[nick77]

I recieved my NFB-2 back in early March, just noticed digital filtering available on the website. Does digital filtering apply to early shipments as well or just most recent NFB-2 shipping?
 
Any feedback on NFB-2 filter adjustments?

 

[HaVoC-28]

 
Quote:

I recieved my NFB-2 back in early March, just noticed digital filtering available on the website. Does digital filtering apply to early shipments as well or just most recent NFB-2 shipping?
 
Any feedback on NFB-2 filter adjustments?

Open your NFB-2 and have a look , mine shiped early june (digital filtering was not yet announced) and i have filters in my NFB-2 , and there is some feedback on NFB-2 filters some page back ...But the standard filter is great (for me) . (but i am using another one ATM)

 

[nick77]

Quote:

 
Open your NFB-2 and have a look , mine shiped early june (digital filtering was not yet announced) and i have filters in my NFB-2 , and there is some feedback on NFB-2 filters some page back ...But the standard filter is great (for me) . (but i am using another one ATM)

I got an email reply from AudioGD and they stated a unit ordered in Feburary would not have filtering.
 
 

 

[middachten]

 
I haven't been here for a while. And just wanted to say that I'm still extremely happy with my NFB-2. My original review (http://www.head-fi.org/products/audio-gd-nfb-2-and-nfb-3/reviews/5008) still stands. And I'm more and more getting tempted to try one of A-GDs preamps.
 
This was exactly my experience with the NFB-2:
Quote:

The dac 19 was excellent, wide soundstage far beyond the speakers in fact I never heard Roger Waters 'amused to death' so far from the back, but it was a little dark sounidng and felt I lost details. 

 
Except for the 'and felt I lost details' part. In fact 'dark' has now turned into 'warm' for me, and so called 'details' of other DACs more and more translate into 'harshness'. I think that apart from my headphones (Stax Lambda) and power amp (Duson A10) few other pieces of equipment have given me so much musical pleasure!

 

[attenuated 3db]

Quote:

I haven't been here for a while. And just wanted to say that I'm still extremely happy with my NFB-2.

 
That's how I feel about my NFB-3, and we received our units at about the same time last spring.  I stay subscribed to the "delivery and impressions" thread out of curiosity, but being a very satisfied owner, don't have much to say.  I have a nice preamp and power amp from my days selling high-end audio in the 1980s, but FWIW, I will note that the Audio-gd Digital Interface made for a substantial sonic improvement when I replaced the Teradak X2 transport I was using to go into the NFB-3's coaxial input with the DIR9001 receiver chip.
 
 
 

 

[bacobits]

I purchased and received from a fellow Head Fi-er an NFB 2 on Friday (no filters).
These are my first impressions I wrote to "nick77" Who I also communicate with on another forum. I have been here for quite some time but never posted.
 
Ok, the Audio gd puppy arrived at 2M, Plugged it in immediately.
Very nicely made unit, not cheap looking at all.
 
Using a Raysonic 128 as transport, SPDIF into the NFB2 coax. No headphones or computer streaming here.
Integrated is a Pathos Classic One MKII into Usher CP6371.

Using all WyWires V2 Juice PC, v1 HS interconnects (at first). Oh, **** what did I do??
Very smooth, very very warm. A bit way too warm. "Dark" is a good description. Not used to that. Changed to v2 Interconnects. Much better. I did not care for the v2 interconnects on the Raysonic 128 alone. I went back to v1 last night again. Using the WyWires LITESPD SPDIF RCA cable. Decided to turn it around, better still. Alex never mentioned how it was broken in. All pretty good now, I marked it. That's like $1400 total in wire on this thing.

After 20 minutes I can hear changes to things for the better, opening up. Now after 3 hours on, really opened up. It needs this warmup time and playing time maybe, as I have read elsewhere. I will probably leave it on it's only 17 watts.
It seems to sound better with 3+ hours "play time" through it, not just warm up. Strange animal!
I have been since told it only has about 17 hours on it total.

It reminds me of the EAD DSP7000III DAC I had WAY back when. Again very smooth so much so it makes some gnarly CD's sound really very nice. Like, Kid Rock's "Rock and Roll Jesus"  I like one song, "All Summer Long" very nice. This song is a different take on Lynyrd Skynyrdr's "Sweet home Alabama".

Weight and presence there but still missing that last niche of air and resolution. The DIR9001
I suspect will provide this, I'm hoping. It is on order.

I'm so intimately involved with my system since the WyWires, I exactly know what everything does to the system.

Is it better than the Raysonic alone? I can't say that yet, but it is different. They all are. The Raysonic 128 is no slouch and will hold its own against many out there.
I like the NFB 2 much better than the Benchmark DAC1 ($1050) I had that didn't grow on me at all. Too sterile and an analytical sound. I need now that last little bit of air and resolution with the Audio gd NFB 2.

Can't wait till I get that chip. I read that someone here thought that the DAC was too sibilant when they go it, no way! In fact if you have a bright system this is what you should use. My system is no way bright and is very musical.
 
