[franklyshankly]

I looked around but couldn't find much about this, so how would someone compare the NFB3 with the V DAC? I'm *guessing* the NFB3 is more bang for the buck, but I'm curious about sound signature. I'm going to be using the DAC for LCD2s and I'm worried the AGD stuff might be too dark/warm/lush, which would probably be too much smoothness for the LCDs. Anyone with any experience with either V DAC versus NFB3 or NFB3 with LCD2?

 

[sphinxvc]

Kingwa's other implementations of the WM8741 are pretty neutral.  Or atleast the FUN I had was and the NFB-12 I've heard was.  Might be that his warm is our neutral.  

 

[macrog]

Sounds like a lovely system. Have you been using the computer sound card as your source?
 
Regards
 
Macrog
 
Quote:

Hi all,
 
after lurking for a month the forums (and this thread) I decided to show up
 
So, I decided to buy an Audio-GD NFB-2 due to the great reviews it has got here, I'm about to order it as now I don't have money on my paypal and I'm going to recharge it on monday.
 
My setup will be:
 
Asus eeeBox
NFB-2
Rotel RA-04SE
Castle Conway 3
 
Can't wait!

 
 

 

[ULUL]

What a GREAT thread.   I've not heard of Audio-gd until I came across this thread.  Read about 20 pages but realize that I don't have another number of hours to read through this excellent thread. 
 
I hope it is OK to ask a simple basic 'give me the bottom line' question.
 
Would someone articulate the actual audio difference between the NB-2 and NB-3? 
Are they truly 'excruciatingly close' as a reviewer suggested? 
Or is the difference clearly audible and easily justifies the approximately 40% increase in cost?  (US$150 difference)
 
Perhaps it has been answered on this thread but I've not found it.
 
I've been testing the $350 HRT Streamer II+.   It's good in detail etc.  But also got to hear the NB-3 very briefly and was impressed by how much warmth and weight/presence it has.
 
Thanks,
UL
 

 

[attenuated 3db]

Quote:

What a GREAT thread.   I've not heard of Audio-gd until I came across this thread.  Read about 20 pages but realize that I don't have another number of hours to read through this excellent thread. 
 
I hope it is OK to ask a simple basic 'give me the bottom line' question.
 
Would someone articulate the actual audio difference between the NB-2 and NB-3? 
Are they truly 'excruciatingly close' as a reviewer suggested? 
Or is the difference clearly audible and easily justifies the approximately 40% increase in cost?  (US$150 difference)
 
Perhaps it has been answered on this thread but I've not found it.
 
I've been testing the $350 HRT Streamer II+.   It's good in detail etc.  But also got to hear the NB-3 very briefly and was impressed by how much warmth and weight/presence it has.
 
Thanks,
UL
 

I've been subscribed to this thread since the first of the year (ordered my NFB-3 in February), and I honestly don't recall a single person who has ever said that they personally have listened to BOTH an NFB-2 and NFB-3.  Other than Kingwa, that is, who only opines "NFB-3 more bang for buck."  So it's hard to say how big (or small) the audible differences actually are.  Depending on your current equipment, budget, and future plans, for $150, you could have them toss a USB-only Digital Interface into the same box as your NFB-3 for the same price as an NFB-2.  But some people just can't abide the notion that they have compromised the ideal power supply implementation of the NFB-2.  It's your money.  

 

[Pricklely Peete]

Quote:

What a GREAT thread.   I've not heard of Audio-gd until I came across this thread.  Read about 20 pages but realize that I don't have another number of hours to read through this excellent thread. 
 
I hope it is OK to ask a simple basic 'give me the bottom line' question.
 
Would someone articulate the actual audio difference between the NB-2 and NB-3? 
Are they truly 'excruciatingly close' as a reviewer suggested? 
Or is the difference clearly audible and easily justifies the approximately 40% increase in cost?  (US$150 difference)
 
Perhaps it has been answered on this thread but I've not found it.
 
