[DreamKing]

How can you have a pre amp problem with the Carbon.... It's an amplifier., it accepts rcas and balanced. Whats that got to do with a preamplifier problem?

Sorry, i havent read the whole post but a pre amp problem on an amp doesnt make sense to me.

 
He probably means because it doesn't have pre-outs/line out so can't be used as a preamp.

 

[Pirakaphile]

How can you have a pre amp problem with the Carbon.... It's an amplifier., it accepts rcas and balanced. Whats that got to do with a preamplifier problem?

Sorry, i havent read the whole post but a pre amp problem on an amp doesnt make sense to me.

The Carbon, as good a little amp as it's supposed to be, has no pre-amp out due to issues of space and price. The NFB-1 amp has pre-amp outs that work with the relay-switch volume control. I'm just gonna bide my time and wait to see what Schiit releases pre-amp wise 'cause Jason said they had some planned. I might get the NFB-1 anyway just to see what it sounds like and maybe use it in some other system ifI ever make it rich.

 

[tim3320070]

Speaking of speakers, I keep looking at the Master-3 amp and wondering how it compares to the Emotiva XPA-2. Same power output, very similar specs. Twice the price though, and I can't find a single review.. However, the NFB-1 does look like an amazing amp and I might get it just to try it out in competition with the Liquid Carbon. Either of the two should sell pretty easily on the forums here if I decide I like one more.

I owned an xpa2 for a while, powerful but i sold it due to what I felt was a bit of glare and edge to the sound, never have I heard glare from any of my numerous agd products including my monster C10SE amp

 

[Pirakaphile]

  I owned an xpa2 for a while, powerful but i sold it due to what I felt was a bit of glare and edge to the sound, never have I heard glare from any of my numerous agd products including my monster C10SE amp

Yeah, I'm liking the look of the Audio-GD amps and such. Schiit has the DAC world virtually in a headlock in my opinion, especially once they release the updates to the Bifrost and Gungnir, so all I really need is a speaker amp and a preamp from schiit or the preamp in the NFB-1. I'll wait for a review on the NFB-1 and I'll wait to see what Schiit is doing in the speaker world since that's really all they have left to do.

 

[Stillhart]

  Yeah, I'm liking the look of the Audio-GD amps and such. Schiit has the DAC world virtually in a headlock in my opinion, especially once they release the updates to the Bifrost and Gungnir, so all I really need is a speaker amp and a preamp from schiit or the preamp in the NFB-1. I'll wait for a review on the NFB-1 and I'll wait to see what Schiit is doing in the speaker world since that's really all they have left to do.

 
Whoo, been drinking the kool-aid, huh?  :-D  For anyone not willing to spend $2300 on a DAC (i.e. a vast majority of users), Schiit DAC's are not particularly better or worse that anything else in their comparative price ranges.  We'll see if they do eventually trickle the R2R tech down to the more realistically priced DAC's, but until then, they're just another company with great brand recognition.  

 

[tim3320070]

   
Whoo, been drinking the kool-aid, huh?  :-D  For anyone not willing to spend $2300 on a DAC (i.e. a vast majority of users), Schiit DAC's are not particularly better or worse that anything else in their comparative price ranges.  We'll see if they do eventually trickle the R2R tech down to the more realistically priced DAC's, but until then, they're just another company with great brand recognition.  

well said but I am admittedly a fan of AGD for bang-for-buck reasons

 

[Pirakaphile]

Whoo, been drinking the kool-aid, huh?  :-D  For anyone not willing to spend $2300 on a DAC (i.e. a vast majority of users), Schiit DAC's are not particularly better or worse that anything else in their comparative price ranges.  We'll see if they do eventually trickle the R2R tech down to the more realistically priced DAC's, but until then, they're just another company with great brand recognition.  

You got me, I am a big Schiit fanboy. But when they do release updates for their more budget-oriented DACs I have confidence they'll sound fantastic. I could be wrong, but I'm willing to bet that those DAC upgrades are going to put Schiit in a good place.

 

[Stillhart]

You got me, I am a big Schiit fanboy.

But when they do release updates for their more budget-oriented DACs I have confidence they'll sound fantastic. I could be wrong, but I'm willing to bet that those DAC upgrades are going to put Schiit in a good place.

 
If they actually make an R2R DAC with their new tech that can compete with the DAC-19 in price and quality, I'll give credit where it's due.  Until then, I'm not counting any chickens before they're hatched.
 
Anyways, back to the topic at hand:  waiting patiently for June 15 for some impressions!  lol

 

[Pirakaphile]

If they actually make an R2R DAC with their new tech that can compete with the DAC-19 in price and quality, I'll give credit where it's due.  Until then, I'm not counting any chickens before they're hatched.

Anyways, back to the topic at hand:  waiting patiently for June 15 for some impressions!  lol

Just wait for the R2R Modi.

I really love the look of these amps opened up. Puts my ocd at ease and makes it look like they know what they're doing. I keep reading up on the relay-switched attenuators but I just can't tell what signal exactly the resistors are resisting.

 

[Stillhart]

Just wait for the R2R Modi.

I really love the look of these amps opened up. Puts my ocd at ease and makes it look like they know what they're doing. I keep reading up on the relay-switched attenuators but I just can't tell what signal exactly the resistors are resisting.

 
Each DAC chip on the Yggy costs as much as one Modi.  

 

[Pirakaphile]

Each DAC chip on the Yggy costs as much as one Modi.  

Don't crush my dreams you REALIST!

 

[Stillhart]

Don't crush my dreams you REALIST!

 

[darren700]

Definitely ordering a NFB-1Amp to match my NFB-1DAC. Already have an email sent for an order
Love the NFB1 DAC (2015), cant wait to get a matching balanced preamp/amp. At this price IMO its a steal. I was planning on saving up for a Master 9, but at this price its a no-brainier.
I want to use the combo for a dedicated 2 channel setup with my Emotiva XPA-200.
I'm not sure on speakers yet but Im leaning towards Goldenear Triton Two's. (Currently have Axiom Audio M60's)

 

[JimmyJohns99]

Anyone with an idea how these ~$500 amps compare with the gustard h10? Are any of their Dac/Amp all in one
s(nfb-28 nbfb-29) worth looking at?

 

[SodaBoy]

  Anyone with an idea how these ~$500 amps compare with the gustard h10? Are any of their Dac/Amp all in one
s(nfb-28 nbfb-29) worth looking at?

The Audio-GD amps have much better channel balance than the H10. I'm not going to split hairs on other measurements, since I feel both camps are on par in that regard. The remote control feature on the Audio-GD stuff wil give you the flexibility to use it in a living room setup. I'm one of those guys who never thought I'd need a remote control, but now I'm regretting it because I can't retire my older gear to the living room.
 
The AIO units are worth looking at because Kingwa has nailed down all the fundamentals which is not a trivial task. You get an excellent amp, dac, preamp, with high quality relay volume control and remote control. It's a bit hard to pitch his products since he's selling to a different kind of buyer that buys on features and objective performance, not hype. It is rare to see any Audio-GD reviews chock full of lyrical content like "Wow, it's so euphonic, the mids are literally melting in my ears like dark chocolate, the vocals so sublime!" I feel the Audio-GD design philosophy is to simply to create a wire with gain that is true to source material, without adding anything negative to the presentation.