[FeiJai]

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The shipping page hasn't been updated since DEC 20. Anyone have any idea when these things are supposed to ship? I was one of the first to order an NFB-12 and I am getting a little inpatient.

I sent them an email requesting the total price to Canada, and in their reply they commented "Because now is near the [size=x-small]Chinese Spring Festival,and now we have too much order need to finished them until 28th Jan,so that if you pre-order now,we need to shipping out to you after 15th Feb,do you mind it?".[/size][size=x-small] Bit Engrish-y, but yeah, sounds like orders now will be shipping out in February.[/size]

 


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I just got a reply from Audio-GD regarding shipping cost. I live in Canada and will be purchasing the NFB-12. It cost $190 for the unit (5% discount), $31.5 with EMS and $7.40 for paypal fees. That is a total of $228.90 USD for the item.

I was told that if you pre-order now and the unit ships after Feb 15th, then you get the 5% discount. It doesn't start apply right now. Here's hoping it ships earlier than later.

You save $10 if you can wait a month's time. Either way, they have stopped taking orders as of yesterday so all orders for the NFB-12 will be considered pre-orders.

 

[panda-R]

well in the end i'm all confused but i sent them my 'order' or 'pre-order' yesterday. They said if it ships after Feb 15th then I'll get the discount but I rather have it sooner so $10 isn't a big deal for me!
 
Lets go audio-gd! you can do it!

 

[Poetik]

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The price is pretty unreal. I´ll keep my expectations low, but on paper it looks seriously good. If this would be by a western company, the price would be 500$+ easily. An NFB-11 vs. NFB-12 shootout would be interesting too.

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My X-fi is coax out to an Entec DAC. I am not convinced that a DAC can make much if any improvement (different sound doesn't mean improvement), thats why I jumped on the NFB-12 at this price. Same major components as the NFB-3, but much smaller and has a solid state amp I can try since I have only ever used tube. We'll see. I am sure I can sell pretty quick if I find no improvement. 
 
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We will have to wait to see how much of a steal this DAC and AMP combined in a 6in x 8in box is. I am keeping my expectations low for such a small product.

Well luckily the worst case scenario is it'll still sound better than your creative x-fi cards haha. 
 

 

To both of you here's a quote from currawong on the nfb-11 thread:
 
There's a huge difference between a WM8740 (used in a lot of cheap gear these days) and the WM8741, which is used in high-end DACs such as the PS Audio Perfectwave.  You should read the data sheets. The two owners of the Perfectwave who compared it to the Reference 7 (with the V4 DSP, not the current V5) liked the Perfectwave a little better. Though most of the capability of a DAC has to do with everything besides the DA chip, the chips themselves can be tuned to sound how the designer wants via the implentation of the chip itself, such as how rapidly the filter rolls off at the 22.5 kHz cut-off as well as other things.  From my own listening, I thought the Sparrow, with a WM8741 sounded better than the ES9018 NFB-11 by a small margin, so I don't think this decision is a mistake. Of course this is low-end gear we're talking about and I haven't ever had the chance to compare them in high-end gear.
 
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So I mean if someone like currawong likes the sparrow better than the nfb-11 then going with the nfb-12 is a no brainer especially since the nfb-12 will be better than the sparrow. 
 
From what I gather, some of the competitors in the price range are:
 
The NFB-11 which costs $275 (when you could buy it) and uses that nice ES9018 chip in it.
 
The fiio E7/E9 combo which costs $200 and uses a WM8740
 
The Hifiman EF2 which costs $189 and uses a PCM2702
 
I'm sure there are more so feel free to add to the list if you want.
 
Also Slaughter made some comparisons based on the specs of the nuforce HDP ($450) compared to the NFB-12 earlier in the thread.  It looks like on paper this thing is a little beast in the box and while I'm tempering my expectations too, I'm sure we will all be pleasantly surprised.
 

 

[runnin17]

This is getting a bit ridiculous. First they said Dec 15th, now they are saying Feb 15th. What!!!!!
 
I am all for being patient, but the least they can do is update their customers!

 

[Handberg]

I just ordered the NFB-12, can't wait to get it!

 

[haloxt]

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This is getting a bit ridiculous. First they said Dec 15th, now they are saying Feb 15th. What!!!!!
 
I am all for being patient, but the least they can do is update their customers!

People who placed orders for products before January 1st 2011 will have their orders shipped out to them before February 1st. The "after fed 15th" thing is for people who order after Dec 31st 2010.

 

[steveotron]

Hi all, I'm totally new to DAC/AMPs so take it a little easy on me.
 
I'm currently looking to get the HD 650 and AKG K701, and I've been looking at combos and dedicated units to pair with them.
 
The main units that have interested me are the Matrix Mini-I, Matrix Cube, Yulong D100, HDP, and now the NFB-12.
 
I'm a little hesitant to get the Mini-I just because it's been out a little longer than the Cube, does not have ASRC, and the Cube's AMP is supposedly a little better, but there haven't been many head-to-head comparisons on the forums. I'm also not planning on going balanced any time soon, so that one benefit of the Mini-I over the Cube does not really matter too much too me. The main thing is has going for me is aesthetics, but I don't really want to invest in something just because it looks a bit better.
 
