NiPO N2

Greetings my fellow audio enthusiasts, I welcome you to my review of the NiPo N2 DAP! Named after a 9 point line puzzle in the style of Sam Loyd’s famous work, NiPO (Nine-Point) is attempting to set itself apart from the pack with a unique mission statement: breaking through existing knowledge and experience, breaking free from fixed thinking patterns and transforming perspectives. Those are some big ideas, but for a brand built on engineers who love music, and actually listen to music, perhaps it’s indeed fitting. And the fact that, at the time of writing, the N2 is the most powerful DAP ever, that it fits in your back pocket with 13+hrs of battery life - well, they certainly seem to be on to something here. Did they succeed? You’ll have to keep reading to find out!


Funny enough, this is actually my first review of a DAP, though certainly not my first review. A DAP has very specific attributes, tons of tech and a sound all its own instead of merely impacting a sonic taste to existing gear like cables do. IEMs have tech too, but drivers and crossovers are a far cry from the myriad components in a DAP. So this is something new, and I’m really excited about it. I’ve clocked 1000s of hours over the years using every DAP I could get my hands on, riffling through companies’ TOTL offerings like a man possessed. Starving for the best, an endless search towards perfection, as has been the case in my audio pursuits since the beginning. I have very high standards and/or expectations, as I do with all things in my life, and only the best stuff survives my torture tests and unfathomably varied tastes. My daily driver DAP for the last two years or so has been the L&P LP6 Ti AE which could (and should) be considered the best DAP ever made. I also love L&P’s fantastic P6 Pro and E7, the DX320 MAX is a new love of mine, and the Sony WM1ZM2 and A&K SP3K were with me for a while too. Why do I mention these? Well, because while the N2 is a new DAP, and from a fairly new company, it has already shown it can forge a spot amongst these legends, despite being cheaper than the rest. Really, it’s an amazing unit, with a ton of great features and enormous power. I’m not saying it’s the best, but what you get is a tremendous DAP, and a shockingly impressive debut from NiPO. The most important thing is to sound stellar and musical too, and that my friends the N2 does in spades.






Coming from China, NiPo is a “new company” at least as far as we in the west are concerned. While some have called the N2 their first DAP that is not the case; the N1 was out there before. What could be said is the N2 is their first polished and flagship DAP to enter the market, and what a doozy it is. What might grab your attention first is the power output; over 2.5W!!! Yes, you read that correctly, the stated power is currently about double that of the enormously powerful DX320 MAX. I was stunned, it must be huge and heavy right? Nope. It’s TINY, LIGHT, and extremely portable (348g!) I have no idea how they did it, but the N2 fits into my back jeans pocket like a cell phone. So it’s crazy powerful, it must be a total clunker right? They forgot to add features and it sounds like a cold wet fish? Nope again. The N2 sounds awesome, I was really blown away. It has quite the analog vibe, a big impactful sound with nicely weighted notes. A large, wide stage, fantastic resolution, great deep bass, a smooth top end, and textured mids that make me come back for more. What’s the catch? So far I haven’t really found one. It’s a very impressive package that I can’t fault sonically considering its entry price of $2600 (which for a flagship DAP is on the low side). Even the unit itself is very well built, feels solid in hand, has fantastic battery life, a good screen and a clean Android interface. While everyone has very different tastes in music, presentation and styles, I would have a hard time not suggesting the NiPO N2 to try.


I have spent a ton of time with this thing - in fact, I decided to bring only the N2 on tour with me, almost two months with a brand new unit that I had essentially no experience with before leaving. I was actually pretty nervous, what if I didn’t love it? I would be stuck with it, nothing else to swap out. And initially while it was indeed impressive; the stage and details wow’ed, it was a touch cold and sterile sounding, with an emphasis on the lower treble that concerned me. Out of the box I started feeling like I’d made a mistake. So instead of freaking out, I put it on loop in the closet, and let it sit on burn-in for 200hrs or so. (I’m a big believer of burn-in, but the results here were very surprising) When I finally listened to it I was like “Wow!” What a difference, it was fatter and more warm, more lush and beautiful, with this deep impactful sub bass that made my guts squirm with glee. I’ve never heard such a dramatic difference after burning in. In the end I clocked 100s of hours with this thing on tour, and over the course of eight weeks I listened every single day, and loved every minute of it. I was actually very happy with my decision to bring only one DAP, as I had no choice but to delve head first in a very in-depth and continuously transformative jam session with all of its ins and outs. No Pun intended







I know what you’re going to ask, with all that power how does it handle the STORM? Like a boss. Even at very loud listening levels the N2 doesn’t break a sweat, easily rumbling my ears off at 50% power on High gain. It’s a beast. It also powers anything else too; my Traillii Ti sings, my Rhapsodio prototype’s 5G Magnetostatic Driver has plenty of headroom, and even my 64A 18t is dead quiet and highly dynamic.

