POST REDACTED. I just hooked this DAC up today. I'm a huge noob and I emailed Kingwa and his people about a problem I was having. I'll post back later to tell you guys what the problem was and to tell you the solution.
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UPDATE: I have been using the NFB-1 (2014 edition with the TCXO upgrades) in combination with an NFB-6 headphone amp/preamp. In the past week and a half of testing, fiddling and listening, I've learned a few things.
I'm using the USB input, so of course I am using the driver. The driver install is easy and straightforward if you've ever installed a driver before.
The ASIO driver works well in Foobar2000 on my Windows 7 machine, with the usual ASIO caveats about Windows freaking out when other non-ASIO sounds are trying to play. Anyone buying a DAC this serious should already know.
One issue I noticed is that the NFB-1 doesn't like to be turned on and off without a little time in between. Previously, I turned it off when I left my computer and turned it back on when I came back. If I did this too often, sometimes half the left channel would disappear until I turned it off and let it sit for a while.
I emailed Kingwa about it (a few times) and he (very patiently) suggested trying different USB cables, USB ports and reinstalling the drivers. I didn't have another USB cable to try, but reinstalling the drivers and trying a different USB port didn't fix the problem. Just waiting for a while (fifteen minutes or so?) was all it took.
I've only tried up to 24-bit/192kHz files so I can't talk about DSD/DXD or other ultra-high res stuff. (Most of my library is 16/44.1 FLAC.) I also haven't tried XLR vs ACSS output because I don't have any XLR cables.
Now let me give you the most useless comparison in the history of Head-Fi! My previous system consisted of a Chaintech AV710 soundcard (an all right $20 unit with a Wolfson DAC) going to a first-gen Meier-Audio Corda Move portable amp with a 12V power supply I bought. I listen mainly with a pair of Ultrasone Pro 750s and sometimes a pair of Sennheiser HD 595s. For when speakers are necessary I use a pair of Edifier R1900T3 powered bookshelves. I don't have a lot of hi-fi experience outside of my own system though I try to be a critical listener. I'll do my best, in any case.
I won't clutter up this thread with too much NFB-6 info, however, I tested with it alone to see what difference the DAC upgrade really makes. Out of my AV710 the NFB-6 was an improvement over the Corda Move. The Ultrasones were driven with a lot more authority and ease. The real difference only came out when I installed the NFB-1. I had no idea that a lot of the breakup I noticed on my little speakers and even my headphones was due to the source. I thought it was because my portable amp couldn't handle the Ultrasones and because the Edifiers weren't very expensive.
With the NFB-1 everything is crystal clear, even if you don't need or want it to be. The Ultrasone Pro 750 is a headphone that a lot of guys complain about being a little too harsh in the treble and it also tends to be revealing of your source and file quality. It is reputed to be a little boring and monitor-like rather than rich and euphonious, or whatever. They're good for what I wanted: honesty. For me, the Ultrasone 750 and NFB-1 combo is extremely detailed and precise. It's a real pleasure with nice clean high quality files.
Soundstage is much more precise than my previous setup. It's much deeper and I can tell how "far" things are really well, though it doesn't seem much wider. Sometimes I can really hear how big the studio or venue is. Very immersive. The bass goes down extremely low. With the Ultrasones and some good electronica sometimes I swear I feel the bass in my chest. (Yes, I checked that my speakers were off.) An awesome combination for that kind of stuff. The treble, as I said, is much more detailed than anything else I've heard but it can be a bit much on some material. I'm going to keep burning stuff in and hopefully it smooths out a bit. Overall, I'm really impressed and glad I finally got a quality DAC.
