​Okay, so to answer my own question: 1) It seems that the Master 11 comes with 4 PCs top grade R-2R PCM1704UK where as the Master 7 comes with 8 PCs. I'm not sure what difference that makes other than presumably more is better! and 2) The Master 11 uses 8 groups of high-quality class A...

Can someone please explain to me why the Master 11 is cheaper than the Master 7 when the Master 11 is supposed to be a combination of the Master 7 and Master 9.   I already own a top-rate valve headphone amp. I am most interested in the Master 7 to pair with my amp but would be prepared to lay...

Anyone thought about rolling those opamps in the NFB/1 Amp? I don't even know what would be compatible / alternative or what would be the impact but I have had good results with the Burson V5 in other amps.

2 stupid questions: 1) Is the negative feedback in the system the single most limiting factor in this amp - even more so than the limiting factors that the mods on the first page are trying to solve? 2) Is it even possible to achieve reasonable levels of impedance in this amp without a negative...

It's not recommended for IEM but I do use it. I use it in balanced mode with Sony XBA Z5's to very good effect. I tried it in SE mode with Shure SE535's but wasn't very impressed, although noise wasn't a huge problem If you are going to use it for IEM's I would suggest: 1) It's only really...

  See from Post #82 and following above.   You may be right regarding matching the choice of headphones to the amp, I was using Senns HD650 and HD800.

I think that part of the reason for the inconsistent reviews is that there are so many variables in other parts of the chain.   I think that the DAC part of the D1050 is much better than the amp section. I output from the balanced XLR's into a separate headphone amp with very good results.  ...

It's a question of allocating limited resources. You are correct Shatrukov, the supplied power supply does cope very well with its responsibilities and you are correct Nicholars, NAD did not use a power supply that makes the performance worse. But NAD are a business and businesses have to make a...

I suppose it depends on the sensitivity of the IEM. XBA Z5's are not so sensitive and work just fine. Amazing in fact. I built a very simple adapter from 4-pin xlr to twin 3.5mm jacks and run them in balanced mode.

I was looking for a balanced headphone amplifier in the $500-600 price range and hit upon the Audio-GD NFB-1 amp. There are not very many reviews on the internet but encouraged by the positive reviews of the Audio-GD Master 9 and on the basis that the NFB-1 amp adopted similar technology to its...

  So Pathfinder, how is it 10 months on? Is it still truly exceptional?

I love you all. I think that this thread is amazing and you have all done such a terrific job in deconstructing and reconstructing this amp.   However, for what it's worth, I do get a little lost inside Coinmaster's head. There's a lot going on in there that I have no idea about at all. It's...

"If you aren't careful you can cause oscillation from the wire inductance by stacking caps. It's pretty difficult to damage the board unless you are rough with it, personally I would just solder them out, as long as you aren't taking things out like the PSU caps there's not a lot of risk of...

Stupid question alert!   I'm paranoid about damaging the board.   Therefore what would be the effect of piggy-backing the new caps onto the existing caps - soldering new legs onto existing legs? I figure that there is much less chance of causing any irreparable damage or shorts this way.  ...

I too have been using the Burson V5-D in the Voltage Amplification Stage of the JDS Labs O2 Amp on Raul recommendations and can verify that it does indeed make a significant and noticeable improvement to the sound quality. Music is less veiled, more detailed without sacrificing any bass.   The...