mbkennel
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2011
- Posts
- 21
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- 12
I posted this previously on "Full size headphone amp" forum but didn't receive any reply, I guess I was in the wrong place as I think it is really a DAC question.
Sorry, I'm a noob here (though I've been around other audio boards for a while).
I just received a Audio GD NFB-12 from pacific valve. I was hoping for an improvement over my existing audinst hud-mx1, being full size & seriously powered.
Well, physically it looks great, solid with a nice headphone amp. The problem is that 44/16 music (which is 99% of mine and I use Pandora etc where I can't insert a resampler) doesn't sound good. I read things about "tubelike", but it is really quite plump and unclear. (My music is 100% classical). Tonality was at first somewhat pleasant, but there wasn't much depth or what I thought was true 'high-end' sound. My speakers are great at resolving complex spatial depth (definitely better than headphones)
At 96/24 it was quite a bit better, but honestly I preferred the Audinst at straight 44/16 over everything. It had the right balance and actual deep bass. Of course it is broken in and the audiogd probably isn't yet. But the portable audinst with a cheapo switching power supply well beat the heavy desktop from a serious designer. Three is only a 30 day window to return to pacific valve. What else can I get at up to near $300 (maybe $500 if it rocks, used is OK!). I am interested in USB only and want a headphone amp and DAC with RCA out. My headphones are Senn. HD580 and Denon D5000. I was planning on comparing the audinst and audiogd and selecting which I wanted to use at home mostly with speakers (magnepan 3.6r) and which at work with headphones. I've read that the audio gd nfb-12 is 'tuned' to be tubelike, and I guess I don't like this tuning.
My precise question: which should I do?
0) wait for burn in? (How long? will it really change? Components that I really liked, I never needed to 'learn' to like them, they started awesome and got awesome-er, e.g. the audinst was immediately better than my previous emu 0202). There is a time limit for refunds, I don't want to waste too much time.
1) return AudioGD 12 to Pacific Valve and get Sparrow (probably cheaper B model)---does it have a different sound signature than the -12? @ 44/16
2) return AudioGD 12 for refund, eat the "restocking fee" and buy another Audinst?
3) try something else? If so, what? where?
many thanks in advance,
matt