Audio GD - bad rap in the past -new breed !!

[Lupin]

@VintageFlanker Thanks for your time to answer my questions

I own an Audio-GD NFB-11.38
I would never buy it new but I got the opportunity to buy a second hand unit that was "as good as new" only 3 months old and not the tinniest scratch or something on it for less the half the price of a new one. I also know the original owner and know he's very careful with all his equipment.

Amir never measured the NFB-11.38 but looking at the other Audio-GD models he did measure I'd say it a pretty safe bet to conclude the NFB-11.38 measurements will not be "pretty".

I listing to music using my computer and then I'm (much) more critical about my gear and want it to be transparent to the source. So Topping D30Pro/A30pro stack will do very nicely there.

For my media room where I just use the gear for gaming/movies/TV it's not that critical. I'm EQ'ing extra bass for the nice "boom" effects anyway.
NFB-11.38 is build like a tank and has the perfect form factor for my mediacenter. Truth been told... I know how bad the unit will most likely measure but I can't really hear anything wrong with it. The hardware switch on the front to instantly switch between HP out and line out is also super convenient.

To be honest the ALPS volume pot with aluminium knob on the NFB-11.38 has a super nice and premium feel to it. I prefer that one much over the plastic knob and the "spongy" feeling pot of the A30Pro.

So yes Audio-GD measures very bad but at the same time I can also understand that people can be/are happy with their Audio-GD unit.
Just wish Audio-GD (or more kingwa i guess) would make up his mind in what direction he is pushing Audio-GD in. On one side Audio-GD is all about doing things "by ear" and making controversial design choices because those will sound better to the ear. On the other side they are very "shady" in publishing measurement results that can not be replicated by the final product the consumer can actually buy. Why Audio-GD are you messing with measurements when your "thing" is do to things by ear. Don't do one thing and try to sell the other.

 

[JJB70]

If you like it then just enjoy it, buy what you like and like what you buy etc.

 

[raistlin65]

@VintageFlanker Thanks for your time to answer my questions

I own an Audio-GD NFB-11.38
I would never buy it new but I got the opportunity to buy a second hand unit that was "as good as new" only 3 months old and not the tinniest scratch or something on it for less the half the price of a new one. I also know the original owner and know he's very careful with all his equipment.

Amir never measured the NFB-11.38 but looking at the other Audio-GD models he did measure I'd say it a pretty safe bet to conclude the NFB-11.38 measurements will not be "pretty".

I listing to music using my computer and then I'm (much) more critical about my gear and want it to be transparent to the source. So Topping D30Pro/A30pro stack will do very nicely there.

For my media room where I just use the gear for gaming/movies/TV it's not that critical. I'm EQ'ing extra bass for the nice "boom" effects anyway.
NFB-11.38 is build like a tank and has the perfect form factor for my mediacenter. Truth been told... I know how bad the unit will most likely measure but I can't really hear anything wrong with it. The hardware switch on the front to instantly switch between HP out and line out is also super convenient.

To be honest the ALPS volume pot with aluminium knob on the NFB-11.38 has a super nice and premium feel to it. I prefer that one much over the plastic knob and the "spongy" feeling pot of the A30Pro.

So yes Audio-GD measures very bad but at the same time I can also understand that people can be/are happy with their Audio-GD unit.
Just wish Audio-GD (or more kingwa i guess) would make up his mind in what direction he is pushing Audio-GD in. On one side Audio-GD is all about doing things "by ear" and making controversial design choices because those will sound better to the ear. On the other side they are very "shady" in publishing measurement results that can not be replicated by the final product the consumer can actually buy. Why Audio-GD are you messing with measurements when your "thing" is do to things by ear. Don't do one thing and try to sell the other.

I used to have an NFB-11. I agree about the nice volume pot.

And I like the types of switches they use on the front. As opposed to the tiny toggle switches like Topping uses on the L30 that seem like they're designed for an action figure's hand instead of a human finger. lol

 

[KTN46]

Very weird how OP and the other Audio GD defender have minimal posts, joined recently and only talk about AGD in their few posts.

