Audio-GD NFB-11.32 (Delivery & Impression Thread)!!! - Page 20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Allek 

turokrocks, thank you for the advice on the players, actually I've not tried many players, one player was  winamp of an ancient version, and the second one was foobar which I've been staying on for years. Never tried other ones. I think it would be interesting to try Jriver18 and Cplay. Do you think they may sound with NFB 11.32 better than foobar? I heard that foobar is the most honest player used for digital transporting but I've never compared it with other players. Did you notice any difference when using Jriver18 and Cplay as compared to foobar?

Cplay is the best and the cleanest player I ever heard.

http://www.cicsmemoryplayer.com/index.php?n=CPlay.Download

I spent a week of my time just to hear the difference between Foobar, jriver and cplay .

In the end Cplay was the winner with a margin.

I have a laptop configured/optimized to only run cplay, and it sounds amazing:

http://www.cicsmemoryplayer.com/index.php?n=CMP.07Optimisations

I would like to know how you find it.

It will take some time to understand how it works, but when it works!!!

Its mentioned in a previous post

http://www.head-fi.org/t/624517/audio-gd-nfb-11-32-delivery-impression-thread/225#post_8911655

Cplay>Jriver>foobar

While you have the driver compare, do you have uninstall the old version and restart the computer, then install the new version?

I have try install both version driver but the newer install driver have cover some files to the older install driver and cause the performance is different .

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kingwa 

While you have the driver compare, do you have uninstall the old version and restart the computer, then install the new version?

I have try install both version driver but the newer install driver have cover some files to the older install driver and cause the performance is different .

Allek, this is also a very probable cause to the sound difference, you have to make sure to uninstall the other versions driver, or uninstall windows completely! and reinstall the driver.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kingwa 

While you have the driver compare, do you have uninstall the old version and restart the computer, then install the new version?

I have try install both version driver but the newer install driver have cover some files to the older install driver and cause the performance is different .

Kingwa, thank you for your comment!
Yes, restarted PC after uninstalling old driver and installing new driver. I followed the instructions in the Guide that came along with the drivers, so the sequence was as follows:

1. Uninstall existing driver

2. Restart PC

3. Flash new firmware

4. Restart PC, restart DAC (turn OFF and then turn ON)

5. Install new driver

6. Restart PC

7. Listen to music :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by turokrocks 

 

 

Cplay is the best and the cleanest player I ever heard.

http://www.cicsmemoryplayer.com/index.php?n=CPlay.Download

 

I spent a week of my time just to hear the difference between Foobar, jriver and cplay .

In the end Cplay was the winner with a margin.

 

I have a laptop configured/optimized to only run cplay, and it sounds amazing:

http://www.cicsmemoryplayer.com/index.php?n=CMP.07Optimisations

 

I would like to know how you find it.

It will take some time to understand how it works, but when it works!!!

 

Its mentioned in a previous post

http://www.head-fi.org/t/624517/audio-gd-nfb-11-32-delivery-impression-thread/225#post_8911655

 

Cplay>Jriver>foobar

turokrocks, thank you for the detailed answer! Now I definitely will try Cplay as an alternative to foobar. And of course, I'll come back with the feedback :)

Kingwa, back to the drivers comparison issue.

In spite of my first impressions report, I would not say that the v1.22 sounds worse than v1.1. To me, it just sounds different. Closer, more distinctively, brighter. Probably, I'll need to live with the new driver for a week to have my impressions more stable and accurate.

Anyway, thank you for the the new driver and the more are always welcomed! ;)

Quote:

Originally Posted by turokrocks 

Allek, this is also a very probable cause to the sound difference, you have to make sure to uninstall the other versions driver, or uninstall windows completely! and reinstall the driver.

Hmm.. that's interesting. As I replied to Kingwa, I performed necessary PC restarts after each install and uninstall operation. But if I understood correctly, even in this case there is a probability that the old driver version still remains? Well, actually, in my case, upon the driver's change, appropriate sound deck also changed respectively. Could it be a confirmation that the old driver was uninstalled?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Allek 

Hmm.. that's interesting. As I replied to Kingwa, I performed necessary PC restarts after each install and uninstall operation. But if I understood correctly, even in this case there is a probability that the old driver version still remains? Well, actually, in my case, upon the driver's change, appropriate sound deck also changed respectively. Could it be a confirmation that the old driver was uninstalled?

..You got a point here, wishes I could help you more , just I still did not decide whether to get the compass 2 or the 11.32, still debating, as price is no concern for me just do I need analogue in??! and the XLR output is on my radar also. 

I am very interested in the Benchmark Dac1 usb, its just limited to 96/24, and no asio drivers support.

Happy New Year by they way to all, and may it brings us better products and better prices...

Quote:

Originally Posted by turokrocks 

 

 

Cplay is the best and the cleanest player I ever heard.

http://www.cicsmemoryplayer.com/index.php?n=CPlay.Download

 

I spent a week of my time just to hear the difference between Foobar, jriver and cplay .

