Given the extremely large amount of interest and largely positive commentary surrounding this device, I'm going to provide a number of observations. Please consider that I have only had the unit for precisely one week, and I am quite possibly the first owner in the country to have spent considerable time with it, so these comments are by no means conclusive - merely my own thoughts.
I've been fortunate enough to have spent 75+ (no that's not a typo) hours with the NAD M51 over the past seven days. It was run in and initially compared to both a Schiit Audio Bifrost and Pro-ject DAC Box Fl via a YBA "Passion" Integrated Amplifier. On Saturday afternoon I was kindly loaned a pair of Valvet "A3.5" Class A Monoblocs from fellow SNAer Yoshio. I now have some idea of the NADs' performance as both a standalone DAC and Pre-Amp.
To provide context, please find below an image of my listening environment and journey to date...
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555 downloadsI have spent some time with the following DACs over the past six months:
Musical Fidelity M1
Rega DAC
Audiolab M-DAC
Lampizator "Level 4"
I will make some references to these units but I will do so from memory so please consider these to be very personal and subjective comments within the context of my system and room. Speaking of system - my floorstanders are Sonus Faber Luitos acquired in September last year, along with the previously mentioned YBA Amp and Transparent Audio Labs XLR interconnect and speaker cable.
My preferences are generally for a slightly warm and forward sounding presentation. The Luitos provide the warmth courtesy of their light colouration in the lower mids and bass and slight rolloff of treble, whilst the YBAs' exuberance presses the soundstage forward. At higher SPLs, my room betrays me with brightness and harshness in the treble and considerable loss of definition in the bass. I have attempted to subdue this via the treatment on the walls visible in the above image.
Given the acoustic situation and my ideal sound signature, DAC selection has been difficult. Fatigue eventually sets in with any DAC that exhibits brightness in the treble. I have also developed a keen sense for any colouration.
Finally... The M51...
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720 downloadsIn short:
Absolute Transparency
Complete Neutrality
Very High Level of Detail Retrieval
Presentation of Soundstage Proportionate to the Recording
The NAD M51 is perhaps best described as a studio-grade reference-quality device. Quite a claim I know, but within my experience it has displayed characteristics not found in any of the sub $1k devices I have listed above. For this reason, I will leave comments in reference to the Lampi DAC until the end.
The Bifrost and Rega DACs are everymen, slightly laid back in their presentation, smooth and completely inoffensive. Their treble is controlled, their is sufficient bass definition and information for most people and a pleasant amount of detail is retrieved . They stage wider and deeper than the Pro-ject NOS DAC, and remain utterly composed with complex music which the NOS DAC does not. Tonality however, varies.
Using my NOS DAC as reference, the Rega favours lower mids and upper bass, whilst the Bifrost favours upper mids. Neither situation is a fault in my view, just an observation. The M51 has absolutely no colouration. It is completely tonally pure to the source. At first this was not apparent., but once I changed Amps and moved to using the M51 as Pre and DAC it become quite clear.
The MF M1 DAC and Audiolab M-DAC are also largely free from colouration, and they are also fully balanced DACs like the M51. However they have their own quirks. The MF M1 has deeper and clearer bass than either the Bifrost or Rega, it is also somewhat forward sounding and courtesy of its upsampling to 192k - prone to brightness in my already forward sounding system. Quality recordings were rewarding, almost everything else was not.
Likewise the sabre chipset in the M-DAC had an even greater sense of bass depth and clarity, coupled with phenomenal detail retrieval and palpable presence. It was extremely forward sounding, creating a massive stage. With the MF M1 the stage was a one-size-fits-all affair, the M-DAC however was more clever, and adjusted a little with each recording, BUT NOT SPECIFICALLY TO SUIT THE RECORDING. It made everything larger than life, and put it uncomfortably in your lap.
The M51 on the other hand, behaves like a sophisticated lens, constantly altering its aperture and focus to suit what it is being fed at every given instant. The M-DAC arguably plumbs deeper and stages both wider and deeper of its own accord, but it lacks the M51's ability to deliver subtlety and nuance. The M51 offers the most controlled and highly articulated presentation I have experienced, which tempts you to turn up the volume without paying too higher a price.
Lampizator L4 vs NAD M51
Lets make a couple of things clear here. The Level 4 Lampi costs $5,500. The M51 $1500 at current list price. They are very different machines. The Lampi uses a true tupe output stage, runs entirely at Class A and uses a 32 bit 192k delta sigma chipset. The M51 uses a 35 bit 844K PCM to PWM process and is all solid state.
If emotional weight and euphonic charm is important to you, the Lampi wins. I was initially naive in my time with the Lampi, and suggested the it was only a marginal improvement over the Bifrost. This is not the case. The Bifrost tricked me with its effortless and easy-going nature. It was only when the Lampi returned to its owner that I realised just how much was missing. It is the best soundstaging, most musical DAC I have ever heard. Period.
The other side of the argument is this - the sheer pragmatic value of the M51. With its high quality finish, modest dimensions and connectivity, it ought to earn high WAF. But boring matters of practicality aside, the M51 achieves without the aid of valves - most of the Lampi's other virtues - being a holographic soundstage, fatigue-free treble, excellent detail retrieval and a sense of complete and utter composure regardless of source material.
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486 downloadsM51 as PRE and DAC
When I moved from the YBA Integrated to using the Monoblocs the scene altered considerably. This is where the real value equation of the M51 hit home. Whilst the Lampi is the more musical device, if you allow the M51 total control, and amplify to taste - you will be rewarded. This is where the device moved from being merely a four-figure DAC to something truly special, in and of its own accord. It has no presence in your systems' acoustic signature, and simply provides a fluid gateway to the music.
I got EXACTLY what I was looking for with the Class A Monoblocs. A greater sense of body. Better channel separation. Increased dynamics. Better bass response. And I knew it was the Amps. I know my room, I know my speakers. I didn't really know the M51 until that point. A veil had been lifted, and what was initially good detail retrieval became something else. And that is all the M51 contributed. An unflappable ability to deliver the music and no real sense of its own existence.
It does not give a warts-and-all performance like some high-end devices, nor the slight warmth, colour and absolute sense of ease associated with the Lampi. It remains devoted to honestly rendering the source material. I never thought something so transparent and neutral could sound so musical. Oh wait. It doesn't. The music is musical, the M51 is merely the ideal gateway. The amps, speakers and room contribute - but the decoding remains pure.
Your mileage will no doubt vary, and yes I'm clearly a very happy camper. Take from this what you like, I for one - have no further interest in playing with DACs.
Regards,
Lil C
