NICEHCK NX7

I bought those IEM 2 years ago, paired with F.Audio Xs-03 and FA3. I used them shortly then replaced with other iem because of their bad sounding. Those DAPs have an output impedance of 20 or so ohms on the SE outputs and I think higher on the BAL outputs. I read that multi-BA iems are affected by an high Zout unlike DD-only iem (the TFZ Essence sound good with F.Audio daps) then the Nx7 is maybe too sensitive to high Zout (some KZ multi-BA iems are not bad paired with F.Audio, as well as the NiceHCK M6) So, my 3-star rating if an halfway between usage with the now dismissed F.Audio and my last new DAP.

BUILD AND CONFORT - Looks solid, the design of the faceplate is nothing special. Good fit, the metal nozzle allow good fit and insertion achieving nice isolation. Quite good confort.

SOUND (Part one, with F.Audio DAPs, balanced output) -
Bass is deep with good sub-bass rumble and good texture. The upper bass is quite messy with little definition.
Midrange is recessed, unnatural and weird, seems that the 4 BA are a bit outphased and not coherent. Overall unpleasant.
Highs are brilliant, too brilliant, emphasized by the recessed mid-range.
Very detailed but also harsh, the piezo seem strong but not very refined.
Soundstage is unnatural, affected by the uncoherency of the BAs and excessive brilliance of the piezo.

Overall, I would give 2 stars.

SOUND (Part 2, with HiBy R3 Pro Saber, 3,5 SE output) -
The HiBy DAP has a Zout of 2 ohm on both SE and BAL outputs.
Bass is similar even if a bit more powerful than F.Audio DAPs
that has bass roll-off unlike the HiBy R3.
Midbass is nicely textured and a bit recessed.
Midrange is quite cold but musical and tonally correct, far better than with F.Audio. I wondered how much it improved switching from F.Audio to HiBy, it really seem that the Zout played a big role on the way the BAs working.
The highs remain too brilliant and harsh, tamed by the far better presence of the midrange so they are lesser fatiguing but still unnatural.
Soundstage is average, anyway improved and enjoyable than before with F.Audio

Overall I would give 3,5 stars so the rate of 3 stars is due in my opinion to the too high sensitivity to the Zout. I made a quick try to my IEMs in SE to compare with the BAL out of the R3 that is definitely better, but not with Nx7. The Nx7 drove by the BAL out of the R3 Pro Saber keeps all the pros shown on the SE out except the highs that become hyper detailed and fatiguing. Even if the bass is tighter and more energetic, overall I would prefer to stay on the SE out.
All this if not wanting to work with EQ and MSEB that can partially fix some issues... (the HiBy's MSEB works very nice, however)

Greetings,

Today we're taking a quick look at the NX7 from NiceHCK.

NiceHCK is an online retailer that in recent years has started developing in-house products under their store name. The NX7 is a fairly ambitious release combining seven drivers of three drivers types into one surprisingly compact, KZ-esque shell.

With dual-dynamic drivers, four balanced armatures, and one piezoelectric ceramic driver per side, the NX7 certainly impresses on paper, but does it impress in the ears? Let's find out.

Disclaimer:

To my surprise, given my negative feedback on the N3, Jim from NiceHCK reached out well before the NX7 was announced and asked if I would like to give feedback on a prototype earphone that was in the works. I said sure, knowing literally nothing about the product except that it was an iem. The NX7 prototype arrived, I listened for a few weeks and sent back some feedback along with the EQ settings I used.

Despite my involvement leading up to the retail release of the NX7, my thoughts will remain as unbiased as possible. This review is my unaltered, subjective opinion on the retail copy of the NX7 based on time spent listening to it throughout the month of August. It does not represent NiceHCK or any other entity. At the time of writing, it was retailing for around 66 USD. You can check it out here: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000013594343.html

Personal Preference:

I listen primarily to various EDM sub-genres (liquid drum and bass, breakbeat, drumstep, etc.), hip hop, and classic rock. My preferences for earphone tuning are quite relaxed and as such their is no one signature I look for. The HiFiMAN RE800, Brainwavz B400, and Massdrop x MeeAudio Planamic are examples of earphones with wildly varied signatures that are enjoyable for different reasons. I generally listen at very low volumes, so keep this in mind when perusing my thoughts on how an earphone sounds.

