NAD M10 — Integrated Amplifier Master Series: Review

 

Audio equipment or Hi-Fi gear – do you feel the difference between these terms? Excellent! You definitely know what you want to buy. And you probably already have quality speakers that are just waiting to reveal their full potential. NAD M10 – integrated amplifier from the Master Series is ready to set its rules in the world of high-quality sound and unlimited digital content.

NAD M10: Declared Technical Specifications

 

Series	Master Series
Type	Integrated Amplifier
Number of Channels	2
Output Power (8/4 Ohms)	2×100 W
Dynamic Power (8/4 Ohms)	160 W / 300 W
Frequency Range	20-20000 Hz
Signal-to-Noise Ratio	90 dB
Harmonic Distortion (THD)	< 0.03%
Input Sensitivity	1 V (for 100 W and 8 Ohms)
Channel Separation	75 dB
Damping Coefficient	>190
Audio DAC	ESS Sabre 32-bit/384 kHz
Input Connectors	1 x S/PDIF (RCA) 1 x Toslink 1 x HDMI (ARC) 1 x LAN (RJ45) 1 Gbps 1 x USB Type A 1 x 3.5 mm IR Wireless: Wi-Fi 5 GHz, Bluetooth
Output Connectors	2 x RCA 2 x RCA (subwoofer) 1 x 3.5 mm trigger 2 speaker pairs
Supported Audio Formats	MQA, DSD, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, MP3, AAC, WMA, OGG, WMA-L, ALAC, OPUS
Streaming Data Protocols	Amazon Alexa, Amazon Music, Spotify, TIDAL, Deezer, Qobuz, HDTracks, HighResAudio, Murfie, JUKE, Napster, Slacker Radio, KKBox, Bugs
Free Internet Audio	TuneIn Radio, iHeartRadio, Calm Radio, Radio Paradise
Operating System	BluOS
Service Support	Google Play and Apple App
Smart Home Integration	Apple, Crestron, Control4, Lutron
Device Weight	5 kg
Dimensions	(W x H x D) 215 x 100 x 260 mm
Price	$2500

 

NAD M10: Review

 

Undoubtedly, NAD M10 is premium class equipment. This is even evident from the packaging quality – film, ties, clamps. There was a worrying feeling that the manufacturer had changed their habits of releasing classic models to the market. This “wow” was definitely not desired, as the amplifier was chosen from the Master Series lineup precisely for its absence of all these 21st-century special effects.

 

And the manufacturer did not disappoint us. Elegant design, strict style, aluminum chassis. On the black-colored amplifier, we immediately did not notice the stylish rounded corners. We got exactly what we saw in the NAD official store. No frills. Such equipment will easily fit into any room design, simply delightful!

On the other hand, we would like to highlight the work of the designers separately. A magnificent display that performs several functions at once. It informs the owner about the system status and allows fine-tuning the amplifier. By the way, the screen is made using TFT technology – it slightly darkens at wide viewing angles. But this is a plus, as it is quite informative and does not glare strongly in a dark room. The manufacturer claimed that the display is protected by Gorilla Glass. We did not test it, trusting their word.

 

NAD M10: Connection and First Setup

 

This is what we love about NAD products – maximum convenience in connecting and setting up equipment. An excellent first-time setup guide – even a preschool child can handle it. This connector for this function, and connect it like this. And this connector for another function, and it only connects this way. Simple and accessible!

 

There is a saying – “men’s toys don’t change with age.” The NAD M10 amplifier belongs to such toys that are not limited by age groups. Connecting the equipment took us 20 minutes, and with setup and testing, we spent almost half a day. The DIRAC service alone is worth it – you can change the entire frequency curve. Not to mention full integration with the Apple App Store, where we found many interesting features.

 

Advantages of NAD M10 Amplifier

 

• Quick startup (system loads well, and the amplifier is ready for multimedia playback).
• Excellent software for managing the entire system.
• Support for well-known streaming services.
• Remote control implementation from other devices (PC and laptop, phone).
• Full support for all multimedia formats. Even licensed MQA was found, which is rare.
• Impressive wired and wireless interfaces.
• When connected to a TV, HDMI-CEC support is available – you can control the amplifier with the TV remote.

 

Disadvantages of NAD M10

 

We are bloggers, not an online store, so there’s no point in hiding disadvantages. Moreover, this is premium segment equipment, and the flaws seem like those of a budget device with a “Made in China” label. It’s good that all these flaws are software-related, not hardware. Expect the manufacturer to fix them with a firmware update.

 

 

Disadvantages of NAD M10:

• The amplifier does not come with a remote control. Management is via smartphone through the NAD service app.
• The “sleep mode” button is on the back panel. Very poor implementation. It’s unclear what NAD’s technology team was thinking when making such a mistake.
• No DLNA support.
• Unclear implementation of multimedia file search. The problem is the mandatory rescanning of all files in the connected library. Indicating a source with 5,000 files takes 5 minutes to scan. Adding another 5,000 files doubles the scan time to 10 minutes (as it updates info from scratch). Complete nonsense, especially over a 1 Gbps local network.
• No built-in phono preamp!

 

In conclusion

 

Overall, NAD M10 (integrated amplifier) pleased us. If you don’t focus too much on the disadvantages, the initial experience and sound quality were very impressive. Honestly, we only opened the manual twice – during setup and while exploring the DIRAC service. Maybe we missed something. This is relatively our list of shortcomings.

 

 

And don’t forget, this is audio equipment from the Master Series category. That means it’s not worth connecting budget speakers. The difference won’t be noticeable, as the speakers will be the weak link in the entire system.