[xrobbo]

Hello everybody,
I'm the happy owner of a Stax system (SR 407 + SRM007t II) which so far has been used with a standard rig (pre VTL 2.5, power 2 mono VTL MB125, CD Teac VRDS 7).
For logistic reasons I will have to sell the rig and will use the Stax only through my Imac. I need therefore a DAC as an interface between the two.
I have read quite a lot of posts here but could not really work out a solution.
My question is pretty simple: considering that in the new rig the pride of place will be given to the Stax system, which DAC would be adequate for letting them do their job in the best conditions?
This means that: I look for neutrality, and would avoid to buy something which is either above or below the quality level of the Stax.
I have no idea what this means in terms of budget. If this will not diminish the performance of the Stax, I would be happy to remain below the 1000$ psychological threshold. 
I hope this information is enough for enabling more expert people in the forum giving me advice.
A last issue maybe that I am based in Europe, hence would prefer to buy something which is distributed and easily available down here, but I guess this should not be a major issue.
Thanks for any suggestion you will be able to give me so as to restrict my choice to a few items.

 

[Asound]

Perhaps an Audio GD dac would fit well. Those with a sabre 9018 chip are very neutral and available for under 1k$. Look at the nfb-1.
There are some european based dealers available, all listed on their site. But dealing with ADG directly is also easy, my unit took less then 5 days until it arrived at my door in germany.
A Concero hd by Resonessence Labs could be of interest to you too.

 

[xrobbo]

Audio-gd was one of the possibilities I was in fact considering. I just wrote them yesterday and they suggested in fact the NFB1 (2015) version. A question for Asound: did you pay import taxes?
http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/dac/NFB12015/NFB12015EN.htm
They drove my attention to the fact that the DAC has a XLR output which for the Stax would be an asset.
So my question is: is that really so?
Should I consider the existence of a XLR output an important criteria in taking my decision?

 

[xrobbo]

Hi all, I have come across a 2nd hand Schiit Gungnir. Can someone tell me how does it fare compared to the Gd-audio NBF1? Both have XLR output, and a comparable price.
What about their sound signature? 

 

[Asound]

I had to pay customs, besides the normal vat. It was not much, while the vat was pretty hefty (as expected).
 
XLR probably only matters if you want to use your cans in balanced mode. Some say it does make a huge difference, others deny that. Since there are many fully balanced dacs with xlr in your price range and the rest of your system is also balanced, I would go for it.

 

[xrobbo]

Thanks. I guess the extra cost was around 20% for VAT and 10% for custom?
 
That btw was the reason why I was asking about the Schiit Gungnir, as this I could get it from a closer location.
Any idea about the comparative qualities and defects of Schiit Gungnir and gd-audio NBF1?

 

[Asound]

I have not heard the Gungnir yet, go to the official thread here to read how it supposedly sounds.
 
It was 19% vat, customs was much lower for me in germany, around 3,7%.

 

[xrobbo]

Hi there,
unfortunately there seem to be no comparaison of the Schiit with the audio-gd on the Schiit thread. Really nobody has had the opportunity to listen to both?
That would be really appreciated!!

 

[Nuttinbutair]

I listen to both, but not exactly what you are after.  My office system is in my signature and I am having a great time with the combination.  

 

[m-i-c-k-e-y]

If your willing to wait for about 3 months. LH Labs (Light Harmonic) is pre-selling right now their Geek Pulse DAC in IGG. Geek Pulse X has an early bird price of $777 w/ an MSRP of $1799.

IGG: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/geek-pulse-ultra-high-def-audio-for-your-desktop/

Review for now is here: http://headphone.guru/geek-pulse/

 

[xrobbo]

Hi, thanks for the messages!
A question for Nuttinbutair: you seem to suggest that the junior Schiit Bifrost works better with your Stax than his bigger brother I was after. Is that right?
Or is it that the better performance is provided by the Bifrost plus the DI-V3. If this last, can you explain me what this device exactly does?
Thanks

 

[Nuttinbutair]

I don't have the comparison to better gear to help answer your questions.  My point is simply that the combination of Audio gd's DI and Schiit Bifrost works quite well with the Stax I use daily.  Is Schiit's own USB Gen2 better than the DI-V3?   I don't know. The DI-V3 is a digital-to-digital converter accepting music over USB and converting to SPDIF.   Some of the DI components are used in the NFB-1's USB-32 Chip.  When I bought the combination the Schiit USB Gen1 was either still in production or being phased out, so I took another route.  As for the Gungnir, it may work better for you but I have never heard it.  
 
One other consideration is that the NFB-1 will provide DSD natively, and in the same DAC box.  Schiit is a multi box solution for PCM and DSD, or you need to convert DSD to PCM via software (I do the later for the two DSD tracks that I own).  On the other hand, the Sabre chips have a reputation for less than ideal high frequency reproduction (for example see the thread: Thoughts on a bunch of DACs (and why I hate chocolate ice cream)).  Your Stax should be able to pick out these flaws.  So if you are sensitive to the high frequency response, you may want to read up on the NFB-1 since the Sabre can behave differently in different implemintations.