[sayh]

Just makes me wonder whether the NFB28 is different to the C2/NFB-7 

 
Also, people's sensitivity to this apparently differs... So what might be annoying to me, might be tolerable to you.
 

NFB28 is close to the NFB7 tonally. They had that sabre characteristics, NFB7 being a flagship dedicated dac, of course has an edge of being more extensive highs and lows, and spacious soundstage. NFB28 in this case actually sounds slightly warmer, less treble happy, probably due to being less extensive in the highs. More balance, smoother in a sense compared to NFB7.   

 

[Liu Junyuan]

  The HE-6 were even worse.... 

Anyway, because I guess I love that signature a lot [I don't think you can get spacious and airy sound without some serious energy and extension in the treble] I guess I'll be trying to tweak it using the DAC [musical, smooth rather than analytic and detailed] as I pretty much already have a great versatile amp which I don't wanna change for now.
Might be a different story with the HE-1000, though I still found the NFB-7's signature a teeny bit troublesome even with different, warmer headphone.
Anyway, I am glad you know what you want. I certainly will post my findings with the Gungnir, if only to see whether everything I've read about it is true.

FWIW, I do like my HiFiMAN's on the Gungnir a lot. There is definitely more "balls in the bass," as Purrin put it elsewhere, than my Modi, and the refinement it added was extremely noticeable. You will not find it adding more tizzines to the treble. This is not to decry the NFB-28, though, as I still lack experience with this gear. I will say that the Sabre implementation in the Oppo HA-1 did not bother me a bit with the HE-500s running balanced and actually it nicely complemented its warmish tone. 

 

[whatup69]

Semi x-post from the C2 class A thread. I've been looking at the nfb-29 and the C2 lately. Would use my nfb15 as the DAC to the C2, but the built in sabre DAC in the nfb-29 is very attractive. I loved the sound from oppo HA-1 straight out of the single ended output, hence my interest in these audio gd products. Has anybody heard both and can compare/share impressions? Especially with he500. Also how is the single ended output on the nfb-28? Its pretty much the same price as the 29 at the moment, with the balanced DAC + amp, it seems like it'd be heaps future proof for any additional upgrades down the line, headphone or cable wise.

 

[scizzro]

Originally Posted by whatup69 /img/forum/go_quote.gif[color=rgb(100, 100, 221)][/color]

Semi x-post from the C2 class A thread. I've been looking at the nfb-29 and the C2 lately. Would use my nfb15 as the DAC to the C2, but the built in sabre DAC in the nfb-29 is very attractive. I loved the sound from oppo HA-1 straight out of the single ended output, hence my interest in these audio gd products. Has anybody heard both and can compare/share impressions? Especially with he500. Also how is the single ended output on the nfb-28? Its pretty much the same price as the 29 at the moment, with the balanced DAC + amp, it seems like it'd be heaps future proof for any additional upgrades down the line, headphone or cable wise.

The single ended output on the 29 puts out the same power as the balanced output on the 28. The SE out on the 28 is roughly a third of the balanced output.
 
Balanced out on the 28 / Single ended out on the 29:
 
9500mW / 25 ohm
8000MW /  40 ohm 
3500MW  /  100 ohm
1200MW / 300 ohm
600MW  /  600 ohm
 
Single ended out on the 28:
 
3600mW / 25 ohm
2500mW / 40 ohm
1100mW / 100 ohm
400mW / 300 ohm
200mW / 600 ohm
 
Keep in mind you have to get new cables for each headphone if you want to use them in balanced mode.
 
I have no idea why that quote is black. 

 

[bbfoto]

FWIW, my short experience with the NFB-28...

I no longer own my NFB-28...I sold it to Jodgey4 quite some time ago after only owning it for about a month. In retrospect, I really shouldn't have sold it, but had decided to at the time because I was spending more time on the road and wanted to invest in a portable rig instead. For reference, this NFB-28 was an early 2014 model with the newly-implemented DSD capability and had both USB-32 TCXO upgrades.

Just before selling it, a good friend of mine who is a studio session musician had just received his HA-1 and we spent most of a day comparing them side-by-side with my slightly-modded and balanced Beyerdynamic T1 and his Neumann KH120 Studio Reference Monitors. We used a Behringer DEQ2496 and ECM8000 measurement mic to level-match, but it was not a blind test.

We both easily preferred the sound of the NFB-28 using it as the DAC/HP Amp/Preamp. We did not have time to test them in other configurations...as independent DAC or HP Amp, etc. On everything we listened to, even his own recordings which he obiviously knows intimately, we both felt that the NFB-28 was truer to the source, and had a more focused, distinct, and wider soundstage, with more room ambiance, air, and space.