Is it perfect? Nothing is, but it sure is a lot of fun!

While sonically I am very impressed, there are two small hardware gripes I have which do detract from a perfect score. The buttons are simply too easy to push accidentally. And when you adjust the volume knob this screen pops up, like A&K DAPs do, which drives me kind of nuts. But that’s it, really. The buttons are a hardware choice, normally with Android DAPs I turn them off, I just don’t want to deal with it, but the N2 doesn’t offer that option. The N2 buttons aren’t way too light, it’s just something that I do hit by accident sometimes, like when I pick up the DAP, or move it, I can skip a track or turn the screen on/off accidentally. This might not bother other people, I come from a DAP with recessed buttons so that could also contribute to this issue for me.

The second hitch (that volume screen) could simply be fixed with a FW update, one that I have asked for already, and I feel pretty confident/hopeful it will be provided in the near future. I know NiPO designed it that way, but I think for a lot of us, we’d certainly prefer the ability to turn it off and adjust the volume without such an invasive distraction. There’s also the small aside that on some screens - like the power off screen - the font doesn’t match the rest of the UI. Even one line of text isn’t centered, as if it slid to the left and stopped just shy of the left edge for fear of falling off. I can nitpick with the best of them, I know.

That’s about it for negatives. It is not a cheap DAP, $2600 at time of writing, but that puts it squarely under the prices of the Sony, the SP3K, 320MAX and other TOTL offerings out there. So for less you’re getting, in my humble opinion, a very competitive device with a ton of power and great sonics. I think it sits squarely in the same arena as other TOTLs, and in some ways I prefer it over them, the sum of its parts being the deciding factor. For my preferences, I think the N2 firmly squashes the SP3K, mostly keeps up with the 320MAX (being way smaller and with more juice) and of course out-powers the Sony (and SP3K) while having a somewhat similarly analog vibe, but with more detail and a bigger stage. I’m not saying it beats those DAPs, that would surely be blasphemous! But it gives them a run for their money, undoubtedly so. Did I already mention it’s crazy powerful? That surely adds to the charm.







Before we get into all the details, let me do my usual gear rundown and disclaimer here first:

- I received the N2 directly from NiPO as a demo unit. Nothing was asked of me, no promise of a positive review, only to share my impressions, feelings and experience. My thoughts are my own, and I am in no way affiliated with NiPO.

- I review because I love doing so, it’s a great source of joy for me. I take it very seriously, as I know people rely on reviews before they shell out cash for their gear, just like I do myself. For that reason I only review things that interest me, things I would maybe buy for myself. That doesn’t mean my reviews are slanted or influenced, I pride myself on being very neutral and sharing my thoughts in a way that I hope will benefit the community. Honesty and no fluff. If I recommend something, it’s because I genuinely loved it, and I think you may too.

- The NiPo N2 isn’t cheap, the current price is $2600. But, as I said earlier, this is a very fair and aggressive pricing point considering what you get.

- For direct comparison I used my LP6 Ti AE and iBasso DX320MAX. They are both very powerful so the comparison makes sense to me. From memory and my notes I will also compare the Sony WM1ZM2 and SP3K, though I was not able to make a direct AB test. Sometimes I also used my SAEQ Morpheus amp with either SAEQ Silver Blade or Cardas Golden Cross ICs.

- IEMs used were Traillii Ti, STORM, Rhapsodio SV3 and Analog Prototype, TSAD Model3, as well as my 64A 18t for reference. The N2 was burned in for 200hrs before critical listening began.

- I start out with a very varied playlist of testing tracks to form my initial thoughts, and then spend several weeks/months with the review sample simply listening to whatever inspires me, like I normally would. I then come back to the testing tracks to solidify my impressions before sitting down to write the review. I also listen while I write, one of my favorite parts.

- I love all kinds of music, and to form an honest opinion for any piece of gear I think it absolutely necessary to test with lots of different kinds of music. If you’re taking a reviewer’s word about a piece of gear you want to spend your hard earned cash on, in my opinion, you absolutely should take into consideration how their musical tastes match or differ from your own.

My ever evolving testing playlist for your discovery is available here: www.tonetexturesoul.com/testing


Without further ado, let’s get into it!

