Audio gd

heiney9

If it helps Fred, I'm considering the NFB 3.1

http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/dac/NFB3-2011/NFB3.1EN.htm

H9

zingo

Pacific Valve used to carry Audio-GD, but they seem to have recently dropped them for some reason. They are great products, but shipping from China is slower than I like.

Pacific Valve does sell the Matrix Mini-i balanced DAC which I also like. It's a nice little unit at just under $400, and does have a good USB section. I've used it both as a USB fed headphone amp and a USB and SPDIF fed stand-alone DAC, and it worked great in both places. Just something else to consider as it is also plug and play with no software installation needed.

drselect

heiney9 wrote: »

when many other don't, so apparently Musiland can get it right (the software) but others can't?????
H9

And this is probably where I am showing my limited knowledge and understanding. I loaded Vista on my computer I downloaded MM and AISO4ALL and tried to set it up correctly, connected the USB cable and finally got sound out the speakers. But how do I know its right? The NFB-3 doesn't have a a screen saying I am getting the right information in a "bit perfect" manner. I wish it did so it could tell me I did it right. But I figure it would cost a lot more. Yes I do question whether I got all the "setting's" correct and am I getting the most out of this DAC, would it better with the DI , should I get/build another DAC, should I update to W7 , should I load foobar, should I.............. and then I find myself just sitting back and enjoying the music and wishing I had some more tubes to roll.

drselect

FTGV wrote: »

Whats this NFB3 thingy utilizing for it's USB interface IC?

Fred, I got this from the web site. I figure you might be asking for something more technical but I haven't found anything else yet.

""The 24/96 USB interface outputs a I2S signal to dual WM8741.""

For the SPDIF you can chose between an WM8805 module which supports 24/196 or the DIR9001 24/96

drselect

Fred, here is a picture of its guts if that helps any more.

FTGV

Thanks for the pic,though it's is not clear enough to identify the the IC used.I was just curious if it required a custom USB driver to be downloaded or just autodetected with windows installing a driver at first plug in?I suspect the latter.

Braddles

The latter it is. When I first got my NFB-2 it was a simply plug and play.

sucks2beme

You don't need drivers to use it, but to get windows out of the way for better sound, asio4all or in windows 7 ,wasapi.
I tried my cdp vs the usb on the same songs and really can't tell where they came up
with the "USB doesn't sound as good" deal. But it did take me a bit of fooling around to tweak
the settings for USB to get there. I can only think they ran it as it installed.

tonyb

Lots of dacs are known for some very good USB performance, not this one. Don't know if Kingwa half-assed it in there or what but seems he hasn't given it the attention he has to other parts. I have read reviews that don't compliment the USB on these dacs, and I have read some that like it too, so flip a coin,spin that wheel, who knows. Seems most problems with USB come in on the lower end of the dac line. I would imagine any 300 buck dac cuts a corner or two somewhere to get to that price point. Maybe on this dac it happens to be the USB. Best to just give them a call, scope out the warranty, ask what you need to know. If it still seems iffy to you, move on to another brand. Audio gd sure isn't the end all be all.

tonyb

drselect wrote: »

For the SPDIF you can chose between an WM8805 module which supports 24/196 or the DIR9001 24/96

Most like the DI chip better, more dynamic, verses the WM chip which is said to be softer, more mellow. Though some may like that.

heiney9

I really, really like the fact that these are discrete rather than various op-amps all over the place. The USB issue is still a big one but I can get around it since the Musiland does USB to SPDIFF conversion and does it quite well. I just wanted to get rid of it because it takes up space, it has add'l connections and another power cord, etc. I'm trying to simplify and save space.

Others have suggested some other choices and I've looked at those in the past and they just don't appeal to me on face. The Audio GD seem to perform beyond their price and that's what I'm looking for. I am also looking at form and function because I am looking to simplify, consolidate and reduce the size of the components if possible. My other alternative is to keep the Musiland for conversion and buy a Monarchy DAC. I am not interested in the DAC Magic because of the horrid walwart. The Music Hall that a couple friends own is too expensive and I wouldn't be able to resist modding it and that's just too much $$$ for an office rig, IMO. The Terra Dak and Musical Paradise units are all NOS and I'm not sure I would like that flavor.

