NAD Masters M10

[What Hi-Fi?]

NAD takes on the Naim Uniti Atom with its own all-in-one streaming hi-fi.

NAD Masters M10 : Read more

 

[Pokey]

Damn I really like BluOS as well as the design of the NAD M10, so I hoped this would be a great upgrade path for my Bluesound Powernode 2i. With mediocre build and sound, I guess I'll have to wait for the next generation before upgrading.

 

[Gray]

Damn I really like BluOS as well as the design of the NAD M10, so I hoped this would be a great upgrade path for my Bluesound Powernode 2i. With mediocre build and sound, I guess I'll have to wait for the next generation before upgrading.

Just in case anyone doubted the power of a WHF review, you showed 'em Pokey.
(Seems like you were ready to buy and one more star would've swung it!)

 

[abacus]

3 stars and above put it on your list, 4 stars it’s a safe bet, 5 stars means the reviewer likes it, but unless you have the same taste as the reviewer, you may not. In addition the chances of 5 star products working optimally together are low, as synergy cannot be measured by stars.

Bill

 

[Katsu]

Yes. This reviews seems to be more about how good the Naim is and the Nad simply suffers in the comparison. Darko does a great video comparison and draws out similar difference relating to the more impactful dynamics of the Naim but also recognizes more of the strengths of the Nad. There is no mention in the What HiFi review to let us know if they used dirac, which Darko notes makes the sound of the Nad closer to that of the Naim. AV forums review gives this NAD a 10/10. It does MQA and with 100 watts it may be the safer bet for driving any loudspeaker. Definitely should not to be written off.

 

[Splash]

The review matches my impressions of the M10. I had an extended demo session last year. Excellent clarity and detail, very good interface, in fact everything about it is spot-on except that it lacked the kick / drive / grunt / impact or whatever you like to call it that I love about my Naim separates.

 

[Pokey]

Hmm I'll probably give it a try anyway as there aren't really any other options out there that tick all my boxes. The Naim doesn't seem powerful enough to drive my B&W 805 D3, and most other similar products aren't great streamers (I really want to keep everything in one box after all). I'll just look for a dealer with a good returns policy.

 

[audioconcept]

Had the M10 for a few months now, have had a Naim QB "1st generation" and decided to go for an Atom, till this came along. Loved the build, the look, the feel of the Atom. BUT, could not get on with that "strident" sound. Listened to a few Naim systems but found that to get the sound to a standard that I could "tolerate" for long periods was a megabucks outlay. The Nad is constantly on standby or in use, if I need a more strident sound, easy just reboot within the app, I find it givess me more edge to the sound for a period.
I wonder if in these reviews, when they swap out a component do they reset the speaker position and toe-in to suit the particular unit.
Don't forget the review is a guide, and you need a start point, but does it suite your room, the style of music you listen to mainly.
I could have cheaper, with more components and constant fiddling on each source.
As regards the power, most reviewers have no problem with delivery into even difficult loads.
I'm happy.

NAD M10
MarkAudio Tozzi Two
REL T5i
Kimber mains and Speaker Cable.

 

[east_eight]

Hmm I'll probably give it a try anyway as there aren't really any other options out there that tick all my boxes. The Naim doesn't seem powerful enough to drive my B&W 805 D3, and most other similar products aren't great streamers (I really want to keep everything in one box after all). I'll just look for a dealer with a good returns policy.

Why not try the Nova if you're running speakers of that standard?

Pairing a £2k all in one box with a £4.5k pair of speakers is a bit of a mismatch.

My Atom runs a pair of PMC Twenty 21s without breaking sweat but I can imagine the B&Ws need more oomph to get the best out of them.

 

[Pokey]

Why not try the Nova if you're running speakers of that standard?

Pairing a £2k all in one box with a £4.5k pair of speakers is a bit of a mismatch.

My Atom runs a pair of PMC Twenty 21s without breaking sweat but I can imagine the B&Ws need more oomph to get the best out of them.

I really don't want a stack of boxes, even a single large ugly one isn't what I'm looking for. I also enjoy the streaming options BluOS offers, that's why the NAD M10 would be a neat option. I can probably wait for the next generation of amps though if there's no perfect option out there right now.

 

[east_eight]

The Nova isn't massive and hasn't exactly fallen out of the ugly tree but I know what you mean about lots of boxes. I ditched my mono-blocked MF set-up for the same reason.

That said, I don't think you're ever going to find anything in a dinky box that'll drive your B&Ws properly. More amplification means bigger power supplies and more heat dissipation.

Perhaps you might to chop the B&Ws in and go down the active route instead?

 

[Pokey]

The Nova isn't massive and hasn't exactly fallen out of the ugly tree but I know what you mean about lots of boxes. I ditched my mono-blocked MF set-up for the same reason.