How's that for a quick review? More to come.
 
If the "darkness" does not improve the NFB 2 will be turned around. It needs a lot more time on it. I will hang in there for at least 200 hours.
 
D

 

[ninjikiran]

I don't think its a dark dac at all, definitely a little smooth though and its quiet as heck to boot =3.
 
But my Lyr raises the noise floor  considerably so its moot.  I am thinking of going with one of the new schiit dacs, waiting on that statement see how it blows everything else away =3.

 

[bacobits]

This thing isn't going anywhere.
After 5 hours yesterday and at least that much today and still running now the NFB 2 I am happy to say
lost its dark flavor for a very smooth, nicely detailed, quiet presentation. It has changed completely, I leave it on now all the time.
It sounds really damn good!!
Highly recommended and super nice for the $$.
I'm waiting on my DIR9001 now.
 
D
 

 

[estreeter]

Quote:

If the "darkness" does not improve the NFB 2 will be turned around. It needs a lot more time on it. I will hang in there for at least 200 hours.

And it 'completely changed' in 5 hours ?

 

 

[MohawkUS]

Can anyone comment on if this DAC or the C2.2 amp is dark or neutral sounding? My headphones have the perfect balance of warmness/aggressiveness right now, maybe slightly too far toward being too warm and I don't want to mess that up.
Also has anyone compared the OPAs, specifically the Earth and Sun to the ACSS connection?

 

[olor1n]

nvm

 

[HaVoC-28]

 
Quote:

Can anyone comment on if this DAC or the C2.2 amp is dark or neutral sounding? My headphones have the perfect balance of warmness/aggressiveness right now, maybe slightly too far toward being too warm and I don't want to mess that up.
Also has anyone compared the OPAs, specifically the Earth and Sun to the ACSS connection?

Got a NFB-2 + C2.1 (Same thing than C2.2 just a bit less powerfull) NFB-2 can be described has neutral with only a hint of warm , and i difinitely not call this DAC " dark at all " , but i go my DAC first (coupled with a M-Stage and OPA MOON) soo when i get my C2.1 for a direct comparaison i used OPA moon (and still use it for rca) . 
 
My initial toughts : http://www.head-fi.org/t/515859/how-is-the-audio-gd-c2-amp/30#post_7731602 should be updated but a bit lazy . 
 
In brief : ACSS can be described as neutral , tonnaly better , and a bit more detailed for me everything seams in the right place dynamique is good , soundstage too etc , MOON : warm , a bit less detailled , not the same tonnaly piano still sound very different from ACSS to MOON , drums seams more monolitique (not soo layered in comparaison to ACSS but a bit more forward sounding) but since my first tought on the two both have improved  , but Moon in RCA more (it's much more closer to ACSS than it was) . I don't have my m-stage anymore soo i couldn't do another comparaison but if think thant difference beetween m-stage with moon and C2.1 with moon too would be more obvious . 
 
I didn't tryed OPA604 at all ... directly pluged my Moons for comparaison . 
 
If you plane to go with C2.2 and later NFB-2/3.1 peraphs it better going with Sun , earth and acss would be peraphs a bit redundant despite not sounding the same (just my thinking)  .
 
 
I mostly use ACSS , but sometimes i switch for RCA with moon , for fun and a different experience . But you can try other opa like LT1028 , AD797 etc ^^
 
(Using a K702 , great match NFB-2+C2.1 , notabely better than my previous setup (Sptifire MK² / M-Stage used moon , AD797, and OPA627BP in class A)  (sorry for my sucky english) .

 

[MohawkUS]

Thanks for writing that up for me. I'm not going to be getting the DAC for a few months after I get the amp, so I'm thinking of getting both the Sun and Earth OPAs. The album in your avatar is actually my go to album for testing to make sure my set up is 'aggressive' enough, so looks like I should be good with this setup.

 

[HaVoC-28]

Agressive , surely

  from the first to last track always at full spead 

, you can't be sorry with a C2.2 AMP ^^ Audio GD are good audio gears

 . 

 

[bacobits]

 
Quote:

And it 'completely changed' in 5 hours ?

I know, what a statement I said after 5 hours, but it has changed that much.
I'm scratching my head too. BTW this is the NFB2 without the user changeable filters.
I do not use Headphones and I do not use a computer for music. I'm only here because there are 89 pages on this particular equipment.
DAC's are discussed here more than anywhere else.
 
This thing might not have been used for a while. Now, it's been powered up since I wrote that.  I'm not a slouch at this, I know what I hear, what I'm hearing is excellent and I'm very satisfied. The biggest asset to me is involvement, that over used but true, pace, rhythm and timing. If you don't have it you lose interest pretty quick.
I would put it up against much more costly DAC's. I wish I could do some direct comparisons.
 
A lot of this comparing DAC's is like choosing a cartridge in an analog set up. Different prices, different qualities.