nad m10 streaming amplifier brings the best of digital with a sound that\'s utterly sublime

In the past few years, the way we listen to music has changed.
Now, more of us live in smaller houses, and many of us move around more frequently to work, which may be more than what previous generations have done.
Enthusiasts settle down in a spacious music room to listen to the golden age of music, in a pile of Hi-
Fi gear with large speakers is fading.
The audio system is shrinking because our space is getting smaller and most of the music we listen to is no longer stored on physical media.
All these changes have driven a new, compact audio system for enjoying digital music.
NAD Masters M10 is a stylish small streaming amplifier that shares a common tradition with Bluesound series audio devices and uses the same BluOS software.
Unlike some small audio systems, the NAD M10 does not include CD players or even radio tuners.
This is a digital player with a high level.
Quality ESS Sabre 9028 DAC (digital-to-
Analog Converterat its heart.
The M10 can handle almost any form of digital music, whether from music files stored on the Web or one of the many music streaming services that have emerged in recent years.
It is very easy to connect the m10 to the home network with the option to use Gigabit Ethernet or Wi-Fi with 2.
4 and 5GHz bands.
The M10 also accepts Bluetooth streaming and supports aptX HD and AAC audio codecs.
NAD also promised that at the end of the 2019 summer, the M10 will support Apple\'s AirPlay 2 with a firmware update.
Unfortunately, Google Chromecast has no plans for support, so this can be a problem for some Android smartphone users.
The NAD M10 is very compact and covers an area of only 10x22x26 cm square meters.
It is not larger than a normal cookie jar, its top is covered with Gorilla Glass with a glowing NAD sign that glows white when it works and red when the device is in sleep mode.
As mentioned above, the power switch was not provided and I found it a bit off at first.
To turn off the M10, just press \"stop\" on the blue music player \".
If there is no sound signal, the M10 will slide into standby mode after 15 minutes and then consume only 0.
Power of 5 w, although it is only necessary to wake it up by pressing play again.
Call me old fashioned but I still like to see a proper power switch so I know it is actually off.
I think there are always wall switches.
The front of the NAD m10 consists of a large color TFT touch
Screen where album cover and station logo can be beautifully displayed.
You can also access the settings, controls and menus of all m10 by touch
Screen, including hue control and display mode of custom screen.
I particularly like how the screen displays a pair of analog meters.
The brightness of the display can be easily adjusted, or it can be turned off completely, which is a great touch for those of us who like to listen to music in the dark.
Unlike many conventional flow amplifiers, The NAD M10 does not have any physical control to adjust the volume.
The volume can be controlled by the regular remote control, the Bluesound app, or by using the virtual volume knob on the m10 display.
Interestingly, the remote control is not provided in the box, although the M10 can work almost with any remote control.
I always thought the remote was the ambassador for the audio system it used.
This is the most used and processed part of the system.
For example, Naim has recognized the importance of a good remote control and has provided a remote control to its Uniti Atom streaming amplifier, which is probably the closest competitor to the m10.
Uniti Atomis offers a beautiful remote control that feels great when your hand is close to it and even has a backlight that illuminates your hand.
NAD M10 can use almost any infrared remote control by programming the M10 using the Bluesound app to accept signals from the remote control.
The M10 offers an impressive 100 w per channel and is a Class D hybrid digital nCore design.
The streaming amplifier is all digital, which means it is more energy efficient than the traditional class AB design.
To be fair, the reputation of digital amplifiers is mixed, mainly because there are some really scary Digital AMPS on the market.
In this case, however, the M10 design team showed how good the sound of the digital amplifier was, and the M10 served the music brilliantly under strict control of the music.
The functions of the M10 can be controlled using the Bluesound app, which can be used for iOS and Android flavors.
The app can be used to select music, make playlists, or access settings.
The app offers an incredible array of music streaming services including Amazon, Tidal, Spotify, Qobuz, TuneIn, and Deezer.
There are a lot of other systems available, and Bluesound may offer more streaming services than any other system I have commented on.
In addition to the music streaming service, M10 can handle most digital file formats, whether they are stored on a NAS or a USB drive.
There is even support for MQA, which is a promise Hi-
Managed Res music file size.
The Bluesound app is very effective in searching for music because it indexes storage devices and can access large libraries with constant slowness.
The M10 uses the SMB protocol instead of the DLNA on the UPnP server.
Digital files and streaming music are reasons for the existence of the m10, but NAD does not ignore the need to connect with other devices.
Behind the M10 is a series of connections for analog, digital, and network devices.