BUILD - UNBOXING​

As I stated earlier, the N2 is built super well, feels lovely in hand with a solid and premium presentation. Despite being very light (348g) and very small and thin, it feels pretty luxurious. It reminds me of the Sony WM1ZM2, but a whole lot smaller, thinner and way lighter. Adorned with dark gold accents against a black case, there is less bling to the NiPO compared to the Sony. The gold is closer to burnt Sienna than the usual shiny gold that comes on a lot of Asian hardware, and I for one really appreciate the mellower visual vibe. Settled in its dark forest green case it’s rather unobtrusive and unassuming, flying under the radar, you might very well miss it at an audio store if you weren’t offered to try it. The jacks feel tight and secure, the volume knob has a nice click to it and feels top end with just a touch of play. Everything about the N2 feels premium, which is quite something for a company’s first real TOTL product. My small qualm with the hardware, the side buttons being too easy to push accidentally, is unfortunate. They are basically flush, with the case off they do feel nice, with a solid click despite their very shallow travel. Add the case and it’s much harder to know when you’re touching them, and with a simple grab of the device, if you’re not paying close attention, you’ll for sure skip a track or turn on/off the screen by accident. They do click nicely, they are simply too lightly weighted/flush and too easy to push without intention.

I will admit that I use primarily my LP6 Ti AE, which has recessed buttons, making it all but impossible to hit them by accident. I’ve thusly grown accustomed to holding the sides of my DAPs with a bit more force, and less attention to where my fingers are placed on the sides, so perhaps I just need to pay more attention? If that’s the case, and others feel the same, I will happily eat these words. The same thing happens to me with the MAX, though to a much lesser degree. My L&P E7 had flush buttons and I found I needed to click them with authority in order to engage them. I remember the Sony buttons being almost too hard to click, even when desired. On the MAX I have them turned off while the screen is off, that fixes that for me. Might the N2 be able to do that in the future? Obviously none of this is a deal breaker, but perhaps more than a nitpick. I am certain reaching here for some kind of negative, the N2 is really very good and deserves praise for its design.

The N2 offers a very premium unboxing experience, with a lovely leather case and nice accessories. It even has a screen protector applied from the factory, which is a nice bonus. The big case’s black stitching and small NiPO logos permeating all over remind me of a top end handbag. A big gold NiPO logo assures you this is indeed something they put great pride in, and want you to feel like you’ve purchased something very special. As is the case with a lot of included accessories in premium audio, the leather storage case is great but serves primarily for shipping and unboxing. I wouldn’t use the case daily, to protect the device, or short term storage either. Its a large black leather case, it houses the DAP and some accessories like a cable, but once you’ve opened it up and taken the toys out, it’s probably going in the closet to be forgotten about. You can’t fit the DAP inside with the case on, so that kind of diverges away from the main point of a nice case. That’s my feeling at least, I know that a premium unboxing for many is a sure sign of quality, so I’ll leave it at that. It is one of the nicest and most classy cases I’ve seen with a DAP, more like the APX SE unboxing experience than something like that SP3K or MAX. No cardboard and funny origami flaps here. The LP6 Ti comes in a fancy wooden box, bringing to mind more of a Japanese samurai object than a DAP, but now we’re talking $6k and a lot of that is prestige.

IN USE​

In use the N2 is a joy, and because of its pure(ish) Android skin and simplified UI, it seems to have less of a bloated feeling than other Android DAPs I’ve previously used. It boots up fast, plays nearly immediately, and gets by with a lot less options and selector switches too. I always use UAPP as my music player on Android, this way I know for sure I’m getting the best audio output the device is capable of, as well as unifying my experience across all the Android DAPs I demo. Speaking of options, the N2 has a few things to tweak the sound, but in general remains quite simple, which I personally like. You have High, medium and low gain output options, they work as expected - I always keep my DAPas on High gain as I find it the most dynamic. Of course you can lower it, but I find N2’s volume control granulated enough to handle any of my IEMs with ease on high gain. One thing to note, when using LO you only get high gain, which is 2v. With my Morpheus it sounds great, but I would definitely prefer to have some choice here, as the steps get a bit too big otherwise. Perhaps in a FW update, or this could be a hardware limitation I suppose.

