I Figured it was time I did a review of my Schiit Vali... and while I was at it why not review the NFb10ES2 as well! So here is a comparison of the two!
To be fair, both units where volume matched and I used the SE out put of each.
And let's go ahead and discuss price, the Schiit Vali is $119 new, the NFB 10ES2 is a balanced Dac and Balanced Amp, that said it is $600 new. In all fairness, I suppose we can assume the NFB 10ES2's headphone amp might be comparable to a $300 stand alone solid state. Either way the Vali has it's work cut out for it!
Vali
To be fair, both units where volume matched and I used the SE out put of each.
And let's go ahead and discuss price, the Schiit Vali is $119 new, the NFB 10ES2 is a balanced Dac and Balanced Amp, that said it is $600 new. In all fairness, I suppose we can assume the NFB 10ES2's headphone amp might be comparable to a $300 stand alone solid state. Either way the Vali has it's work cut out for it!
Audio GD NFB 10ES 2 Rear Input Out Put Section [Left and Right channels have same set of Outputs]
Front View
Schiit Vali, with only one Input.
Schiit Audio - Vali )[$119
New] VS Audio GD NFB10 ES2 Balanced Amp
(SE Out) [$600 New (Unit is a Dac/Amp Combo)
Personal Back-Story
I’ve enjoyed both Tube and
solid state amplifiers over the years, although I prefer solid states. That
said, there’s still something magical about tubes for me, thus I owned two
before the Vali, both where attempts to find that perfect tube sound, the right
mix of warm mids and taught bass and airy treble. That said, I got the Vali,
with hopes it would bring the balanced I was looking for. That said, though I’m
still undecided about wheather I like a solid state amp or a tube… so it’s time
for a comparison!
Notes on the NFB10ES2 Dac
The
NFB10ES2 balanced dac uses a ESS 9018 chipset, that said the unit has a very
clean sound. Ton’s of detail and virtually no audible noise in both the internal
headphone amp and Fixed Line Out. Micro Details are phenomenal and the ability
to opt for a low or high gain Line out makes feeding the Dac into multiple amps
very easy, not to mention the incredibly clean sound from the dac. Sound stage
is also phenomenal as well, and to reiterate this for the third time, this unit
has very clean sound!
Vali
Pros:
Airy sound, smooth mids, taught heavy bass, scales well
Cons
: noisy, needs high end Pre Amp for
optimal performance
Build [4/5]
Schiit…
well the know their schiit! The Vali is built very nicely, sporting a metal case with a silver coat. The
RCA jacks, and volume knob are both very sturdy. Each has a nice solid feel to
it, though I will admit the Power Switch feels a little flimsy. Thankfully I’m
only touching it once every few hours! Still it’s a very attractive unit, and
thus far I’ve had no mechanical issues, and frankly I’m not too concerned that I
will!
Specs
Sub-Miniature
Hybrid Headphone Amplifier
Frequency
Response 20-20k, -0.2db, 5-100kHz -3db
Maximum
Power 32Ohms: 650 mW RMS per Channel
Maximum
Power 600 Ohms: 115mW RMS per Channel
THD
<.04%
SNR
>93db
OutPut
Impedance 6.5ohms
Gain
12db
Power
Consumption 8W
Size
5 x 3.5 x 1.25”
Extra Features
The
Vali doesn’t have any extra features, it simply does exactly what you paid for
it to do! Meaning, it’s an amp with only one input and one output. That said,
for the price it’s easy to understand the lack of Extra’s.
Price to Performance : [5/5]
Excellent! Performs far beyond many similarly
priced competitors such as the Indeed G3 and Millet Hybrid Tubes.
NFB10ES2
Pros;
Clean sounding, EXTRAS, Powerful
Cons; Heavy, Large,
Headphones Need Re-termination
Build [5/5]
The unit is built rock solid
and weighs around 15 or so pounds! While I do not recommend you drop it…
chances are it could take the hit. No flaws to the build what so ever in my
opinion.
Extras
The Audio GD NFB 10ES2 offers
2 headphone outs, a SE and balanced. On the negative side how ever, the
Balanced out is much cleaner and more dynamic than the SE out. While this
review was done with the SE, everything that applies to the SE can be said for
the Balanced as well. Think of the balanced out as a complete upgrade over the
already excellent SE out.
Price to Performance : [4/5]
For the price there is not a
better balanced Solid State amp, however if you only need a SE Amp there may be
better options, again the Audio GD NFB 10ES2 is a Dac/Amp combo unit and the
amp cannot be purchased separately. Additionally, to get the most out of your
headphones you will need a recable to 4pin Balanced XLR.
Specs
Frequency
Response
Maximum
Power 50 Ohms: 5950MW [Balanced Out] 1650MW [SE Out]
Maximum
Power 600 Ohms: 590MW[Balanced Out] 150Mw [SE Out]
THD <0.0005%
SNR >120DB
OutPut
Impedance 2
Gain:
Adjustable
Power
Consumption 22W
Size
W240 X L360 X H80 (MM, Fully aluminium )
Sonic Test Process
Vali
Source Win 7[Foobar2000
WASAPI] -> NFB 10ES 2 SE Fixed Line
Out [Low Gain] -> Schiit Vali -> w1000x
NFb10ES2
Source Win 7[Foobar2000
WASAPI] -> NFB 10ES 2 SE Headphone Out
-> w1000x
Sound
Bold Italic is final preference
Italic Text is NFB10ES2
Standard Text is Vali
Vali
Sound Signature-
Very clean, a slight bump on the mids and a small dip from upper mids to highs.
Maintains a touch of sparkle, with lush mids. I’d call it the reference sound signature
for a hybrid tube, tubey mids and bass with the details of a solid state. The Heart and Soul of a tube, with the
detail of a solid state!
Dynamics- quick and effortless
Timbre- Very Natural
Speed- Sufficiently quick, yet has very minimal smoothness.
Sound Stage: A wide
sound stage, great instrument separation, and good 3D and 2D placement of instruments.
It should be noted as well, that the Vali does have a slight hum of
noise in the background, as well as being prone to micro-phonics or ringing in response
to external vibrations acting on the internal PCB.
Audio GD NFB10ES2
Sound Signature-
Very clean, flawless neutral sounding. No color or noise to be found! Perfectly
Pure Sound
Dynamics- Well extended and fast and natural.
Timbre- Flawless
Speed- Lighting fast
Sound Stage: Very accurate sound stage, depth is wonderful
and 2D sound stage is top notch! Sonically, the sound stage presents
instruments realistically enough to differentiate the space between each in inches!
The NFB 10ES2 is a very neutral sounding amp! It is lacking completely in any
color what so ever! Crystal and uncompressed clarity with a JET BLACK
presentation, no noise what so ever.
