[Whitigir]

Here is what you need...

Yes, but that will have to be going through from Mainboard to the card , and not straight from the Power Supply unit , isn’t it

 

[Triplefun]

If anyone is upsampling their music to DSD256 for playback through this card (foobar, jriver or hqplayer) can you please confirm if you find it an improvement over pcm. I was somewhat impressed by the audiosciences review of the Topping DX3 Pro which uses two AK4493EQ dac chips? .Also, has anyone tried DSD512?

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ng-dx3pro-dac-and-headphone-amp.4967/page-117

"When I looked at the 1KHz FFT test done by Amir, those little spikes around 1KHz were a big concern to me. Then people started to report edgy highs, shrills, all of those are pointing to LPF problem. Indeed, when I just got the DX3, I ran into the same problem with highs.

So to verify this, I tried different sampling rates – 44.1K, bad; 96K, still bad; 192K, highs improved; 352K, the edginess almost gone; then 705K, wow, the top is smooth and mellow now. Punchy sound, superb image!

Next is DSD. DSD64 (SACD is), no edginess yet the sound is a bit muddy and flat. DSD128, 256, 512, things are improving along the way. It’s at DSD512 this has totally changed! Wow! The sound stage is now wide opened! Beautiful top! Everything comes to alive! Each instrument is so three dimensional! You can even tell the size of the instrument. There’s a clear shape around it. Just so 3D! Stable, pin point image (looks like the clocks are not bad). When compared to ES9038 Pro running at DSD512, 9038 has a tad more etchiness on the top, more analytical. DX3 has more coherence, is more organic, and roundish. It can do better on vocals. The difference is subtle yet it’s there. Now I can see why AKM called this the velvet sound!

Yeah, still no mid-bass but I am not too worried about it now as this can be fixed. The sound still needs refinement here and there yet I am confident to say, after simple mods, this thing at DSD512 can easily beat most DACs under $2K!


A few extra points to mention:

. Obviously the cut off frequency of the LPF is set too high. Will have to open the machine to check the parameters to confirm this.

. Ranking of sound quality - DSD512 > PCM705 > DSD256 >> PCM352 > DSD128

. Even not all DSD512 sounds the same. The ranking – XiSRC > HQPlayer >> foobar2000"

 

[Triplefun]

I finally received delivery of this card and while it is magnificent in Windows I decided to give it a go using linux based Daphile (www.daphile.com) booted from a USB stick. Yes, it works and I can upsample all my music and Todal streams to DoP 128 with very pleasing results.

I finally got foobar DSD256 upsampling with output to the EVGA Nu Audio to work with pleasing results and highly recommended. Note I could not get the new Foobar DSD Processor to work but rather had to configure the Nu Audio output in the Foobar ASIO section.

 

[KESM]

I have this card in my existing PC. My end goal will be to utilize it in my new build. It’s an amazing card & great value in the world of audiophile grade gear.

This is a great addition for those thinking about the initial purchase of an amp/DAC. This would be on my short list before doing so.

For those who already have desktop amps & DACs...a SC of this caliber can only reinforce the output source signal to whatever peripherals you have on deck.

This SC gets everything right IMHO & strikes the perfect balance between high fidelity & functionality. It’s dead silent and sends a clean signal to external equipment.

The HP playback is astonishing. I highly recommend this SC to anyone considering a first step into buying a hp amp/dac. I also see great capacity for those seeking to enhance their existing desktop set ups with premium audio.

 

[Trancefreak]

Bit old, both this thread and my own add-in soundcard, but I'd like to ask whether this card would sound better than my current Xonas STX ( 1 ).
I'm torn between modding the Xonar card with caps and new opamps or get the NUaudio. the NU Audio might simply have a tad better DAC, which is non replaceble ( socket ) on both card, right?
Will be using it with Beyer MMX300 at the moment, but I'm planning for either LCD-2F's or LCD-GX, depending on reviews.

 

[Triplefun]

Bit old, both this thread and my own add-in soundcard, but I'd like to ask whether this card would sound better than my current Xonas STX ( 1 ).
I'm torn between modding the Xonar card with caps and new opamps or get the NUaudio. the NU Audio might simply have a tad better DAC, which is non replaceble ( socket ) on both card, right?/QUOTE]

Have you tried the Uni drivers for the Xonar - see http://maxedtech.com/asus-xonar-unified-drivers/. I found the drivers gave a better sound when used with my retired dsx. The Nu Audio was a big improvement especially when used with Foobar upsampled to DSD256. The DACs are probably on par (maybe a slight edge to the newer AKM DAC) but the Nu Audio power regulation is superior to the ASUS giving better S/N and less jitter..

That aside, the Xonas Stx 1 was released 2009 and would be getting a bit tired by now. The EVGA card (the DAC is fixed) would be a noticeable improvement especially if you update the output and headphone op amps with Burson VSi Dual X 2. These can be ordered direct for US$69 (https://www.bursonaudio.com/products/supreme-sound-opamp-v5i/) or wait until they are relisted in Massdrop (https://drop.com/buy/burson-audio-v5i-opamps)

 

[Trancefreak]

Thank you, kind Sir

NU Audio it is!

Oh, and I'll be modding the STX anyway, I think; I need a hobby .

 

[lucifero13]

Hi! Has someone compared this against the Soundblaster G6?

 

[hag6]

Hi
2 general questions. 1. Can my aged PC support the Nu Audio card. It’s a self-built PC with a Gigabyte GA-MA790FXT-UD5P MB & AMD Phenom 2 x4 CPU. Not sure about the suitability of the PCEI connectors they maybe Gen 1. OS Win 7 Pro 64.

2. Has anyone compared the SQ compared to external DAC/amps such as the Mojo or ifi Micro IDSD. I am using headphones Sennheiser HD 660s & HD 599.

Thanks

 

[Lee M]

With regards to your first question, I don't see why it can't work with your motherboard. The only strange issues we've seen with motherboards are those using the newer Ryzen Gen 3 CPUs, and that's resolved with a driver update.

You will be able to use the Audio Card for most of the standard audio features, but you will not be able to use the Nahimic features, which requires Windows 10. Please keep that in mind.

 

[hag6]

Hi Lee
Thank you for taking the time to reply. Will I lose out on the Nahimic features when using the card for music playback, or are these features designed for gaming.
Thanks

 

[Libertad]

Just got one in house and i have to be honest to my ears it is much more articulate and detailed than my chord mojo

 

[Lee M]

Hi Lee
Thank you for taking the time to reply. Will I lose out on the Nahimic features when using the card for music playback, or are these features designed for gaming.
Thanks

They're designed for more than gaming, as you might find watching movies more fun when playing around with the Surround or Compressor (to adjust volume floor and ceiling). Similarly, you might just want to use the quick EQ rather than the 10-band Equalizer for a fast adjustment.

For pure audio quality, you'll probably want the Nahimic features turned off.

 

[Libertad]

for reference i listen to 320kb or FLAC psytrance using Monith M1060 w/foam removed

 

[hag6]

Just got one in house and i have to be honest to my ears it is much more articulate and detailed than my chord mojo

Thanks for the reply. It seems the Nu Audio card is a more sophisticated dac/amp than the Mojo.