NovaFidelity/Cocktail Audio N15D - Network Adaptor

Thats as good as spdif cables get with an rca plug on. Its not fitted with f plugs, but I'd warrant its blameless in terms of measurements of the dac output.

An F plug is a F^>£ing abomination of a plug, used in satellite installations. It just screws onto the folded back braid on the outer of the coax.

Allan

I secretly suspect Naim designed them 

TM3?

Had I known, I'd have ordered from them

So the N15D is now paid for and has been given a long term home in the system.

There was a point a few days ago where i was looking at it and thinking...."£600 RRP? Am i really going to spend nearly the same as i did on the DAC for a file delivery system?"

There was an Allo Digione Sig on ebay and i hovered over the BIN button for about 10 minutes as i thought it through. I looked at loads of devices like this, but none made me think "yes, i will try that one"

I think the issue with this particular part of the digital chain is the idea that it only has to send data to a DAC and it's the DAC that does all the work. In ordere to get my brain around it, i tried to see the digital chain as an analogue one.

The NovaFidelity being the TT, the Soekris being the Phonostage.

I started to feel a lot more at ease with the idea of speding an almost equal amount on the NovaFidelity.

However, as with most things hifi, it's either the Brand name, the looks or the osund that parts folk from their money. The looks didnt come into it, the name is not what one would describe as "well known" either. SO for me, this decision came down entirely to SQ.

The installation of the SSD into the N15D has been really eye opening. The Soekris has opened up vastly. Elton John's - Rocket Man became genuinly unbelievable. I am not a huge EJ fan or anything like that but this song offers so much to listen to in normal circumstances. I listened a few times in a row to really take in all the new space, detail and overall change to the way the track came across.

It was like i was listening to a different set of speakers in truth. A auditory system being teased and taunted by little bits of floating micro detail and the odd tap, knock or click in the track just appearing from behind the speakers to pull your attention back in. I have wondered if my cup of tea had magic mushrooms in, but alas, the gaffer suggests not.

I am not suggesting that the N15D is the best at this job BTW, nor am i suggesting the Soekris is either, but they are doing things here that i have only heard in much more expensive systems, albeit to a slighter more diluted scale. I suspect dropping the X50D into the mix may yield improvement, but i doubt i would get all of it's ability in my room.

That said, if one came up cheap, i would be all over it.

I am now VERY happy to listen to this Digital system now and that gap to vinyl is getting smaller and smaller by the track.

Spot on mate. It's the source isn't it and I just couldn't get my mind through it.

I don't know how good it is Vs everything out there but I am loving it.

Like i say, i don;t know how it compares with other similar units, but i know it made the Allo USBridge sound 2D and dead in comparison.

Other than that, i think a "digital day out" may be required to see whats what!

Mr C has loaned me a couple of bits to be fair, and I haven't bought any of them as they weren't my cuppa T.

Also, seeing how my purchase represents about 0.1% profit compared to that of one sale of a TAD DAC or something similarly monstrous in price, I am sure he could live without my contribution to his yearly income 🤣🤣

Seriously, it was good of him to loan it me, as it wasn't ex demo etc it was BNIB and the second I opened it, it was devalued a little. All with absolutely no conversation about it or messages about how I'm doing etc. He just sent it up, and left me alone. No hassle.

It gave me the opportunity to really settle down and evaluate it.

Yes, this may be a very well trodden path to a sale that someone with Tony's experience would know to do, but believe me this hasn't always been the case.....I loaned a DAC off a dealer once and it was incessant harassment about buying it or sending it back.

I couldn't get my head into the listening so it went back.

If I didn't love it, I wouldn't have bought it and Tony knows this. As do most of you by now?

Forums do open up the eyes to things that Magazines don't cover, usually great kit that is off the radar, but the amount of people who act as experienced authoritative voices or gurus, and don't know what they are talking about is staggering.

I think most of us know quite a lot about one aspect, some of another aspect and F#ck all about most other stuff in comparison.....trouble is, some folk just don't know how much they don't know. Makes it easy to get led a-stray by these HiFi Guru's.

Look at the digital thread as an example, and the stepped sine wave that doesn't actually exist. Yet bonafide YouTubers who are generating income are spouting this bollocks!

Tread carefully, audition as much gear as you can and make up your own mind. Try and define what it is you like about certain gear and keep chipping away at that path/idea and introduce it into your setup.

That's the only way to make the right gear choices Imo.

Yes, they certainly are.

I have read on TAS that the Asus version gets a rave review but I didn't want to go down that route.

Oh ok.....

Sounds good but must be some way to go if it still isn't sounding better than your turntable 

Good for Mr T showing how a dealer should do things. My local dealer would not lend anything out even if you offered to deposit the full purchase price and only wanted to try it over the weekend.


God knows how much he could have sold me over the years but instead I went to the second hand market so I wouldn't take an enormous hit if I didn't like it. He's out of business now.

There should be some clear sky between the vinyl and the digital. There certainly was (for me anyway) in Marco's system and he's pretty much maxed out both.

Can't believe you don't have a phono stage right now. You design and build them!

In my opinion it was clearly better, not an opinion he shares though

For me the important thing is that the rest of the system is optimised to play to the strengths of digital. Otherwise it's always going to be a disappointment compared to a serious vinyl set-up.

I won't forget the first time I managed that, that was the point were the scales fell from my eyes. Previously I had always been in the 'Vinyl is better, why are we even discussing this?' camp.