Sources:

Portable: Shanling M0, Shanling M0 or LG G6 with a Periodic Audio Nickel amp
@home: TEAC HA-501 with a Shanling M0 or Asus FX53V sourcing music

Specifications:

Frequency Response: 20-25,000Hz
Sensitivity: 108dB/mW
Impedance: 55ohms


Packaging and Accessories:

The NX7 arrives in a very standard package similar to what other brands like TRN and Knowledge Zenith have been doing as of late. The exterior sheath contains a clean image of the NX7's earpieces, preformed ear guides, and braided cable, along with the usual branding and model details. On the back you find specs in three languages. Lift off the sheath and you find the NX7 nestled within a foam insert and a cardboard box with the accessories, all covered by a clear plastic window. In all you get:

NX7 earphones
Braided 2-pin tinned copper cable
Fabric carrying bag
Velcro cable strap
Small bore, single flange tips
Medium bore, single flange tips

Overall a solid unboxing. The tips are generic as ever but they work just fine (esp. the medium bore set), and I really appreciate the inclusion of a carrying bag. Yeah, it's not going to offer much protection but it will help keep the cable neatly wrapped when not in use, plus it's more than the aforementioned brands offer.

Build, Comfort, and Isolation:

Build quality of the NX7 is good. The over-ear shape will be familiar to anyone that has bought a KZ or TFZ within the last couple years, though it's thinner and offers a cleaner, lower profile. The aluminum face plate doesn't have the most attractive design I've seen, but you can't deny the machining quality is outstanding. The 2 pin system is similar to what KZ and TFZ do. The 2-pin port protrudes from the shell while the plug on the cable wraps around it. I prefer what NiceHCK has done though. The plug's plastic feels thicker and more durable, and the port protrudes less from the shell. It all just comes across a bit tougher and that much more resistant to unexpected damage.

The cable seems to be getting a lot of flack from the community which I don't get. It's pretty much the same as what KZ has been offering with their recent releases, but with a better relieved 90 degree angled plug and more importantly, a chin cinch!! Woo!! Great addition NiceHCK. The preformed ear guides are also naturally curved and stiff enough to keep the cable behind the ear, even during heavy movement. I like this cable a lot and felt no need to move away from it during my testing. That said, I did try other cables as suggested by prominent members of the Head-fi community and Jim of NiceHCK himself, but I always went back to the stock option. It's perfectly fine.

Comfort is a strong point for the NX7. The shell is very ergonomic and feels great to wear for long periods. It's not particularly big or heavy, and being so low profile ends up being something that gets out of the way during use.

Isolation is about average, maybe slightly above, at least with silicone tips. The shells are vented to ensure the dynamic driver can breath, which also lets in outside noise. Toss on some foam tips and things improve marginally. I found these fine to use in noisy areas, like a coffee shop, with the caveat being some volume boost is needed which may push the treble quantity over the edge for some people.


Sound Quality:

Tips: I found the NX7 fairly receptive to different tips. My preference was the stock medium bore (medium size) pair. Small bore tips made the treble really sharp and wide vbore tips made it extra splashy. I didn't much of a change in the mids or low end. Foams sucked up some of the treble but smoothed out the dynamic driver's texture

The NX7 comes at you with a fairly mild v-shaped signature with treble getting most of the attention thanks to the addition of that piezoelectric driver. The piezo has a sharp, dry quality to it compared to the armatures and dynamic which are a bit more organic and natural, meaning the overall presentation isn't as coherent as I've heard from other products in the price range, though it's also far from the worst. In general I like the sound and it is the best implementation of piezo tech I've heard so far.

Starting with the NX7's upper ranges, treble is prominent with a fairly notable upper spike that gives it a sparkle-rich presentation, though one that is somewhat splashy. Extension seems to be quite good without any of the notable drop off that hindered products like the Massdrop x Mee Audio Planamic or Brainwavz M100. It is much more akin to the KZ AS16 in terms of emphasis, but with somewhat less aggressive spikes. Where the NX7 really shines is in clarity and detail thanks to a forward lower treble. Often brands will boost treble to increase perceived detail, whereas here it just serves to highlight actual detail. If you like to listen quietly, a situation where earphones often sound dull and lacking dynamics, the NX7 might be right up your alley since it retails impressive amounts of fine detail at any volume.

Female vocals fall on the light and lean side whereas male vocalists are replicated with a slightly fuller, more weighty presentation, but still kinda lean. I typically enjoy this style of product so while I don't really consider any of this a negative, some undoubtedly will, particularly if they are used to thick, mid-bassy tunes. Beside competitors like the KZ ZS10 Pro, the NX7's mid-range comes across less balanced from lower to upper, with a lighter, less accurate timbre. This is exacerbated further when comparing to something even warmer and more timbre accurate like the Final Audio E2000. Overall the mid-range presence is a bit weedy in terms of weight and prominence, yet very clear and full of detail.