In the end Cplay was the winner with a margin.

 

I have a laptop configured/optimized to only run cplay, and it sounds amazing:

http://www.cicsmemoryplayer.com/index.php?n=CMP.07Optimisations

 

I would like to know how you find it.

It will take some time to understand how it works, but when it works!!!

 

Its mentioned in a previous post

http://www.head-fi.org/t/624517/audio-gd-nfb-11-32-delivery-impression-thread/225#post_8911655

 

Cplay>Jriver>foobar

I have just tried Cplay... What can I say.. I am shocked. Just knocked out. Cplay sounds MUCH better as compared with foobar. Heaven and Earth. Wow! Of course, I came back again to v1.22 driver on FW #4. With the Cplay my NFB 11.32 (within my setup) sounds just fantastically. Sound is now more accurate, tender, clear transparent but full and warm at the same time. Advantages of v.1.22 (fullness, distinctive base) are outlined, and the highs are not cutting and sharp any more, now they are detailed, aerial and very transparent. I never thought that a software player may cause such a difference. It's a real New Year gift, thank you!

I didn't play much with Cplay settings, just installed ASIO4ALL from audio-gd website. I could not find VIA ASIO (which is installed with the new v.1.22 driver) in the CPlay settings though. I'd like to compare CPlay with ASIO4ALL and VIA  ASIO if the player allows to use VIA  ASIO.

It is pity that the CPlay navigation functionality is pretty poor unlike foobar but I can forgive it due to its excellent sound! Probably I'll try also APlayer, they say it is of similar quality but with the extended functionality.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Allek 

I have just tried Cplay... What can I say.. I am shocked. Just knocked out. Cplay sounds MUCH better as compared with foobar. Heaven and Earth. Wow! Of course, I came back again to v1.22 driver on FW #4. With the Cplay my NFB 11.32 (within my setup) sounds just fantastically. Sound is now more accurate, tender, clear transparent but full and warm at the same time. Advantages of v.1.22 (fullness, distinctive base) are outlined, and the highs are not cutting and sharp any more, now they are detailed, aerial and very transparent. I never thought that a software player may cause such a difference. It's a real New Year gift, thank you!

I didn't play much with Cplay settings, just installed ASIO4ALL from audio-gd website. I could not find VIA ASIO (which is installed with the new v.1.22 driver) in the CPlay settings though. I'd like to compare CPlay with ASIO4ALL and VIA  ASIO if the player allows to use VIA  ASIO.

It is pity that the CPlay navigation functionality is pretty poor unlike foobar but I can forgive it due to its excellent sound! Probably I'll try also APlayer, they say it is of similar quality but with the extended functionality.

Glad you liked it, but I think since the latest Via update to 1.22, asio now supports 32, so Cplay should reconize it!!! but why this is not happening???

I do not believe in asio4all (its my personal belief).

I am now more curious as why the Cplay is not recognizing Vias's asio???

Please comeback about your findings of Aplay, I wished that I have the 11.32 to see whats happening , at the driver level.

I’m happy to report that USB-32 Firmware #4 is working perfectly for me and is sounding great now.

You might want to read my previous posts on the issues I was having with the new Firmware #4:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/638252/audio-gd-usb-32-firmware-drivers-and-feedback-thread/15#post_8932302

http://www.head-fi.org/t/624517/audio-gd-nfb-11-32-delivery-impression-thread/240#post_8977349

http://www.head-fi.org/t/624517/audio-gd-nfb-11-32-delivery-impression-thread/255#post_8984047

Firmware #4 showed improvement in detail, separation, and tighter bass which all point towards less jitter and a more bit-perfect feed.  BUT I also experienced more ear fatigue and high frequencies were harsh at higher volumes.  Less jitter, more ear fatigue?!?  These things didn’t add up for me.

Anyway this past Saturday evening I pondered the issue in depth and after a few drinks while listening to music (Firmware #3) I realized I needed to try something.

I am in a 1960’s building and the wall receptacle my equipment power bar is plugged into only allows a two prong plug and is ungrounded.  I use a cheater plug to attach my three prong power bar cord into the wall receptacle.  This power bar then has lamp, external hard drive, headphone amp, laptop, and Audio-gd dac plugged into it.  A large family of electrical devices in one bar.

Earlier I had an issue with my laptop and a ground loop problem.  You can read about it here:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/624517/audio-gd-nfb-11-32-delivery-impression-thread/195#post_8877529

My Audio-gd dac had shown no issues earlier of a grounding issue so I did not consider there was a problem.  Also at that time I was running Firmware #3 which didn't exhibit the issue as apparently as Firmware #4.

But I thought I would give this a try and I lifted the ground from my Audio-gd dac using a cheater plug and it took all of 7 seconds of listening to realize the sound had improved considerably.