The audio gd hits the mark in a lot of areas for me, but the USB performance seems to be the stumbling block.

H9

tonyb

The walwart was what turned me off to the dacmagic too. H9, how much space does a USB to SPDIFF converter take up ? Most are fairly small,no?
Even used, these dacs sell for close to list price, you could always resell if you didn't like it or didn't fit your needs. I would still keep an eye out for a used NFB2 or 3.

heiney9

tonyb wrote: »

The walwart was what turned me off to the dacmagic too. H9, how much space does a USB to SPDIFF converter take up ? Most are fairly small,no?
Even used, these dacs sell for close to list price, you could always resell if you didn't like it or didn't fit your needs. I would still keep an eye out for a used NFB2 or 3.

The problem is orientation. The input goes in the front and the output and power cord are out the back so it's impossible to stack it parallel with the dac without having cables sticking out all over the place. If you set it perpendicular the cables stick out even worse. Plus, I really don't want something else in the chain if I don't have to. I dunno, if I get it and the USB doesn't work to my satisfaction I can use the Musiland, but I'm trying to make things neat and tidy and with the extra cables of the Musiland it makes it more difficult. Right now I have a cable rats nest that is very unsightly because of computer, monitor, external HD's, speaker cables, i/c cables, digital cables, etc. Using the Musiland as a converter means an extra set of i/c's, and extra digital cable and another power cord, plus orientation. It may seem trivial, but if you saw the cable mess you'd understand. One USB and one set of i/c's would be wonderful.

H9

pearsall001

Wow! The DacMagic is one superb DAC...period. To pass it up due to it's walwart is a shame. I'm just glad that I looked past that issue & gave it a shot. Tremendous to say the least.

tonyb

http://www.stereo.net.au/forums/showthread.php/31638-Audio-GD-NFB-2-amp-3/page6

Here's some good discussion Brock, don't seem to have problems with the usb on the 2 or 3. Also good pics of the different boards.

heiney9

The Musiland is about the size of a standard brick, maybe a little shorter.

heiney9

pearsall001 wrote: »

Wow! The DacMagic is one superb DAC...period. To pass it up due to it's walwart is a shame. I'm just glad that I looked past that issue & gave it a shot. Tremendous to say the least.

Sorry Phil, but nothing with a walwart is going to be better than something with a properly designed power supply section, all other variables being similar. I won't own any piece of audio gear with a walwart that has the capabilities of using an external linear dedicated power supply. Both my Squeezeboxes benefited from a "real" external linear power supply. I've heard too many improvements in sound quality when a proper power supply section is either upgraded or added. To get the DAC Magic and then buy a "real" power supply for it is too much $$$ for my application.

H9

sucks2beme

Maybe you need to look at music fidelity's V-dac.
Seems to get pretty good reviews. The problem is DACS
change all the time, and it's impossible to compare many.
Even the NFB3 has updated, so who knows how the 3.1 version
sounds?
The guys who make the things don't get to involved in how
users have to work windows for best performance. There just are too
many options out there to support all of them.

falconcry72

sucks2beme wrote: »

Maybe you need to look at music fidelity's V-dac.
Seems to get pretty good reviews. The problem is DACS
change all the time, and it's impossible to compare many.
Even the NFB3 has updated, so who knows how the 3.1 version
sounds?
The guys who make the things don't get to involved in how
users have to work windows for best performance. There just are too
many options out there to support all of them.

The new V-DACII is the one you'd want. I'm surprised I didn't suggest this already.

It uses the same USB>SPDIF technology as the V-Link, which does a terrific job.

H9 will not like that wall-wart though.

It also does not include any software, so he'd be in the same boat as with the NFB in terms of finding MM compatible drivers etc. For the record, Kernal Streaming, WASAPI, and ASIO all worked flawlessly with my V-Link and foobar-2000, just as they do with the DI.

tonyb

pearsall001 wrote: »

Wow! The DacMagic is one superb DAC...period. To pass it up due to it's walwart is a shame. I'm just glad that I looked past that issue & gave it a shot. Tremendous to say the least.

