falconcry,
What would you do in my case? Get the new NFB-7 coming from a NFB 3 (2014, a smaller sibling with the same chip but fewer power treatments and output stage tweaking), or go with the Master 7? In both cases, for the time being, I will stick to the USB input because the added benefits of the USB / i2S are marginal (according to some opinions here) and the cost difference is significant (USD 1,300 for a new Off Ramp 5 plus quality HDMI interconnects).
According to Kingwa, both have the same level of detail resolution, but the Master 7 sounds larger, richer, with deeper bass. I may translate that into warmer (which in my case is not good) but I may be wrong. To me, your particular experience with the NFB 7 is an important condition of your kind/candid opinion. Thanks!
Anybody else,
What would you pick up in your own case, a Master 7 used exclusively through the USB interface or the NFB-7? Considering the USD 800.00 difference could be used elsewhere in the system (even to pay for a USB / iS2 convertor for the NFB 7), I'm hoping the NFB 7 is still an important enough upgrade from my current DAC. Thanks!
If I were you, I'd probably go with the NFB-7 because 1) you like the chip, 2) the USB input is more capable, and 3) it's cheaper.
For myself, I have decided to try a Master 7. Why? Because I already own an old NFB-7 and I want to A/B them in my own system with my own ears. I trust my own evaluation capabilities much more than a review. If the Master 7 wins, I'll sell the old NFB-7; if the old NFB-7 wins, I'll sell both and buy a new NFB-7.
Here is a brief summation of my time spent with Audio GD and a few additional thoughts:
Over the last several years I have painstakingly A/B'd about a dozen DACs in my main 2-channel stereo setup. A few off the top of my head include designs from Adcom, ASUS, Audio Research, Benchmark, Bryston, Denon, Luxman, Musical Fidelity, Oppo, Parasound, Rega, Wyred4Sound, and of course Audio GD. The (2) Audio GD DACs I've used are the NFB-7 (sabre) and NFB-8 (wolfson).
Out of all the DACs I've tested, only (2) come close to achieving the realness of the NFB-7: a 20 year old ARC CD-1 CD Player, and a 17 year old Parasound DAC-2000 Ultra. In comparing these three DACs, you'll note that they use very different DAC chips, including both R2R and sigma delta, so what do they have in common that gives them a similar sound? Answer: excellent power supplies and analog output sections. To my ears, in my system, the analog output section of a DAC is easily more important than the chip itself. In fact, the NFB-7 sounds more similar to the R2R Ultra Analog-based Parasound than it does to the Oppo or Wyred4Sound Dac-2, which both use its same sabre chip.
So what does this mean? Two things: 1) all DACs sound different and you have to trust your ears more than reviews, and 2) I think you will see a big improvement moving from the NFB-3 to the NFB-7 due to its superior analog section.
Hope this helps!
