[middachten]

PS: there has been some heated discussion elsewhere on this forum about the communication with Audio-GD. I received quick response, and to-the-point answers on my communication with them over the past week or so. 
I know that I will have to wait two weeks before they will start shipping again. But that has been made very clear.
To date I'm quite happy with their communication.

 

[ninjikiran]

Looks a few posts up~
Quote:

Quote:

Coming from the maverick the NFB-2 is a much better dac even before sound quality can come into play.
 

You mean in terms of engineering/build quality?

 

[djwilbourn]

I ordered my nfb2 sunday from pacific valve.  They said it would be middle to late march before I would receive it.  It will replace an MHDT Constantine+ that has been very smooth and enjoyable.  I want to try something else for fun and see if it is an improvement.  Can anyone offer some comparison on their listening impressions of the nfb2 especially in comparison to dacs at the 500.00 and up mark?  Great thread for new owners. 

 

[KingFiercer]

Hello.
How do you think does NFB-3 better then FUN as DAC?

 

[EduxTM]

Hi everyone,
 
I just want to tell my experience purchasing an Audio-GD gear. I ordered my NFB-3 last December 24th and it was sent last week (January 25th). I chose EMS for the shipment to Spain and everything has been very quick, only 5 working days to get it at my door. I'm doing tests with the coax connection and the Canare cable (RCA-RCA) but it's so soon for make any judgement/veredict about the sound quality.
 
I've no experience with other DAC, so I can't compare directly gear to gear; my only reference it's my Auzentech X-FI Prelude+OPA-Earth. The first thing that I noticed it was a bit "rough" sound with the voices a bit distant (or covered). I supose it's the tipical behaviour for a new gadget and it needs some burn in to improve.
 
The soundstage seems great, open, with space between instruments and voices. The most positive aspect I noticed with only one hour of listening was the appeareance of micro and macro-dynamics. It's just amazing how is possible that one instrument could come from nowhere or become more relevant than before. One more point, the bass, it seems less "booomy", more controlled with a little bit more impact. Listening Diana Krall - Boulevard of Broken Dreams the tone of the piano sounds more natural to me, less digital. ¿Anyone has noticed any of this?
 
I can't say that exists a dramatic difference between my old soundcard and this DAC, no "blown away" effect in my case. For now it's a step forward, more refinement but no "night and day" difference. Anyway, I have to test the other connections (USB, toslink) and try to get a better coaxial cable like Oyaide DR-150 or a Black Dragon from Moon Audio.

 

[middachten]

Quote:

Hello.
How do you think does NFB-3 better then FUN as DAC?

 
I 'think' it will be better. This is only based on reasoning, I haven't listened to either of them (waiting for my NFB-2 to get shipped!). 
From a technical perspective the NFB-3 has the benefit of:
- 2x WM8741 running in balanced mode 
- a power supply that is fully dedicated to de DAC
- double the amount of power supply regulators for the DAC part
- no OpAmp in the signal path.
 
These are all pretty substantial differences that should result in a better audio performance.
 
But:
- if you need a headamp
- want to experiment with different sound signatures
- want to use the DAC to directly feed a poweramp or active speakers
Then the FUN could be the better option (or the NFB-10 if your wallet reaches that far

)
 

 

 

[MasZakrY]

I am in a relatively unique position with the NFB-3 in that I have both the 24/96k (DIR9001) and 24/192k (WM8805) modules.  I don't feel a need to make a lengthy review stating every aspect of my setup, my hopes and dreams and all that so I'll keep it simple.  On my setup, listening to James Taylor in FLAC -> NFB-3 -> C-2 -> MS-pro the difference between these two modules is very apparent.  The WM8005 is very mellow, missing many details and rounding out the sound.  DIR9001 is a completely different beast, outclassing the WM8005 in every way (except 192k handling).  The details come right through, extremely transparent, hits hard and fast, no mentionable issues at all.
 
You can get the DIR9001 module from Audio-gd for only $22.50 and for those with the WM8005, this is a very worthwhile upgrade!

 

[HeatFan12]

Quote:

I am in a relatively unique position with the NFB-3 in that I have both the 24/96k (DIR9001) and 24/192k (WM8805) modules.  I don't feel a need to make a lengthy review stating every aspect of my setup, my hopes and dreams and all that so I'll keep it simple.  On my setup, listening to James Taylor in FLAC -> NFB-3 -> C-2 -> MS-pro the difference between these two modules is very apparent.  The WM8005 is very mellow, missing many details and rounding out the sound.  DIR9001 is a completely different beast, outclassing the WM8005 in every way (except 192k handling).  The details come right through, extremely transparent, hits hard and fast, no mentionable issues at all.
 
