[hucifer]

Hey hucifer


Between the NFB-15 & 11 when paired with the HD 600:


a) What were the differences in the sound sig? I love a warm signature, but I'm a little worried about getting a veil from the combination of a warm amp (NFB-15) and warm headphones.

b) What were some of the differences you noticed in the sound-stage?


You probably don't remember all too well, but any input is great. Cheers.

I didn't take notes or anything so this is about all I recall about the differences in sound :

A) the NFB-15 was a little warmer but not by a huge amount. The main difference for me was that I found the NFB-11 to be less detailed. I know this goes against common opinion about these two amps but that's what I heard. Neither sounded veiled at all.

B) soundstage and imaging were equally good on both.

 

[faisal2003456]

I didn't take notes or anything so this is about all I recall about the differences in sound :

A) the NFB-15 was a little warmer but not by a huge amount. The main difference for me was that I found the NFB-11 to be less detailed. I know this goes against common opinion about these two amps but that's what I heard. Neither sounded veiled at all.

B) soundstage and imaging were equally good on both.

Thanks. After reading a bit more, I think I'm going to get the NFB-15 now.

Does anyone have the 35W upgrade? I asked them what it does in an e-mail and they said "The 35W transformer make the sound improve on the rich and powerful." It's a free upgrade now, so I'm wondering if I should add it in or am I going to get distortion and noise?

 

[Honkytime]

 
Thanks. After reading a bit more, I think I'm going to get the NFB-15 now.

Does anyone have the 35W upgrade? I asked them what it does in an e-mail and they said "The 35W transformer make the sound improve on the rich and powerful." It's a free upgrade now, so I'm wondering if I should add it in or am I going to get distortion and noise?

more power always a good thing! 

 

[Jakkal]

Can someone make a comparison between O2+Odac and NFB-15? Is it NFB-15 much better?
Also will I have problem driving sensitive IEM's with NFB-15? Is it too powerful for them?
Thanks

 

[jaxz]

Hi. Anyone can feed me with some impressions of Hifiman HE-500/HE-4 with NFB 15? Sonically, power related, sinergy?
 
Thanks!

 

[Ron12]

  Can someone make a comparison between O2+Odac and NFB-15? Is it NFB-15 much better?
Also will I have problem driving sensitive IEM's with NFB-15? Is it too powerful for them?
Thanks

 
Much better? No. Better? Depends on your tastes more than anything... NFB-15 is going to be warmer-sounding (forgiving, full bass) while O2+ODAC more analytical-sounding (detail extractor, tight bass).
 
NFB-15 has a gain switch, with 0db (1x) gain => ideal for powering IEMs. However, it could theoretically happen that you will run into problems with some very sensitive IEMs - not in terms of power, but in terms of potentiometer's tracking (channel imbalances).
 

  Hi. Anyone can feed me with some impressions of Hifiman HE-500/HE-4 with NFB 15? Sonically, power related, sinergy?
 
Thanks!

 
NFB-15 will work great with HE-4 (power as well as synergy)... And nicely with HE-500 as well (power) unless you want to tighten up the bass and make HE-500 more clear-sounding overall (in that case, NFB-11 is going to synergize better).
 
However, I would expect your EF5 + ODAC combo to be at least on the same level of performance... Not exactly an upgrade or something like that.

 

[jaxz]

   
NFB-15 will work great with HE-4 (power as well as synergy)... And nicely with HE-500 as well (power) unless you want to tighten up the bass and make HE-500 more clear-sounding overall (in that case, NFB-11 is going to synergize better).
 
However, I would expect your EF5 + ODAC combo to be at least on the same level of performance... Not exactly an upgrade or something like that.

Hi Ron. Thank You. I been following you in the HE-4 thread. Very nice mod guides. I'm happy with the ODAC/EF5 combo for mi Hifimans but i want to try some audio gd stuff. I'm trying to choose between the 11 or 15.
 
The NFB 11 will deliver different flavor from the HP out, and i can feed the EF5 from the line-out to change the sound. The NFB 15 es closer to my current setup. Options...
 
Cheers!

 

[Ron12]

  Hi Ron. Thank You. I been following you in the HE-4 thread. Very nice mod guides. I'm happy with the ODAC/EF5 combo for mi Hifimans but i want to try some audio gd stuff. I'm trying to choose between the 11 or 15.
 
The NFB 11 will deliver different flavor from the HP out, and i can feed the EF5 from the line-out to change the sound. The NFB 15 es closer to my current setup. Options...
 
Cheers!

 
What about to try Compass2 and buy both dual-WM8741 and ES9018 DAC boards for it? This way, you will basically get both NFB-15 and NFB-11 in a single package... with better amp section and line input, therefore you will have plenty of options how to combine these devices (you can use Compass2 as a DAC-only as well as a AMP-only part of your chain... and switch both DAC boards easily for different flavours).
 
