Roon with NAD M33

Core Machine (Operating system/System info/Roon build number)

I exchanged my Bluos with NAD M33,
Roon is not working well with M33, sound is OK but with frequent hick-up (every 30 seconds)

Is it not certified?

Fridrik

Network Details (Including networking gear model/manufacturer and if on WiFi/Ethernet)

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Audio Devices (Specify what device you’re using and its connection type - USB/HDMI/etc.)

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Description Of Issue

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It is not certified

Hello @Fridrik_Steinn,

Welcome to the forum!

Yes, the NAD M33 is not yet a Roon Ready device, and as such we cannot comment on it’s capabilities with Roon until certification is complete.

When NAD M33 certification will be completed? - days/weeks/months/years ??
If unknown, should I skip this device and go for separate units?
(as example: 1ET400 from nordacoustics, and some streamer for It - example Azure 851N that I’ve own right now)

Hi @Damian_Lecznar1,

Generally, we can’t comment on certification progress. Certification is a collaboration between two companies and requires testing + technical feedback from both our end and the other company.

If you reach out directly to the manufacturer, they might be able to provide some more details of how certification is going on their end, but on our end the answer here will always be the same - the device will only be certified once it’s ready and passes all the necessary checks.

I sent NAD the following email and got the attached response:

Oct 17, 2020, 9:03 PM EDT

I’ve already pre-ordered an M33 from a dealer and didn’t know about the recent change in policy by Roon concerning certification. I was also surprised that as of about a month ago Roon apparently hadn’t even seen an M33 to test. I’ve spent considerable time and effort setting up and customizing my Roon implementation and assumed Roon would work on the M33. Since it won’t, other than Airplay, what do you estimate the certification time will be? It took almost 2 years for the M10 and I won’t wait that long for the M33. If certification isn’t eminent than I may need to rethink my purchase. Thanks for your time.

This was their non-answer -

Eric W. - Support Crew Member (NAD Electronics)

Oct 20, 2020, 5:13 PM EDT

Hello there,

Thank you for contacting the NAD Electronics Support Crew. I hope you and your loved ones are doing well and staying safe.

I sincerely apologize for the delayed response.

Unfortunately, we here in technical support are not provided a timeline on future development and releases so I can not say for certain when exactly the M33 Roon certification will become available. However, rest assured that our engineering and quality assurance team will be doing everything they can to get the M33 Roon certified as soon as possible.

I’m sorry for being unable to provide a more immediate date regarding the M33 Roon certification, but if you have any other questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to contact us at support@nadelectronics.com.

We will be more than happy to help as always!

Thank you for your patience, interest, and consideration.

Take good care and stay safe,
Eric W.
NAD Electronics Support Crew Analyst.

Very polite but not especially helpful. I haven’t decided which way to go yet because the rest of the specs are great and reviews have been top notch. I was just looking for someone to say, “don’t worry it’s a priority, it won’t be 2 years.”

Hello @John_Griffith,

Obviously, we can’t give any estimates insofar as timelines are concerned.

What I can say is that we’re actively engaged with NAD on the M33 certification and progress is being made.

-John

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John, Thanks for getting back to me, I feel better about my decision to buy the M33. I don’t know how long it’s going to take to get one so maybe it’ll be certified before then. :slightly_smiling_face:

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Hi, thank you for this thread, I bought an M33 from NAD too and was hoping for a speedy certification.
Good to know “progress is being made” :grinning:

By the way I do not have the frequent hickups described by Fridrik earlier.
My NAD M33 is on a wired ethernet connection as well as on the wireless network at my house. Roon is running on a Synology NAS for now.

Streaming services (Qobuz) and the library on the NAS are represented fine by the amplifier.

Hi all,

Bought my M33 a couple of months ago on the same assumptions some others mentioned here: that it would work seamlessly with Roon. Let’s hope for early 2021 and before this topic closes (in a year).

Kind regards,
Marc

Just adding my +1 here. I got the M33 today and was really surprised to see it doesn’t work with Roon. Really hoping for a speedy certification. @john is there any chance you might have an updated timeline for this?

It is my understanding after spending months on threads like this that Roon Labs test, then ask the manufacturer (and associated parties of the equipment like Bluesound) to work with them to correct any issues found (the essence of a partnership).

It would be unfair to point at NAD or BlueSound/BluOS as the responsible parties for (lack of) certification, just as it would be unfair to point at Roon for the same. Partnerships are not about finger-pointing.

Unfortunately for the paying customers, no visibility is being given by any of the participating partners or associated parties in this process, so for all we know the NAD M33 might never get certified, despite the non-working Roon logo/option advertised in the BluOS Controller.

Last point: The Roon policy to no longer accept non-certified equipment took effect in September last year. Those lucky enough to have registered their NAD M33 with a Roon Core prior to that date have a “functional” Roon connection. The people posting here and in other threads (BlueSound/BluOS/NAD) no longer have that possibility, hence the feeling of injustice.

This blows. I ordered the nad m33 back in late September and after waiting months I finally got it only to find out that that roon will not work on the current m33 I just received. My nad c658 works and is certified. I have a subscription to roon and my whole audio system is wrapped around roon. Roon allows older units to be grandfathered in but not my new one. Blue is app shows a non working roon input. The nad m33 has roon input but roon does not work. I bough my unit back when it worked with roon. I’m so upset that I am canceling my roon account and selling all my nad products. Bot nad and roon need to get their stuff together.

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Don’t give up! After getting a snarky reply from a NAD employee on a Bluesound forum I got in touch with the shop I bought this from, who emailed their rep, and got this response:

“The main rep at Lenbrook (NAD) says there will be an update in mid-february, so right around the corner!”

Until then I am getting my 5 thousand back. I feel ripped off. I have a subscription for Roon on my C658. I’m canceling my subscription. My gripe is Pryor? M33 Are grandfathered in. I bought mine in late September. I did the research and Roon worked so I ordered one. But between then and now Roon and nad have come to battles. Its only the M33. The flagship. I have very little hope that the M33 will get certified because all mention of Roon is gone from NAD advertising. I think because I bought a subscription and presently have a Roon device I should get roon on my replacement device. I HATE being the brunt of political fights. I’m done with Nad and Roon. And . … I’m going to bad mouth both for a long time. At least until I get my money back from Roon and NAD

Sorry to say that in November I got the answer it would be updated in December, so well see about that…

Also waiting for Roon certification. It was nice to find out that TIDAL’s Mac app recognizes my NAD M33 and it is possible to play high quality music using TIDAL connect from my computer.

Is this just for the M33, or have they removed mention of Roon for all NAD products?

I hear your frustration/annoyance, particularly as Roon was reported as a viable option when you bought the M33. Going for a refund is an understandable path to follow.

However, I wonder if you’ve considered a “stop-gap” temporary solution such as attaching a Raspberry Pi to the M33. You shouldn’t have to do this and you can rightly reject my suggestion with the words “why should I spend any more money when the thing should work?”. On the face of it it seems ridiculous to add a bridge to a streamer!

As I say, it’s just a suggestion, but it’s a workable suggestion.

I don’t see any mention of roon anymore on NAD’s sight.