The top 10 reasons why......

heiney9

So far I have been really busy and haven't listened to it for over a week.

But............

It is a very impressive piece for the cost. It's probably one of the smoothest computer based dac's I've heard. It also has very nice, tight, controlled deep bass. The soundstage is better than anything I've had in the rig, except the Keces DA-151 might slightly edge it out with more depth. Attack and decay is excellent. Listening to Regina Spektor's "Dance Anthem for the 80's" off Far, I can hear her lips smack, her breath and the decay of each single piano note better than ever.

There is a flow and rythum to the music and what this seems to do best, compared to other dac's I've run in the rig, is never call attention to itself. It pretty much gets out of the way and lets you hear the recording.

There was an issue with it when Tony loaned it to me and I email Kingwa and within a few short days he had diagnosed the possible issue and a new module is enroute from China free of charge as I type this. USB works, but the SPDIF inputs don't.

Super, fantastic customer service for what will be the third owner. Very reminicent of Polk Audio CS.

This is a short and sweet review to keep Tony from having a heart attack :biggrin:

More details, photo's and a comparison with the Keces DA-151 shortly.

H9

P.s. I think Audio GD is the real deal and they need to be seriously considered as contender even for higher end gear.

heiney9

Once I get the SPDIF inputs fixed I'll be running it in the main rig for more comparisons.

H9

tonyb

See Brock, wasn't that hard after all. :cheesygrin: Short as it was, I'll take it.

Steve, I think #1 has great potential to be the root of the problem.

tonyb

Just so everyone knows the jist, I gave Brock the dac to try knowing the SPDIF and toslink suddenly stopped working. However the USB output was so Brocks initial results are based off of the USB. When I had it, it was strictly used by way of SPDIF, so I think Brock waiting to get that fixed before a more thorough review is the way to go. He's so far mirrored my thoughts on this dac. Good slam, lets the music flow, good rythum and pace, an organic feel to it. I also stated previously if I had to pigeon hole it, the soundstage is a tad smaller in width that what I am accustomed to, not that it's bad by any stretch, just a tad smaller. Seems Brock also agree's. This entry level dac plays well above the price point, and will compete with anything in the sub 800 buck range, if not more. Can't imagine what their higher end dacs sound like if this is any indication. They don't come up that often on the used market either, and I can see why. For all you budget minded folks out there wanting to see what a dac can do for your system, Audio-gd is worth a look see.

heiney9

Tony, I was even over the website looking for perhaps something a little higher up the chain, but not the full high end unit to possibly use in the main rig. That's how impressed I am with it.

The NFB-2.1 is still a little lower down the chain, but the NFB-7.1 is simply too much monye and it appears they are no longer sold. Wish they had something inbetween. I suppose the Ltd Ed. DAC 19 with the Burr Brown chips would be a contender.

But, you are correct if the new DIR 9001 module fixes the SPDIF issue then I can run it in the main rig and do a much more detailed review.

H9

drselect

H9, don't feel like you need to rush with your review. I feel all its going to do is make me want to sell my NFB-3.0 and buy the NFB-9.1.:cheesygrin:

Drenis

h9,

Can you give some impressions on the DAC when compared to the on board one in the SQBT? If quite favorable, I might consider picking one up for my main rig. I'm sure there will be a difference, I'm just curious how much as I read good reviews of the on board DAC in the SQBT.

heiney9

I have never listened to the on-board dac of the SQBT since the first day I put it in my rig. Currently, until I get the SPDIF input fixed on the Audio GD that's not a possibility.

The Adcom before it was modded was a nice step-up from the SQBT internal dac. SQBT is pretty good but won't match a well designed/built stand alone dac for critical listening.

You don't even have to think about it the Audio GD will be better than the internal SQBT dac. If for any reason you don't find that, you'll have a few people lined up to take it off your hands.

H9

heiney9

If I were going to get one for the main rig I'd seriously be looking at the current DAC 19 @ $640. The NFB-3 is really nice, but the 19 is even nicer without breaking the bank.

http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/dac/DAC19/DAC19EN.htm

drselect

I have been thinking about the NFB-9.1 with the pre-amp option and combining it with a rogue tube amp. Just wish Santa would come early this year.

tonyb

heiney9 wrote: »

If I were going to get one for the main rig I'd seriously be looking at the current DAC 19 @ $640. The NFB-3 is really nice, but the 19 is even nicer without breaking the bank.

http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/dac/DAC19/DAC19EN.htm

Not as nice for what you paid for the NFB-3.