When you are a musician, you know when a recording gets that particular instrument "right" or not, and there are some instruments more than others that are rarely reproduced with true realism. With the NFB-28, a drum kit sounded real...the harmonic overtones and dynamics of the snare drum, cymbals, and tom toms were spot on...a difficult test. Same for piano, saxophone, and upright/double bass. A solo cello piece sent shivers down our spine. These are all very difficult to reproduce the micro-details, harmonics, and dynamics, but they all sounded truer-to-life with the NFB-28.

The HA-1 wasn't bad at all, it just seemed to smooth out or mellow everything just a tiny bit and wasn't quite as precise or focused and distinct with the soundstage. Now, some may prefer that slight smoothness, which may mellow out the "bite" that some instruments actually have in a live setting, and there is nothing wrong with that preference as it may also match up better with your specific HPs or IEMs. Again it was not a night and day difference, but the NFB-28 was just more musically engaging and true to life with our equipment.

As always, take this with a grain of salt, as it is just two guy's impressions and opinions, and I really can't offer comparisons to any other similar equipment. And another important note is that we did not compare the two using any IEMs or cIEMs. It's just our impressions of these two pieces of gear, with everything else being equal.

I will say that the HA-1 has the definite edge in overall features, user interface, and functionality, without the NFB-28's quirks that have already been discussed here, but the OPPO is also that much more expensive. That being said, the NFB-28 is still a very powerfull and flexible Swiss Army Knife.

So I think that I might be in the market for an NFB-28 for the second time. I really miss the sound of this unit.

 

[elwappo99]

 

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

FWIW, my short experience with the NFB-28...

I no longer own my NFB-28...I sold it to Jodgey4 quite some time ago after only owning it for about a month. In retrospect, I really shouldn't have sold it, but had decided to at the time because I was spending more time on the road and wanted to invest in a portable rig instead. For reference, this NFB-28 was an early 2014 model with the newly-implemented DSD capability and had both USB-32 TCXO upgrades.

Just before selling it, a good friend of mine who is a studio session musician had just received his HA-1 and we spent most of a day comparing them side-by-side with my slightly-modded and balanced Beyerdynamic T1 and his Neumann KH120 Studio Reference Monitors. We used a Behringer DEQ2496 and ECM8000 measurement mic to level-match, but it was not a blind test.

We both easily preferred the sound of the NFB-28 using it as the DAC/HP Amp/Preamp. We did not have time to test them in other configurations...as independent DAC or HP Amp, etc. On everything we listened to, even his own recordings which he obiviously knows intimately, we both felt that the NFB-28 was truer to the source, and had a more focused, distinct, and wider soundstage, with more room ambiance, air, and space.

When you are a musician, you know when a recording gets that particular instrument "right" or not, and there are some instruments more than others that are rarely reproduced with true realism. With the NFB-28, a drum kit sounded real...the harmonic overtones and dynamics of the snare drum, cymbals, and tom toms were spot on...a difficult test. Same for piano, saxophone, and upright/double bass. A solo cello piece sent shivers down our spine. These are all very difficult to reproduce the micro-details, harmonics, and dynamics, but they all sounded truer-to-life with the NFB-28.

The HA-1 wasn't bad at all, it just seemed to smooth out or mellow everything just a tiny bit and wasn't quite as precise or focused and distinct with the soundstage. Now, some may prefer that slight smoothness, which may mellow out the "bite" that some instruments actually have in a live setting, and there is nothing wrong with that preference as it may also match up better with your specific HPs or IEMs. Again it was not a night and day difference, but the NFB-28 was just more musically engaging and true to life with our equipment.

As always, take this with a grain of salt, as it is just two guy's impressions and opinions, and I really can't offer comparisons to any other similar equipment. And another important note is that we did not compare the two using any IEMs or cIEMs. It's just our impressions of these two pieces of gear, with everything else being equal.

I will say that the HA-1 has the definite edge in overall features, user interface, and functionality, without the NFB-28's quirks that have already been discussed here, but the OPPO is also that much more expensive. That being said, the NFB-28 is still a very powerfull and flexible Swiss Army Knife.

So I think that I might be in the market for an NFB-28 for the second time.

I really miss the sound of this unit.

 

 
I don't know if I should thank you or not 

. On one hand you totally ruined my hopes of getting a HA-1. On the other hand, you probably saved me some $$$ 

.  Seriously though, kind of a bummer the HA1 isn't on par, it is such a good looking piece. 

 

[Stillhart]

Either of the two new NFB-28 owners have any comments on it yet?

 

[bbfoto]

I don't know if I should thank you or not  . On one hand you totally ruined my hopes of getting a HA-1. On the other hand, you probably saved me some $$$  .  Seriously though, kind of a bummer the HA1 isn't on par, it is such a good looking piece. 

LOL, sorry amigo! That's how this crazy addiction is. Honestly, they are VERY close, and I'm also persuaded towards the HA-1 as well by the UI, built-in Apt-X BT, iDevice connection, and remote + remote Android/iOS app. The only way is to try them both and see what you prefer sound-wise and in day-to-day usability.