There are three from the left.
5mm sockets, one for the input of the infrared signal, and the other for the output of the 12v trigger signal that can be used to turn on the power amplifier.
Next, two pairs of stereo RCA phonograph inputs for analog devices such as turntable or cassette deck.
There is no phonograph stage available, so anyone who wants to use a vinyl phonograph needs to invest in a dedicated phonograph preamp.
In addition to analog inputs, there are several subwoofer phone outputs whose intersections can be customized using the Bluesound app.
When connecting devices such as CD players or digital tuners, the M10 provides both optical and coaxial digital inputs.
For relay TV sound, there is an HDMI input that supports eARC, so when the m10 is used to play TV audio, the TV remote can adjust its volume.
Finally, there is a Gigabit Ethernet port and a USB a socket for connecting storage devices such as hard drives or thumb drives.
There are two pairs of high behind the M10-
Quality speaker binding post.
The connection is very good and for speakers with a low impedance of up to 4 Ω, they can accept banana plugs or bare wires.
The M10 can cope with a voltage of 100 to 240 v, so it can work almost anywhere in the world.
In addition to the traditional power switch and remote control, the NAD also chooses not to include the headphone socket.
There is no place to plug in a pair of wired headphones for private listening.
However, there are two-
The way Bluetooth is connected, streaming audio can be received from a smartphone, or music can be transferred to a pair of wireless headsets using aptX HD or AAC audio codec.
If it sounds like I\'m a little picky, it\'s because I think the M10 is a very pure system and I think it should make some adjustments to make it the best system of its kind.
Power switches, headphone sockets, and decent remote controls will make the NAD M10 nearly perfect.
The sound of the M10 is really amazing, the sound of the music pause is surprisingly quiet, the short sound is full of drama, full of attack and vitality.
The M10 is responsible for the music and presents it with such excellent clarity, producing a bass that has never been thicker or more than a mid-tone.
The frequency above shows every detail of the recording, but there is no sign of harsh or tense.
The longer the M10 sound grows on me, before I start customizing its sound for my hearing room using a microphone built into m10 and Dirac Live support.
The attachment box for the M10 includes a wired USB microphone that works with the downloadable Dirac Live LE app.
Dirac Live is a sound shaping technology that can measure the acoustic effect of the room and then the sound of the m10 according to the different shapes of the room.
The Dirac Live LE app can be downloaded to a smartphone or tablet, and then the user plugs the microphone into the USB port behind the M10.
Then, the listener sits in the favorite listening chair or the usual listening position, and then follows the instructions on the smartphone screen to start sampling the output of the m10 from various positions around the user\'s head.
Then the M10 plays a series of tones from very low frequencies to the highest of batssqueaks.
The software then calibrates the M10 sound in the room, and the M10 can store up to four separate Dirac profiles.
In fact, there may be a setting when the curtain is opened and another setting when it is closed.
Objects like soft decoration can have a significant impact on the acoustics of any room, so Dirac helps mitigate these effects and can have a great impact.
It is not difficult to set the profile and sample tone using the Dirac app, but it does take a little time.
If you have kids or pets, take them out of the room before you start calibration, because the tone will affect more than others.
I have to say that when I started reviewing, I felt that the M10 didn\'t sound that loud for an amplifier with a rated power of 100 W.
I \'ve got used to the amp being slightly higher in volume and higher in power output.
However, I found the M10 to be loud-it could be loud-but it didn\'t really start to make big strides until the volume exceeded 60% of the maximum volume.
The volume of the M10 is over 60%, very fast.
There is no doubt that there is enough energy in the M10 that it can swing with the Earth
Move the bass but never lose control of the music.
Even short with up to 160W
The term peak power can be used for transient when required.
Verdict: There is no doubt that NAD Masters M10 is an excellent kit that can be elegantly inserted into the Bluesound range and offers the highest quality amplification that can transmit almost any digital music source to think about.
For some, the lack of a CD player or radio tuner can be a problem, but this is a unit for enthusiasts who have accepted the flexibility of numbers but still want to connect analog or external digital sources.
The M10 makes a wonderful open sound, relaxed and relaxed, but never sacrifices the details and excitement in the music.
The lack of conventional power switches, headphone sockets, and remote controls is a secondary stimulus, but there are too many correct places for the NAD M10, and it seems rude to criticize.
If the living space is premium and you want the best sound quality in the most comfortable size, then the M10 is well worth a try.
Price: $2,499/2,195 more: Features: * these will be implemented with future software upgrades.