The low end of the NX7 is a strength to my ears. It is only slightly elevated with good extension. It doesn't rumble on deep sub-bass notes like Shozy's Hibiki MK.2 or the TRN V80, but it also manages mid- and sub-bass balance more effectively. Texturing is stellar with grungy notes replicated accordingly well, and control is good. A bit more speed and slam would be appreciated, but as is the presentation should be quite inoffensive for the vast majority of listeners. The NX7 handles rapid double bass no problem, and doesn't trip up with there are multiple bass lines fighting each other, as is common in the EDM I listen to.

Thanks to all that upper treble energy, I found the NX7 to sound pretty spacious and open for a product with a comparatively small shell and so many drivers crammed inside. Stage depth is greater than width, though channel to channel imaging remains crisp and accurate. Using these with gaming was satisfactory, though the limited width did hinder my ability to tracks sounds at the outer edges of the audible area (ex. foot steps around a house began and ended closer than they actually were). Not my favorite for gaming, but passable.


Final Thoughts:

Overall I find the NX7 a very competent earphone with some really positive qualities. The level of detail and clarity afforded by it's seven drivers is nearly unmatched in the segment. The low end is tastefully boosted and free of bloat, though I would like more sub-bass emphasis. The peizo... that can go. It's presentation is not to my liking and hinders what is otherwise a coherent sounding product, plus, it's on the splashy side. At least it's not grainy like the prototype was.

For my tastes, I'd still rather pick up a KZ ZSN or ZS10 Pro, or any of TinHIFI's sub-100 USD offerings. They provide more refined and mature listening experiences to my ear, probably thanks to their use of common driver tech and less experimentation in the form of a piezoelectric driver. Still, the NX7 is a fine sounding product with a lot going for it. It's the best implementation of a piezoelectric driver I've heard so far, and I really hope companies like NiceHCK continue to develop and refine it. The potential is there, it just hasn't been fully realized as of yet.

Thanks for reading!

- B9Scrambler

*If you enjoyed this review, visit The Contraptionist for more just like it.*

***** ***** ***** ***** *****

Some Test Tunes:

Aesop Rock – The Impossible Kid (Album)
Hail Mary Mallon – Are You Going to Eat That? (Album)
King Crimson – Lark’s Tongues in Aspic (Album)
King Crimson – Starless and Bible Black (Track)
Supertramp – Crime of the Century (Album)
Infected Mushroom – Legend of the Black Shawarma (Album)
Gorillaz – Plastic Beach (Album)
Massive Attack – Mezzanine (Album)
Fleetwood Mac – Rumors (Album)
Run the Jewels – Run the Jewels (Album)
The Prodigy – The Day is My Enemy (Album)
Tobacco – screw*d Up Friends (Album)
Felt – Felt 2 (A Tribute to Lisa Bonet) (Album)
Michael Jackson – Thriller (Album)
The Crystal Method – Grace (feat. LeAnn Rimes) (Track)
Jidenna – Long Live the Chief (Track)
Skrillex – Ragga Bomb (Track)
Big Grams – Run for Your Life (Track)
Funkadelic – Maggot Brain (Track)
Aesop Rock – Fishtales (Track)

disclaimer: bought at NiceHCK when released so no disclaimer needed. Arrived 8/5.



Unboxing / Packaging:

Packaging of the Nx7 is typical for Nicehck, white outer box with open face cardboard box inside. The front has announces the make and model while the reverse shows more detailed specifications. Inside we find the earpieces nestled in a foam tray with a box below housing the accessory kit. The kit is comprised of cable, cable tie, 6 sets of silicone tips (SML) in two styles and a cloth carry bag. I will say the kit is more in line with the newly lowered price than with the initial pricing as no hard case, balanced cable, shirt clip, or additional items were packaged as would be expected in a flagship model.




Build/Fit:

Shells are a three piece affair with a metal outer shell, a clear plastic inner shell and a brass nozzle. Having removed one of the metal faceplates, you can see that the underside is recessed and that the internals actually are not entirely contained by the inner shell. The inner shell is smoked transparent plastic with a single vent behind the nozzle directly over the dynamic driver. Nozzles exit the lead edge with an upward rake and a pronounced lip. The rear of the shell has L/R indicators as do the hoods on the cable for easy mating. The bi-pin connector is mounted about 2mm above flush but unlike some is unobtrusive enough that non-hooded cables can be used if desired.

Fit is good as the shells are not overly large and the teardrop shape is pretty standard. With the tip-up only style cable, weight is a non-issue, and standard tips give lots of options for finding good fitting options.





