[lyrean]

Hi all!
 
Right now I own NuForce ICON DAC and I have been quite happy with it. I'm using it with Philips Fidelio X1 headphones. I don't understand why there is so much hate towards NuForce?
 
I'm still wondering would I get something more from the same price range (200-400€). For example has anyone compared this to Aune X1 Pro, Beresford Bushmaster MKII / Caiman MKII, ODAC+O2? you name it.

 

[PurpleAngel]

I would assume if you wanted to improve audio quality, you might switch over to the Philips Fidelio X2.

 

[lyrean]

I have understood that Fidelio X2 is only a minor upgrade over Fidelio X1.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  I have understood that Fidelio X2 is only a minor upgrade over Fidelio X1.

It late at night and it was the only headphones that came to my brain, at the time.
The Philips (X1/X2) are only 30-Ohms, so very easy to drive, guessing they are expected to be bought by people with iPhones.
So it hard for me to recommend you spending the money for a powerful headphone amplifier, without feeling guilty, but i guess I'll try
 
How about the Audio-GD NFB-15, external DAC/amp, $270 + shipping ($45), total around 290 Euros, plus maybe around 20 Euros import tax.
Dual WM8741 DAC chips
USB, optical & coaxial input
Headphone amplifier with plenty of power
http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/Headphoneamp/NFB1532/NFB15.32EN.htm
Something to invest in for years of use

 

[Stillhart]

The NFB-15 might be a little dark for the X1.  You might want to spring for the NFB-11.

 

[lyrean]

So the NFB-11 is more neutral than NFB-15? are there any other differences? I checked that 11 plays DSD-files.
 
It seems that many prefer 15 over 11 because it's more musical and warmer.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  So the NFB-11 is more neutral than NFB-15? are there any other differences? I checked that 11 plays DSD-files.
 
It seems that many prefer 15 over 11 because it's more musical and warmer.

My understanding is the NFB-15 is a little more musical and the NFB-11 a little more detailed.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lyrean /img/forum/go_quote.gif

Hi all!

 

Right now I own NuForce ICON DAC and I have been quite happy with it. I'm using it with Philips Fidelio X1 headphones. I don't understand why there is so much hate towards NuForce?

 

I'd post the blog with the measurements of the UDAC-2 (so, not the Icon specifically) and the exchange between who took them and NuForce (which is what made the other products suspect), but I might get sanctioned. And maybe that's why you won't understand it. (Hey, there's Google, just look it up).

 

 

 
I'm still wondering would I get something more from the same price range (200-400€). For example has anyone compared this to Aune X1 Pro, Beresford Bushmaster MKII / Caiman MKII, ODAC+O2? you name it.

 

I tried the original Icon and the iDo with the HD600 and from listening it's a little lethargic compared to the usual suspects like Schiit, Meier, and AudioGD. Not that it's bad, but the Icon is a speaker amp primarily and the iDo is designed more for sending the digital audio from an iDevice to another DAC.

 

The HDP on the other hand couldn't control the excursion on the HD600 - I keep getting bloated upper bass notes that sound more like "tHU-thwa-ckD." They already raised the impedance of the HD600 so damping factor won't be a problem, but there we were.

 

[lyrean]

I have narrowed my choices to Audio-GD NFB-15 and Beresford Caiman MKII. I am more into musical sound than analytical and neutral. I have listened to HD600 and DT880 and I didn't like them, HD650 was great. I have owned Beresford products earlier and liked them but Audio-GD is totally unknown brand to me.
 
Although NFB-11 may not sound so "cold" with Fidelio X1 but I'm not sure is it so future proof for me if I upgrade my headphones later on.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lyrean /img/forum/go_quote.gif

 

Although NFB-11 may not sound so "cold" with Fidelio X1 but I'm not sure is it so future proof for me if I upgrade my headphones later on.

 

NFB-15 and NFB-11 have similar if not identical amplifier designs, and both have 1.8watts at 50ohms - that's enough for nearly all orthodynamic headphones out there. If anything you might just have to rely on the efficiency of Beyer Tesla models a lot more since the power output is low at 600ohms, but still, that was the whole point with the Tesla models anyway. You don't always need peaks that can hit 120dB - at that point your continuous output is already at hearing damage levels anyway.

 

And this isn't just a case of outright power - if you're at safe listening levels you're not really likely to hit audible distortion.

 

[lyrean]

If someone is interested to know, I decided to go for Beresford Caiman MKII and I also upgraded my headphones to Fidelio X2 - it was more than a minor change my wallet didn't like very much

 

[Rush87]

How is your new AMP/DAC combo compared to your Icon DAC? I'm happy with my Icon DAC, but I'm curious.