Auditioning the NAD C658

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Lebowski, Nov 8, 2019.

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  1. Lebowski

    Lebowski Hey, careful man, there's a beverage here! Thread Starter

    Location:
    Greater Boston
    Brought home the NAD C658 to try as a pre-amp hooked into the power stage of my HK990.

    Really having fun with it. The Dirac Live function is a hoot. Here's my first result.

    [​IMG]
     
  2. Lebowski

    Lebowski Hey, careful man, there's a beverage here! Thread Starter

    Location:
    Greater Boston
    Very cool preamp. The Dirac has added some, I don’t know, energy or life to my system. Really fun and enjoyable. Trying not to think about how it’s all happening in the digital domain... :p
     
  3. Helom

    Helom Forum member

    Location:
    U.S.
    I saw one of these at the local dealer. Felt like a nice bit of kit, unfortunately I didn't get a chance to hear it in action. It'd be too many redundancies for my current system but great for someone needing an all-in-one solution.

    There are alternative options for room correction in smaller devices like the DSpeaker Anti-mode 2.0. The Anti-mode can be used as a preamp/DAC and is cheaper than the NAD. No streaming capability but a Bluesound Node paired with the Anti-mode would still cost less than the NAD.
     
  4. Lebowski

    Lebowski Hey, careful man, there's a beverage here! Thread Starter

    Location:
    Greater Boston

    Haha you read my mind! I have a Bluesound Vault for streaming so there is a definite redundancy here.
     
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  5. Lebowski

    Lebowski Hey, careful man, there's a beverage here! Thread Starter

    Location:
    Greater Boston
    I know I’m basically talking to myself here, but there’s some voodoo in this here NAD box. And I like it.
     
  6. aarodynamic

    aarodynamic Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Seattle
    I've been really happy with the C658. Incredible flexibility. Dirac Live, Dual Sub outputs/management, Roon Ready, etc
     
  7. Mike-48

    Mike-48 A shadow of my former self

    Location:
    Portland, Oregon
    It looks like a great unit, and Dirac is considered one of the best systems of audio DSP. I hope you continue to have fun with it.

    Not that you asked . . . in your curve, I'd be tempted to move the area < 500 Hz (the treated area) up a couple of dB, to better match levels around 1k or 2k. In my experience, DSP has always required some kind of tweaking by ear to get just right. That, of course, is the strong point of Dirac -- ease of modification -- and its curse -- too many choices.
     
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  8. wbass

    wbass Forum Resident

    Location:
    Chicago, IL
    Here's a finicky question about the NAD C658: Does the display show the sample rate/bit depth? I see that it indicates MQA or not, but will it tell you if you're streaming 44/48/96, etc.?

    Thanks!
     
  9. Dale Murray

    Dale Murray Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Illinois
    I was on the list to get one about 3 months before they were released; my local store made sure I had one ASAP. It has been nothing but great for me.

    It is worth the extra $100 for full frequency dirac.
    I've found I prefer Sofa Focused or Sofa Wide as my measurement method.
    If you choose single seat make sure you imagine a 3'x3'x3' cube around the central measuring point, otherwise it can seem VERY sterile.

    I spoke with a few of the Dirac engineers last year at Axpona. They specifically emphasized Dirac primary duty is timing and phase; equalization is not its primary job.

    By making multiple measurements the application is able to create a sonic fingerprint of the room; how far each speaker if from the listening position, from the side walls, from each other, from the front walls, from the rear walls, etc. With this information it can adjust delays of left and right speakers so they arrive with correct timing and phase. compensate for reflections, to some degree.

    What I really appreciate is its ability to adjust timing and phase of both of my subs, independently. One is 5' closer to me and I dont care, Dirac did the math for me.
     
  10. jthifi

    jthifi Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Boston, USA
    No, it does not display the sample rate/bit depth. I wish it did (or if it does I haven't figured out how to display it). I've just purchased the full frequency dirac yesterday. Still learning how to fully use it. So far I prefer massaging the target curve with a little more bass than the dirac is creating.
     
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