Quote:   Well, I did not volume match precisely with an SPL meter or a multimeter to measure 1Khz sinewave output, but I did this:         Once again, nothing scientific, and hopefully when I have some time later I'd like to do a volume matched comparison too.

Quote:   Whatever Kingwa did to change the sound from Ref 7 to Ref 7.1... it was all in the right direction, as far as I am concerned.  Although I am surprised how the Ref 1 tonally sounds closer to the Ref 7.1 than the Ref 7... in my early assessment, the Ref 1 upgraded to the DSP v5 is...

Quote:   That's very interesting - I'd love to one day compare the NFB-7 with the Ref series gear...    But what's interesting is how I found the tone (especially evident in female vocals) to be similar between the NFB-1 and the Ref 7. Perhaps it's because the two use the same analog...

Quote:   I haven't had a chance to compare the NFB-1WM with the others, but so far my preference is as follows: Ref 7.1 > Ref 1 > Ref 7 > NFB-1ES.         Given that the digital stage is very similar and the DSP versions are the same, It must be just a different analog stage...

You're right, if my goal was to compare ESS Sabre vs PCM1074 the NFB-7/7.1 would have been the proper choice. However my goal was to compare the variations among the Ref series DACs and the NFB was just thrown in there since the SPDIF splitter and input selector both had 4 ports. :) I actually...

Just spent some time comparing the sound of direct connection to the DAC vs through the Mini-Circuits 75ohm splitter, and I can confirm that there are no audible differences. 

Also I should note - the differences are quite subtle and even the negatives are only on a relative basis and exaggerated to get the point across. They're all excellent DACs that produce superb sound... none of them produce "bad" sound. 

Kingwa - I believe the BNC splitter used is a proper 75ohm splitter, check out the datasheet here:   http://www.minicircuits.com/pdfs/ZSC-4-1-75+.pdf   What do you think? I don't hear an obvious degradation in sound due to the 75ohm splitter in place...

Shoot, I wrote a lengthy initial impressions message and I accidentally went into Chrome developer/debug mode and the whole thing disappeared...    So, here's a much shorter version. Compared the NFB-1ES with the three Ref series DACs through the Master 5 driving HD-800 headphones.   1...

The Master 7 couldn't join the party, but here goes!     From left to right...   Phoenix, new version (click buttons and 3 feet) Phoenix, old version (rotary dials and 4 feet) On top of the Phoenixes: NFB-1WM   Modified Reference 1 with DSP v5 at the bottom Reference 7...

Thanks! So looks like I'll have the Ref 1, 7, and 7.1 together at the same time... the 7 and 7.1 being stock and all three running DSP v5. :) So much comparing to do!

Modified Reference 1 now completed and on its way! Thanks to Kingwa and his team! (Click for larger images.)   1. Note the toggle switch on the front panel that selects among SPDIF, USB, and I2S:   2. New additions to the rear panel, very clean:   3. Inside, you can see the...

A quick update here. I ordered and just received the I2S input mod kit from Kingwa. Basically, here is the kit with details (click image for higher res):     So, this little board allows for two extra selectable I2S inputs in addition to preserving the original I2S line.   The...

Any original Ref 5 owners thinking of upgrading and letting go of the old one? :)

Quote:   I agree with you wholeheartedly on his reputation and trusting him - and that he's really an honest person. These days I exchange multiple emails with him almost on a daily basis about nitty gritty questions about his products and he's always quick to respond with detailed...

It's interesting how Kingwa describes v3 as "warmer and more musical"... not necessarily saying the v5 is a definitive upgrade from the v3.

Or you can save a few bucks and order the I2S output option instead if you're set on getting the Exa. But it might be a cheap option to be able to compare the TE8802 vs Exa or just to have a cheap backup USB-->I2S board. :)

Quote:   I'm assuming this is in response to the earlier question:   "In ordering the 7.1,  Will it be best to:   Order it with the USB option - or.   Order it without the USB option and order the DI-DSP along with it?"     Have you compared the two with the new TE8802...

I've been seriously considering the Exa I2S as well. If your Ref 7 is already USB-enabled then you have an I2S input that you can tap into so modding should be very straightforward. TE8802 uses 150mA of 3.3V from the DAC's PSU so the power requirement works for the Exa as well. If you have the...

The TE8802 --> direct I2S injection is actually surprisingly good. In my NFB-1WM I greatly prefer the TE8802 input versus SPDIF inputs. The USB version also can take 192/24, while the SPDIF is limited to 96k.   What could potentially be the best of both worlds is ordering the Ref 7.1 with...

Just want to get involved here - recently purchased a Ref 7 with v3 DSP and will be purchasing a v5 DSP from Kingwa as well so I hope to post some impressions soon. Meantime anyone find a good way to A/B the DSP1 modules?

Gwarmi -   Thanks for your impressions. I've been thinking... I'm sure the ACSS input/ouput circuitry minimizes loss between components and the input/output parts are of very high quality in general to begin with in all Audio-gd products, but still, I'm a big believer in minimizing...

George -   How do you think the Ref 10's DAC section compares to that of the Ref 7.1? On ACSS output as well as XLR? Just curious how the 4-chip implementation compares to the all-out 8-chip implementation of the 7.1. Would love to hear what you think... Thanks!

Nice review - thanks! For the TE8802 USB driver stability, I have experienced similar but in JRiver using ASIO mode rather than WASAPI cleared all issues and I think souded better as well (although it could have very well just been psychological). With ASIO it is much more stable without random...