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Audio GD NFB-11.28 vs R2R 11
Dec 26, 2018 at 6:32 AM Post #2,086 of 2,569
Guys im thinking of swapping my R2R11 for a NFB-11.38 with the ESS9038Pro and TXCO built in. Am i doing something stupid? I like the R2R but i find it sometimes a bit dark and not very nice with THD distortion in some parts of my music, especially in isolated low frequency passages. My cans are an almost new LCD2F 2018. Gurus i invoke your presence.
 
Dec 26, 2018 at 7:07 AM Post #2,087 of 2,569
isoa4k said:
Guys im thinking of swapping my R2R11 for a NFB-11.38 with the ESS9038Pro and TXCO built in. Am i doing something stupid? I like the R2R but i find it sometimes a bit dark and not very nice with THD distortion in some parts of my music, especially in isolated low frequency passages. My cans are an almost new LCD2F 2018. Gurus i invoke your presence.
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If there is distorsion, it is most likely due to the amp section. Planars are hard to drive. For instance, to drive the he560 properly and get the full bass extension, you need the nfb-1amp so swapping to the 11.38 won’t help IMO.
 
Dec 26, 2018 at 11:39 AM Post #2,091 of 2,569
isoa4k said:
I dont think its the amp section. I think is related to the THD of the R2R system plus no filtering. Where i hear distort with my R2R i dont hear it with my LG V20 Phone so i feel is DAC issue.
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I concur, R2R is a dated DAC system, probably the first DAC mass produced for the masses, the Sabre DAC is a perfect fit for the LCD2 Audeze.

 
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Jan 1, 2019 at 3:14 PM Post #2,092 of 2,569
Anybody here play with the fast slow roll off jumpers inside the unit?
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Jan 2, 2019 at 12:23 AM Post #2,093 of 2,569
JKDJedi said:
I concur, R2R is a dated DAC system, probably the first DAC mass produced for the masses, the Sabre DAC is a perfect fit for the LCD2 Audeze.

Would you suggest waiting until they update the model? I was looking at getting R2R11 today as I am in China on holidays. My only concern is I have had some recommended dac/amps in the past and they all suffered from clipping the sound. It seems the amp would shut down in between songs and the start of the second song would be clipped for half a second. I am not sure if the audio gd amps do this. I want to use the amp with my PC but if sounds are going to be clipped all the time it will drive me nuts.
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Jan 17, 2019 at 12:24 AM Post #2,095 of 2,569
Jimster480 said:
So you mean to come with your own subjective and misleading opinions is fine then correct? Just because it supports Audio-GD products and you happen to like them, right?
Because NOS simply just has less detail and a higher noise-floor vs oversampling devices (which is why Kingwa's own higher end devices have oversampling options by default and you have to manually set them to NOS mode).
Kingwa himself explained that NOS has less detail, and in every scientific paper it clearly explains why this is the case and why oversampling was originally introduced.
Third of all, I would say that just because your claim that the R2R-11 is a great value doesn't make it so. There is alot of competition in this $400 price segment, from things like the SMSL M9, Topping DX7, Schiit Jotenhiem and even TEAC AL-101DA, xDoo TA-10... NuForce has a few offerings, JDS Labs has their Element...
I mean just because YOU LIKE a NOS DAC (which objectively has less resolving ability and a higher noise floor than other offerings) you are declaring it the winner and attacking me for suggesting other products to people who are looking around at their options?

I'm sorry but if you compare my prior suggestion (Topping DX7) and the R2R-11, the R2R-11 has literally nothing to offer over the DX7 besides being a ladder DAC (if that is even considered a positive, because many Ladder Dac's contain ultrasonic noise especially in a NOS design which can be bad for your hearing if it causes other modulation further in the chain) and instead has many fewer features, no remote, no options and no balanced outputs and no AES input and cannot act as a transport device (DX7 has Coax Output)
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"which is why Kingwa's own higher end devices have oversampling options by default and you have to manually set them to NOS mode"

How do i manually set them to NOS mode?
 
Jan 17, 2019 at 9:55 AM Post #2,096 of 2,569
This is an interesting discussion.
I have the R2R-11, and in terms of sound quality, it compared favorably with the Schiit Gungnir MB, at one-third of the cost. But it is not without some differences. I am currently using it as an HP amp and Pre-amp for a secondary system.

The USB stage is incredible, but I have found the coaxial SPDIF does not play nice on my big system. It may be a grounding issue, but I got static charges which caused the DAC to make frying bacon crackling. I am working on another solution, which uses the Toslink SPDIF. None of this is necessarily an issue with the R2R-11, as I live in circa 1940's housing which preceded grounding of outlets.
Not too surprising, the USB feed on System Two makes a glorious sound, especially in HP mode.

I believe this unit should be considered an HP amp with a built-in R2R DAC, rather than the other way around. Class-A HP amplifier in the R2R-11 exceeded my expectation and is the preferred means of listening. I have become rather partial to tube HP amplifiers, and I found the R2R-11 to have a very "tube-like" and "analog" presentation in my HPs.
 
Jan 18, 2019 at 1:28 AM Post #2,097 of 2,569
Robert Padgett said:
This is an interesting discussion.
I have the R2R-11, and in terms of sound quality, it compared favorably with the Schiit Gungnir MB, at one-third of the cost. But it is not without some differences. I am currently using it as an HP amp and Pre-amp for a secondary system.

The USB stage is incredible, but I have found the coaxial SPDIF does not play nice on my big system. It may be a grounding issue, but I got static charges which caused the DAC to make frying bacon crackling. I am working on another solution, which uses the Toslink SPDIF. None of this is necessarily an issue with the R2R-11, as I live in circa 1940's housing which preceded grounding of outlets.
Not too surprising, the USB feed on System Two makes a glorious sound, especially in HP mode.

I believe this unit should be considered an HP amp with a built-in R2R DAC, rather than the other way around. Class-A HP amplifier in the R2R-11 exceeded my expectation and is the preferred means of listening. I have become rather partial to tube HP amplifiers, and I found the R2R-11 to have a very "tube-like" and "analog" presentation in my HPs.
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I find myself agreeing with you re the R2R-11, an excellent, grunty and smooth HP amp and a very good USB input! The optical input is not as good for me, it's 'softer' and a little seemingly less dynamic. Best HP listening for me is still easily the QP1R/Optical out-Mimby-Magni 3/Senn HD540 Ref1s, or the highly upgraded kit HP amp I built some years ago fed from a tubed Elekit TU 8500 preamp and all silver cables. The Mimby is more open and transparent than the R2R DAC, when I fed the R2R-11 as a DAC only into the TU 8500 the other day, I wasn't that convinced by it, the Mimby being far preferable here, with a better optical input, yet not as good on USB as the R2R.
 
Jan 23, 2019 at 3:41 AM Post #2,099 of 2,569
The amplification stage for both the R2R-11 and the NFB-11.28 are the same so they will both drive the LCD2 with similar ability. The DAC stage is where the differences are. If you listen to a lot of fast, up tempo music like EDM or metal... you will probably appreciate the snappier dynamics of the NFB more. If you ever wished your computer could sound more like a nice turntable setup, try the R2R.
 
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