I've been testing the $350 HRT Streamer II+.   It's good in detail etc.  But also got to hear the NB-3 very briefly and was impressed by how much warmth and weight/presence it has.
 
Thanks,
UL
 

The main differences are a more sophisticated PSU and better quality parts. As for the actual SQ difference between the 2 I can only speculate (since I do not own either unit).
 
 
OTOH and IMO that additional 150 USD is money well spent since PSU and to a lesser extent parts quality are what separates the ordinary from the extraordinary.
 
 
Peete.

 

[ULUL]

Thanks A-3db & P-Pete.   Love to hear more comments from others.
 
A bit OT but I'm also staggered by the size difference between the positively tiny HRT Music Streamer II+ and the NFB-2/3.   So HOW is it that the HRT can be so small while the NFBs are so huge?   
Both are highly rated for the $. 
 
ULUL

 

[petemac110]

Quote:

What a GREAT thread.   I've not heard of Audio-gd until I came across this thread.  Read about 20 pages but realize that I don't have another number of hours to read through this excellent thread. 
 
I hope it is OK to ask a simple basic 'give me the bottom line' question.
 
Would someone articulate the actual audio difference between the NB-2 and NB-3? 
Are they truly 'excruciatingly close' as a reviewer suggested? 
Or is the difference clearly audible and easily justifies the approximately 40% increase in cost?  (US$150 difference)
 
Perhaps it has been answered on this thread but I've not found it.
 
I've been testing the $350 HRT Streamer II+.   It's good in detail etc.  But also got to hear the NB-3 very briefly and was impressed by how much warmth and weight/presence it has.
 
Thanks,
UL
 

There have been a few people on stereo.net.au who have purchased both the NFB-2 and NFB-3 for the sake of comparison.
 
In most cases, they have kept the NFB-2 and onsold the NFB-3, but most people have said that the real-world differences are extremely slim and you'd be hard-pressed to pick between them sometimes!  eg:
 
http://www.stereo.net.au/forums/showthread.php/31638-Audio-GD-NFB-2-amp-3?p=523386&viewfull=1#post523386
 
 

 

[attenuated 3db]

Quote:

Thanks A-3db & P-Pete.   Love to hear more comments from others.
 
A bit OT but I'm also staggered by the size difference between the positively tiny HRT Music Streamer II+ and the NFB-2/3.   So HOW is it that the HRT can be so small while the NFBs are so huge?   

Engineering overkill, IMO. Kingwa does not design or build things to be small, or light. He uses large, heavy-duty chassis and enclosures, because it gives him room to "spread out" with his circuit designs, which he constantly revises. The NFB-2 and 3 use the same chassis and enclosure as the DAC-19, and if you buy either one, it will say "DAC-19" on the faceplate. You need more room on your desktop to accommodate them than gear from other manufacturers, and obviously, the shipping is more given the heft of all A-gd items.

 

[Pricklely Peete]

Quote:

There have been a few people on stereo.net.au who have purchased both the NFB-2 and NFB-3 for the sake of comparison.
 
In most cases, they have kept the NFB-2 and onsold the NFB-3, but most people have said that the real-world differences are extremely slim and you'd be hard-pressed to pick between them sometimes!  eg:
 
http://www.stereo.net.au/forums/showthread.php/31638-Audio-GD-NFB-2-amp-3?p=523386&viewfull=1#post523386
 
 

 
I wish Merlot had made the comparison using the SPDIF  inputs rather than USB input.
 
Peete.

 

[semeniub]

I recently took delivery of an Audio-GD NFB-2 for use in my system consisting of 14 year-old Creek amplification and CD player/Epos loudspeakers/DNM Reson interconnects and speaker cables. I've always known this setup to sound very smooth and flowing, without being too hard on the ears. I feed this with output from Fidelia on OSX through either USB (Wireworld cable), SPDIF from the CD player, and Optical from the Apple TV2 which takes a WiFi feed from the MAC.
 