Yeah, for 640 clams it should compare very well to much more expensive units. I think Kingwa is on to something with these units at these prices, had me scratching my head at what I heard for 250 bucks. It has me wondering though, in his lineup where the laws of diminishing returns come in. What I mean by that is what model gives the best bang for the buck without jumping 3-4-500 bucks for just a tad more SQ.

tonyb

drselect wrote: »

I have been thinking about the NFB-9.1 with the pre-amp option and combining it with a rogue tube amp. Just wish Santa would come early this year.

If your going to go that route, maybe see if you can get a 30 day trial on a Burson dac/pre/head amp unit, think it's a HA-160. Also worth a look see.

heiney9

tonyb wrote: »

Not as nice for what you paid for the NFB-3.

Yeah, for 640 clams it should compare very well to much more expensive units. I think Kingwa is on to something with these units at these prices, had me scratching my head at what I heard for 250 bucks. It has me wondering though, in his lineup where the laws of diminishing returns come in. What I mean by that is what model gives the best bang for the buck without jumping 3-4-500 bucks for just a tad more SQ.

Hey no compliants here at all on the price, can you say K-I-L-L-E-R deal :razz:

The DAC 19 uses the much better DSP 1 interphase chipset and has much better power supply regulation than the NFB-3. It should translate into better overall performance and fit right into my main rig paradigm of reasonable cost vs. higher end performance.

I still am looking forward to using the NFB-3 in the main rig for awhile to really assess it's performance. At this point it is a stellar fit for the office rig.

H9

heiney9

heiney9 wrote: »

If I were going to get one for the main rig I'd seriously be looking at the current DAC 19 @ $640. The NFB-3 is really nice, but the 19 is even nicer without breaking the bank.

http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/dac/DAC19/DAC19EN.htm

This is in reference to the 19 being a permanent fixture in the main rig. The NFB-3 is a great deal at full price, let alone what I'm paying for it.

inspiredsports

steveinaz wrote: »

10. There was a Superfriends marathon on Cartoon network.
9. He suffered Montezuma's revenge after a taco binge and ended up stuck to the thunder mug for 3 days.
8. He was busy playing fetch with his pet trout, petey.
7. Had to make a trip to home depot for a wood chisel--it was underwear washing week.
6. Drove to Memphis to pick up a case lot of special edition Capn' Crunch.
5. He got rolled playing poker with some Chicago politicans.
4. He had to wax the mini-cooper.
3. He couldn't find his remote control---finally located it in the microwave oven.
2. Basketball Wives conflicted with his listening schedule, the "wives" won.
1. He and Nelson Pass decided to upgrade the caps on his dishwasher.

This is starting to resemble a gimpod Karma!

tonyb

Hold off on that Judgement Brock untill you get the NFB-3 in the main rig, I'm betting you'll like it, maybe you won't lust after the dac-19. With the Keces in the office rig and the audio-gd in the main rig, you have some killer d/a conversions going on for not alot of coin at all. Sometimes when your ahead of the game in this audio hobby, best to just kick back and enjoy. Let me know if that new chip solves the problem.

heiney9

The modded Adcom is going to be hard to beat in the main rig. But it's as good a baseline that I know of as far as familiarity. It's been with me a long time and does very little wrong. I am anxious to see myself.

Sort of an old school vs. new school thing. The Adcom uses dual BB PCM63K's which are still highly regarded "ladder" type dac chips. Some higher end boutique brands still use them, but there have been some chip advances since the Adcom was introduced so it will sure be interesting. The Adcom has a beefier power supply section as well as better caps too.

Can't wait.

H9

tonyb

I'm pretty interested how it mates up with the sound of the Dared. I'm thinking it might be a very good match. Time will tell. Crap, now I have to bug you about that review as well, against the modded Adcom ?

I'll agree too on the old school tech. and a well built power supply. Don't have to convince this cowboy. Just something about the sound that draws you in, and thats harder to find with the newer stuff today. Just my opinion of coarse so don't anyone get all twisted on me and start writing Jihad sayings in chalk on my driveway.

When you expecting the new chip bro ? I have to know so I can work on bugging your arse like 2 hours later.:cheesygrin:

heiney9

tonyb wrote: »

Just something about the sound that draws you in, and thats harder to find with the newer stuff today. Just my opinion of coarse so don't anyone get all twisted on me and start writing Jihad sayings in chalk on my driveway.

