Set-up and installation

The Nad C 658 replaces a Ps Audio Stellar Gain Cell preamp, Nad M50 streamer, and Metrum Acoustics Onyx d / a converter! Let me get this through to you. Unbelievable what one can get in one device today. Without making too many compromises. As mentioned earlier, we see more and more such solutions but rarely in this price range and certainly not with an acoustic solution like Dirac included.

The Nad C 658 gets a balanced connection to a Benchmark AHB2 (Audioquest Yukon cable). Speakers on duty are the Vienna Acoustics Haydn Jubilee and Atc Scm19 V2. We set the gainswitch of the Benchmark to the middle position so that the volume goes up sufficiently fast (steps of 0.5db). Once connected to the network we can quickly find the Nad C 658 in both the BluOS app and the Roon software. No fuss and within 5 minutes there’s music playing. Wonderfully uncomplicated!

Bluesound

Now that streaming has completely broken through, the importance of an app is becoming more and more clear. We think the BluOS app is one of the best on the market. We’ve been using it to our full satisfaction for years. It’s stable, intuitive, fast and you can use it for multi-room applications. Recently this app got a nice update which makes everything work even better. Not everyone wants to – or is able to – buy Roon’s software.

Synergy

We have to admit that at first it didn’t really ‘click’ between the Benchmark and the Nad. It sounded a little ‘distant’ in our opinion. The solution – or determining factor – came after a while when we realized, it’s the Metrum Onyx. This dac has been in the system for so long we got used to it. But the Onyx just has a very different signature. And we like it. But purely on his own, Nad doesn’t really do anything wrong and we have started to appreciate the extreme detailing in the playback.

The Benchmark itself is an ultra-linear measuring instrument so this combo might be a bit ‘too much of a good thing’ for some. Nevertheless, over time we started to appreciate this system more and more. That’s why we think it’s important to live with a component for a while. To assess, experience and experience it correctly. Especially with such a complex device as the Nad C 658. We would therefore like to thank importer Dali Benelux for the longer loan period.

Eventually we decide to perform the listening test with Dirac switched off because the influence will be different in each room. In all our previous reviews we have chosen to test the products as they are. Without adjusting the tone control, without changing the power cords, without changing the filters,… and so we’re doing this again here. By the way, the Nad C 658 performs, just like the Nad M10, excellent even without Dirac