For this assignment I will be evaluating the online user’s manual for the Audio-GD NFB-15. This product is a headphone amplifier, preamplifier, and DAC, made in China. The manual is very easy to locate, being linked on the product page itself. Surprisingly, it’s not even in PDF format, and the manual’s web page isn’t exactly print friendly so this can be an immediate problem for some people.
One thing that stands out is that the manual is broken off into sections, opposed to being a wall of text. This is a strong benefit, since it makes it easier to read. It also uses pictures and graphs which again really improve its accessibility.
The manual starts out by telling you how to properly turn the unit on and off. Since the user should turn it on and off in a certain order, they used arrows to indicate what order should be used when powering it on and off. The problem is, the NFB-15 is a multi-purpose device that can take on several roles. For powering the NFB-15, the manual lists “Source power ON —-> NFB-15 power ON —-> Amp power ON “. So it’s telling the user to first turn on the source, then the NFB-15, then the amplifier (amp). The source could be the computer that the NFB-15 is connected to, or it could refer to another DAC which would mean that the NFB-15 is being used as a preamplifier in this statement. Further clarification is necessary here. The NFB-15 can act as a source and/or an amplifier, or as a preamplifier. Since the NFB-15 includes its own amplifier, the “Amp power ON” statement doesn’t apply to everyone. This step of the manual simply doesn’t cover every use of the product. In addition, these exact problems also apply to the instructions for turning it off.
So for this section of the manual, more information is needed. They should have made three additional sections, instead of just the one section which they call “The rule of the power ON / OFF”. Not only does that sentence indicate poor English translation, it doesn’t cover everything. It should be renamed to “How To: Powering The NFB-15 as a Preamplifier”, and then there should be three more sections called:
- “How To: Powering the NFB-15 as a Source Only”
- “How To: Powering the NFB-15 as an Amplifier Only”
- “How To: Powering the NFB-15 as a Source and Amplifier”
Or something along those lines. Now a user would know where to look. This part of the manual needs to be streamlined more.
The next section is quite clear-cut and to the point, but again the poor English is going to throw some people off. It’s not something one can skim through, you have to try and figure out what it’s saying especially if you’re unfamiliar with products like this. If the English translation was more clear, the second section would be just fine.
Poor English translation is really the story for the rest of the manual. The third section (“Please note”) is just some simple lines of text, and the last section is very detailed and filled with a table and pictures. It also lists an older version of the same product, so this manual isn’t just for the latest version. It’s clearly labeled however, so there shouldn’t be any serious problems when reading the last section. They just need a better translator. They also didn’t mention anything about USB drivers, for those who wish to use the product in USB mode. They do mention this elsewhere on the website, but it should really be in the manual. So the manual is not perfect, and it could use a lot of work especially for those who would be heavily reliant on a user’s manual.