FWIW, my buddy DID keep the HA-1.

Shameless plug...As always, I will highly recommend Steph Johnson's "Nature Girl" CD as a great recording/good listening reference and great music if you like female jazz vocals and guitar trios.

http://www.stephjohnsonband.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SezDYSKOqsU&feature=youtube_gdata_player

.

 

[elwappo99]

 

I don't know if I should thank you or not 

. On one hand you totally ruined my hopes of getting a HA-1. On the other hand, you probably saved me some $$$ 

.  Seriously though, kind of a bummer the HA1 isn't on par, it is such a good looking piece. 

LOL, sorry amigo!

That's how this crazy addiction is. Honestly, they are VERY close, and I'm also presuaded towards the HA-1 as well by the UI, built-in Apt-X BT, iDevice connection, and remote + remote Android/iOS app. The only way is to try them both and see what you prefer sound-wise and in day-to-day usability.

FWIW, my buddy DID keep the HA-1.

 
Well unfortunately when I compared the NFB-28 it was a little bit behind my current Audio-GD DAC, so if the HA-1 is a bit behind the NFB-28 in details, then I'd probably be disappointed. Good info though, I'll wait until I can hit up a meet to check it out. I love that case and screen though. 

 

[luiztfc]

  Either of the two new NFB-28 owners have any comments on it yet?

Mine is being held in customs (I live in Brazil) and I'm waiting for DHL to contact me. I can't barely wait anymore!

 

[scizzro]

Spring semester just started for me, but I'm listening when I can. So far, the NFB-28 sounds really nice. Coming from a hybrid tube amp and wolfson DAC, I was worried the SS amp + sabre dac would be too dry and analytical. But it's not - at all. I'm not finding myself curious about the warming jumpers at all, because the sound I'm getting from it is already great. It's so much cleaner sounding than my previous setup, not sure to attribute that to the dac or amp. Wish I still had my Lyr to test it out. But it's clear, powerful, and I'm finding a hard time finding a song that doesn't make me want to tap my toes. Just my initial impressions, but at this rate I'm sure this is my end game.

 

[mrscotchguy]

I don't know if I should thank you or not  . On one hand you totally ruined my hopes of getting a HA-1. On the other hand, you probably saved me some $$$  .  Seriously though, kind of a bummer the HA1 isn't on par, it is such a good looking piece. 

Just be aware that the HA-1 is a headphone amplifier first, everything else is a convenience or addon. The dac is implemented well, but not $1200 well, the same can be said about it as a preamp. Where with AGD both the DAC and the amp are designed well to pair for each other, but can stand up on their own. You're paying for features, aesthetics, solid build, and customer service with the Oppo. I enjoyed my three weeks that Oppo let me demo it. But I ended up with the AGD 10.33 because I needed a more musical sound.

The headphone amplifier in the Oppo is great. I have yet to hear my HE-4 sound that good on any other setup. I'm still tempted to buy one just to have all the features. Ultimately, I went with Audio-GD because I needed something that sounded great with more than just one of my headphones...

I would assume as a dac and preamp, the ADG would edge out the HA-1. I'm not so sure about that gap when comparing just the amp sections until you put them side-by-side.

 

[elwappo99]

Just be aware that the HA-1 is a headphone amplifier first, everything else is a convenience or addon. The dac is implemented well, but not $1200 well, the same can be said about it as a preamp. Where with AGD both the DAC and the amp are designed well to pair for each other, but can stand up on their own. You're paying for features, aesthetics, solid build, and customer service with the Oppo. I enjoyed my three weeks that Oppo let me demo it. But I ended up with the AGD 10.33 because I needed a more musical sound.

The headphone amplifier in the Oppo is great. I have yet to hear my HE-4 sound that good on any other setup. I'm still tempted to buy one just to have all the features. Ultimately, I went with Audio-GD because I needed something that sounded great with more than just one of my headphones...

I would assume as a dac and preamp, the ADG would edge out the HA-1. I'm not so sure about that gap when comparing just the amp sections until you put them side-by-side.

 
Interesting point. Usually these all in ones have really good DAC sections that are hindered by a mediocre headamp. Any chance you heard the unit being fed by another DAC? I've read quite a bit on this thing, but didn't find any comments on that.

 

[mrscotchguy]

Interesting point. Usually these all in ones have really good DAC sections that are hindered by a mediocre headamp. Any chance you heard the unit being fed by another DAC? I've read quite a bit on this thing, but didn't find any comments on that.

Unfortunately, the only dac I had on hand was my Auido Quest Dragonfly, but it was lost due to it's intsy size, haha. A friend and I did feed it some tunes from an old school iPod, and it held up pretty well. But I really had nothing to compare it to. I regret not testing out the coax on it.

On a side note, I'm really impressed with AGD's USB32 implementation. It's definitely on par with the spdif, IMHO.

 

[conquerator2]

^ Only if the software for it was just as good