 

[amirm]

I wonder what the reliability is on these products. They have a million parts in them. I love looking at them, taking me back to the days where through-hole parts were common and the more parts, the better. But I wonder how long they last.

 

[Lupin]

I wonder what the reliability is on these products. They have a million parts in them. I love looking at them, taking me back to the days where through-hole parts were common and the more parts, the better. But I wonder how long they last.

I will put a memo in my agenda to get back to you about that in let's say.. 10 years or so

 

[Lupin]

Very weird how OP and the other Audio GD defender have minimal posts, joined recently and only talk about AGD in their few posts.

Could be interesting for the mods to check if those accounts perhaps belong to the same person(s).

 

[Veri]

I wonder what the reliability is on these products. They have a million parts in them. I love looking at them, taking me back to the days where through-hole parts were common and the more parts, the better. But I wonder how long they last.

I have my doubts Audio-GD products are even certified/compliant for export to for example EU/AU. I wouldn't trust them not to fail over time, at all. Secondly, they always seem to use the same fake-Elna capacitors of dubious quality.

reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/etwzfa/audiogd_nfb_15_tried_to_burn_my_house_down/

 

[capetownwatches]

I wonder what the reliability is on these products. They have a million parts in them. I love looking at them, taking me back to the days where through-hole parts were common and the more parts, the better. But I wonder how long they last.

FWIW I have a NFB11.32 (35W transformer, made in 02/2017) that has seen regular use as a DAC this past 4 years...as in, powered up for weeks on end. Touch wood not a glitch. Drivers even loaded first time...

To my ears it's slightly warm of neutral, clean and detailed. A good Sabre implementation with no grain or harshness.
I feed it clean power via a Furman conditioner, and bypass USB by using a Resonessence Concero as SPDIF bridge.

I've used it with many amps, including Kingrex Headquarters, Pathos Aurium, Meier Corda Swing, various Stax drivers, SPL Phonitor Mini, Woo WA3 and WA7 and so on...bottom line, I still have it and still use it regularly.

My Audio-gd experience has been a very positive one (I've owned and heard many other gears of theirs too - some great, some not) and I know a number of friends who own and are very satisfied with their AGD gear. Anecdotal certainly, and everyone hears differently, but there it is.

Just my $0.02...

 

[JJB70]

If you like it and it has given you a lot of enjoyment then ultimately that's all that matters and views of others and measurements are irrelevant to that enjoyment.

 

[Robbo99999]

Inside the dac:
View attachment 138945

I hope that's not a "real" picture......and the comedy associated with the details makes me think it's not

 

[dfuller]

I have my doubts Audio-GD products are even certified/compliant for export to for example EU/AU. I wouldn't trust them not to fail over time, at all. Secondly, they always seem to use the same fake-Elna capacitors of dubious quality.

reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/etwzfa/audiogd_nfb_15_tried_to_burn_my_house_down/

I just read that link and this scared the sh*t out of me:

I also discover that there is no primary side fusing AT ALL on this device. Just AC straight into a transformer. This is completely unacceptable and down right dangerous. The only thing that prevented this from being a fire is the GFCI breaker in my room. If I did not have that and I touched the housing of the amplifier I could have been electrocuted, and as this amplifier is connected to my computer via USB it could have destroyed my computer as well.

That is beyond not acceptable. If this thing shorted on a non-GFCI outlet it would keep drawing power until the supply breaker trips - at which point this would more than likely be on fire!

 

[Lupin]

I just read that link and this scared the sh*t out of me:


That is beyond not acceptable. If this thing shorted on a non-GFCI outlet it would keep drawing power until the supply breaker trips - at which point this would more than likely be on fire!

As said, everything is anecdotal also this over dramatized post from reddit. (there is a fuse)
One has a bad experience with a product and is a complete drama queen about it.. If that is anything to go by I also should have shouted from the rooftops that SMSL is trying to kill me when my SP200 went up in smoke..

In the end it is all electronics. some units will operate without issues for >20 years others will go up in smoke within a year, it really doesn't matter if its Audio-GD, Topping, SMSL or Gustard.
Unless there are thousands of reports that Audio-GD units try to "burn down someone's house" you should take it for what it is, an over dramatized anecdote from one person.

