[jodgey4]

Oh yea, that sounds awesome! Multibit should be fun, I'm wondering how the generally warmer sound of that chipset will pair with the LISST... I suspect you're in for a nice surprise . Kingwa is the same way about his products which I really like, "don't spend money where you don't need to".

 

[jodgey4]

While I'm in the thread, anybody know what volume settings give you the standard 2V SE / 4V Balanced out when using the 2014 version as a DAC/pre? The fixed output setting isn't on this version/it needs jumpers.

 

[Stillhart]

One more thing about the balanced setup (I know, late to the party) is that a simple adapter can convert any balanced headphone to SE.  Because of that, going balanced on all your cables is the future-proof way to go... then you're set for anything.
 
Good luck with the Schiit stack.  The BMB is going to be VERY different than the NFB-28's Sabre DAC and I'm a big proponent of R2R/Multibit so I think it's a solid move.  Then if you're looking for an upgrade, the Audio-GD DAC-19 or M-11 are there for you.

 

[SashimiWu]

  One more thing about the balanced setup (I know, late to the party) is that a simple adapter can convert any balanced headphone to SE.  Because of that, going balanced on all your cables is the future-proof way to go... then you're set for anything.
 
Good luck with the Schiit stack.  The BMB is going to be VERY different than the NFB-28's Sabre DAC and I'm a big proponent of R2R/Multibit so I think it's a solid move.  Then if you're looking for an upgrade, the Audio-GD DAC-19 or M-11 are there for you.

 
Thanks for the insight.  Yes you are correct regarding the cables but the cost of the balanced cables should still be factored unless they come stock like they do for the HD800S/LCD-X etc.
 
Thanks for the kind words, I am curious to try it out.  I like a relatively neutral and transparent sound with a hint of warmth so hopefully the Bifrost multibit will pair well with the already neutral HD800.  Now if I can find a dealer in the US...

 

[wildwestgoh]

Hi All,
 
I am interested in this after my friend poisoned me to look for higher grade upgrade from my current setup.
 
Current setup:
Foobar > ASIO > USB > CMedia Optical > Ibasso DB2 > balanced interconnect > Ibasso PB2 > balanced T1 gen.1
I do hope this is clear enough... 
 
I listen to mostly music (Kenny G, Movies OST, Orchestra, etc.), some JPOP (especially those Anime soundtracks).
 
Wanting to know if anyone has experience of my setup and the impression between my setup to NFB-28.
 
Is it a worth upgrade? Looking for hardware native DSD support.
Also is it better off with Xmos or Amanero?
According to friend of mine, he said Xmos is enough as ESS9018 does not support DSD256 and above that well.
 
I do hope someone can give me some insight because there is very little owner of Audio GD products in my area, some use very old generations of non DSD DAC/AMP.
 
Thank you all for your time in advance.

 

[Stillhart]

  Hi All,
 
I am interested in this after my friend poisoned me to look for higher grade upgrade from my current setup.
 
Current setup:
Foobar > ASIO > USB > CMedia Optical > Ibasso DB2 > balanced interconnect > Ibasso PB2 > balanced T1 gen.1
I do hope this is clear enough... 
 
I listen to mostly music (Kenny G, Movies OST, Orchestra, etc.), some JPOP (especially those Anime soundtracks).
 
Wanting to know if anyone has experience of my setup and the impression between my setup to NFB-28.
 
Is it a worth upgrade? Looking for hardware native DSD support.
Also is it better off with Xmos or Amanero?
According to friend of mine, he said Xmos is enough as ESS9018 does not support DSD256 and above that well.
 
I do hope someone can give me some insight because there is very little owner of Audio GD products in my area, some use very old generations of non DSD DAC/AMP.
 
Thank you all for your time in advance.

 
Sorry, I don't have enough experience with DSD or your DB2 to answer your questions.  I will say that the NFB-28 amp and DAC are both on the bright side and might be too bright with your T1.

 

[serman005]

Am new to this thread, so forgive me if I am asking something that has been covered ad nauseum. I was just wondering what the difference between the 28 and the 29 is. Thanks for helping me out.

 

[Stillhart]

  Am new to this thread, so forgive me if I am asking something that has been covered ad nauseum. I was just wondering what the difference between the 28 and the 29 is. Thanks for helping me out.

 
The NFB-28 is designed to sound best from its Balanced output.  The NFB-29 is designed to sound best from its Single Ended output.  Otherwise they're pretty much exactly the same.

 

[PinkyPowers]

Am new to this thread, so forgive me if I am asking something that has been covered ad nauseum. I was just wondering what the difference between the 28 and the 29 is. Thanks for helping me out.

If you plan on upgrading all your headphones to Balanced cables, then NFB-28 is the better choice. The NFB-29 is the exact same device minus the components to make it Balanced capable.

 

[john57]

The NFB-29 is good if you have a mixture of balance and single-ended headphones. The NFB-29 has more power on the single ended than the NFB-28.

 

[PinkyPowers]

The NFB-29 is good if you have a mixture of balance and single-ended headphones. The NFB-29 has more power on the single ended than the NFB-28.

No. The NFB-28 is good if you have a mix. Since it's capable of Balanced Output. The NFB-29 has a faux-Balanced jack on the front, but it only truly operates as Single-ended.

While the 28's SE output is weaker than it's Balanced, it is still VERY powerful, and significantly more than enough for my LCD-2 and HD600.

 

[mtoc]

I am curious, will the faux-Balanced jack on the front, sound any different from the rca jack? We use the same cans to test. Cables are same material. Only the terminus ain't same.

 

[john57]

I am curious, will the faux-Balanced jack on the front, sound any different from the rca jack? We use the same cans to test. Cables are same material. Only the terminus ain't same.

No but usually with balanced headphone cable you will still get some benefit even when plunging in that faux-Balanced jack because some aftermarket cable have higher gauge meaning less resistance on the ground lines.   That can reduce cross-talk. It is better to use the  faux-Balanced jack over the 1/4 jack when possible because you do not have any shorting effect during plunging in any 1/4 jack on a device. Are you talking about the RCA jacks on the back?

 

[mtoc]

Are you talking about the RCA jacks on the back?

The 1/4 jack on the front, the HPs jack. I should use the right words, my bad.

 

[john57]

I have some headphones that are single ended and would take much time,effort and money to make them balanced. I did replace some of the OEM cables because of the very small wires measuring 3 to 4 ohms on the lines. I have some high impedance single ended headphones that would benefit from the higher voltage on the NFB-29.  Some music like piano for example can place heavy demands on the amp. That may be surprising to some but piano is a impulsive type of music with some very strong peaks that can be dulled by weaker amps.