That said, I don't think you're ever going to find anything in a dinky box that'll drive your B&Ws properly. More amplification means bigger power supplies and more heat dissipation.

Perhaps you might to chop the B&Ws in and go down the active route instead?

I get that, but I don't need a lot of power – B&W recommends 50 – 120W per channel. I just want decent sound from a box that kinda looks like the NAD M10 or the Naim Uniti Atom (even if it's a little bit bigger) and I don't think that's too much to ask for. I mean, judging from the What Hi-Fi? review of the NAD M10, it's almost there, so a next generation version might just be what I'm looking for.

I'm not a big fan of active speakers – the electronics will get outdated at some point, so I'd at least have to get a separate streamer in a few years which defeats the purpose of not having to connect an amp.

 

[east_eight]

I get that, but I don't need a lot of power – B&W recommends 50 – 120W per channel. I just want decent sound from a box that kinda looks like the NAD M10 or the Naim Uniti Atom (even if it's a little bit bigger) and I don't think that's too much to ask for. I mean, judging from the What Hi-Fi? review of the NAD M10, it's almost there, so a next generation version might just be what I'm looking for.

With respect, I think you might be waiting a while. I don't think you're ever going to get a source and amp worthy of your B&Ws in a single £2k box.

Using the old rule of thumb, your B&Ws should only represent about 30-40% of your total system value.

I may be being short-sighted but I just can't see any manufacturers rushing to try and build a small, £6k all in one box.

Some of the other 'high end' manufacturers like Aurender are building expensive, half width servers / streamers but none are putting a power amp in the same box.

The Nova does do it all but its in a bigger box because it needs to be - it has to provide sufficient space for its components. Even then it's only rated for 70 watts per channel (I think).

The MF M6 Encore 225 is a similar price to the Nova and it's a beast. Just take a look at the heat sinks it's packing.

 

[Pokey]

The Nova does do it all but its in a bigger box because it needs to be - it has to provide sufficient space for its components. Even then it's only rated for 70 watts per channel (I think).

Fair enough, I guess listening to the Nova and the NAD M10 would be a good idea. Afaik, the reason why the Naim amp is so much bigger is because they use a class A/B amp instead of a class D one, which are smaller and more efficient. I do know that a lot of people don't like class D amplification, but I have yet to try enough amps myself to have an educated opinion on this topic.

 

[Ozzzy189]

As someone who recently went to a one box from a Linn ads3 kat, mono pre amps and a power amp I can see the problem facing folks. My speakers are Totem Ac TTT and deserve a quality bit of gear behind them.
They are and always will be a bit of a compromise, you have to spend a lot of cash to get something approaching a decent stack of good kit.
This little 2k box has a lot of features and Dirac should elevate it above the Naim imo.
I didn't think an awful lot to the review tbh, besides they're only a rough guide anyway.
Whf tend to have a bit of a schoolgirl crush on Naim and have had for a long time now.
Personally I'd wait for the M32 replacement, the M33, it's 4k though but it's where I'd be looking.
I don't really get on with the Naim sound so I'd recommend trying NAD, Devialet expert 140/220 Pro series or maybe even a second hand Macintosh.

 

[rainsoothe]

+1 to most that's been said here. And B&W specs should be taken with a pinch of salt, all their speakers have steep impedance drops, so they do like big current. I would be looking at stuff around the 4k mark, even more - just think that in one such product, you get like 2-3k worth of amp, and the rest is the streamer and dac. Imo, a Naim Nac N 272 - Nap 250DR would be a more apropriate partner for those B&W, but a Nova/Moon Neo Ace/Linn Majik DSM (or something in that price range) should still be pretty decent. I mean the Atom or Nad M10 will work, but you'd be wasting a lot of the potential of the 805, imo.

 

[Surly Sid]

NAD = Not another defect! Least reliable gear on the planet.

 

[pablolie]

Also - WHF suffers from blatant UK product bias regularly. The M10 uses Hypex so the electronics have pedigree. What gives me pause with these designs is so much software and firmware. I had a NAD D7050 and it bricked itself and wouldn't power up anymore. That was $700 or so. I'd hate if the same happened with the M10.

 

[londonguy]

Getting a bit frustrated with my Atom and lack of bass. Wondering if the extra power of the NAD would improve that.

 

[Malenurse]

I'm a huge fan of Naim and Rega products, owned a lot of em and everything... but I'm getting tired of seeing how much you guys at What Hi-Fi are so biased and keep pushing their product at top. I would be curious to hear how the M10 is that much of an inferior product... I tried a Naim Uniti Nova and wasn't all that impressed, highs tend to sound very harsh and agressive... Anyway, I'll figure out myself and not rely on your reviews anymore.