The Cube, on the other hand, seems to have everything the Mini-I has but with ASRC and a lower price point. I probably would not hesitate to get the unit, but there have been quality control issues (mainly cosmetic) that have been raised in the main thread and it seems like it would be wise to wait it out to see how the issue is addressed.
 
The Yulong D100 seems to be a great unit, but it costs more than twice what the NFB-12 does. I'd rather use the difference to fund the headphones.
 
All the aforementioned units have integrated AMPs, but when I reading the Audio-GD's site, it states that the AMP is discrete despite being all in one unit. I'm hoping if someone could clarify this for me. For the price it seems to be a steal and coud rival something like the HDP. Anyways, I was wondering if someone could speculate on how it would match with the headphones I mentioned (sound and ability to properly power them). Also, since the NFB-12 is relatively inexpensive, that leaves me with the opportunity to get a separate AMP if I want. Lastly, what would be the main difference between this and the Audio-GD FUN in terms of features and sound (I'm guessing it's mainly tweakability), as there is a $200 difference between the two units.
 
Thanks in advance.

 

[Slaughter]

 
I ordered on 11/22 and received this message 12/30:
 
Sorry about the delay,and we will arrange your NFB-12 shipping out at next 2nd - 3rd Jan
Edwin
 
 
 
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This is getting a bit ridiculous. First they said Dec 15th, now they are saying Feb 15th. What!!!!!
 
I am all for being patient, but the least they can do is update their customers!

 

[FeiJai]

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Hi all, I'm totally new to DAC/AMPs so take it a little easy on me.
 
I'm currently looking to get the HD 650 and AKG K701, and I've been looking at combos and dedicated units to pair with them.
 
The main units that have interested me are the Matrix Mini-I, Matrix Cube, Yulong D100, HDP, and now the NFB-12.
 
I'm a little hesitant to get the Mini-I just because it's been out a little longer than the Cube, does not have ASRC, and the Cube's AMP is supposedly a little better, but there haven't been many head-to-head comparisons on the forums. I'm also not planning on going balanced any time soon, so that one benefit of the Mini-I over the Cube does not really matter too much too me. The main thing is has going for me is aesthetics, but I don't really want to invest in something just because it looks a bit better.
 
The Cube, on the other hand, seems to have everything the Mini-I has but with ASRC and a lower price point. I probably would not hesitate to get the unit, but there have been quality control issues (mainly cosmetic) that have been raised in the main thread and it seems like it would be wise to wait it out to see how the issue is addressed.
 
The Yulong D100 seems to be a great unit, but it costs more than twice what the NFB-12 does. I'd rather use the difference to fund the headphones.
 
All the aforementioned units have integrated AMPs, but when I reading the Audio-GD's site, it states that the AMP is discrete despite being all in one unit. I'm hoping if someone could clarify this for me. For the price it seems to be a steal and coud rival something like the HDP. Anyways, I was wondering if someone could speculate on how it would match with the headphones I mentioned (sound and ability to properly power them). Also, since the NFB-12 is relatively inexpensive, that leaves me with the opportunity to get a separate AMP if I want. Lastly, what would be the main difference between this and the Audio-GD FUN in terms of features and sound (I'm guessing it's mainly tweakability), as there is a $200 difference between the two units.
 
Thanks in advance.

The sound signature between the FUN and NFB-12 are suppose to sound similar. The FUN has more input/outputs and can be tweaked (OPA) whereas the NFB-12 is a fixed unit and cannot be tweaked. I recall on their website, based on pictures they posted, that many of their products paired well with the Denon D2000/D5000, AKG k271, Grados (can't recall which model) and the Sennheiser HD600 or HD650.

 

[llama_egg]

Just ordered one as my first DAC/Amp, I'm too happy with waiting till February, but it should be a good purchase none-the-less! Thing looks like a beast on paper, and with the promo price + January discount how can I go wrong?
 
Either way, should be a good starting unit.

 

[dubai2000]

How did you get messages from them? When sending a mail through their website I only get an automated answer and when using the kin-wa acount the mail gets returned. Am getting slightly annoyed here.

 

[llama_egg]

Never had to use that address, just send an email requesting the total to "audio-gd@126.com", you get an automatic reply stating they received it then within 24 hours you normally get a reply. I've shot them a few emails and it was always the same day I got a reply, just be patient, it is a holiday for them right now after all.

 

[movi]

for those who ordered a while ago, i'm sure they'll send your orders sooner. i ordered dec 29 or so and am also in the "shipping before Jan 28" category, but i'm sure those of you who ordered way back will get yours before then.

 

[dubai2000]

Let's hope so.....but some kind of info from their side would have been appreciated. Anyway, if the sound of the unit is as hoped for, it'll be worth while waiting and being a bit impatient

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[Jor-El]

Recent information received from the UK Agent's side says that
"..Audio GD have personally assured us that the NFB-12 will ship within the next 2-3 weeks.. and ..Based on this information..you can expect to receive them before the end of the month.."

Hope it arrives by then.