My initial ratings of the sound were:
1) SPDIF from CD player (much better sound than analog from the CD player)
2) WiFi/Optical from the Apple TV2 (also better than the CD player)
3) *** USB (not good at all)
 
*** I recently tried a Kingrex UC192 in the system to take the USB feed from the computer, and then pass the signal as SPDIF to the DAC. This sound has been wonderful, and now goes to the top of my list by far.
 
Incidently, I had previously tried an HRT II+ in this system, and found things to be very flat and narrow sounding. My wife said, "I can't listen to that, turn it off", and that was all I needed to hear to know that the HRT II+ was not for us. I suppose the key to this is looking at the differences in circuitry and power supply between the NFB-2 and the HRT II+.
 
 

 

[donluca]

Quote:

Sounds like a lovely system. Have you been using the computer sound card as your source?
 
Regards
 
Macrog
 

Thank you sir.
 
Actually my system is as follows:
 
iMac 24" (the white one) -> TOSLink -> Beresford TC-7510 -> Rotel RA-04SE -> Wharfedale Diamonds 10.1
 
Now I'm using the iMac to stream the music to the Beresford DAC via optical. I'm digitally sending the signal to the DAC, so the source sound card (the iMac's in this case) is totally irrelevant. This will be true with the new system (which I'm ordering piece by piece in these days) as well because it will be USB connected, so the NFB-2 will be recognized and act as an external sound card.
 
I love this setup because it has the clearest highs I've ever heard in a system and digs plenty of detail. Definitely revealing.
It's missing a bit of oomph and bottom end but then it is not what I was looking for my bedroom setup.
 
I also own a pair of AKG K601 which are godlike with this system for late night listening.
 
Quote:

I recently took delivery of an Audio-GD NFB-2 for use in my system consisting of 14 year-old Creek amplification and CD player/Epos loudspeakers/DNM Reson interconnects and speaker cables. I've always known this setup to sound very smooth and flowing, without being too hard on the ears. I feed this with output from Fidelia on OSX through either USB (Wireworld cable), SPDIF from the CD player, and Optical from the Apple TV2 which takes a WiFi feed from the MAC.
 
My initial ratings of the sound were:
1) SPDIF from CD player (much better sound than analog from the CD player)
2) WiFi/Optical from the Apple TV2 (also better than the CD player)
3) *** USB (not good at all)
 
*** I recently tried a Kingrex UC192 in the system to take the USB feed from the computer, and then pass the signal as SPDIF to the DAC. This sound has been wonderful, and now goes to the top of my list by far.
 
Incidently, I had previously tried an HRT II+ in this system, and found things to be very flat and narrow sounding. My wife said, "I can't listen to that, turn it off", and that was all I needed to hear to know that the HRT II+ was not for us. I suppose the key to this is looking at the differences in circuitry and power supply between the NFB-2 and the HRT II+.

Does your NFB-2 have the DIR9001 chip or the other one?
I was wondering that, since I'll be using my NFB-2 with the USB, if I should buy the Digital interface as well from Audio-GD...

 

[semeniub]

My NFB-2 has the other chip, and am not sure if the 9001 could do as nice a job with the USB signal as a dedicated USB to SPDIF device anyways. The DI from Audio-GD is something really to consider, along with the V-Link, HiFace devices and Modified HiFaces, and of course the Kingrex.

You could always buy a USB-SPDIF device later if you felt that you needed it.

 

[donluca]

I know that the other chip is quite crappy on the USB side, while the DIR9001 seems to do wonders... who knows!
Maybe I'll consider later purchasing the DI.
 
Apart from the 192 - 96 Khz thing, are there audibile differences on the other inputs with the WM8805 chip?

 

[semeniub]

With the 8805 chip, the SPDIF seems to sound more "airy" than the Toslink, but I have not quantified this with controlled tests using the same cable brands or source feeds. With the addition of the Kingrex UC192 to my system, I have a very likeable sound now through USB to go along with the digital output from my CD player. I intend to leave things at that, and now start enjoying listening to my music collection again.