There is only the basic audio settings tab in the Android system settings, where you can control the digital DAC volume, and the usual basic amenities. That means all the main adjustments come only in the drop down menu, which is fine by me. You have gain, LO, Wifi and BT, as well as NiPO’s DSP filter presets. There are seven settings, and they do in fact sound different, easily differentiated while listening. I would have a hard time to describe exactly what each is doing, the best is to close your eyes and click through them. Some give more bass, or more punch, faster and crisper edges or more relaxed transients, or a combination of these things. They are useful, and I found myself using primarily either minimum phase (which I think is the default) or LP Apodiz (I have no idea what Apodiz means) It would be nice if NiPO gave us some kind of confirmation which is the default, they all show up blue so there is no way to know for sure what was the intended factory setting. Minimum phase seems like it would be default, and if you like that sound with a touch more bass quantity then the LP Apodiz setting is what I would use. I ended up gravitating to those two, but honestly I just sat there blindly shuffling until I found the one I liked best. I suggest you do the same.






While listening to music the N2 UI is wonderful, and as uncluttered and non-invasive as any Android DAP. My only real gripe is the volume page that comes on whenever you adjust the volume wheel. It’s a dark screen with the volume in a large stepped circle graphic (similar to Sony’s Gold wheel), and underneath a gain level selector. You can continue using the volume wheel, or simply click where you want on the circle to adjust via the screen. You can also adjust between L, M, and H gain respectively. In theory this seems like a great idea, but in use I found it rather cumbersome. Sometimes I just want to adjust the volume, and keep seeing what I’m doing. To get rid of the page requires you to swipe up, instead of simply clicking anywhere on the screen like the A&K DAPs do. Who is adjusting their gain settings so often as to need access on this page? Strangely the font on this page doesn’t match the rest of the UI. It seems a bit larger, lower res even, and a bit out of place. Is this a big deal? No, and of course not a deal-breaker.

When you hold the power button to turn the unit off, you’re greeted with the power off screen, which is fine and normal. What doesn’t seem normal to me is that the text isn’t centered, it’s almost touching the left edge of the screen, and just looks odd. Again, the font doesn’t match the rest of the UI, nor does the feel of the screen overall. I would guess NiPO spent so much time on the sonics that they “forgot” about checking things like this. This I can forgive, as L&P almost guarantees their products to have some strange and easily fixed UI component that looks “off” or weird, or doesn’t even work at all. I get that sound is all that matters, and I agree, totally. This isn’t something I lose sleep over, sound is PARAMOUNT. But guys like me who are also dubiously OCD and see this stuff should speak up to help improve a product if it can, be improved.

I’ve alerted NiPO to all of these little idiosyncrasies and they were very open and genuinely interested They even thanked me for brining them to their attention which I found to be refreshing and commendable. A company not only willing but eager to improve their product, and listen to their users is a plus in my book. So I think we have a FW update in the works that may very well address much of this, hooray!

TECH SPECS​

The N2 is a very impressive DAP with specs to boot. While I am no way near a specialist in this area, I can attest to the thought and design that went into the N2 spared no expense for NiPo. I love the R2R sound -the more analog the better - but despite the N2 using Sabre DAC Chips, which I would never guess could provide such a lush analog sound, it is a very enjoyable and rich sound. Concepts out the window I guess. I’ll do my best to walk you all through the tech in this beast, but let us first check out NiPO’s website info and details.



Part of NiPO’s design promotion is the many, many iterations and perfections they made in the build process. Nearly 100 tuning adjustments. Four years of development. 48 different PCB boards before final product. 27 people involved in the design. Below is a few of the tech advancements NiPO put into the N2, of which they are arguably very proud of.

SLEA SUPERLINEAR EARPHONE AMPLIFIER​

DIGITAL RESISTANCE VOLUME CONTROL (DRVC)​

SPLIT TYPE PLATFORM STRUCTURE​

10-LAYER PCB SHIELDING​

POWERFUL 8-CORE CPU FOR FLAWLESS PERFORMANCE​

What do I get out of all this? NiPO went to great lengths to offer the most analog and pristine audio signal chain they could. The power amp is designed to be quiet but also dynamic, with an emphasis on neutrality and transparency. It is indeed crazy powerful, and that seems to be uninterruptedly clean power too. While my LP6 Ti AE is itself super powerful, enough to break your IEMs with a slight turn of the analog LPS volume pot, somehow that power doesn’t always translate to all IEMs. Using the Rhapsodio SV3, FitEar DC Ti, or other power hungry DD IEMs I find myself turning the volume to the point I start to get the occasional cutouts. The STORM is a no go, barely getting to listenable volumes before cutting out, clipping, and driving me mad. I don’t understand why this happens, I’ve been told it has to do with peak power vs current power, meaning, or something about current over impedance, I dunno. So based on your IEMs impedance and current requirements, the LP6 might not offer enough power, despite it being explosively powerful for some IEMs. Not the case for the DX320 MAX or N2, both of which offer desktop like power with no limitations, with plenty of current. The N2 offers 2.4Watts of power, and let me tell you, there is no degradation or clipping going on here. While the N2 is advertised as double the power of the MAX, in actual use I found it more like 35% more power than the MAX , which is already pretty crazy. With STORM I can get up around 50% on high gain, TTi more like 25%, Analog about the same, reaching into the 30s when I really want to rock out. I like my music pretty loud, so for many of you go down 10 clicks or so. That’s a lot of power.

