[Loquah]

Hi all,

I've just ventured into the world of dedicated headphone amplification with the NFB-5.2 from Audio-gd. As a newbie to this part of headphone audio, I need help please. The 5.2 has 9 different settings for filtering, but I'm having trouble knowing what to use. I'll be using the 5.2 via USB from my computer. Most of my music collection is FLAC ripped from CDs. I have a couple of 96/24 albums too.

According to the info on the page below, some filters won't support higher sampling rates. I gather I'll need to use the right filters to match 96/24 tracks, but my major confusion is understanding why I would want to create roll-off using a filter. Can anyone explain why I might use them and which ones do what?

http://audio-gd.com/Pro/Headphoneamp/NFB5/NFB5EN_Use.htm

I'll be having a play / experimenting with it shortly, but would really appreciate any knowledge you can drop on me!

 

[PleasantSounds]

These filters are intended to mute signals beyond the audible range, which result from D/A conversion. Even though you can't hear them, it is still desirable to remove them:
- They create harmonic "echoes" at lower (audible) frequencies
- They increase the power needed to amplify the signal (more power = more distortions)
Many good D/A converters have this type of filter, but it's rare that you can control the settings. 
 
BTW: I started a thread related to the NFB5.2 in the Computer Audio section - may be interesting to you too.

 

[Loquah]

These filters are intended to mute signals beyond the audible range, which result from D/A conversion. Even though you can't hear them, it is still desirable to remove them:
- They create harmonic "echoes" at lower (audible) frequencies
- They increase the power needed to amplify the signal (more power = more distortions)
Many good D/A converters have this type of filter, but it's rare that you can control the settings. 

BTW: I started a thread related to the NFB5.2 in the Computer Audio section - may be interesting to you too.

Thanks so much for the explanation and for letting me know about the other thread. I'll go check it out.