[Anouk]

Hi, I just found out about this dac on the nuforce site here: http://www.nuforce.com/hi/products/Dac-HPAmp/dac9/index.php And since I could not any info about it on head-fi I thought i would post about it here. Not in the computer subforum because it can also be used with a lot of other sources. Its not only a dac though it also can function as a preamp and headphone amp. I havent been able to find the price yet though or what it uses internally as chips. Greetings, Anouk,

 

[AVU]

I think it's using the new sabre chip and will retail for $1250.

 

[Anouk]

Hey, thanks i read on a blog post 1600 but then after that they also quoted another price. 1250 would be totally splendid and within my budget. Greetings, Anouk,

 

[jaycalgary]

There is a review but it is in Spanish. Google translate works to see. I was suddenly regretting ordering a W4S Dac2 from reading the specs and maybe I should be. When I saw the pic of the inside of the Dac9 the layout doesn't look as good. I have no expertise in electronic design so I could be very wrong but just looking at the W4S or Weiss they just look a lot cleaner tome in comparison. Looks like a lot of electrolytic caps and RCA analog outputs use wires and connectors.
 
http://www.nuforce.com/hi/Documents/reviews-dac/DAC-9_ALTA%20FIDELIDAD_es.pdf

 

[Mad Max]

Quote:

There is a review but it is in Spanish. Google translate works to see. I was suddenly regretting ordering a W4S Dac2 from reading the specs and maybe I should be. When I saw the pic of the inside of the Dac9 the layout doesn't look as good. I have no expertise in electronic design so I could be very wrong but just looking at the W4S or Weiss they just look a lot cleaner tome in comparison. Looks like a lot of electrolytic caps and RCA analog outputs use wires and connectors.
 
http://www.nuforce.com/hi/Documents/reviews-dac/DAC-9_ALTA%20FIDELIDAD_es.pdf

It sounds its best after warming up. Very full sound with great female vocals, comparable to mid/high-end CD players.  It is very "musical".  Google translate pretty much gets it.
Not much more than that.

 

[tattoou2]

Glad I ran across this.  Interested in a new DAC and this is very appealing.  Thanks.

 

[Gwarmi]

 
 
 Gave it a brief rip today through the onboard head amp and lining out to a Woo Audio 6.
 
 
 
 Well Mad Max above refers to it sounding musical ~ this one
 is a live one that's for sure, very lively through the mid range,
 no doubt it sounds a little boosted through the upper mids
 at least. The readout on the left is for the pre-amp volume
 which is adjustable when lining out to the Woo 6.
 
 It's quite beefy so you find yourself not really using a heap of
 volume on the head amp as can be seen on the Woo 6 with
 the AT W1000X attached.
 
 It's only early days but as a Rega DAC owner, I found things
 to like, it's far from the warmish signature that you get with
 the Nuforce HDP ~ if anything it made the Woo 6 sound
 almost solid state-ish ~ someone else in the store seconded
 this notion.
 
 I'm still quite reluctant though to recommend this to just anyone
 out in the wide open space of Head-Fi. Overall, if I took a punt,
 a lot of people would grow tired of the DAC-9 ~ it's far from
 neutral sounding or relaxed in any shape or form.
 
 If you love Grados, jazz, funk, various rock ~ perhaps take a
 chance, if you're a stickler for a dead set neutral eg, Benchmark
 DAC1 sound ~ stay far, far, away. Best match of the day was
 by chance with a female vocal ~ Winehouse's debut ~ 'Frank'.
 Prat and tempo just sounded so right to my ears, even though
 I was missing my Grado's for such a definitive win over the Rega.
 
 I'll drop back over the next of couple of days as this unit has yet
 to see 6 hours.
 
 Headphones used were the snappy W1000X's and well trodden
 Senn HD600's.

 

[Tassie Devil]

Quote:

....... Well Mad Max above refers to it sounding musical ~ this one  is a live one that's for sure, very lively through the mid range,
 no doubt it sounds a little boosted through the upper mids
 at least. 
.....~ it's far from
 neutral sounding or relaxed in any shape or form.
 

