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Burson HA-160D vs Audio GD NFB-10 ?

post #1 of 15
2/12/11 at 4:41pm
Thread Starter 

hello head-fiers :)

 

i need help on choosing amp/dac, I decided to spend a bit more than i originally intended. since i'll definitely buy better headphones someday.

 

 

my current setup: Foobar2000 (Wasabi/FLAC) -> Asus Xonar Essence ST -> AKG K702

 

here's what i've had in mind:

 

Burson HA-160D

 

Corda Stagedac & Corda Concerto (i don't care about crossfeed so i'm not too sure about if its a good choice)

 

Audio GD NFB-10

 

comments ? recommendations ?

 

thanks for reading.


Edited by Dreaming Of A Better ... - 2/13/11 at 4:00pm
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post #2 of 15
2/13/11 at 6:01am
Thread Starter 

bump.

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post #3 of 15
2/13/11 at 6:53am

My preference goes to NFB-10.

K701/2 improves considerably when driven balanced. Also I feel that the NFB-10 (at least ES version) synergizes well with AKGs in general, and add to them an extra touch of solidity and punch.

You can also get it at a very good price in UK: http://www.ampcity.co.uk/dac-amps/audio-gd-dac-amp-nfb-10.html

 

I haven't heard the Burson dac/amp but comes with a great reputation and quite a few people seem to enjoy it with AKGs (amongst many other brands).

This one is probably most accessible to you because you could find it in London at Angelsound Audio ( http://www.angelsoundaudio.co.uk/ASShop/page9/page30/page30.html )

 

 

I'm not so sure about the Meiers though. I have owned two of their amplifiers (but not the Concerto) and I didn't really like how they've matched with the K701.

I could be wrong and other people may disagree, but personally I'm far more inclined in the direction of Audio-gd and Burson

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post #4 of 15
2/13/11 at 9:08am
Thread Starter 

thanks for the reply :)

 

looks like its between nfb-10 and ha-160D then.

 

i already contacted angelsaudio, i was told that the ha-160D is out of stock and should be back in few weeks, i also sent an email to ampcity to make sure they have it in stock.

 

while i wait for the reply i guess i'll do more research.

 

 

thanks again.


Edited by Dreaming Of A Better ... - 2/16/11 at 4:00pm
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post #5 of 15
2/13/11 at 1:13pm
Quote:

Originally Posted by audiofil View Post

 

 

I'm not so sure about the Meiers though. I have owned two of their amplifiers (but not the Concerto) and I didn't really like how they've matched with the K701.


 

I agree with that. Had them on my Corda Aria some years ago, didn't work for me as they produced a very tiring sound that I couldn't listen to for longer periods of time. YMMV

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post #6 of 15
2/16/11 at 10:22pm
Thread Starter 

before i pull the trigger, Burson HA-160D or Audio Gd C2.1 & Audio Gg NFB-1 (should i get the ACSS cable as well ?)

 

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post #7 of 15
2/17/11 at 12:35am

Why the change of heart towards NFB-1 & C2.1 ?

On the DAC side, the NFB-1 is bound to be an improvement over NFB-10.

However C2.1 is single ended and, for one, it will waste a considerable part of the NFB-1's advantage over NFB-10.

Secondly I don't think it's anywhere near NFB-10's integrated headphone amp (basically A-gd ROC). And thirdly, quoting from my original post:

Quote:
K701/2 improves considerably when driven balanced.

 

Why don't you give Burson a try at first (since they nearest to you), and go from there? If you like it - problem solved.

If you don't like it and feel it lacks something that A-gd products might offer, give those a try.

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post #8 of 15
10/8/11 at 4:58pm

so, what justified the decision for 160d in the end?

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post #9 of 15
10/31/11 at 4:45am

Go balanced IMO

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post #10 of 15
1/14/12 at 10:26am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by boirefish View Post

so, what justified the decision for 160d in the end?


i found a dealer in the uk selling the HA-160D way below what the Burson website has them priced , and after reading couple of Audio Gd amp/dac threads on here i learned they've got a poor quality control and  customer service.

 

 

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post #11 of 15
1/14/12 at 12:41pm

Funny that you mentioned poor QC and customer service.  I think you are just reading the very few issues the company has ever had so it sticks out to you - availability heuristic.  In the end, it is really up to what you picked but IMO, the LCD-2 and 160D is one of the worst combinations I've ever heard (synergy wise).

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post #12 of 15
1/14/12 at 12:56pm

Just FYI, Burson has nothing to do with Burson Audio.  They just exploit his name for anyone who may of heard of who he is.  Also Burson Audio's discrete OPA was designed and for a long time manufactured by Audio-GD.  Burson Audio is about as a joke as they get IMO.  Years of research on their fully discrete OPA buffer, which is now used in a number of their devices.  Hilarious.  

 

Burson probably is a nice piece of audio equipment, but you may want to question whether it's actually worth it's price tag.  I highly doubt it.


Edited by mbd2884 - 1/14/12 at 12:58pm
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post #13 of 15
1/14/12 at 10:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mbd2884 View Post

Just FYI, Burson has nothing to do with Burson Audio.  They just exploit his name for anyone who may of heard of who he is.  Also Burson Audio's discrete OPA was designed and for a long time manufactured by Audio-GD.  Burson Audio is about as a joke as they get IMO.  Years of research on their fully discrete OPA buffer, which is now used in a number of their devices.  Hilarious.  

 

Burson probably is a nice piece of audio equipment, but you may want to question whether it's actually worth it's price tag.  I highly doubt it.



Do you only post this kind of stuff? 

 

Reported.

 

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post #14 of 15
3/25/12 at 5:03am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ohhgourami View Post

Funny that you mentioned poor QC and customer service.  I think you are just reading the very few issues the company has ever had so it sticks out to you - availability heuristic.  In the end, it is really up to what you picked but IMO, the LCD-2 and 160D is one of the worst combinations I've ever heard (synergy wise).

 

 "Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man."

 

 

and i'm curious about what amps have your auditioned with the LCD-2 ?

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post #15 of 15
3/28/12 at 2:44am

I have an Burson 160D for more than a year now, also own an HD800, LCD-2 rev.2 and ATH-W5000, and the best pairing is with ?? With LCD-2 ! Absolutely best bass, speed and dynamics.

@ohhgourami welcome to my "deaf" list :D

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