Internals:

The Nx7 is a technology dog and pony show with 7 drivers per earpiece. Each ear has 4 balanced armature drivers, a 10mm dual diaphragm graphene coated dynamic driver, and a piezoelectric ceramic driver. having failed to find any information on what balanced armatures are used, I attempted to remove the faceplate to see. Unfortunately, as seen below, that got me a great shot of the crossover, but told me little else about the internals.

Nominal impedance is listed as 55Ω with a sensitivity of 108 dB/mW. This is right on the borderline of what the LG phone can handle if forced into high output mode and is probably best reserved for higher powered sources as I found it to be poor when used from phones or tablets. The Nx7 needs the additional power to bring the drivers into proper phase as it sounds considerably more coherent when driven from something like the xCAN than when driven by a cellphone alone.






Cable:

The cable is a standard length (1.2m) cable terminated with a 90º 3.5mm TRS jack. Cable is a 4 wire twist (double helix, each pair twisted and then pairs twisted together) in brown casing up to the small black plastic splitter, then exits as two twisted pairs as it continues northward. A chin-slider is provided immediately above the splitter. Terminations at the earpieces have pre-formed earhooks and blakc plastic housed .78mm hooded bi-pin connectors. A cable tie is also provided to round out the package. Overall the cable is usable, but less than expected in a flagship level product as it comes closer to resembling the typical KZ cable than it does the typical NiceHCK upgrade cable or other high end offerings. At this price point, I think including the upgraded cable would be a welcome addition.





Sound:

First off, some discussion of tips is warranted. I tried several tips during my listening sessions with the Nx7 and found it's signature could be altered, in some cases significantly depending on tip style. I had initially thought that with its bright personality a Comply or other foam might be in order, but those did little to improve the treble and did too much at the low end for my tastes. I found the best synergy with narrow bore silicones as the wide bores tended to accentuate the low end more than I find appealing.





Bass:

Sub-bass extension on the Nx7 is quite good, but may go unnoticed at first as it is largely overshadowed by the top-end. Sub-bass roll-off doesn't become noticable until one reaches the low 30Hz/ high 20Hz range and provides good rumble when called upon. Mid bass steps back from the sub-bass emphasis but still has good solid thump while retaining good control. Speed is good with attack being slightly faster than decay (Speaking of the bass here as speed gets faster the further you go up the scale and actually passes the point where it no longer sounds natural a bit above the region being discussed here). Bass texture is good, but not spectacular but detail is above average for the price point. Not a great basshead choice for sure, but bass is probably the best tuned region of the Nx7's signature in my estimation. Bass is very responsive to EQ and can be pushed considerably forward for those who desire more rumble and thump. I found the XBass function of the Ifi products worked quite well for this.



Mids:

The lower-mids are inline with the mid-bass and are subject to some mild mid-bass bleed and then climb fairly rapidly as you move into the mids and lower treble. It is rare for me to say this, but I find myself wishing the Nx7 had a bit more mid-bass bleed as it would add a bit more warmth for a fairly sterile sounding signature. Unfortunately, because of the recessed lower-mids, lower range vocals tend to feel a bit more distant than their higher pitched counterparts. Strings also suffer a similar fate as some sound forward and others slightly recessed depending on pitch. Overall, even with the forward push, mids come off as a bit thin and electric guitar tonality is a bit sharper edged than it should be. The upside, is mid details are reasonably good and the signature is fairly clean with little overlap or thickening as tracks get more complex. Acoustic guitar, especially in the upper registers is very clean and detailed with good tonality. Overall, I'd wish for a bit fuller mids with a bit more lower-mid presence. The Nx7 Shines with acoustic guitar and female vocal mixes. I particularly liked a couple of Stevie Nicks/Lindsey Buckingham tracks that combined the two.



Treble:

