I got my unit hooked up last night. The USB installation went off without a hitch, and within moments I had FLAC files pouring through my headphones.
My opinion on these aren't nearly as valuable as others, given my limited experience with other amps and DACs. I'd imagine that most people looking in this market niche is interested in seeing how the NFB-10SE compares to units in its price range (Schiit Lyr, Nuforce Icon HDP), and offerings above its price point (Burson 160DS, Centrance DACmini, Violectric V200) to see if it can achieve that coveted "bang-for-your-buck" designation from a so-called budget brand. I can offer no such impressions. I can give my opinions in an absolute sense, which even I admit is absolutely worthless without the context of comparisons to competitor products. So here's my nickel-short-of-two-cents:
This is the first time that I've really heard my LCD-2s come alive.
When I demo'd the LCD-2s at a local shop, it was being fed by the $800 Musical Fidelity M1-HPA amp. Just a few months before that, I joined this site in search of $150 headphones for commuting, and really didn't understand people that needed to spend $500+ on a headphone set up. After the demo, I bought myself a pair of LCD-2, so needless to say I was *that* impressed.
I didn't have the spare cash to blow on a whole set up at the time, so I got the headphones first and would research amps/DACs later. When I plugged them into my Fiio E7+E9 combo on my desktop, I was immediately underwhelmed. The sound was thin, two-dimensional, and lacking impact. Sure, the tonality was still very much to my liking, and I still immensely enjoyed the headphone, but they didn't have that extra special sauce that floored me when I first heard it. I got a couple of vintage amps to power them as a bedroom rig, and it gained more impact and authority, but it smeared some of the finer details and bloomed the lower mids too much.
I was dead set on a Lyr + Bifrost combo, but seeing olor1n and LiqTenExp give this unit favorable reviews against the Lyr got me intrigued in the NFB-10SE.
In my short time here, I don't quite subscribe to the objectivist notion that volume and low-distortion is all you need (gross oversimplifying, of course). Getting your headphones pumping out a sufficient number of decibels is only part of the story. But, on the other hand, I find that most people here grossly over-exaggerate differences and improvements -- which is natural given that we are all simply splitting hairs over squeezing out that last 10-15%. So, when I read reviews or see comments that something is "significantly improved", I tend to think it's more like 5-10% in the grand scheme of things.
With that said, upon firing up the NFB-10SE and connecting my LCD-2, I immediately notice a significant improvement. The first thing I notice is the black background that gives a great sense of space in the upper frequencies. Instruments are much better defined and separated. This increased definition gives better depth in the imaging. Whereas before, the music is laid out in front of me on a canvas -- things now seemed like I put on 3D glasses. I got a better sense of how close Scott LaFaro is to me on the left side of the stage during the classic Village Vanguard performances.On Kind of Blue, I could better pinpoint where each musician stood in the room -- as well as pinpoint where their instruments echo from.
I played the first Fleet Foxes album because that was one of the demo CDs that I used when I demo'd the LCD-2 and this album hasn't sounded more alive on my home set up. On busier passages, the depth in the imaging gives a better illusion of space for instruments to fill. On Ragged Wood, one of the faster songs, with lots of vocal harmonizing, I feel like I can place where everyone is in the room.
The impact and slam is back. Drums kick sharply and with authority. Low rumbling bass is no longer polite -- James Blake's "Limit To Your Love" makes my brain curl up in the fetal position. On Metallica's "Enter Sandman", the "BOOM" at 4:28 makes me jump out of my chair. Even on piano, like Brad Mehldau's rendition of "Black Hole Sun", the power and conviction in his chord strikes scream, "I mean business".
This one of the few instances in my short time in this hobby that I've been truly satisfied with one of my purchases. The power on tap gives the LCD-2 a greater sense of control, and it manifests as a more nuanced presentation of the music that is quite significant, imo. After two songs on the NFB-10SE, I stopped trying to listen analytically and just had a few hours rocking out and enjoying my music -- something that I've ironically done less and less of since joining this site.
Regarding the -7dB mod that I ordered with: I haven't had time to extensively listen to most of my headphones but I did just do a volume level check in low and high gain. I believe the gap between them to be too wide for my purposes. I listen to the LCD-2 on volume 6 - 9 on high gain and 32 - 35 on low gain. In trying to lower the gain to accomodate my Grados (which I find pretty good between 23 - 26 on low gain), I've essentially rendered the gain levels impractical for my other headphones. For anyone ordering one, and is considering the gain, I'd probably recommend leaving it at stock values unless you're doing IEMs.
Anyway, sorry for the long-winded post. It just sort of took on a life of its own once I started typing. I just wanted to chime in and say that Audio-GD has a satisfied customer here. Anyone near San Francisco is more than welcomed to come by and give it a demo.
