[James Shoegazer]

All your headphones are on the warm side so I would say hyper detailed would work well with that. The NFB is already warm/syrupy so if you connect it to audeze/650 I'm sure you end up with a super dark sound. if that's not to your liking I really would suggest a more detailed dac/amp pairing, instead of going for the NFB. Audio-gd also made an ultra low distortion product recently, the AS-1. But I think hardly anyone has tried this product yet. No idea if it's good

The Pro-ject box has gotten very good reviews especially on a budget, but it is not ultra high end. The Okto caters to those who want a benchmark product, it has one of the cleanest specs of any audiophile product yet. It is also very new though so you might have to update firmware etc as the product evolves/matures. They are a no-BS manufacturer at an honest price. Breath of fresh air

Yeah I hope the okto 8 will surprise us with its Sabre dac implementation. It does have too much technology and functions which is quite an overkill for my needs. Amir’s measurements and report seems to be favourable though I do not understand much of the science at all. Will be keeping an speculative eye on its development now and also audio reviews as well!

In the same tier as the Project Box 2 I do have the older SS A20 though, which is doing a decent job in bringing out neutrality, layers and a little touch of refinement and warmth. Sound stage is okay and nothing that impressive to note of. It doesn’t make the T1 alive. The darker sounding NFBs are not able to bring out the veil from the Sennys? I’ve also read that NFB and H20 is very powerful as well. So far the only amp that drive my 650s superbly is my CA-1000ii from the mid-70s. 70w in class A

 

[phthora]

So far the only amp that drive my 650s superbly is my CA-1000ii from the mid-70s. 70w in class A

That would explain the nosebleed...

 

[Baten]

Yeah I hope the okto 8 will surprise us with its Sabre dac implementation. It does have too much technology and functions which is quite an overkill for my needs. Amir’s measurements and report seems to be favourable though I do not understand much of the science at all. Will be keeping an speculative eye on its development now and also audio reviews as well!

In the same tier as the Project Box 2 I do have the older SS A20 though, which is doing a decent job in bringing out neutrality, layers and a little touch of refinement and warmth. Sound stage is okay and nothing that impressive to note of. It doesn’t make the T1 alive. The darker sounding NFBs are not able to bring out the veil from the Sennys? I’ve also read that NFB and H20 is very powerful as well. So far the only amp that drive my 650s superbly is my CA-1000ii from the mid-70s. 70w in class A

Really? Hehe. I'm rocking the thx aaa which I got 2 drops ago and while a modern approach to amping I think it drives the Sennies well. I also got a great result from the 650 with the Dx3 pro internal amp, but sold that one since I feared it would die on me eventually. Those 4493 chips sound really good though.

 

[James Shoegazer]

That would explain the nosebleed...

Yea it’s a truly shocking revelation. Not the Hd600s nor the T1.2s just the 650s lol. And it wasn’t even a convenient way of listening given it’s awkward size - more of an experiment out of boredom.

 

[Zenvota]

Ive never seen the ess audio gd dacs described as being warm or dark, the opposite even, neutral without being sterile due to the analog circuitrys ability to render microdetail/soundstage/imaging information. I have 2, an nfb7 and nfb11.

 

[mrscotchguy]

Beyer T1s sound outstanding with a SPL Auditor/Phonitor. (Not too shabby with the HD650 or LCD3, honestly...)

 

[unfunk]

In case anyone is interested, I've got a nfb 28.38 up for sale in the classifieds.

Used with my HD800 and z7 but just downsizing now.

 

[curentatu]

There`s a new amanero firmware that allows you to play DSD512 without any noise problems.
How do you update the audio-gd amanero board, do you have to remove it from the dac itself ?

 

[Nolanh87]

from nfb-28 owners, after time with the unit, how do you think it still stacks up?

 

[Nolanh87]

want to try something new. thinking about a cma 600i. anyone had time to compare the 2 units?

 

[phthora]

from nfb-28 owners, after time with the unit, how do you think it still stacks up?

After researching and auditioning to the best of my abilities, I found what I am fairly certain will be a clear and significant upgrade to the 28.38 that I've had for a few years now: A Benchmark DAC-3 and HPA4 stack, for a total of $4800. Comparing that the $700 my Audio-gd is worth now (based on the price that I have secured for its sale), it's easy to see how much of a value the 28.38 is. The cheapest combo that I've heard that beats the Audio-gd, to my ears, was the $2200 Mytek Brooklyn DAC+. However, that unit loses some features I really need (balanced headphone out) and has others that are irrelevant to me (phono input). I still love 28.38, and the closer I get to having all that cash saved up for the Benchmark stack the more I question if such an upgrade is even worth it. Ultimately, I decided that it is worth it for two reasons:

1) The 28.38 has an excellent, rich, analog-esque sound to it, somewhere in between the romantic warmth of vinyl and the extreme digital accuracy of something like the Massdrop THX 789 amp. I love this Audio-gd house sound, but I've found that I often miss some detail and resolution, not merely in treble, but across the frequency spectrum. Things can sound smoothed over, less separated, less life-like, less holographic, and certainly less clear than the THX 789. In turn, the THX 789 sounds thin and small, sort of delicate, lacking that visceral heft and power of the 28.38. On some particular headphones, like the ZMF Verite, the Audio-gd simply does not play to their strengths or bring out what is best about them. But, I still don't want to give up the Audio-gd richness and power. However, it seems from all indications that the HPA4 will combine the best of those two elements. Really, this reflects a shift in my own personal taste than a failure of Audio-gd's. I still prefer my 28.38 to most DAC/amp pairings I've tried.

2) While Audio-gd's product has been perfectly reliable and I have no reason to doubt their customer service, the fact is that they are located in China and should anything arise, shipping would be costly. Benchmark service seems to be absolutely stellar and I have been very impressed by this even before purchase. Combined with their extensive and transparent Application Notes on design, the Head-Fi presence of two of their lead people, and their 30-day trial period, I feel very confident that any issues I have will be handled well.

So, to answer your question directly: it still stacks up wonderfully. To upgrade from the 28.38 in a noticeable and significant way takes a healthy investment, especially if you use many of it's myriad features.

 

[SpiritBob]

Could anyone here that listens to NFB28.38 with a pair of LCD-X's let me know which digital filtering settings are the best for them? About to order these, so I'd like them to come pre-configured like that. I've heard that the default is minimum-phase, which is not a good idea (linear is supposed to be better? At least on the nfb 11.28)

Thank you!

 

[PinkyPowers]

Well, my 2016 unit has shown some glitches with the volume wheel for a long while now. But finally, it degraded too far. I was no longer able to turn the volume down. As I turned the wheel down, the volume would drop one or two notches, then raise three or four.

Luckily, I still had the replacement POT Audio-GD sent when I bought the DAC, and I was able to switch it out with only a little struggle. (It's a tight fit in there!)

Now my NFB-28 is behaving like new!

 

[tumble]

Mine is still lovely, FWIW. I almost sold it recently, but I'm glad I didn't.

 

[Terozzzz]

Mine is still lovely, FWIW. I almost sold it recently, but I'm glad I didn't.

Same here. I bought Monolith THX AAA 788 portable dac/amp, after listening it for week i thought id sell NFB 28 but then i made ABX test between them and oh boy, THX didnt really have even close same sound quality. Took sell post down fast