NAD's revolutionary new M51 Digital-to-Analog Converter is the first to incorporate NAD’s Direct Digital technology, which first captured the attention of serious music lovers in the Masters Series M2 Direct Digital Amplifier. Just as the M2 helped to redefine the power amplifier, the M51 includes an astonishingly powerful digital engine that sets a new benchmark for DAC performance. The M51 is a fully functional digital preamp with seven digital inputs and one of the world's best volume controls. Whether you want to get into computer audio, 'Home Cinema 2.0' or just want to upgrade your CD player, the M51 Direct Digital DAC will get the best possible performance from every digital format.
M**W
The quality of the sound improved
After reading Stereophile and What Hi- Fi reviews on The NAD M51, I became very interested in this DAC when it dropped to 1/2 price. My Vincent Audio Hybrid Tube system has a CD-S1.2 CD player, SA-31MK preamplifier and pair of SP-991 plus monoblock amplifiers. These are all class A devices where the first 100 watts out of the amps is class A and the sound through my KEF R700 speakers is very good to my ears. I use the CD player as a transport with a digital coaxial cable to the NAD M51 and analog out to the preamplifier. The music changed, the bass tightened up, the soundstage was more focused with better and clearer dynamic headroom. I heard some words on my Beach Boys Smiley Smile album that I could never make out before in one of the high harmonies. I was not unhappy with the sound previous to adding the NAD M51, but I thought I would try it out. Actually, I was surprised that it made so much difference in the sound of the music. I am a mathematician and I was intrigued by the 844K Hz sampling rate and conversion of Red Book CD PCM (Pulse Code Modulation) to PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) using a 35-bit chip architecture. The music quality has improved and I have no regrets about the purchase. At this price point, I think you would have to pay four or more times as much money for a better sounding DAC so the NAD M51 is outstanding value.
Trustpilot
1 week ago
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