So of course I immediately uninstalled drivers, re-flashed to Firmware #4, installed driver V1.22 and VOILA – beautiful music finally.  No more harshness or ear fatigue.  The volume can go up again

And removing the cheater plug brought back the uncomfortable high frequencies.  Putting it back in and everything sounds great again.

BTW it appears cheater plugs used in audio systems are frowned upon and could pose a safety hazard. 

An isolation transformer may be the way to go for a long term solution.  I have used them extensively in the past and they work very well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kingwa 

Can you take the pictures of the driver panel and Windows audio panel ?

I have test in XP have not matter.

Maybe fully uninstall the driver and reinstall for try.

Every operate must restart the computer.

Hello Kingwa. Sorry for later response (I'm busy).

Here are screenshots from Audio-gd driver panel and Windows Audio panel.

Seems Driver panel is badly installed or what, as there are no controls for 16-bit, 24-bit, 32-bit, or sample rate control. But I cannot do anything, it is just installed this way everytime I try it. It seems it is problem of VIA control panel, that don't put there those funcions.

I've checked options in registry, and it seems it is set to 48000Hz default. Changing the value in registry from 48000 to 96000 doesn't make working it with 96000 Hz files.

So for me, now it seems, that it is installation problem of audio-gd control panel, that don't put there functions for controlling sample rates, so it left set to 48000hz / 16-bit by default, and it is unable to change it.

Peter, thank you for the feedback with the issue resolved. I had the same impressions about firmware #4: everything sounds better than at firmware #3 except for harsh highs resulted in ear fatigue.

In my case, the harsh emphasized highs were completely turned into detailed, delicate, clear and distinctive highs when changed foobar 2K software player with Cplay player which was advised by turokrocks. Moreover, the Cplay not only resolved the highs issue and highlighted all improvements and advantages of the firmware #4, it also lifted up the whole sound picture on a higher stage, making it more clear and natural.

So, in addition to the "grounding" method of resolving the problem, I'd suggest to try also the Cplay if you are using foobar as a software player in you setup.

Despite its wonderful sound, Cplay is not very convenient for navigation and has poor functionality as compared to foobar. Besides, I could not make it to work with VIA ASIO driver, I admit I should dig it more for it. Now I am trying another free SW player called "Album player" or "Aplay". It has much more extended functionality and the same clean sound as Cplay or even better, I've not decided yet.

In the internet, the two SW players called "Album player" can be found: one "album player" is commercial (http://www.albumplayer.com/download.htm) - this one is not I am talking about. And the other "album player" is free (developed by a russian programmer) - that's the very Aplayer I am using (http://albumplayer.ru/). Unfortunately, the interface is in Russian language but the developer mentioned he had prepared an English version of the player as well, I just need some time to find appropriate link.

The player does not require installation procedure, it is started right from the downloaded folder by clicking exe-file.

Anyway, the firmware #4 showed better sound compared to #3 if cooked correctly ;)

I wish you a happy New Year and lot of good music to enjoy!

UPD: Ok, as to English version of the Aplayer, the interface language can be set to English by the following operation: in the downloaded folder "APlayer" find the file "aplayer.ini', open it in the notepad and then change the line "English=0" to the "English=1". Then save the file. That's it. Nevertheless, there is a link to English version of the player including readme in English. I'll provide the link once I've found it. The player is really worth try it.

@ ALLEK, did Aplayer detect Via's asio? or you are using asio4all?

And a Happy new year to you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by turokrocks 

@ ALLEK, did Aplayer detect Via's asio? or you are using asio4all?

And a Happy new year to you.

Yes, it did! :) By this moment I've got an idea about the Aplayer functionality, yet testing it though.

Ok, let me tell about its functionality in general.

1.Interface

-This is album oriented player, it's dedicated to play albums. Multiple albums can be downloaded and then chosen for playback. Not a single track download is possible,however, you can choose separate tracks to play within an album chosen for the playback.

- It provides track timebar for navigation within the length of the track being played.

- It provides play, stop, pause, fast forward, back forward, next/previous track selection.

2. Input/Output

-It provides support of wasapi and asio output plugins (plugins come with player)

- It provides NULL output option for direct output using external driver. In my case I use VIA ASIO from audio-gd under NULL output option. It means that no output plugins are used but the DAC asio driver (VIA ASIO). Developer says that this option gives the best quality of the playback.

3. Formats

-It supports all lossless formats: wav, flac, ape, mp4

-It supports DVD-A ISO

-It supports SACD formats (dff) with convertion to PCM. As to SACD dff, I cannot make work it properly, when switching to the next track, player stops working. But I think I need to dig it deeper to resolve the problem. DVD-A ISO works with no problems.

-It supports Hi-Res audio flac files with no problems detected.

UPD: Sorry for wrong information: there is no fast forward and rewind options in the player, just navigation within the track using timebar.