Comments please on: NAD M23 vs c298 vs. other newer Class D

@hilde45 i hope this is at least a little helpful, even though it will not be exactly what you are looking for.  I owned the original version of the M33 (now there is a V2), which I believe has the same amplification section as the M23 for about 1 year; i used it with a range of speakers including DALI Epicon 6s and Revel F226Bes.  I think the reviews are accurate when it comes to its lack of harshness and its even frequency response.  What i can’t entirely tell you is whether its overall sound quality is as dynamic or musical as what i think you would hope for, because I believe the M33 suffers from a pretty mediocre streamer and an only so-so DAC implementation, despite the fancy ESS Sabre chips it uses. For example, when I swapped in a basic Innuos Pulse mini as the streaming input (still using the internal M33 DAC), there was a noticeable improvement in SQ  and dynamism (running the Revels at that point).  That makes me think that the amp module is OK. I do think it is never going to wow you, however. I think it gives a polite, highly accurate sound, but my hunch is, that, even with a better separate DAC & Streamer, “snappy dynamic speed” is not what it is going to give you. (I sold my M33 to move to a better streamer and separately bought a CODA CSiB V2.)

But, i see that The Audio Factory has a great price on the M23 and i think they have a 60-day return period (you’d pay for return shipping) : B stock M23 So, that’s might make a test in your own room & system attractive?

(I’ve bought a ton of gear from them and always been very happy with the condition of their products and their service. )

Hope this helps, at least a little. 

I like the way you think @hilde45.  Sometimes it’s about different vs better.  

@hilde45 Three other class Ds to consider in your context: AGD, Orchard Audio and our class D. All have smooth sound more like tubes than solid state. 

@hilde45 

Not sure if this willl help. I used to own the NAD M22 (and M12). I had also tried PS Audio Stellar S300 amps (along with their matching preamp/DAC). I then “upgraded” to the M33 in that same system. Those were precursors to my current cabin system. At the time, the electronics were driving Sonus Faber Olympica Nova IIIs. While it sounded ok, I wasn’t really satisfied with it. I ended upgrading the electronics a lot - not a fair comparison to put a T+A SD 3100 HV DAC and P 3000 HV preamp in there. But before I did all that, I put the Atma-Sphere Class D monos in. 

Frankly - there’s no comparison whatsoever between the AS Class D monos and the NAD M33,  M22 and PS Audio S300 (eigentakt, modified hypex and ICE respectively). While the Class D monos need a lot of time to run in (>400 hours), I’ve found they’re quite remarkable in their performance. A reviewer even compared them favorably to his LAMM amps. I’m now using them to drive Sonus Faber Il Cremonese speakers fronted by the T+A DAC and preamp. Though they are the least expensive component in that system by a large margin, It find the amps to be fully up to the task. Smooth, stable, detailed and resolving and not lean or bleached iin the least which was my objection to the Hypex and ICE variants.

Hope this helps.