They’ve used a resistor based volume control, which is going for the same result as the 320MAX, meaning perfect signal balance at all volumes. The MAX uses a stepped attenuator to achieve this, and it does work, but there’s audible clicks and even volume cutouts in between steps which I find stupefying considering the quality of the MAX. I know, I know, it’s part of how it works, and it sounds incredible, so what to do. I’lll let that one slide, grudgingly. The N2 uses many hand picked resistors to achieve their step-less and truly consistent balanced volume. I hear perfect balance between sides, and identical tonality regardless of volume, all smooth and cutout free. Well done NiPO. That’s not a dig at iBasso’s expense, just a pat on the back for NiPO instead. MAX lovers can put down your pitchforks, the MAX is very special. Moving on.

There’s a lot of emphasis placed on getting the N2 super quiet. All modules are isolated from each other physically in the casing, as well as using 10 layers of shielding on the PCB. This kind of thing is above my pay grade, but I will say the N2 is dead silent, even with sensitive IEMs. They managed to offer so much power, in such a small device, while keeping it so quiet is very impressive. Indeed a great deal of care went into the design of this thing, the layout of components, and the general design all seem very well thought out. Not unlike other DAPs for sure, but it bears mentioning as this is NiPO’s first real TOTL DAP and they truly knocked it out of the park here.

The N2 uses a powerful CPU, with plenty of RAM and internal storage. It feels smooth and glitch free in use for me, offering only the occasional hiccup or slight delay when making changes to the settings. They also used their own Android skin/build, which to me seems more simplified and seamless than others I’ve tried. What that means is you can add whatever apps and stuff you want, but the stock build is very streamlined, no extra fluff or bloatware, and boot up and general use is very quick. In fact, when booting up the MAX has quite a noticeable lag in getting to actually playing music, while the N2 is ready far sooner. I don’t see any loading windows, or res-scans of the SD card which plague other players and detract from my initial enjoyment. In terms of Android the N2 is the closest to a “pure audio” experience as I have ever found. Less steps, less waiting, less stuff to clog my experience.

Interestingly enough, despite NiPO advertising the N2 with instantaneous playing of music, even from a standby state of up to 1600(!!) hours, there is always a small gap/pause between clicking play and actually hearing the music. It is short, and doesn’t bother me at all, but some have written to me that this is a gripe for them. This happens when playing local files or streaming, so perhaps some sort of buffering? Also, when using LO you initially hear a very faint volume and then after a second or so it jumps up to full designated volume. I don’t know if that nulls the instant musical claim, I forgot about it nearly instantly, but I’ve mentioned it to NiPO.

NiPO states N2’s Wi-Fi can do 100MB/second, which is really great. I found the wifi connection to be very stable, and I was able to stream via any service with no drop outs or stalls. Something that could easily be overlooked, but this a nice feature that continues to provide a lovely listening experience. S

I realize I have mentioned a few UI tweaks and some usability suggestions, I don’t mean for this to sound overly critical, or harsh. I think the N2 UI and overall experience is fantastic! These are merely some of my musings and general thoughts put to paper - please don’t let them detract from your interest in the N2, or as an owner and your enjoyment of the device. Coming from L&P DAPs I am quite used to frustrating UI elements, or lack thereof, so this is all small potatoes.