Nobody is saying it's not a good dac Phil, and also a good bang for your buck product. More versatile too. But for me I didn't need the bells and whistles and focused more so on build quality and SQ. The audio gd just happens to fit my needs best since I also only need one coax input for the Sonos. All those other inputs I'm paying for is wasted in the Dacmagic. Head to head, just about all side with the audio gd on SQ,and for the price, makes it a no brainer. Just getting the most for my buck is all, I'm sure the dacmagic is plenty good for alot of people. Sure didn't intend to knock anyones baby. We all have our preferences, mine is in the more analog sound, and audio gd fits that,along with a wallet that doesn't open too easily.

BlueFox

While I found the Wadia iTransport to sound good with its stock digital cable, and stock walwart power supply, after upgrading both components it reached another level in performance. If the DAC Magic, or another DAC with a walwart, uses a 9V supply then look at this upgrade. This works great with the Wadia.

http://www.musicdirect.com/p-3688-ciaudio-vdc-90-power-supply.aspx

SCompRacer

Just a mention, Welborne Labs sells a power supply for the V-Dac (and many other DAC's). You can buy it assembled or DIY. Brock and I have them powering our SB Touch's.

http://www.welbornelabs.com/psdac.htm

heiney9

Right now the appeal for me and the Audio GD is the discrete circuitry, the positive reviews, and while I can wait for awhile since I rarely have even been using my office rig, the intro price makes it really, really attractive. But add 3.5% paypal fee's and $55 for shipping it becomes much less attractive since it's over budget. I don't like that they as sellers make you pay the Paypal fee's. Not many other companies do that. Yeah, I know, $10-12 won't break me, but all the fee's and shipping add up and bump it past my theoretical budget.

I am also apprehensive because I have tried other products that the same various websites endorse and have been underwhelmed vs. the hype, etc. The only way to know for sure is to try it. If it wasn't on special pricing I'd put it on the back burner, but something keeps nagging at me to pull the trigger before the good deal is gone or the product is discontinued.

H9

sucks2beme

The real solution here is go haunt a couple places and look for a deal.
I hung around AGON and Head-fi until the right one at the right price popped up.
If it doesn't cut it, sell it. Think of it like buying cables- it might take trying
a few to get the right one for you. And used means you not going to get ate up
if you need to flip it.
I really wish I'd gone with the Arcam, but the Audio -gd performs well.
USB is getting the job done and all is well.

FTGV

pearsall001 wrote: »

Wow! To pass it up due to it's walwart is a shame...

IIRC correctly the walwart for that unit is just the AC transformer,all the rectification ,supply filtering and DC voltage regulation being done within the main chassis.Assuming it has sufficient wattage rating there really isn't any downside to having it remote from the chassis.In fact having it separate eliminates the possibilty of any 60hz hum from the tranny being coupled into the audio circuitry.

falconcry72

H9, why not a SQB? I know you love them. I'd imagine you're looking a higher quality DAC?

sucks2beme

Wall warts get a lot of flack. The real issue is, is there a shortage of juice to reproduce music?
Audiophiles always go over the top. More power can't hurt, can it? But yes, it does cost more.
The quality of the USB cable is also suspect. My findings, when you can, keep the USB cord short as
you can. A quality cord is good enough. I tried an expensive AQ USB cord. I got better results with a short
cord of "officemax" quality. YMMV.

heiney9

falconcry72 wrote: »

H9, why not a SQB? I know you love them. I'd imagine you're looking a higher quality DAC?

yes a better dac and I don't need another SQB, since I run Media Monkey right from my desktop.

H9

heiney9

If it is as Fred implies it's slightly better than a switching supply. But others of you who think just enough is sufficient please read this. A properly designed and implemented power supply section is extremely important. The better the supply, the better the end result. I have heard with my own ears the difference's modded and better power supplies make.

http://www.passlabs.com/pdfs/articles/powersupply.pdf

FTGV

heiney9 wrote: »

If it is as Fred implies it's slightly better than a switching supply.

Actually it's essentially just a linear supply with the transformer mounted remotely .Since the current requirements should only be in the hundreds of milliamps range I suspect the folks at Cambridge would be clever enough to size it accordingly.IMO it is the filtering and voltage regulation stages within the main chassis that are of more important and will have greater impact on SQ.