Great! I’m waiting for paperwork to return mine now. They asked me to do two things I knew would not work, including checking an interior fuse. . . that was not there, this unit doesn’t seem to have a fuse. They’re warning me they may not be able to fix it. I hope they can. . . I don’t want a Stellar as it’s size won’t work in my rack as the NuWave does.
When it rains it pours! Yesterday I received my repaired NPC back from Boulder and just today I got a new Stellar phono preamp that I just couldn’t say no too! I chose black.
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I love both the NPC and the SPP. The NPC is great for archiving your records in a digital format. The SPP is a great sounding phono preamp and works well feeding the NPC for recording purposes. The SPP though great it is is not a replacement for the NPC because it lacks the A to D!
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I’m sure the Stellar is awesome, but its size just won’t work for my system, and I don’t want to afford another preamp anyway. Ironically I don’t do any recording to digital with my NuWave, though I do love the ADC and use it to send DSD to my DSD DAC for playback, which in my system with its better cabling sounds better than the analog output to me. And the NuWave just fits with my Rega table so well.
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@wgb113, thanks for starting this thread. I haven’t used vinyl much recently, but noticed a couple of days ago that the display on my NPC doesn’t light up when I press any of the buttons. So it looks like I have the same issue. As with lonson, I have space for a half-width component and I do like the ADC, so I hope I can get the NPC fixed even though the current price on a Stellar phono preamp is excellent.
Another nice feature of the NPC is the analog inputs. I run a tape deck in and then output i2s to the DAC.
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I recently restarted my Nuwave Phono Converter after not using it for a couple of years and discovered I had no display. I could hear that relays were being activated when I pressed the buttons so I assumed it was a display issue. After taking it apart and determining the display was a 2.23" 128 x 32 display so I matched it against a part on ebay. After replacing the original display I found I could see all the menu text except the text was missing the left most vertical line of dots. I assumed this was a default display but found the same with a couple of other sourced replacements. Apart from resetting (which I tried) Is there any other sort of initialization sequence I can trigger for display alignment? Thanks
Am I understanding well? Through the NPC you are playing vinyl from a TT to a DAC? It means it can act like a phono pre, receiving an analog signal (RCA input) and converting it to a digital signal on the go (USB output), sending it to the DAC directly while you are playing music (not only for ripping records on a computer).
If so, you need just a TT and a DAC to play records, is it correct?
The NuWave Phono Converter IS a phono preamp and it has an analog to digital converter that will convert the analog signal to DSD and send it to the DSD Mk2 via I2S–it will do PCM via USB but I don’t use USB. The sound is very very good imo.
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I have found that sometimes having usb connected and active can cause the display to be off. I use my NPC strictly as an a to d to record my records. When ever I turn it on I make my adjustments and than enable the usb. This works out fine for me.
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Thank you Lonson, yes I was wondering if the USB output (not the I2S) should be used ONLY for ripping vinyl to computers or not. I know that it makes no sense but I’m considering an ADC unit to play records with the MSB DAC, without the Stellar Phono and the BHK Pre in the chain. I’m playing vinyls so rarely that a downsize could be a reasonable way, the NPC might be a temporary solution to find out if I’m really ready for that. It’s small, it’s PS Audio, it’s practical and I suppose it sounds decently.
It’s a pity it is discontinued and here in Italy it’s almost impossible to find.
EDIT:
I found the User Manual on PS Audio website, it seems that the only digital outputs that can be used to feed a DAC are HDMI and S/PDIF. While the USB works only with computers.
It is a nice unit. I enjoyed mine. I haven’t used it in years. It would be ideal for what you suggest. As a phono preamp it is fine. Nothing about the phono preamp function stands out at all. It is competent, a tad unengaging, on its way to bland, but it has a way to go to suffer that comment. I would try it if I were you. Get a Master Fuse with it though!!! Lordy!
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Thanks Al, I’ll search for a unit if available nearby!
Oh yes I’m fascinating by these fuses, maybe one day I’ll be able to escape from this rabbit hole. Time will tell. Perhaps I need to gain more experience in audiophile world to avoid that kind of suggestions! Remember, I’m a newby after all!
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