I do agree, the Keces seems a tad cleaner and more clinical, splitting hairs of course. The Audio GD sounds a bit less "mechanical" and just a little bit more organic. It has some similarities with the modded Adcom in that it's totally organic in nature but can still be detailed without a hint of being clinical or mechanical. Sort of like an LSi Ring Radiating Tweeter type output.

tonyb wrote: »

When you expecting the new chip bro ? I have to know so I can work on bugging your arse like 2 hours later.:cheesygrin:

I emailed him Thursday which I think is Friday in China and had a full dialog with him over the weekend. He said on Sunday he was mailing it Tuesday (again I think our Sunday is their Monday) so it went out yesterday since I received a tracking number. I expect it by Friday based on what others say about the super fast shipping.

heiney9

Well EMS tracking sucks! Last entry is 2-29 and it was still in the China mainland. I didn't get it on Friday. I expect it perhaps middle of the week. It being the replacement DIR 9001 module so hopefully the SPDIF inputs will work again. USB works great with the proper ASIO driver in Media Monkey.

I have been working on my taxes over the weekend and have been throwing lots of music at it, still sounds really good. A keeper for sure. Hasn't really made any musical missteps yet. One thing I am starting to notice is this unit is just a tad darker than the Keces. Nothing major, just a tad. But it could also be my ears/sinuses playing tricks too. That's why I always advocate a long evaluation period. I did also just swap some power cables. Could be the nicer PC is contributing; in this hobby.....who knows.

H9

tonyb

Nothing yet ?? Thats the downside in my book. If you need something there's no support state side even though their CS is pretty good.
Brock, that dac respondes well to cable changes. I've tried it out with 3 different sets of analog cables, 2 different digital coax, and 2 different optical cables. I could tell a difference in all of them with the analog ones being more pronouce. It's a fairly revealing dac so small changes are easily heard.

heiney9

The package arrived today at work. A new DIR 9001 module from China Feb 28-Mar 5 with a weekend inbetween. Pretty damn good service, I'd say. I'll be swapping them out tonight. Simple plug-n-play, and trying out the SPDIF inputs tonight in the main rig.

H9

tonyb

So.....does that mean by 8-9 o'clock we will know some more ?

Pushy **** ain't I.:cheesygrin:

heiney9

It will be sometime after 8-9 o'clock and before the end of 2012. That's the best I can narrow it down.

H9

steveinaz

By "end of 2012" do you mean THE end (end of the world), or midnight of 31 December?

heiney9

steveinaz wrote: »

By "end of 2012" do you mean THE end (end of the world), or midnight of 31 December?

Whichever, if the end comes before I'm done evaluating then I guess no one will know the outcome......

H9

sucks2beme

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heiney9

Back in business.

H9

heiney9

Don't want to leave Tony waiting too long..............he'll just keep hounding me anyway

Swapped out the DIR 9001 module which handles the SPDIF conversion. Simple socketed plug-n-play discrete PCB, easily accessible.

This is a very nice sounding dac, it has a flow to it that many in this price range can't come close to. It won't be dethroning my modded Adcom GDA600, but they are more similar than different. I only spent a total of a couple hours listening to some various material last night. I am impressed with the quality of sound you can get for about $300 new, didn't think it was possible.

If you are on the fence the current version is the Audio GD NFB 3.1. Well worth the 300 bones.

The service from Kingwa was exceptional. He sent me a new pcb no charge and technically I am the third owner. The shipping was very fast and he communicated very quickly.

I will do a much more indepth review as I continue to evaluate the unit. So far color me impressed. Finally a lower priced product that actually delivers the goods.

How's that Tony? :razz:

H9

P.s. Quick listening notes

slight lack of attack, less detail and texture than the Adcom and a flatter soundstage. I keep coming back to the soundstage, it's flatter and more 2 dimensional than the Keces and even more noticable compared to the Adcom. It's not too bad, but in direct comparison you can definitely hear it. Vocals are a bit more forward than the Adcom.

P.P.S. The Audio GD uses dual Wolfson dac's; the Adcom uses dual old school Burr Brown PCM63K dac's

tonyb

Thats cool Brock, it should still break in some more so keep playing those tunes. Your thoughts pretty much mirrored mine, the SQ you can get these days for not alot of coin blows me away at times and the Audio-gd is a perfect example. Plays so far above it's price point it's sick. Can't imagine anyone not being happy with this unit. If you looking for that budget dac for a SB/Sonos, or even in your main rig, give their products a whirl, you won't regret it.

BTW- I wasn't the only one on your butt for a review.....but it sure was fun doing it.