​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...

It's looking amazing. Fingers crossed for the big switch-on.

  Sorry, although I realised that you were using a double in the O2 I had thought that you were using a pair of singles in the HPA-3B. A pair of doubles does add to the price quite considerably but I'm one of those people who will still probably end up doing it anyway!

Thanks for your feedback Raoul,   My 3B should be coming this week and I already have a pair of LME49720HA's to try. I don't have any Grain Oriented Silicon Steel f​or shielding but I do have some lead sheet which I will try. I note your point about grounding.   Although the V5 route does...

Really what's needed is a DIP-8 socket extender via a short ribbon cable so that the V5 can be fixed somewhere convenient. I think that I saw something like that once but I can't find anything now - not even to make yourself.

I'm no expert and I may have this completely wrong but my guess is that the frequency of the OEM rectifier power supply is interfering with the taps of the DAC. Much like cart-wheels on films that look like they're going backwards when they get to a certain speed. The S-Booster and other...

Very similar but you will see that that one says that it's not suitable for the D1050. You have to get this one: https://www.sbooster.com/botw-pp-eco-5v-6v/d1050-usb-dac   I listen mainly to classical music and when I say 'huge' difference of course what is huge to me may not be huge to...

I have both the D1050 and the M51. I love them both but only after I upgraded the power supply on the D1050. I have one at the office and one at home so it's difficult to compare side by side but I would say that the D1050 was slightly warmer and the M51 slightly more resolving but both make for...

Wow, well done, you have done such a neat job of that soldering.   When you remove the DIP8 socket does the V5 fit straight into the mother board without any further modification? It looks like a perfect fit from the pictures. But for 2mm I think I would be more inclined to drill a couple of...

30Hrs! What have you been doing all that time?   Talking of fires I'm not so sure about wooden enclosures to extend the case. Half considered moulded mdf would look nice before I thought about the fire risk. I will probably opt for some kind of diy metal grill to provide ventilation.

I'm watching this post with interest as I'll try the same thing with my HPA-3B once I see how you get on.   I'm wondering whether your WIMA upgrade went far enough or whether some even better caps might have made an even bigger difference. Some Jupiters or Mundorf SGO's? but I note your point...