THE SOUND​

So after all of that tech speak, design and my endless ramblings, how does it sound? Well, it sounds great! The NiPO N2 has a lovely, analog and full sound that is as addictive to listen to as it is detailed. A friend of mine said the N2 is what L&P would do if they made a DS streaming DAP, and I’m inclined to agree. Think a similar realm to the E7, but thicker and more mid-forward with more of a reference tilt and less emotional. The N2 isn’t going for a full on reference sound here, and while it is quite transparent in its details, the overall sound is thicker, slightly warm and very inviting. When you first power it on you’re greeted to a healthy sub bass lift, which begins the thick presentation right away. It’s not overly done, but it was certainly the first thing I noticed, giving me a juicy punch that was addictive from moment one. The second thing I noticed was the large stage, with details spreading way out to the sides, along with a very subtle uptick around 8khz for a sense of greater detail. As I mentioned in the intro, when I first heard the N2 I was a bit apprehensive, it felt a touch cold or sterile, and the uptick in lower treble was of concern, especially with my Traillii Ti and Rhapsodio Analog which have extra there to begin with. But, after 200hrs the whole tuning changed, opening up, getting warmer and fatter, and happily that uptick was all but gone, keeping just a touch of extra clarity, the peak lost to subtlety. Upon full burn-in I can happily report that the N2 has zero offensive peaks or dips, it is more lush and full bodied, with a great sense of space and clarity while remaining very musical. The bass is especially wonderful, with a deep and rich luster that shines with DDs and BAs alike. Mids are very detailed and textured, with nice body and a more forward presentation. The treble is smooth, the whole presentation is, with lovely extension and plenty of detail up top. Overall I get the feeling of fullness, with just the right amount of detail and extra microdetails, and a nice open stage with especially wide mids. Classy!

While the E7 could be compared to the DMP, and the LP6 something like the Holo May in a box, the N2 leans, in this comparison anyhow, more so in the direction of the 320MAX. It is more of a reference tuning, transparency and detail being a major component of NiPO’s tuning methodology. But it is anything but cold and boring, quite the contrary. The LP6 is ultra dense, mid forward and extremely detailed with a thunderously bombastic presentation, the N2 is also fatter in note weight but not so dense, and while it is quite a powerful sound, it is less colored and thunderous. It feels open and free, with aspects of the mids spread wide surrounding you with music. The MAX is even more open, opting for a vast studio speaker setup where all aspect of the sound are at equal distances from you depth wise, but very airy in the width and height department. The MAX also excels in the reverb and decay department, I hear a tremendous amount of depth and spread in front and behind, where the N2 seems a bit less spacious and intimate. The LP6 somehow does both, keeping things spread and intimate at the same time, with legendary decay. Wild stuff.

Depending on the IEM the N2 can be a bit of a Chameleon, which does speak to its transparent nature. It is somehow simultaneously warmish and full, while remaining transparent enough to keep individual IEMs close to their natural tuning. That means the STORM still remains insanely resolving, very detailed, with great bass reach, wildly articulate resolving mids and nice extended treble, all the while keeping that reference linear sound. I hear an extra impactful sub bass, which doesn’t detract from the overall ref tuning, just giving a bit extra low end rumble and substance. The mids are more bodied, but still very sharp and clear, the treble is softened just a tad but doesn’t lack extension or details. The N2’s slight uptick in lower treble energy adds to the balance instead of detracting and overwhelming, it is really quite subtle. There is more than enough power to let it sing at full potential, which is saying something for a portable DAP the size of a thick cell phone. While the STORM can come off as almost too intense in some cases, I really enjoy it in this combo. It isn’t the absolute best pairing for STORM available, that would go to MAX, but it is very enjoyable and super portable. The MAX creates a more dynamic speaker like presentation, the N2 is more intimate and laid back.







While something like the Sony WM1ZM2 is more warm, more imposing, and with better texture in the mids, the N2 to my ears trumps it in some areas like overall detail, spacious stage, and of course much more power. The magic sauce that is the Sony Walkman is untouchable if you’re a fan, so I’m definitely not saying this is better. I would say perhaps the N2 is more of an all rounder over the warmer and midbassy Sony, but that really depends on your tastes. Don’t hate Sony boys, I have nothing but love for the WM1ZM2

The A&K SP3K is a wonderful DAP, one that I enjoyed greatly for the short time I owned it. In fact, tuning wise it’s not so far off from the N2, and overall presentation. On first listen the SP3K was incredibly impressive, so much so that I was tempted to sell my Sony M2 at the time. But the most I listened, the more something struck me that I couldn’t quite put my finger on - and then it hit me; the mids of the SP3K were off from the rest of the presentation, overly smoothed out. While the SP3K is very detailed, with a large stage, the mids sounded like much of the texture and bite was missing, but very present and lovely in the rest of the spectrum. It threw me, and as a musician and mids guy, this was a nail in the coffin. The N2 doesn’t do that at all, it has very textured mids that are wholly matching to the rest of the presentation. The Sony mids are some of the best ever, close to perfection. This is why I mentioned earlier that I feel the N2 trumps the SP3K for my preferences, it just sounds more natural on the whole. They are both vast, detailed, great bass and effortless treble. I just need the mids to sound right, and the A&K just didn’t work for me there.

