[Botudi]

Hmmmm that's odd. Let's give them the benefit of a doubt and think that English is not their strong point then. Some time ago the plan was to clear stock and be done with it. That's why I got it.

By sh I meant that being discontinued will be available only on the second hand market.

 

[Darien]

Hmmmm that's odd. Let's give them the benefit of a doubt and think that English is not their strong point then. Some time ago the plan was to clear stock and be done with it. That's why I got it.

By sh I meant that being discontinued will be available only on the second hand market.

 
well they discontinued the old nfb-11.32 and replaced it with the upgraded nfb-11, is that what you meant? So you have the nfb-11? 

 

[Darien]

just placed my order and sent the money via paypal....hope it goes through smoothly....

 

[Botudi]

No, I am referring to the latest version. Like I said, let's presume the language barrier

In the meantime seems I have the 650 itching )

 

[Botudi]

  I personally wouldn't trust z review on everything especially when he bases conclusions on high end headphones without even trying to match it. That's just not how it works when you go above a certain level and most of them in the price range have fantastic detail and extension which will certainly make some recordings sound too bright, lean, sibilant etc. Hence the reason for people rolling amps, tubes, op-amps and what not to match their own tonality preference. It is really interesting to hear the differences in tonality by swapping certain parts.
 
Had the HD650 w/ NFB-11, sounded very special. I felt like I was experiencing the exact same things as other people's impressions, so that was really interesting. A lot of people called HD650 as being veiled, but I think the new revision and the NFB-11 match made it just the right amount of brightness for me. The laid back signature was really something. I saw tremendous amount of people keeping their HD650 and spending more on matching. IMO was just not worth it as there are a lot of headphones to be had for better technicality in terms of resolution, extension, and openness. I think it's one of those headphones that a lot of people go by during the audiophile journey.

the people that called it veiled were having the same combo ? or you mean as the general perception of the 650 ?​
 
what would be in your opinion a good match for the nfb 11 v2015 so that the neutrality is kept without overdo it?

 

[Botudi]

headphone hunt update:
 
reading narrowed it down to the he400i and the hd650
can get any of them new, at around 20% bellow current general average market price, 400i being around 80€ more expensive
would the pairing with the nfb11 make that difference worth it ?

 

[willowbrook]

headphone hunt update:

reading narrowed it down to the he400i and the hd650
can get any of them new, at around 20% bellow current general average market price, 400i being around 80€ more expensive
would the pairing with the nfb11 make that difference worth it ?

Well nfb11 has plenty of power to drive the 400i, so you can't go wrong with it. Read impressions on both headphones as it's purely preference. The new 400i with 2.5mm connectors has something removed which is better than the old one.

 

[Botudi]

thanks for the input
it's hard to compare 2 different headphones technologies ....especially through reading....and I think a demo would also not be very revealing
1 week with both at home through different scenarios would be the way to go.....but since that's impossible would have to go with the least insightful way, the reading.
 
650 has on it's side the price, probably easier to sell if it will be the case from one reason or another, safer bet being launched quite some time ago, but on the other side (s) I have a sennheiser already (although a lesser model), uncertainty about which revision I get, would like to test the new tech.
 
The 400i seems a better all rounder but man, do I feel strange about all the QC complains about hifiman.............wouldn't want to get a problematic built as it will trigger a bit lump of stress and would complicate life

 

[willowbrook]

I would actually advise to buy used 400i that has had an excellent owner. Reason being that is obvious QC issues from Hifiman and as a person who likes buying used gears, I think it saves all the hassle if you have to return a defective pair. Make sure to get the one with new connectors though.

 

[Botudi]

Second hand is not an option for me.
20% off the average new price is acceptable for me.
Can those possible problems be detected through testing or they are hidden things that appear after some time ?
Many of the problems I've seen people have are quite up front when receiving the headphones....

 

[lucianpescaru]

Anyone compared the NFB11 to the SMSL M8 for DAC duties?

 

[Botudi]

  Anyone compared the NFB11 to the SMSL M8 for DAC duties?

 
 
m8 has filters, but no decent power supply

 

[lucianpescaru]

  m8 has filters, but no decent power supply

 
Actually it has filter selection And a weaker version of ES9018 DAC to boot with, power supply noise issues for the analog stages as it's switched mode for the +-12V analog filter stage opamps. I know the theoretical stuff behind it... There's nothing to stop me to buid a power supply for the M8 using a 12V car battery (or a rectified 12Vac 2A trafo) and a 7809 reg on a heatsink... 500ma current draw on the whole DAC... But does it sound better than the NFB11?

 

[Botudi]

ah sorry,
can't help you there.....as I was pondering the m8, but went the nfb11 route since the former felt gimmicky
also being just a dac seems that there is a lot missing

 

[GiantAssPanda]

Just ordered myself the NFB-11 (over the Schiit U2 stack) after reading tons of positive feedback from it. Got 3 year warranty to the Polish store where I bought it from and additional 7 years with the manufacturer. Ridiculously good service at this price point.
 
So this is supposed to be a good match with the HD650 & HE-400 right?
 
Anyways, can't frigging wait to get my hands on it.