There you go, completely different appraisal to what I hear.  No point in arguing about what you hear but I question if that sound was the result of the DAC 9 or something else in the audio chain.
 
I do not find it at all lively in the mid range using the Sennheiser HD800s and my feeling is it is very neutral with great relaxing sound.
 
You hear what you hear and it is very possible it is not a good match in the setup you describe.  But is there any other situation/combination you can trial to see if what you hear is consistently attributable to the DAC 9?
 
This is the problem we always face appraising items - just what is it in the chain of audio causing that forward midrange etc?  My take is it is usually mediocre input from a player or other source.  Few players produce nice digital output.  GIGO applies as always.
 
John
 

 

[Gwarmi]

Quote:

There you go, completely different appraisal to what I hear.  No point in arguing about what you hear but I question if that sound was the result of the DAC 9 or something else in the audio chain.
 
I do not find it at all lively in the mid range using the Sennheiser HD800s and my feeling is it is very neutral with great relaxing sound.
 
You hear what you hear and it is very possible it is not a good match in the setup you describe.  But is there any other situation/combination you can trial to see if what you hear is consistently attributable to the DAC 9?
 
This is the problem we always face appraising items - just what is it in the chain of audio causing that forward midrange etc?  My take is it is usually mediocre input from a player or other source.  Few players produce nice digital output.  GIGO applies as always.
 
John
 

 Admittedly it was feeding the Woo Audio 6 tube amp so perhaps that has played a part in terms of coloration.
 
 But even off the onboard head amp ~ it's a radical departure to my ears from some of the other Nuforce products like the HDP and Icon2.
 
 A few other people in the store thought the same, it's far from neutral but again it's all just impressions.
 
 Might try it through the SPL Phonitor at some stage and see what the result is, that thing is dead set neutral as an amp.

 

[Gwarmi]

Quote:

 Admittedly it was feeding the Woo Audio 6 tube amp so perhaps that has played a part in terms of coloration.
 
 But even off the onboard head amp ~ it's a radical departure to my ears from some of the other Nuforce products like the HDP and Icon2.
 
 A few other people in the store thought the same, it's far from neutral but again it's all just impressions.
 
 Might try it through the SPL Phonitor at some stage and see what the result is, that thing is dead set neutral as an amp.
 
 Chain was 
 
 Lap top --> Wireworld Ultraviolet USB cable --> Nuforce DAC-9 ---> Nordost Blue Heaven RCA's ---> Woo Audio 6 tube amp

 

 

[LostWeekend]

Quote:

I think it's using the new sabre chip and will retail for $1250.

  It doesn't use the sabre chip. 

 

[Gwarmi]

Quote:

There you go, completely different appraisal to what I hear.  No point in arguing about what you hear but I question if that sound was the result of the DAC 9 or something else in the audio chain.
 
I do not find it at all lively in the mid range using the Sennheiser HD800s and my feeling is it is very neutral with great relaxing sound.
 
You hear what you hear and it is very possible it is not a good match in the setup you describe.  But is there any other situation/combination you can trial to see if what you hear is consistently attributable to the DAC 9?
 
This is the problem we always face appraising items - just what is it in the chain of audio causing that forward midrange etc?  My take is it is usually mediocre input from a player or other source.  Few players produce nice digital output.  GIGO applies as always.
 
John
 

 
 Ok yet to try with the HD800 today - finally got the pre amp disabled on the DAC-9 and the out set to fixed - this is a really musical DAC - enjoying it immensely, Prat
 is excellent through the SPL Phonitor - playing everything from the B52's 'Love Shack' to 'Jeff Buckley's 'Grace'.
 

 

[Gwarmi]

 
 
 Will give it a go today with my Audiophilleo 2 SPDIF transport to see how it sounds off the dedicated BNC connector off the DAC-9.
 
 Still a bit shocked that this DAC gets no love in the $1500-$1999AUD bracket, hype abounds with so many DAC's at times but
 this is no show pony. It deserves consideration by anyone shopping in that price bracket. It really does.