Btw, if you don't want to spend on Compass2, I would buy the NFB-15 personally... HE-4 will definitely benefit from it and HE-500 are not dark-sounding headphones (with stock cable and in stock form, they are a little bit brighter than neutral) therefore NFB-15 will work as well IMHO.

 

[jaxz]

   
What about to try Compass2 and buy both dual-WM8741 and ES9018 DAC boards for it? This way, you will basically get both NFB-15 and NFB-11 in a single package... with better amp section and line input, therefore you will have plenty of options how to combine these devices (you can use Compass2 as a DAC-only as well as a AMP-only part of your chain... and switch both DAC boards easily for different flavours).
 
Btw, if you don't want to spend on Compass2, I would buy the NFB-15 personally... HE-4 will definitely benefit from it and HE-500 are not dark-sounding headphones (with stock cable and in stock form, they are a little bit brighter than neutral) therefore NFB-15 will work as well IMHO.

 
My current budget it's not that great. Besides, it will be my first audio gd device. I'm aware of ¿common? problems with drivers/noise/pops and clicks with audio gd dac/amps. I want to give a try to audiogd, but at the entry level.  Given my current setup, which will be best sidegrade, the 11 or the 15?

 

[Ron12]

   
My current budget it's not that great. Besides, it will be my first audio gd device. I'm aware of ¿common? problems with drivers/noise/pops and clicks with audio gd dac/amps. I want to give a try to audiogd, but at the entry level.  Given my current setup, which will be best sidegrade, the 11 or the 15?

 
Considering your budget and needs, I would personally stay with what you have and save up a bit to afford Compass2 with both ES9018 and WM8741 DAC boards...
 
...however, if you absolutely feel the need to purchase something from Audio-GD, I would spend my money on NFB-15 with TCXO upgrade - it's going to work with both headphones and what's better - you have a chance to slightly influence its sound via internal jumpers (you open the NFB-15 casing and use jumpers in order to change oversampling and DAC filter options). There are 9 different combinations and each will sound slightly different. The differences are not large (subtle) but it's fun to play with and find the most suitable combination - some are smoother and warmer, some are sharper and brighter-sounding.
 
Btw, congrats for your headphones... Both HE-4 and HE-500 are beasts. I have modification guides for both, PM me if you want to get a link to HE-500 guide.

 

[jaxz]

   
Considering your budget and needs, I would personally stay with what you have and save up a bit to afford Compass2 with both ES9018 and WM8741 DAC boards...
 
...however, if you absolutely feel the need to purchase something from Audio-GD, I would spend my money on NFB-15 with TCXO upgrade - it's going to work with both headphones and what's better - you have a chance to slightly influence its sound via internal jumpers (you open the NFB-15 casing and use jumpers in order to change oversampling and DAC filter options). There are 9 different combinations and each will sound slightly different. The differences are not large (subtle) but it's fun to play with and find the most suitable combination - some are smoother and warmer, some are sharper and brighter-sounding.
 
Btw, congrats for your headphones... Both HE-4 and HE-500 are beasts. I have modification guides for both, PM me if you want to get a link to HE-500 guide.

Once again, thank you very much. I'm leaning towards the NFB15. Conquerator2 suggested me the same path. Yeah, i like very, very much the Hifiman headphones. I had the HE-400/300 before the HE-500. I got an open box/demo HE-4 from a local distributor at a very nice price last month.

 

[DreamKing]

Hello, I'm lost as to what to choose between 11.32 or NFB-15.32 for the Hifiman HE-560 (if they can be driven by these) or the latest LCD-2's (fazor)? Does anyone have any experience with pairing either of them with those headphones? I'm pretty sure they have the same amp but just differ in dac, Any feedback is appreciated. Thanks.

 

[jaxz]

I can't find the TCXO upgrade for NFB 15 in the audiogd page. Maybe this upgrade is standard (included) for the 2014 model now?

 

[audidym]

I can't find the TCXO upgrade for NFB 15 in the audiogd page. Maybe this upgrade is standard (included) for the 2014 model now?

http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/Headphoneamp/NFB1532/NFB15.32EN_Custom.htm
 
Only 35W transformer Upgrade is FREE !!

 

[Kamakahah]

I ordered the NFB-15 2-3 days ago. It came with the free 35W transformer upgrade for free. Picked up the TXCO upgrade because why not? It's only a few dollars more, and then I don't have to play the "what if?" game. 
Sadly, I've been informed by AGD that Chinese customs is cracking down and as a result there are substantial delays. They said up to 10 additional days. I chose DHL shipping btw. 
They vaguely mentioned something about using TNT instead. There is a gap in our communication, and I'm currently try to decipher what the customer service rep is trying to say. 
 
Hopefully you guys have better luck when you get around to placing your order.