[DefQon]

Quote:

I was under the impression that is was fully balanced as it has dual WM8741 DACs, or is my understanding of the balanced chain wrong?

Yes it is already balanced so all you need is a 4 pin XLR terminated headphone and a USB feed in cable from your comp to the DAC onboard if you're planning to use the onboard DAC. You'd need a pair of balanced XLR's if you plan on using the NFB's amp section in a chain connected to a balanced cd transport or another dac which is something I would do personally as I'm not really fond of kingwa's DAC designs.

 

[dryvadeum]

Quote:

Yes it is already balanced so all you need is a 4 pin XLR terminated headphone and a USB feed in cable from your comp to the DAC onboard if you're planning to use the onboard DAC. You'd need a pair of balanced XLR's if you plan on using the NFB's amp section in a chain connected to a balanced cd transport or another dac which is something I would do personally as I'm not really fond of kingwa's DAC designs.

What don't you like about the DAC design?

 

[jibzilla]

  Thats a good point because in a way i am not looking for the same sound come to think of it but what kind of music do the lcd2 excel at. Thanks

 

[DefQon]

A lot of things, some discussions made in the past are on diyaudio. I'll try dig those links out when I get time.

 

[jibzilla]

  LCD-2 sounded pretty good out of the rane ttm56s mixer headphone out I once had, plenty of headroom and warm, organic sound that mirrored the LCD's coloration.  I bet it's up there w/the integrated, vintage receivers people keeping praising.  

 

[preproman]

Quote:

What don't you like about the DAC design?

 
The Ref. 7.1 and the Master 7 are some of the best DACs made in their price range.  Check out Darco's DAC index and read about the Ref. 7.1.
 
In this price range theirs few that can compete with his designs and performance.  He focus on PSUs not many do.  The new HEX seems to be putting a focus on PSUs now as well.  

 

[DefQon]

Best is subjective and I've heard the M7 wasn't wowed by it was on an ok to good level. That cramped up design scares me.

 

[preproman]

Quote:

Best is subjective and I've heard the M7 wasn't wowed by it was on an ok to good level. That cramped up design scares me.

 
 
What I said was.  "Some of the best"  That's fine if you wasn't wowed by it.  "I was"  Especially when I and a few other head fi'ers compared it to many other DACs in and above it's price range.  Like I said.  In it's price range.  It's very hard to beat.  
 
If you look close, what you see in that cramp up design are power supplies.  Most of it anyway..

 

[paradoxper]

Quote:

 
The Ref. 7.1 and the Master 7 are some of the best DACs made in their price range.  Check out Darco's DAC index and read about the Ref. 7.1.
 
In this price range theirs few that can compete with his designs and performance.  He focus on PSUs not many do.  The new HEX seems to be putting a focus on PSUs now as well.  

I think that's fair. I just would personally worry about the M8 being released 5 minutes after my M7 dropped. 

 

[preproman]

Quote:

I think that's fair. I just would personally worry about the M8 being released 5 minutes after my M7 dropped. 

 
Right about that.  
 
I think he had at least a year or close to it between the Ref 7.1 and the Master 7.  I could be wrong though..

 

[paradoxper]

Quote:

 
Right about that.  
 
I think he had at least a year or close to it between the Ref 7.1 and the Master 7.  I could be wrong though..

I think that's absurd, personally. Think if Sennheiser released a new successor every year. 

but with amps it seems some get 'passes'. I even think Cavalli iterates too fast. 
 
Some people like the 'newest' latest and 'greatest', I guess I like to feel I'm getting my monies worth. 

 

[preproman]

Quote:

I think that's absurd, personally. Think if Sennheiser released a new successor every year. 

but with amps it seems some get 'passes'. I even think Cavalli iterates too fast. 
 
Some people like the 'newest' latest and 'greatest', I guess I like to feel I'm getting my monies worth. 

 
 
Yeah - I feel you on that...  Oh well..  

 

[khaine1711]

Personally I don't have a problem with fast product cycle - as long as the old product can be upgraded (for reasonable amount of course), and the old product isn't a design flaw/shortcoming that need fixing by upgrading to the new one.
 
I still remember when the Audio Gd Master 5 and 6 was introduced; one was for sensitive cans, the other for orthos. A few months later, there's the Master 8 with adjustable gain - basically solving all the previous problem. I'd be hella pissed if I was one of the early adopters 

 

[paradoxper]

Quote:

Personally I don't have a problem with fast product cycle - as long as the old product can be upgraded (for reasonable amount of course), and the old product isn't a design flaw/shortcoming that need fixing by upgrading to the new one.
 
I still remember when the Audio Gd Master 5 and 6 was introduced; one was for sensitive cans, the other for orthos. A few months later, there's the Master 8 with adjustable gain - basically solving all the previous problem. I'd be hella pissed if I was one of the early adopters 

That's a pretty solid point. And sure, if it's problem solving I don't think anyone would argue the update isn't justified.
I would use the LF as counter point, not a cheap amp to begin with, with schitty resale, with another iteration around the corner.
 
If anything, Headamp nailed it, upgrade modules.

 

[preproman]

On top of that - take the first GS-X to the GS-X mkII.  Here you have many years in between both.