You can get the DIR9001 module from Audio-gd for only $22.50 and for those with the WM8005, this is a very worthwhile upgrade!

And that is a great position to be in Mas...I went with the DIR9001 from the start.  Sounds great and if I have a need for 24-32/192 natively I just use my E-MU 0404USB to rock it.  No worries at all.
 
Cheers
 

 

[nick77]

Quote:

I am in a relatively unique position with the NFB-3 in that I have both the 24/96k (DIR9001) and 24/192k (WM8805) modules.  I don't feel a need to make a lengthy review stating every aspect of my setup, my hopes and dreams and all that so I'll keep it simple.  On my setup, listening to James Taylor in FLAC -> NFB-3 -> C-2 -> MS-pro the difference between these two modules is very apparent.  The WM8005 is very mellow, missing many details and rounding out the sound.  DIR9001 is a completely different beast, outclassing the WM8005 in every way (except 192k handling).  The details come right through, extremely transparent, hits hard and fast, no mentionable issues at all.
 
You can get the DIR9001 module from Audio-gd for only $22.50 and for those with the WM8005, this is a very worthwhile upgrade!

Thanks for the report, i decided to add the DIR9001 to my NFB-2 order and compare for myself. Suppose to ship next week.

 

[ninjikiran]

questionable scale though... I will try the DIR9001 but something tells me the differences won't be as profound as you make it out to be.

 

[BrainFood]

Quote:

The WM8005 is very mellow, missing many details and rounding out the sound.  DIR9001 is a completely different beast, outclassing the WM8005 in every way (except 192k handling).  The details come right through, extremely transparent, hits hard and fast, no mentionable issues at all.
 
You can get the DIR9001 module from Audio-gd for only $22.50 and for those with the WM8005, this is a very worthwhile upgrade!

So, let's get this straight.  A few weeks ago A GD changed the spdif interface from DIR9001 (96k) and CS8416 (192k) to WM8005 only.  However, this is a sonic downgrade.  If you want the DIR9001 back you now have to pay $22.50? 
 
They even openly admit they've combined a smooth receiver with an already smooth dac: "[size=x-small]Applied the WM8805 as the SPDIF interface , its sound characteristic is same with the WM8741 which is detail but smooth"[/size]. 
 
Seems like a backwards step to me because, even with slightly higher jitter, the CS8416 would probably beat the WM8005

 

[haloxt]

 
Quote:

So, let's get this straight.  A few weeks ago A GD changed the spdif interface from DIR9001 (96k) and CS8416 (192k) to WM8005 only.  However, this is a sonic downgrade.  If you want the DIR9001 back you now have to pay $22.50?

 
It's only one person's opinion that the dir9001 is better than the wm8805. I would point out that when you have a little smoothness in the receiver, and a little smoothness in the dac, then the overall sound will have more smoothness. For my pretty smooth speakers, I would personally avoid the wm8805 if I was getting a wm8741 dac. I doubt you have to pay 22.50 extra if you want to replace the wm8805 with the dir9001 when purchasing, almost certainly it costs $22.50 more if you want to replace a filter AFTER you have already purchased it.
 
 
Quote:

They even openly admit they've combined a smooth receiver with an already smooth dac: "[size=small]Applied the WM8805 as the SPDIF interface , its sound characteristic is same with the WM8741 which is detail but smooth"[/size].

 
Is this a crime?
 
 
Quote:

Seems like a backwards step to me because, even with slightly higher jitter, the CS8416 would probably beat the WM8005

 
You're entitled to your own opinion but it is just speculation.

 

[Kingwa]

Change to WM8805 just for 192KHz SPDIF support, ago we offer the DIR9001 as default and the WM8805 or CS8416 as a free option when order, some lot customers like to choice the WM8805 or CS8416.
But we still quite flexible, who want change to DIR9001 just free while order .
The Last, the WM8805 sound beat the CS8416 in my mind, closed flavor but detail is clearer.

 

[Caphead78]

Thanks for the reply Kingwa. 
I know that the USB input does not support 88.2 khz due to the Tenor USB chip, however does the DAC (W/ DIR9001) support 88.2 khz over S/PDIF?

 

[Kingwa]

May I test at tomorrow for ensure and reply you?