[i019791]

No, you need the jumper. Unless you have a recent version, where you use the rear button.

 

[svfoo123]

I am running the NFB-28 and whenever I plug it into the rear USB ports on my pc it says, "USB device over current status will shut down in 15 seconds." Has anyone else had this issue? If so how did they fix it? 

 

[PinkyPowers]

Maybe your back ports are USB 1.

 

[windowman]

Hi,
Can someone help me out? I recently got a used NFB-28 and am experiencing weird behavior with controlling volume via the remote. The volume only changes ONE step, even while keeping the up (or down) button fully depressed. This is unlike any other remote-controlled volume adjustment I've ever seen.
I want to know if this is something peculiar to my unit, or typical.
Can someone try their remote volume adjustment and report back?
Thanks! 

 

[clams]

Yes that's how mine works as well

 

[windowman]

Thanks clams,
That is just a nutty way to do volume control. I have not read all 103 pages, so maybe I missed this, but....am I the only person who's noticed this? It's a deal breaker for me, as remote volume is the way I use this 99% of the time in my main speaker setup. Headphone use is occasional. I also don't like the noise pops that come through when I change inputs. This is BASIC housekeeping. I'm a bit stunned that this type of sloppy execution is still out there and needs to be looked after.
Such a shame, as I really like the sound of this unit. It's like having a Ferrari that only fits people under 5ft tall.

 

[clams]

Eh, I think it's a complete non issue for me and most people. I use the control quite a bit too. It's a stepped volume control so I'm not surprised it operates this way. This isn't sloppy execution, it's how a stepped attenuator works. 

 

[casper3127]

I also have a NFB29 ad the remote works as described. No headache for me. It's the same when you change from Low Gain to High Gain and vicecersa. You'll just have to press the Vol. button around 18 times and that's all folks!

 

[windowman]

 
Eh, I think it's a complete non issue for me and most people. I use the control quite a bit too. It's a stepped volume control so I'm not surprised it operates this way. This isn't sloppy execution, it's how a stepped attenuator works. 

You're right about it being a non-issue for most people here. You're tethered with a cable to the headphones, and probably 90% of the time controls are accessed via the front panel.
But sorry, the volume IS sloppy executed. I've owned "stepped" units in the past with remotes. They ALL responded to a constant button depression by continuing to change the steps until you took your finger off the button. It really has nothing to do with the type of attenuation. It's programming.
When you're changing the volume with the knob, it's easy to give it a large rotation and have a major change in levels. That's what I want to do via the remote, without the annoyance of pushing down & up 30x.
This is the ONLY company that does it this way, and I think it's dumb. But that's just me.

 

[windowman]

Despite my volume complaints, I really do like the sound of this unit and want to make it work . Part of that involved a bit of repair - it arrived with some damage to the rear panel, by the "L" channel RCA output. I did my best to "unbend" it, with partial success. At least now the RCA jack is secure, if a little mis-aligned compared to the others. It doesn't affect the functionality one bit.
Before:


After...

 

[mtoc]

@windowman What's that speaker in your avatar?

 

[windowman]

  @windowman What's that speaker in your avatar?

Analysis Audio Omega, from Greece. Uses a planar magnetic mid/woofer, & ribbon tweeter. Full specs here: http://analysisaudiousa.com/omega.php
I've heard nothing better, only a few that equal them (and those are always 2-3x more). It's the only planar I've ever heard that does bass & dynamics without needing a subwoofer. (The bass panel has a suspension, see, and therefore capable of some excursion).
Thanks for asking!

 

[windowman]

If you want to change from fixed to variable outputs, you have to remove the jumper that's normally in the little red rectangle in this picture:

 
I might be able to live with this unit's quirky remote volume control. The High/Low gain button reminds me of the -20db muting switch you'd find on old receivers. The headphone/preamp button effectively becomes a full mute control. Between the 2 I can quickly jump up & down in volume, and go full off. Then I use the "one step at a time" up/down buttons to get to the exact volume. It's doable, I think. I need to live with this for a few weeks to know for sure.
Another minor annoyance...the analog inputs (5&6) are activated by the DIGITAL input buttons. But hey, It's nice to have any analog inputs at all on a DAC. I can hook up my tuner again.

 

[windowman]

Do you want better dynamics, depth, & a bigger soundstage from this unit? (I'm sure it would work with other models too). You can get that for free with a simple mod I performed. All you have to do is separate the Left & Right bundled, balanced wires that go from the board to the rear XLR & RCA jacks. These are held together with plastic ties. Just cut those ties and dress the wires so they have some "breathing room", with the +, -, and gnd wires for each channel as far apart from the other as you can practically make them. I used plastic yellow ties to re-dress the wires. You may have to pull the optical connector off like I did from the board in order to get the proper space. After you're done, it easily slides back in.
I deliberately arranged the wiring so that the yellow tie is resting on the heat sink instead of the wires themselves.Note that I didn't touch the headphone wiring, as I listen to speakers 99% of the time. But doing the same thing to those wires should help in the same way. While I was in there, I got some double-sided tape and put some ERS paper on top of the dac & USB chips as well as the crystal clocks. I've done ERS mods on other digital gear, and I'm confident in reporting that about 70 to 80% of the sonic improvements I hear are from the wires. ERS makes everything a little "sweeter". Worth doing if you're in there anyway and have the materials.
I'll do some headphone listening and then do the headphone wires at a later time. The best part of this...if you don't like what you hear (what! ?!?) or want to sell, you can reverse the mod and bring it back to stock form.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[PinkyPowers]

Nice work windowman

Has anyone had trouble with the Amanero drivers for Windows7? Sometimes when I switch between Headphone Out and Preamp Out, Windows looses communication with the NFB-28. I then have to uninstall the drivers and reinstall them, and often times power-cycle the unit.

This didn't happen for the first four months, but then it started to.

I keep my DAC turn on day and night, so I don't have to worry about a cold unit sounding poor. It's always warm and ready. I imagine this is part of why it's flaking out. But even so, it shouldn't be doing this.