[Andykong]

Andy, not sure why your putting replies to me in your posts, especially ones like the one above.


I

You seems to take the comment very personal, which never was intended to be, I was merely wanted to make it a two directional discussion and is looking forward to Luke's feedback on his plan, his budget, his requirements etc etc. I really don't see how this related to how many years you have been in HeadFi, or what are the gears that own.

But never mind, I agree we should move on, so I apology if I offended you. I urge everyone to focus on the D200 as much as possible. I love to hear comparison of D200 against other products, but questions like DA8 vs NFB28 vs Oppo or whether the Oppo is a surpercharged NFB28, probably will be better discussed when raised in the NFG28 thread of in the Oppo threads.

 

[customNuts]

You seems to take the comment very personal, which never was intended to be, I was merely wanted to make it a two directional discussion and is looking forward to Luke's feedback on his plan, his budget, his requirements etc etc. I really don't see how this related to how many years you have been in HeadFi, or what are the gears that own.

But never mind, I agree we should move on, so I apology if I offended you. I urge everyone to focus on the D200 as much as possible. I love to hear comparison of D200 against other products, but questions like DA8 vs NFB28 vs Oppo or whether the Oppo is a surpercharged NFB28, probably will be better discussed when raised in the NFG28 thread of in the Oppo threads.

All good mate, but in my review there certainly will be direct comparisons to those units as they are direct competitors/rivals and people in this market are absolutely interested in how these units compare. My review will be separate to this thread however I will be documenting briefly on my impressions of it and welcome questions, what ever they may be as the comparisons will relate to the D200 & this is a D200 thread. Its just really important as a newcomer to understand that when making bold statements about gear, that needs to be backed up with actual experience with that gear. ie owning it or at least reviewing it for a week or two. If listening in a meet environment then our opinions should always have some sort of disclaimer as they are not adequate surroundings for a proper evaluation for obvious reasons. And if commenting on a unit thats never been heard or even researched ie oppo, then again a disclaimer, and especially not a quite rude statement disputing mine which actually came from experience with oppo and nfb 28. Otherwise members can take these posts as gospel and it can affect there decisions dramatically.
There just the little unwritten "laws' for want of a better word, of posting at head-fi. Not a big deal, I'm hear to help, nothing else.  
Again, you've kicked off your journey with a great review of your d200 and thats fantastic.  
I hope we are on the same page by now as the thread needs to move on as we have both agreed.
Its all good bud. We're all on the same team, (with the same addiction).
Peace.

 

[TooPoor]

I've been looking at the D200 vs. the AudioGD NFB3 ... Any more impressions from those who have the D200?

 

[customNuts]

  I've been looking at the D200 vs. the AudioGD NFB3 ... Any more impressions from those who have the D200?

I haven't heard those 2 but just a quick note, the D200 should probably be compared to a balanced DAC and the NFB-3 is single ended as I'm sure you know. A more fair comparison would IMO be between the DAC only NFB-1 or the DAC/AMP NFB-28. There's also the flagship Dual Wolfson chip options ie: NFB-17.32 DAC only or the NFB-10.33 DAC/AMP.
Unless of course the balanced option is not something you need, cause the nfb-3 certainly has some nice specs for a single ended DAC imo.
I'll be able to offer more help when my D200 arrives this week.

 

[TooPoor]

Yes I'm aware, but thanks for pointing that out for others that may be reading this! I don't need balanced with my current amp, but who knows what kind if amp I'll have next. The D200 does come in >$100 cheaper compared to a fully loaded NFB1 (TXCO+OCC upgrades) but more expensive than the NFB3... Decisions!

 

[rawrster]

I saw this dac on Grant Fidelity over the weekend as I was browsing. Their website says a simplified version of the DA8. Has anyone compared both to see how close (or far) apart they are?

 

[Pewuf]

When using the D200 or any other USB DAC, do you guys have a separate usb power supply like the one offered by Ifi Micro or do you just plug in from usb to usb ?

