[Kenobi]

Hi Borrego,
 
Thanks for the update.  I was orignally looking at the Ref 5 and Ref 9 but now these options are gone since the 1704 chips are obsolete and depleted.  Do you ever have to worry about the NGB-1's top-end being overly detailed/sharp/prominent as this could be the case for the ES9018 chipset if not partnered right with the right gears?  Do you consider the NFB-1 musical and smooth still?
 
Lastly, in my experience, I found that burning in gears with the Isotek burn in CD greatly speed up the burn-in process for gears, cables, speakers, etc...
 
Thanks,
 
Kenobi

 

[borrego]

 
Quote:

Hi Borrego,
 
Thanks for the update.  I was orignally looking at the Ref 5 and Ref 9 but now these options are gone since the 1704 chips are obsolete and depleted.  Do you ever have to worry about the NGB-1's top-end being overly detailed/sharp/prominent as this could be the case for the ES9018 chipset if not partnered right with the right gears?  Do you consider the NFB-1 musical and smooth still?
 
Lastly, in my experience, I found that burning in gears with the Isotek burn in CD greatly speed up the burn-in process for gears, cables, speakers, etc...
 
Thanks,
 
Kenobi

To me and my setup, the NFB-1's power is across the frequency range and it is definitely not "top-end" emphasized. I think I have pretty much fully burned it in now. It is very musical and smooth.
 
In my experience the Sabre32 DAC is very resistent to less than perfect SPDIF source (e.g. I find no difference between cheap/good coaxle cables, USB bus powered or externally powered USB interface). I think this is definitely an avantage over the old PCM1704 implementations, which need everything (signal, power) to be perform in its max potential

 

[Kenobi]

Borrego,
 
Thank you much for the positive response.  Good to hear that it is wide spectrum, non top-end emphasis.  I am now pretty much set on the NFB-1 now.  Thanks for pointing out another postive attribute regarding the Sabre chip-- immunity to quality of digital cabling, although I do have a nice AZ MC2 digital cable that has remained my reference for a few years now.  Now wondering if I should order this through a domestic distributor (Pacific Valve) or direct.
 
Best regards,
 
Kenobi 

 

[vrln]

The REF5 is still under production, it´s just the REF9 that was cancelled. That said, if I had the choice between REF5 and NFB-1, I would also go for NFB-1. If you get a REF5, you´ll always be wondering how much better a REF7 would have been You´ll also need to spend less money on source with the Sabre32 chip. 

 

[Kenobi]

vrln,
 
Thanks for the correction and input on NFB-1.  Curious how much of a surcharge to go with the OCC wiring upgrade just so I don't have to mess with it myself.
 
Regards,
 
Kenobi

 

[SilverCans]

on the ref7 the occ wire upgrade is 30

 

[borrego]

 
Quote:

vrln,
 
Thanks for the correction and input on NFB-1.  Curious how much of a surcharge to go with the OCC wiring upgrade just so I don't have to mess with it myself.
 
Regards,
 
Kenobi

The NFB-1's bass is quick and not short in quantity, and it definitely does not sound "thin" to me. I would suggest to keep the stock SPC cable that Audio-gd use.
 
I did have the Canere BNC socket and IEC power socket upgraded though.

 

[borrego]

I also read from Chinese Audio-gd forum that USB input is available as customized option for the NFB7. Not sure if it is also available for NFB-1. If Audio-gd managed to fix the USB-I2S issue on the NFB-10ES, then it will be good to have the it on the NFB-1.
 

 

[tim3320070]

Why not get the DI for the NFB-1, it's only $60 more over the built-in version?

 

[borrego]

Quote:

Why not get the DI for the NFB-1, it's only $60 more over the built-in version?

For one, the additional I2S input capability on the digital board. One might be able to tap wires to it and connect the I2S output from a DAP. This is of course provided Audio-gd has fixed the I2S / Sabre32 clock issue.

 

[Currawong]

Personally, I've seen a lot of I2S talk in the last couple of years and, as far as I'm concerned, it's a complete waste of time even contemplating. If you're going to connect digital devices externally, use a BNC connection.

 

[audio-gd]

Quote:

Quote:

Why not get the DI for the NFB-1, it's only $60 more over the built-in version?

For one, the additional I2S input capability on the digital board. One might be able to tap wires to it and connect the I2S output from a DAP. This is of course provided Audio-gd has fixed the I2S / Sabre32 clock issue.

The problems is on the ES9018 , while it accpet the I2S, it had very rigorous request the I2S signal because its I2S input pots are without the master clock input.
I asked an engineer work for  another manufacturer, he said in their gears , the I2S input will change to SPDIF then feed to the ES9018.
So I don't think the ES9018 can support I2S input as well.
But we have find the way to fix this problems. 
 The ES9018 must need  the input master clock and built in a master clock selector can automatically choice between the I2S master clock and the 80MHz main clock.
 

 

[borrego]

 
Quote:

Quote:

Quote:

Why not get the DI for the NFB-1, it's only $60 more over the built-in version?

For one, the additional I2S input capability on the digital board. One might be able to tap wires to it and connect the I2S output from a DAP. This is of course provided Audio-gd has fixed the I2S / Sabre32 clock issue.

The problems is on the ES9018 , while it accpet the I2S, it had very rigorous request the I2S signal because its I2S input pots are without the master clock input.
I asked an engineer work for  another manufacturer, he said in their gears , the I2S input will change to SPDIF then feed to the ES9018.
So I don't think the ES9018 can support I2S input as well.
But we have find the way to fix this problems. 
 The ES9018 must need  the input master clock and built in a master clock selector can automatically choice between the I2S master clock and the 80MHz main clock.
 

 
Oh. Does it mean the ES9018 I2S input can only be stable with an external master clock?
 
Is it someting like this "external clock" option in this DIY ES9012 board https://sites.google.com/site/ackodac/home ?
 
Will you consider making a "Super Digital Interface" with a clock output?
 
It is great to see you monitoring this thread!

 

 

[Kenobi]

Thank you so much, Silvercan for the info.  It is much appreciated.
 
Kenobi

 

[SilverCans]

You are welcome. Good luck choosing a dac