danter Posted June 4, 2011 Posted June 4, 2011 Looking to upgrade my Audio gd NFB2 to a Ref 7.1 (long shot I know) or a Lite Dac 83. Have an NFB2 if someone was looking to downgrade (longer shot I know).
New Sensations Posted June 5, 2011 Posted June 5, 2011 And here. we. go. [Good luck with this danter.]
New Sensations Posted June 5, 2011 Posted June 5, 2011 danter - as braddles has posted elsewhere, the Ref 7.1 has been discontinued. http://www.audio-gd.com/En%20audio-gd.htm
danter Posted June 5, 2011 Author Posted June 5, 2011 Very happy with the NFB2, but after all I have heard of the Ref 7, keen to give it a go. Have been told by some that there are more similarities than differences between the NFB2 and Ref 7, others that it is a well worthwhile upgrade. Have auditioned the Lite Dac 83 and loved it - but that was before the NFB2, so bit harder for the comparison there. The 83 is a gem though. Good question though. Love my system as it is. Why upgrade at all? But cos of this, I am in no rush. JD - listening to Trentmoller as I type. Really enjoying it on first listen.
New Sensations Posted June 5, 2011 Posted June 5, 2011 Trentemoller's Late Night Tales? Awesome, huh? I reckon it's the perfect intersection of a good recording, 'something I like' and 'something Diana Krall fans would like'. If I were you, I'd take the plunge and buy and an 83.
danter Posted June 5, 2011 Author Posted June 5, 2011 Or just wait until you are ready to move yours on ! (can I wait - what - 6 weeks?) The thing is, the NFB2 is great. No real complaints. So I am happy to bide my time. There is always the next 'best thing' on the horizon. Doing the math on the Coem 10% discount (which I had forgotten about), it is down to $1575. Damn that $1k Ref 7 - makes everything seem expensive!
danter Posted August 9, 2011 Author Posted August 9, 2011 Bump for the Ref 7.1 on the wildest off chance prior to pulling the trigger on the 83 (as with my luck, as soon as I buy an 83, a Ref 7.1 will come up).
audiohifiaudio Posted April 28, 2012 Posted April 28, 2012 Looking to upgrade my Audio gd NFB2 to a Ref 7.1 (long shot I know) or a Lite Dac 83. Have an NFB2 if someone was looking to downgrade (longer shot I know). I have a Audio GD reference 9 which sound the same as the reference 7 but a little coloured which some prefer.Regards
danter Posted April 28, 2012 Author Posted April 28, 2012 Thanks for the offer, but since then I have bought a Ref 7.1 (brilliant) and have just sold it due to financial reasons. Now back with my wee NFB2 in the main system - and what a brilliant little dac the NFB2 is! Gotta hand it to Audio-gd, they churn out some great product.
eltech Posted July 20, 2012 Posted July 20, 2012 I really dislike the lite dac 83. When j darko reviewed it as an endgame dac I thought I gotta hear this. When I did, what a dissapointment. Its a really flat sounding unit. Wouldn't recommend it to my worst enemy. And lost some respect for j darko's reviews. Endgame, no way! Entry level at best! 1
danter Posted July 20, 2012 Author Posted July 20, 2012 To each his own. I found it to be a brilliant dac - and at the time I heard one, I was listening of a lot of dacs! I would be very happy to grab one now at the right price. Entry level at best? I have not heard an entry level dac that could come close to this save the NFB2 (which some may regard as a step up from entry). Curious as to what you were comparing to that gave you the impression it was 'flat' sounding. 1
eltech Posted July 21, 2012 Posted July 21, 2012 Its one of the least dynamic dacs I ever heard. I've also heard a few. Detail is quite good, but not better than a good tda1541a. Incidentally which is what I use. But not going to say which one :-) Fyi... this dac I think sounds better than lite dac83 http://www.xshn.com/en/display.asp?id=89 and only costs $200 I really dislike delta sigma dacs, but this one is an exception. Its not as good as my tda, but nothing i have heard is! But it comes quite close.
andreasmaaan Posted July 25, 2012 Posted July 25, 2012 Hi eltech, given you seem so happy with it, why not tell us which DAC you use?
h2oxide Posted July 31, 2012 Posted July 31, 2012 I really dislike the lite dac 83. When j darko reviewed it as an endgame dac I thought I gotta hear this. When I did, what a dissapointment. Its a really flat sounding unit. Wouldn't recommend it to my worst enemy. And lost some respect for j darko's reviews. Endgame, no way! Entry level at best! Pretty out-there statement. You lost respect for his reviews because you disagree with them (even though reviews are obviously subjective)?
twwen2 Posted August 3, 2012 Posted August 3, 2012 Not sure if you're sorted yet Danter, but how about a DAC-19DSP? You get the PCM1704-UK chips from the Ref 7.1 without the price. It's a handy step up from the NFB-2 (I've owned both). Drop me a PM if you're interested.
danter Posted August 5, 2012 Author Posted August 5, 2012 This thread was actually from June 2011! Since then, I bought a Ref 7.1 and was happily listening until my own personal global financial crisis hit. So I sold the Ref 7.1 and returned my NFB2 into the main system. Have now sold the NFB2, mucked about with a range of vintage gear and now have a vintage Marantz 240 (165wpc of glorious power) feed by yet another Audio -gd, the Reference 10.2 (basically the Ref 5.2 Dac + Preamp + Head amp).