 

[purplegoat]

  I saw this dac on Grant Fidelity over the weekend as I was browsing. Their website says a simplified version of the DA8. Has anyone compared both to see how close (or far) apart they are?

exactly what I want to know. planning on placing an order on one asap but I don't know which

 

[owendace]

exactly what I want to know. planning on placing an order on one asap but I don't know which

IMO if you have the funds to buy DA8 you might as well. I ordered a D200 since I can't afford the DA8 and I want to experience mid fi before moving on to hifi.

 

[purplegoat]

IMO if you have the funds to buy DA8 you might as well. I ordered a D200 since I can't afford the DA8 and I want to experience mid fi before moving on to hifi.

can you elaborate on your stance? I don't have much money but I could go for the DA8 over the D200, I very much want to buy equipment I won't have to upgrade any time soon.
 
also does anyone know what the impact of the ESS9016 vs the ESS9018 is?

 

[owendace]

If you don't have much money then go for the D200. I don't think you'll need to upgrade anytime soon. As long as you can avoid the upgradetitis bug...

What I meant by midfi hifi is that when I started this bank breaking hobby I purchased some cheap entry level cans and since then I've moved on. My opinion is to experience each level of audio from entry all the way to summit fi.. Journey is more than the destination.

 

[purplegoat]

If you don't have much money then go for the D200. I don't think you'll need to upgrade anytime soon. As long as you can avoid the upgradetitis bug...

What I meant by midfi hifi is that when I started this bank breaking hobby I purchased some cheap entry level cans and since then I've moved on. My opinion is to experience each level of audio from entry all the way to summit fi.. Journey is more than the destination.

cheers! I guess I was just curious if you had specific information regarding why the DA8 is worth twice the price (iyo anyway)

 

[customNuts]

Ok, my D200 has arrived. My goodness, this is a special little DAC/AMP.  I will keep burning in an evaluating for a week before I right my review. 
 
To Answer your question purplegoat, I have owned the DA8. I'll be repeating the good advice owendance has given you. If you have the funds, The DA8 is the DAC/AMP to go for. That thing is truly hi-end and is the best DAC I've ever heard or owned. (Until my D8 just arrived of course) Its musical but with stunning fidelity and clarity.
The D200 is amazing value, like a cheaper, lower end DA8. Cheaper DAC, Cheaper case, etc.  
I'm also of the opinion that it's all about the journey - which you will love if it's D200 then DA8. Either way you laughing.

 

[purplegoat]

  Ok, my D200 has arrived. My goodness, this is a special little DAC/AMP.  I will keep burning in an evaluating for a week before I right my review. 
 
To Answer your question purplegoat, I have owned the DA8. I'll be repeating the good advice owendance has given you. If you have the funds, The DA8 is the DAC/AMP to go for. That thing is truly hi-end and is the best DAC I've ever heard or owned. (Until my D8 just arrived of course) Its musical but with stunning fidelity and clarity.
The D200 is amazing value, like a cheaper, lower end DA8. Cheaper DAC, Cheaper case, etc.  
I'm also of the opinion that it's all about the journey - which you will love if it's D200 then DA8. Either way you laughing.

awesome! and thanks for the advice. I look forward to hearing more in depth the trade offs. I'm thinking to go with the DA8 but I still don't quite understand the differences. the only real comparison I heard was that the da8 is more "musical." I'm new so I don't even know what that means.. :X  

 

[customNuts]

  awesome! and thanks for the advice. I look forward to hearing more in depth the trade offs. I'm thinking to go with the DA8 but I still don't quite understand the differences. the only real comparison I heard was that the da8 is more "musical." I'm new so I don't even know what that means.. :X  

In very brief & simple terms - & I'm just getting to know my D200, My take on it is they are both really musical units. The DA8 pulls ahead with clarity, extension, & fidelity. The 'wow' factor that that can create could put in the musicality basket.
Musicality is the opposite of a boring/flat sound signature thats not engaging. Musicality is the toe tapping effect. Usually (but not always) the bass among other frequencies can north of neutral. I'm sure others could explain it in more definite terms, thats just my take on it.