Audio-gd NFB-10

[hawkhead]

Which version of the ES are people ordering - BNC or USB ?

 

[BoyNamedSue]

Given the USB problems, I initially changed my order to BNC to see if I can get it shipped out sooner, but I have since changed my order back to USB. I am willing to wait until issue is fully fixed. It'll be nice to have the usb option when I need to use it with my laptop.

 

[Danutz]

What should I choose for my NFB-10Wm:  DIR9001 to WM8805
 
Email from Edwin: the WM8805 can supporting up to 24Bit/192KHz, its jitter down to 50PS , which is much less than the CS8416 (200PS ) . Its sound characteristic is neutral and detail but slight smooth
 
What is the better choice? I would tend to WM8805, it's the same as in NFB12, isn't it?
 

 
 
 

 

[haloxt]

hawkhead, I personally would go for bnc, and also get a digital interface, which pretty much everyone who has tried it say they like it.
 
danutz, they said dir9001 sounds very neutral, and wm8805 has characteristics like the wm8741 dac chip, neutral and slightly smooth. It's up to you whether you want to tilt the sound a little bit more in the smooth direction with the wm8805, or only have a little smoothness from the wm8741 dac chip by getting the dir9001.

 

[hawkhead]

@haloxt
 
thanks - was wondering what the USB implementation was like - every DAC I have owned has been sub optimal

 

[Sasaki]

 
I got my NFB10ES. This is non-USB version. USB circuit is removed and replaced with extra SPDIF input with BNC connector.
Since I have a good Audiophilleo USB-SPDIF converter I need BNC rather.
NFB10 is bigger and heavier than I thought, very solid one. I think the build quality is pretty good. The front bezel shows ROC as stated
 



 
I use Win7/Mac computer audio setup to use NFB10. I hooked audiophilleo up as USB SPDIF converter.
I tested several headphones and I found HD800 is the best match.
 
NFB10ES sounded fairly neutral and flat, much less colored. Seems like this is analytical as their web stated however, the sound is not dry nor sterile. The sound has a good body to prevent the sound being dry. Actually NFB10 reveals every tiny bit of details in the music track. As though I was looking the sound using microscope. This is not merely by DAC ability, I think the SN of the entire circuit is very good.
The transient of the sound is very fast and quick. I'd say this is another Swiss army knife of the headphone gear. I used MA recordings good world music tracks and I found a series of percussion impact is out of this world. However I did not feel any harshness. (you know HD800 is a picky about this area so this is great thing) The music instruments in the track are well layered.
 
Next I used reference records HRx 176kHz Britten's Ochestra. The high-rez Young person's guide to the Orchestra is just stunning with NFB10. From the impressive dynamic opening tutti to subtle texture of strings, NFB10ES delivers every single bit of the music essence and the score structure. I think this is analytic in a good way.

 

[middachten]

Congratulations!
I guess you're the first one to actually see a NFB-10 in the wild!
 
I'm very keen to know how it compares to the NUMERIK or the Benchmark DAC1. I know both units quite well. And I'm about to order a new DAC, and leaning towards the NFB-10ES. A comparison with those two units would be very helpful to make my final decision!

 

[takoyaki]

Congratulations!
 
I ordered NFB-10ES non-usb version, too.
My order date is Oct-31(change to non-usb in the beginning of Nov) , but it is not yet ship it....

 

[Danutz]

Ok, I opted for WM8805 chip, instead of DIR9001, for my NFB-10WM...
 
@Sasaki: Congrats!! You seem to be the first person having received a NFB10(ES)... Very good to hear that it doesn't sound steril... I am looking forward receiving finally my Wolfson NFB-10 

 

[hardtarget666]

Just received reply from Edwin and if I understood his reply correctly he basically says that the USB issue has been sorted and they will start shipping this week which is great news

 
My confusion now is that the UK e-tailer Ampcity is selling the NFB-10ES for £623 inclusive of shipping. Ordering from Audio-GD is cheaper but UK customs duty (4.5%) and VAT (17.5%) makes it 60 quid more expensive. I quite like the idea of not having to be at the mercy of Customs and knowing the price up front. 
 
Don't know who I should get the amp from. Go with the local retailer and pay the indicated price or buy it from Audio-GD and hope the Customs clear the parcel without any/less charges

. Any ideas or suggestions anyone?
 
 
Edit:
 
Thanks for the impression Sasaki! Looks like we have a winner here!!

 

[BoyNamedSue]

Thanks Sasaki for your impressions - your description is on point with the sound I am hoping to get with the NFB10.
 
I'm a bit confused with the customs. Is there an additional fee that the customer needs to pay for customs, or is the fee inclusive of the audio-gd price? I am shipping into US.

 

[wild4sound]

Congrats and thanks for sharing. 
 
There certainly is a lot of anticipation regarding the ES chip and this combination opens up such a lot of options , it is too cool . 
 
It is good to hear an early favourable report. 
 
A point I would like to stress regards feeding the dac an optimal signal. 
 
I have found that to do the Audio Gd dacs justice you need to invest and the returns will come .
 
I started with M2Tech hiface then JKenny modded hiface to my Ref 1 . Finally , using a Weiss Int 202 firewire interface has set the Ref 1 free with a superb improvement in quality. 
 
The investment in the Int 202 equals the cost of the Ref 1 but the results are great.
 
I am sure your attention to detail and investment in the Audiophilleo converter goes a long way to make this dac shine.
 
There is hope for NFB ES range.

 

[Currawong]

Impression thanks seconded, or thirded. I can't help wondering how much of my system's ability this one box solution achieves. I'd suggest as a package, from experience, the NFB-10, Digital Interface, Canare digital cable and power filter, the latter with which one might also plug in one's computer or CD player in to, for best results.
 
Quote:

Thanks Sasaki for your impressions - your description is on point with the sound I am hoping to get with the NFB10.
 
I'm a bit confused with the customs. Is there an additional fee that the customer needs to pay for customs, or is the fee inclusive of the audio-gd price? I am shipping into US.

Customs fees are entirely dependant on the country and whatever tax laws they have, not the manufacturer.  When stuff arrives by post or courier, it goes through customs clearance, where someone decides whether or not the person receiving it pays any fees. Depending on the country and means of delivery, they are either paid on delivery, or the person must go to the post office or delivery centre to pay, or they are sent a bill after the fact, such as FedEx does where I live.

 

[takoyaki]

I got my NFB-10ES non-usb version, today.
Sounded neutral, detailed and powerful with LCD-2 balanced.

 

[ulyses]

May be this is already answered but I miss. How about NFB-10 ES compared to Dac 19 as dac section only. And how about Dac-amp performance over compared dac19 + C2 combo? I have dac19dsp already and planing to buy a C2 , but this beast confusing my mind.