Sneak Peek

By Scott Wilkinson • Posted: Aug 12, 2009

The 2009 CEDIA (Custom Electronics Design and Installation Association) Expo is only a month away, and I'm starting to get lots of press releases about products that will be introduced there. Many of these announcements are under embargo until the show, but here's one that isn't—the M15HD surround preamp/processor from respected Canadian manufacturer NAD.

The M15HD is a significant update of the original M15 from 2005 and the first product in NAD's top-drawer Masters Series to incorporate the company's Modular Design Construction (MDC) architecture. I've always admired this approach, in which circuit-board modules that serve various functions are installed in the chassis' card cage and thus can be easily upgraded and serviced.

The M15HD offers five MDC slots, and several modules are available, including digital and analog video and audio I/O and processing. For example, the digital-audio module provides four coax and four optical digital-audio inputs and two of each type of output. Twin 300 MIPS dual-core DSPs can perform the complete suite of Audyssey processing, including MultEQ XT/Pro auto setup, Dynamic EQ, and Dynamic Volume. It can also decode Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD bitstreams entering the HDMI inputs on the digital-video module.

Speaking of which, the digital-video module is equipped with VXP processing from Sigma Designs, which recently purchased this highly regarded technology from Gennum. The module performs all deinterlacing and scaling up to 1080p/60 as well as transcoding from analog video to HDMI, and it provides four HDMI 1.3 inputs with repeaters and one HDMI output.

There are plenty of connection points on the analog-video module, including four composite/S-video and three component inputs as well as one component, one S-video, and two composite outputs (one for an independent remote zone). On the analog-audio input module are eight L/R analog-audio inputs and two L/R outputs for independent remote zones, while another analog-audio module offers a 7.1-channel input and a 7.2-channel output to your primary power amplification.

As with all high-performance products, the M15HD ain't cheap—$4500, but that includes all modules, making it a relative bargain compared with other premium pre/pros. And when new features such as HDMI 1.4 become available, you don't need to replace the entire unit, only the corresponding module. I'm eager to see this puppy at CEDIA, so stay tuned for my report from Atlanta next month.

Comments

Submitted by Roy on August 13, 2009 - 1:56pm.

I'll bet money that they provide few (if any) updates to this modular design. We've seen the approach before from Onkyo/Integra and it never panned out. It sounds good on paper, and it is, but it's a bad model for making money. Why provide upgrades for several hundred dollars when you can make the consumer spend thousands more to replace functionality they already have while adding incremental bells and whistles (e.g, new codecs, updated video processing, etc.)?

Submitted by Scott Wilkinson on August 14, 2009 - 2:45pm.

Roy, I understand your skepticism, but NAD assures me that it is committed to providing updates as warranted. For example, I was informed that an updated digital-video module will support HDMI 1.4 when the appropriate chipsets become available.

Submitted by Dave Pace on August 15, 2009 - 8:49am.

Who uses these legacy inputs anymore? "here are plenty of connection points on the analog-video module, including four composite/S-video and three component inputs as well as one component, one S-video, and two composite outputs (one for an independent remote zone)." No balanced outputs either??

Submitted by Jan - Netherlands on August 16, 2009 - 5:42am.

Dave, I believe this is where the modular bit should come in; no need for analog av-module? Replace the module by xlr out. If NAD gets that done, they can truly lead the pack. As they will with the new M2 btw. I would love to see a 5 channel version of that new product. The combo would be magical!

Submitted by Ray Hapes on August 16, 2009 - 8:52am.

I too am skeptical of the modular approach when rationalized with the "inexspensive upgrade" reasoning. However... I just had a very exspensive and very heavy amp fail on a single channel. I took out the offending module and sent it on. I was very grateful the entire chassis did'nt have to go. The extra convenience alone has persuaded me the modular approach has its merits.

Submitted by CJ on August 19, 2009 - 7:00am.

I would gladly pay the extra money for a product that offers replaceable modules. Skepticism aside regarding if the company would maintain developing and offering new modules as time goes on, I can't see how one could loose. Everything keeps changing so fast, that I would want my A/V pre/pro to be designed like my computer - with a removable card-based architecture... If it works for computers, I can't imagine that the same concept wouldn't be just as successful in the A/V industry.

Submitted by Richard on August 20, 2009 - 8:28pm.

Only 4 HDMI inputs and only 1 HDMI output? On a yet to be released premium processor? I didn't get the original M15 as it only had 2 HDMI inputs and they couldn't even cope with LPCM audio. Other aspects sound interesting, and I trust NAD more than some others to offer some updated cards, but the limited inputs and outputs (no balanced in or out?) makes it seem over priced (or under speced). I have four components now with HDMI outputs and can easily see myself getting a fifth. What would I do then? A premium processor needs at least 6 HDMI inputs and at least 2 HDMI outputs.

Submitted by David on August 21, 2009 - 10:55am.

My skepticism lies in the lack of follow-through on the part of other manufacturers who have offered modular designs in the past. Onkyo and Integra offered modular premium receivers and surround processors which were touted as 'the last you'd ever need to buy' and which were alleged to be 'future proof'. However, after a few years, the designs were discontinued and neither brand offered upgrades to current feature sets. Now, you can buy more fully featured equivalent components for a fraction of the price those initial designs cost, and those buyers who made their purchases in part on the idea of 'future-proofing' were no longer supported.

Submitted by Scott Wilkinson on August 22, 2009 - 6:12pm.

Richard, it might be possible to configure the M15HD with two HDMI modules instead of one HDMI and one analog video, which would give you eight HDMI ins and two outs. I've sent a query to NAD about this and will post their response when I get it. David, your skepticism is warranted based on historical examples, but that doesn't mean NAD will necessarily follow suit. Only time will tell, of course.

Submitted by robert Gatt on August 24, 2009 - 12:25am.

nad delivered what it promised. my t775 has been updated with the latest hdmi, latest hd codecs and software.

Submitted by Scott Wilkinson on August 25, 2009 - 5:42pm.

I just got a response from NAD...unfortunately, one can't install a second HDMI module in lieu of the analog-video module. However, they did say, "great idea for a future module," meaning, I assume, a module with more HDMI ins and outs.

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