Treble really needs to be divided into several discussions. The lower treble region is not atypical of NiceHCK's other recent BA offerings. The Piezo-electric super tweeter on the other hand is primarily designed for extending the range above and beyond what the BA offers and is responsible for the sizzle and air at the top end. Without knowing exactly the cross-over frequency between the balanced armatures and the piezo, it would be easy to assume that either the Piezo is crossed too low or the BA is overly forward in the mix. I have to say going in I was a bit worried about the Nx7's use of the Piezo element as the N3 had a been a bit of a hot mess and my hope was that the Nx7 wasn't simply a re-use of that same tuning. The good news is it is not. The upper treble is well tuned to add that last bit of detail that is offered by being able to reproduce harmonics of higher pitched instruments. Luckily, it doesn't dominate or become the focal point of the signature. Having said that, the lower treble does dominate things more than it should. The lower-treble is forward and has a couple peaks and valleys that make the Nx7 less than polite and slightly grainy at times. The 4kHz and 7kHz peaks dominate the treble signature and are easily identified as the fatiguing elements. After the 7kHz peak, the signature falls off fairly rapidly with a gap between 7.5kHz (or so) and 13kHz where the Piezo element introduces itself. Cymbals sound a bit unnatural due to the peaks and valleys and while air is good, sparkle can come across more as sizzle at times. (The attack on a harsh snare is a good example of this). I Found the Nx7 top end is not as responsive to EQ as the low end and while some of the 4k and 7k spikes and the dip in-between can be EQ'd to a more level response, it cannot be made dead flat in that region.



Soundstage / Imaging:

Soundstage is deeper than it is wide with some sense of height but would benefit from a bit more height and a bit better width to depth ratio. Because of the shape of the stage, seating the orchestra at times arranges instruments behind one another rather than beside each other as is technically correct. The upside is layering is good and instrument separation is good so although technically incorrect, the sound is still fairly clean and crisp. Imaging suffers a bit from the stage shape and the issues defined above and at times spatial cues are perfectly delivered but at others they come across as awkward or just plain odd. Footfalls in the distance for example sound like they are coming from two distinct locations at the start of Billy Squier's "Rock me Tonight". The knocking on the door on "All Night Long" alternatively sounds really clean and well delivered.



Comparisons:

The Nx7 Started out at a price point of $125usd when first introduced and has since dropped considerably to an average asking price of $75usd on Aliexpress. Having bought mine early on, I had planned to compare it with other products in the $125 class. Instead, I have made my comparisons based on the current price point as I think does the readers more good than sticking to my original plan. Some of these are in my personal collection, but haven't been reviewed yet so they can be thought of as sneak previews of upcoming reviews as well.



NiceHCK ~ M6 / DT500

The M6 and DT500 are NiceHCK's two closest competitors to the Nx7 in their own stable both in driver count and in price tag. The M6 is a 6 driver (2DD/4BA) model, while the DT500 is a 5 driver (All BA) arrangement. Out of the box, the M6 has more bass and less control over it than the Nx7. In order for the bass on the M6 to compete with that on the Nx7, the BGVP vented filter must be used. This resolves some of the looser bass of the M6 but still leaves it falling behind the Nx7 in control as the driver speed on the Nx7 is better than that of the M6. The DT500 has the reverse issue. It has good control of the bass but lacks the extension and slam of the Nx7 with its dynamic driver. Moving up, the DT500 takes the point for mids. The DT500 is much closer to neutral than the M6 or Nx7 and has fuller mids than either. At the top end, we have three very different animals. The M6 has a lower treble emphasis but rolls-off fairly early, The DT500 has better extension and remains closer to neutral without the big lower treble push of the other two. The Nx7 has the best extension of the three but technically has a couple voids at levels below its top end. My leaning is toward the DT500 as it comes closer to neutral across the board but it is also the least engaging of the three. For casual listening, I'd consider the Nx7 an improved M6 in control and detail level and the M6 a slightly less detailed Nx7 with better mids and improved imaging.



Thoughts / Conclusion:

The Nx7 is a technological tour-de-force with 7 drivers of 3 different types per earpiece. Like most technological wonders, some elements are better than others and some of its features will very likely trickle down into other models. We have seen the Piezo element improve from the N3 to the Nx7, and I hope we will see it again in another refinement of the design as it does a good job in the Nx7 of introducing some air to the top end and some additional detail. The Bass driver in the Nx7 is also an element I hope to see make it into additional models as it has great extension and good slam and rumble when called upon without over-reaching. That leaves the balanced armatures in the middle ground that are the most established of the 3 elements used, and unfortunately the poorest of the three in tuning. Overall, those willing to EQ the Nx7 get a very good in-ear for very little money, those unwilling to use EQ will likely find the mids a bit thin and the treble uneven and sometimes a bit harsh. The treble shy will need to EQ the top end considerably in order to enjoy the Nx7. As an evolutionary step from the N3, I see great progress in the Nx7 as it is a much more cohesive product, I still think it is a generation or two away from being fantastic, but we are seeing progress toward it. Without EQ, I'd give the treble 3,5 points as detail and extension are better than average. With judicious EQ, the treble can be brought to a 4 for those willing to make the adjustment. With a couple EQ tweaks, this can be an elite offering in the <$80 range.