Wyred DAC-1 vs Benchmark DAC-1 (NON USB)

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  • drselect
    drselect Posts: 664
    edited January 2012
    falconcry72 wrote: »
    It's awesome. . I don't know if Audio GD makes this particular unit anymore, though.
    ?

    Nope they now offer a NFB-7.1 for a limited time. http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/dac/RE7.1/RE7.1EN.htm
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  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,945
    edited January 2012
    I have the nfb 3 and like it alot. Is the W4S dac1 better ? Yep, but not by as much as one would think given 4 times the cost of the NFB.
    HT SYSTEM-
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    Cables-
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  • falconcry72
    falconcry72 Posts: 3,580
    edited January 2012
    drselect wrote: »
    Nope they now offer a NFB-7.1 for a limited time. http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/dac/RE7.1/RE7.1EN.htm

    Also check out the NFB-9 with preamp:

    http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/dac/NFB9/NFB9EN.htm

    It could replace your DAC and pre.
    2-Channel: PC > Schiit Eitr > Audio Research DAC-8 > Audio Research LS-26 > Pass Labs X-250.5 > Magnepan 3.7's

    Living Room: PC > Marantz AV-7703 > Emotiva XPA-5 > Sonus Faber Liuto Towers, Sonus Faber Liuto Center, Sonus Faber Liuto Bookshelves > Dual SVS PC12-Pluses

    Office: Phone/Tablet > AudioEngine B1 > McIntosh D100 > Bryston 4B-ST > Polk Audio LSiM-703's
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  • Blued
    Blued Posts: 6
    edited January 2012
    falconcry72 wrote: »
    How do you have J River configured? Are you using ASIO or WASAPI?

    WASAPI currently. I've tried both, as well as kernel streaming, and can't tell much difference between WASAPI and ASIO, so I go back and forth.

    Sounds good on the Audio-GD stuff. I'm hoping to find an NFB REF-5 or NFB-9 or similar on the used market. From what I've read the sound character should be the same.
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  • falconcry72
    falconcry72 Posts: 3,580
    edited January 2012
    Blued wrote: »
    ...and can't tell much difference between WASAPI and ASIO, so I go back and forth.

    Since they're both bit-perfect playback methods, they should sound identical.
    2-Channel: PC > Schiit Eitr > Audio Research DAC-8 > Audio Research LS-26 > Pass Labs X-250.5 > Magnepan 3.7's

    Living Room: PC > Marantz AV-7703 > Emotiva XPA-5 > Sonus Faber Liuto Towers, Sonus Faber Liuto Center, Sonus Faber Liuto Bookshelves > Dual SVS PC12-Pluses

    Office: Phone/Tablet > AudioEngine B1 > McIntosh D100 > Bryston 4B-ST > Polk Audio LSiM-703's
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  • audiocr381ve
    audiocr381ve Posts: 2,588
    edited January 2012
    tonyb wrote: »
    I have the nfb 3 and like it alot. Is the W4S dac1 better ? Yep, but not by as much as one would think given 4 times the cost of the NFB.

    From everything I've read, it looks like the NFB 3 is a winner. It's on my list of things I want to hear one day.
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  • Blued
    Blued Posts: 6
    edited January 2012
    tonyb wrote: »
    I have the nfb 3 and like it alot. Is the W4S dac1 better ? Yep, but not by as much as one would think given 4 times the cost of the NFB.

    I looked hard at the Wyred DAC-1, as well as the Rega, Havana, Yulong D-18, Benchmark, Tranquility, and a few others in the $700-$1k range, but the more I read about Audio-GD and check out the website, the more I want to hear one of Kingwa's PCM1704UK implementations. I'd also love to get my hands on his Master Series preamps and amps.

    I'm thinking that if the $1k W4S DAC-1 edges out the NFB-3 ($299 intro on 3.1) the $1k range NFB-5 and $1300 NFB-9 must sound really good.
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  • Blued
    Blued Posts: 6
    edited January 2012
    Meant Reference 5.
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