With the Traillii Ti I found the N2 to be a fantastic combo. The extra sub-bass was very welcome here, as the TTi has a touch less bass than I would want on occasion over the bassier STORM. The extra rumble and body down low gave the TTi a more fleshed out and meaty sound, which I really enjoyed, while remaining punchy and extra quick. I sometimes really do forget the TTi uses a BA down low, it has such an inviting and rumbly textured low end. The N2 adds even more to that, especially in the reach. Mids and treble are lovely too, with an extra bit of microdetails in the mids and a full and textured body. Once again we hear just a touch of that lower treble bite, but since it’s so subtle I find it adding a sense of resolution and clarity instead of some kind of artificial peak or sharpness. With the N2 the TTi could caress the line for some people, depending on musical genre and tastes, but I found it great. That’s the line the N2 walks, remaining very articulate and detailed, but not overly done where you focus on the music. Treble is smooth, extended, and full of details. Both the N2 and STORM seemed to double down on the details making for a lovely combination of resolution and clarity, with a bit more body and bass punch.






Switching to the Rhapsodio Analog, which just so happens to be Sammy’s personal favorite for testing his IEMs now, is a major hit. They play so well together, a full bodied and very bass present tuning with enough space and detail to balance out the fullness. It seems kind of hilarious to say that a Rhapsodio IEM can be too full, but the Analog breaks the mold in terms of what one might expect. Instead of the brassy ultra resolving (slightly thin) SV3 sound, the Analog instead goes for broke in the warmth, fullness and fantastic bass department. The N2 harnesses that bass and gives it tons of punch, body and excellent texture. Mids are full, sort of effortless and with a touch an energy in the lower treble that feels softer and silkier than other IEMs here. Treble is very extended, weightless and very enjoyable. In this sense the N2 seems to tame the Rhapsodio sound, making it more analog (ahem) and gooey phat, while for other IEMS like TTi and STORM kept their very reference vibe and just added body and fullness. I would have expected the opposite, but there you go. The Analog has a very healthy dose of bass, and I found the N2 to emphasize that in a very addictive and enjoyable way. In very rare circumstances the bass became a bit too much, overwhelming the lower mids and creating a slightly muddy vibe. This is more on the Analog than N2 in this case, and depending on your bass tastes this might not even register.


To clarify, not dependent on IEM pairing, I would describe the N2 sound thusly:

Excellent textured bass, with a healthy helping of extra sub bass lift that fleshes out DDs and BAs alike without making it overwhelming. It is punchy and full, with nice grip and fleshy girth. Lower mids to upper mids are full bodied, excellently detailed and spacious. Edges are on the smooth side, while resolution is on the higher side, bringing very good separation and clarity while remaining musical. The sound is simultaneously warmish and full, but never gooey or overly fat for the sake of being fat. Treble is soft and smooth, with just a hair of extra bite or clarity in the 7-8khz area. Cymbals or hi-hats don’t sound splashy, it’s more like subtle clicks and pops have a touch more emphasis, separating them from the rest of the spectrum just enough to clarify, but not drawing much attention. The overall tuning is in the reference/transparent region, though calling it a reference DAP is wholly incorrect. It is a nice balance between musical and technical, spacious and intimate, warmth and resolution.

The N2 isn’t the most resolving DAP, it’s not the biggest sounding either. It’s not the warmest, or the coolest, nor the most transparent. What makes the N2 special is its balance. Lovely blends of detail and resolution with a big, full sound that has my toes tap dancing. A low end so satisfying that I can’t wait to get back to listening until the battery runs out. (Which takes a very ling time). Mids are great, so is the stage, so is the treble. There are others that may best the N2 in those areas, but again, as a whole package the N2 really excels and leaves a very strong impression indeed. As is the case, the N2 is more than the sum of its parts, but I think what sets it apart from the pack is just how much is included in this tiny portable package.

