the room up to 72-74 degrees in the summer. I have no direct ventilation in the room to avoid additional noise. Probably not the best decision in retrospect. I'm considering a good Class D amp for the summer months just to avoid the heat from the Pass !
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