whale Posted November 3, 2010 Posted November 3, 2010 Hi guys! Looking for some advice on what path I should take. I've been saving my pennies for a DAC and had my sights set on a AudioGD NFB-1 DAC since a few of their other DACs and headphone amps are quite highly regarded over at Head-fi. If I were to get the DAC I would also be getting their Digital Interface which is basically a USB->spdif unit. After a bit of reading I had a sudden itch to upgrade my CD players, a Sansui and a Luxman D-107u, the latter is probably just 20 years old. After more reading I stumbled upon the Audiolab 8200CD which is a CD player unit with digital inputs AND uses the same chip as the NFB-1. Now, my question is should I keep my old cd player as a transport and get the NFB-1 or am I going to hear a significant increase in sound quality with a newer CD player (with technology etc)? The NFB-1 and Digital interface will cost around $1800nzd. I'm guessing the CD player will cost around the same if not a little more once they hit our shores. Or maybe I should just keep saving and buy a pair of Image 414's instead. Thanks!
ilikecrumpets Posted November 3, 2010 Posted November 3, 2010 Interesting what choices there are these days eh? All things being equal, I expect to be trialling the 8200CDQ (full working preamp) and possibly the new mono amps as well before Xmas. I'm expecting big things from the new Audiolab range, the CD/Dacs use the Sabre Dac a la Moon Evolution 750D. Naturally there is more to a source component than just the similarity of the D/A conversion (clock accuracy/power supplies/RF noise rejection etc) so I don't expect 750D performance, but it should still be a potent performer.
whale Posted November 3, 2010 Author Posted November 3, 2010 Sometimes I'd rather not have that many choices And all the jargon that comes with different chips, connectors, implementations, technology doesn't help either. It just confuses me with their big numbers and fancy words.. Please post some impressions when you get to trial the Audiolab please!
Shane Hanify Posted November 3, 2010 Posted November 3, 2010 Gidday Whale, that AudioGD looks good on paper and in pictures. The Audiolab should be around that price - could be a bit more, the 8000CD was $1695 at full retail. I see more and more manufacturers are leaning toward convergence these days, hardly a bad thing if you have a good chip in your CDP and can utilise it. Personally, if both of your CDP's are working, and you're mostly happy with the sound then I'd be saving for new speakers first. Cheers, Shane.
Ernie1553552694 Posted November 3, 2010 Posted November 3, 2010 There will be an entry level Moon (Sim Audio) DAC coming out that hits all the points for you. I'm listening to the Sim Audio Moon 300D at the moment. Nice. The baby one will be a third of the price of the 300D. Although as Shane has mentioned, a new set of speakers might do more for you in the short term.
stuarth Posted November 3, 2010 Posted November 3, 2010 whale;137 wrote: I've been saving my pennies for a DAC and had my sights set on a AudioGD NFB-1 DAC since a few of their other DACs and headphone amps are quite highly regarded over at Head-fi. If I were to get the DAC I would also be getting their Digital Interface which is basically a USB->spdif unit. Into-Audio have just landed the NFB-1 with Digi Interface that I ordered some weeks back, so I'm looking fwd to trying it out. I had originally planned to get an Arcam rDAC, but this combo should be a step above that, I hope.
whale Posted November 3, 2010 Author Posted November 3, 2010 Low Orbit;137740 wrote: Personally, if both of your CDP's are working, and you're mostly happy with the sound then I'd be saving for new speakers first. Cheers, Shane. Ernie;137749 wrote: Although as Shane has mentioned, a new set of speakers might do more for you in the short term. Yeah, if there were a complaint about my system it would be that the speakers are a little lean. Changing the amp from an old Luxman to the ones I have now added a bit of oomph in the lower frequencies but not as low as I'd want it. But I do love how open they sound. Will have to try find a place that'll let me home demo them to see how they sound at home! Horn-loaded, that's where I inquired about it too. I planned on ordering direct from AudioGD but I thought paying a little more would be more convenient should anything go wrong with the unit. I'm surprised anyone would have interest in their products around here Again, please post some impressions when you do test it out. There aren't many people posting impressions over at head-fi.
stuarth Posted November 4, 2010 Posted November 4, 2010 whale;137754 wrote: please post some impressions when you do test it out. There aren't many people posting impressions over at head-fi. Will do so, in a week or two when all has bedded in. My only reference point for DACs is the humble, but good value, first-gen HRT Music Streamer I'm using now, so I'll benchmark against my Arcam CD37 silver disc spinner which has the edge over computer playback - so far.
fatmansings Posted November 4, 2010 Posted November 4, 2010 [quote=horn-loaded;137751. I had originally planned to get an Arcam rDAC, but this combo should be a step above that, I hope. I have the rdac, it's ok for $700 but I have upgraded already as it was like a foot in the door. Once I started noticing the extra levels of detail I also started to become more aware of detail and then starting noticing what it didn't have ( if that makes sense) Anyway bottom line is I auditioned several dacs in the $1500+ range and they made the arcam sound thin and anaemic. If you really want one pm me you can have mine cheap.
stuarth Posted November 8, 2010 Posted November 8, 2010 New gear arrived today, I'm letting it run in for a bit before any critical listening. Seen here on the bottom shelf of my rack. The Digi Interface power supply is the top-most box on the left, with the DI below it. It's class A so runs rather warm. USB from the music server goes in to the DI, a BNC-terminated coax cable goes out to the DAC. Andrew from Into-Audio advises I should not stack the components like this for best sound. However some compromises are necessary for now Music server is to left of the rack, on vertical stand. Note blob of modelling clay taming the glaring blue power LED on server! Attached files
whale Posted November 8, 2010 Author Posted November 8, 2010 Very nice horn! Is it on loan or did you purchase it? I didn't realise how big the NFB-1 is.
stuarth Posted November 8, 2010 Posted November 8, 2010 whale;138336 wrote: Is it on loan or did you purchase it? Normally I'm one to sit back and read reviews before purchase but I have shelled out the shekels for this kit, and don't regret that decision. Already I can hear more detail and fuller bass than the old DAC. Andrew has imported another NFB-1 and I'm sure interested parties will be able to audition the gear at his place (Waikato). Or for those living nearer to Palmy, I may be able to oblige. Yes it is a big sucker, however the NFB-7 is even bigger (430 x 430) and would be too deep to fit comfortably on my rack. http://www.intoaudio.co.nz/NFB-7%20DAC.html
Recommended Posts