 

[Jimbob54]

I wouldn't be surprised if audio gd tested their products on animals

They prefer testing on gullible huminz

 

[VintageFlanker]

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...dio-gd-master-7-singularity-review-dac.26460/

Oups.

But it probably performed subpar because it wasn't burned-in for 1K hours as recommended.

 

[SaberCat]

A bit late but adding my 5c worth....I bought an Audio-Gd NFB11.28 on eBay as "for parts or repair"; I had no expectations but bought it as a very cheap project to while away a rainy day. On opening the unit up (which was utterly dead) I could see the same blue encapsulated transformer they seem to use on lots of products and which had gone open on the primary windings. The PCB had no mains fuse but its possible there was a thermal fuse built into the transformer itself. The casing of the transformer was obviously distorted from overheating, rather similar to the unit in the reddit photo but nothing was actually charred or burned - it had failed before that point.

I desoldered the transformer and initially hoped I could get an off the shelf replacement just so I could fix and flip it (and listen for a while to satisfy my curiosity about this brand). Unfortunately it was obviously a custom or not readily obtainable multiple winding secondary unit and there was no way to determine the voltages....so I contacted AudioGD without much hope. To my surprise they were very helpful and offered to ship me one (with the comment that there had been quality issues on transformers) at a quite reasonable price....so I went for it. Repair was straightforward and it worked right away.

So thoughts about the listening experience......first the USB (Amanero) is dodgy with Windows 10....it clearly needs drivers but I could not find any, and without them it works sometimes but randomly drops out. So I quickly switched to coax and drove that via an Xmos USB box. Subjective impressions were actually quite positive, which probably says more about the human brain's perception than about the performance of the DAC or HP amp. My points of comparison by the way are varied - Topping L30/E30 stack, a Stax SR-L700/SRM-353x and a Topping DX7 Pro all do duty in my house. After more listening I think the coloration of the Audio GD becomes clearer - it's not offensive (I also run a Bottlehead Crack which is a lovely "active filter and Eq" box so maybe that helps).

The AUdio GD is so full of discrete through hole components (literally hundreds of tiny transistors, caps and resistors) that its inevitable the cumulative noise will cause issues vs modern opamp based gain and filter stages and I cannot believe reliability will not also be a real issue, especially if there is any heat stress. Anyway its at least a very interesting alternative design path - and we should welcome competitive options, even those which measure badly......so will I keep it, eh no. Time to find another owner who will love it more than I can.

 

[Veri]

The AUdio GD is so full of discrete through hole components (literally hundreds of tiny transistors, caps and resistors) that its inevitable the cumulative noise will cause issues vs modern opamp based gain and filter stages and I cannot believe reliability will not also be a real issue, especially if there is any heat stress. Anyway its at least a very interesting alternative design path - and we should welcome competitive options, even those which measure badly......so will I keep it, eh no. Time to find another owner who will love it more than I can.

Fair review, and I agree with the conclusion. Honestly, especially the admission that there were quality issues on their custom transformers is particularly worrisome. Hope for them and their business this is an issue of the past...

 

[sq225917]

To be fair, that's a decent response from them, especially for a dead 2nd hand unit.

 

[dfuller]

The PCB had no mains fuse but its possible there was a thermal fuse built into the transformer itself. The casing of the transformer was obviously distorted from overheating, rather similar to the unit in the reddit photo but nothing was actually charred or burned - it had failed before that point.

That is not okay - not having a mains fuse somewhere is basically inexcusable IMO.

 

[617]

To me this is the audio equipment equivalent of a fake watch. It's clearly designed to be big and heavy and impressive looking to imitate audio gear which functions as a status symbol, but has none of the brand cache or desirability to go along with it.

The branding tries to imitate aspirational brands with hilarious slogans "Wisdom in mind, enthusiasm at heart"

It almost looks like high dollar equipment (Lamm, Kondo, McIntosh, MBL, whatever) but it's not as refined. Open it up, and it is indeed full of stuff.

And then, of course, the performance is worse than a good smartphone.