Just_audio Posted August 5, 2012 Posted August 5, 2012 (edited) Hi all, GD-Ref 7.1 is a great piece DAC around I have audition. Has anyone experience on Benchmark DAC-1 to compare with Ref 7.1 ? I sort out some very favourable reviews on Benchmark DAC-1. I might interested in Ref 7.1, please PM me if anyone got one and plan to pass on another SNAer. Cheers, R Edited August 5, 2012 by Just_audio
danter Posted August 6, 2012 Author Posted August 6, 2012 To my ears, the Ref 7.1 is in a different class to the Benchmark. Have had both at home and would take the Ref 7.1 hands down. Having said that, a mate has the Benchmark and loves it (and yes it sounds very good in his system - I think his Proacs add a bit of warmth to it - I found it a bit dry and edgy in comparison to the Ref 7.1).
Just_audio Posted August 6, 2012 Posted August 6, 2012 (edited) Thanks for the solid piece of review, Danter, I'm wondering that assume the DAC to sound best MP3 track from usb source, sometimes we have good enough CD player ( entry high end level: Rega Apollo, Cambridge 840C...) then do we need add DAC to the system? Once I visited Cleff hifi, their set ups very simple, CD player $3k cost, integrated amp $5k cost, all cable are Chord, No DAC in their set up, but the sound absolutely satisfied. Cheers, R Edited August 6, 2012 by Just_audio
danter Posted August 7, 2012 Author Posted August 7, 2012 Using an 840C - or even a Rega Apollo, you would really need to look at 'better than entry' level dacs to better the internal dacs of those players. A $3k CDP should have a very good internal dac. There are some superb dacs available now which can outshine the internal dacs in most cheaper CDPs (under $1000) If your source is MP3, the quality is going to suffer regardless if the bit rate is low (under 192kbs when ripped or purchased). The better the quality of the MP3 (such as 256 or 320kbs), the better sound quality you should get. If you are ripping CDs yourself, consider FLAC or WAV formats which are lossless (same as original). This could make as big a difference as a dac upgrade. Best of all, its cheap to experiment - just rip the same track into different formats (heaps of rippers out there) and compare yourself in your own system. Personally, I like external dacs simply because it allows me to easily compare and upgrade. WIth a half decent transport, I continually try different dacs whenever I have the chance.
Just_audio Posted August 7, 2012 Posted August 7, 2012 (edited) Thanks Danter, I appreciate what you shared, I'm now time to looking foward a decent DAC. Regards, R Edited August 7, 2012 by Just_audio
h2oxide Posted August 16, 2012 Posted August 16, 2012 (edited) I'm now (sort of) in the right position to comment on both - bearing in mind I owned the Lite for over a year and I've owned the Ref 7.1 (brand new) for 20 minutes now. My initial impressions to give you a vague idea New DAC up and running. Will post pics on the weekend during the day. Initial impressions are unfair as its 10 minutes old but I'll give my 2c anyway. Leaner in terms of deeper bass (drum and bass, and dubstep), but fuller, richer mids. Lean, clean, more refined and organic? when it comes to acoustic, and rock (can really hear the realism in the strings) Tighter bass control, and to me it sounds quiet forward as opposed to the more recessed Lite DAC-83. I guess this DAC gives music a more 'live' feel. Will post more thoughts after I've run this baby in for a while. Overall though, I wholeheartedly concur with JD's thoughts of this DAC especially in comparison to the DAC-83. The 83 is definitely dark chocolate. Go easy, its the first time I've tried to put music into words. Edited August 16, 2012 by h2oxide
pete_mac Posted August 21, 2012 Posted August 21, 2012 This thread was actually from June 2011! Since then, I bought a Ref 7.1 and was happily listening until my own personal global financial crisis hit. So I sold the Ref 7.1 and returned my NFB2 into the main system. Have now sold the NFB2, mucked about with a range of vintage gear and now have a vintage Marantz 240 (165wpc of glorious power) feed by yet another Audio -gd, the Reference 10.2 (basically the Ref 5.2 Dac + Preamp + Head amp). Shees... how did I miss this! I hope the Marantz is singing nicely Michael!
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