COMPARISONS​

Here is where things may get a touch complicated for me, as I am comparing the N2 to my favorites; the L&P LP6 Ti AE and DX320 MAX. The LP6 AE is the best DAP ever made in my opinion, nothing quite compares to its full body, breathtaking analog mids, punchy bass and overall thunderous nature. It is crazy good, seriously insanely good. The MAX is a new acquisition for me, purchased to power my STORM, and it is also very, very good. It doesn’t have the same godly analog vibe as the LP6, but it does have more power, a bigger stage, and a more transparent and reference tuning that matches super well with the STORM and TTi. Where before I would have argued for a single DAP only, I find them complimentary in every way, and having both is a no-brainer for me. My E7 was sold simply because it wouldn’t power the STORM, and so the MAX found a place in my permanent stable and has since become a great love for me. They both sound excellent with all my IEMs, (except the LP6 cannot power my STORM) and dependent on my mood or reason for listening (fun, mixing, editing work, photo shoots, etc etc) I see myself reaching for one OR the other. In comes the N2 and blurs or muddies the waters. Tuning wise aitting somewhere in the middle, it is the most powerful of the group, and really does sound great with anything. It isn’t better than either of them, but nothing is at what they do. The LP6AE and MAX, in my opinion, offer the absolute pinnacle in terms of their individual strengths, no way around it. But, during my tour, armed with only the N2 and two IEMs, I was left wanting for nothing. I really enjoyed my time with it to the fullest, and that’s really saying something. It was only upon my return home, and starting to AB with my other loves, that its qualities came into question for the first time. That’s not to say that I found it less appealing, more just how great the others are too. The fact that the N2 is cheaper and even more powerful is a huge selling point, you get more for your money here for sure. Instead of trying to explain why one is better, I will simply say the N2 holds it’s place, and depending on your tastes, budget, and portability requirements, the N2 certainly could be your 1st choice.


Let’s get into these bad boys.

DX320 MAX​

The max is a beast, in size and weight as well as its technical abilities, reference tuning and features. The MAX is huge, a literal brick that offers no apologies about any of that. It was designed as a portable desktop solution and it succeeds in that whole heartedly. It has a huge sound, the largest stage of any portable device I’ve heard in fact. The pairing with STORM and SS8W cable is something out of dreams, just massive. It is unapologetically referenced tuned, and can come off somewhat clinical or dry. In fact, when I first received it, it took me a few weeks to warm up to it, I just didn’t get it. After things settled in my brain I came to not only really enjoy the MAX, but also appreciate its uniqueness and very special set of skills. I hate iBasso’s choice of ridiculously flawed attenuator volume control, no way around it. I do hear how great it sounds, I understand why they chose it, and it is something I’ve gotten used to. I won’t mention it again. Sonically it is phenomenal, but I found the lower treble peak to be too forward, and it sounded a touch metallic to my ears with certain kinds of music. I had heard about NPAudio in the UK that does fantastic mods to the MAX, which were supposed to solve my issues, so I bit the bullet and got the mods done. I know it’s not fair to compare a modded MAX to a stock N2, or anything modded for that matter, so I will try to comment on the stock MAX only. Suffice to say that the mod is fabulous and fixes everything I disliked about the MAX. It became far more analog, less forward lower treble, much better bass texture and grip, and more lush and open mids that remain uncolored, and far less dry and clinical to my ears. It’s fabulous! A big thank you to Steve from NPAudio, you sir are a gentleman and a scholar. The MAX went from great to deeply loved, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for that!







To compare, the N2 and Max have more in common than not. They don’t sound the same, I’m not saying that, but it’s certainly in the same vein. They are both big sounding, with fuller bodied notes and a large stage. The MAX sounds bigger than N2, despite the N2 having more headroom. They are both massively powerful, the MAX simply sounds larger in terms of space, with a wider stage and more present decay and depth. They both have great bass, the N2 having a bit more midbass to sound slightly fuller there, while the MAX is more linear and slightly less meaty. The MAX has a touch more bass quantity, despite having a more linear midbass. In terms of midbass fullness I have the same feeling with the LP6; both LP6 and N2 have fuller more midbassy sounds which can be amazing or sometimes a bit too much with the wrong IEM. The MAX is mostly neutral here, while giving plenty of bass and oomph for my tastes. LP6 has the most phat midbass, which also gives it the most thunderous sound of all three, something the needs to be heard to believe. The N2 is warmer in the bass, MAX is cleaner and more reference.

Both the N2 and MAX have fairly neural mids in terms of tuning, but not the case in fullness or warmth. The MAX wins out in more detail, the N2 might be more emotional or at the very least a bit more colored. They are both full bodied and big sounding, it all just depends on your tastes. N2 mids are more forward, less detailed but still very resolving and clear. Going back and forth it is clear the MAX wins in terms of clarity, but the N2 is no slouch here. The MAX mids are more spread, more detailed by a bit, sitting further back in the mix which contributes to its extremely vast presentation. I really love the MAX mids post mod, they are really something, though not on the emotional level of the LP6 which has the best mids of all time bar none. The MAX has a lower treble peak around 4-6khz, which I found to be more noticeable than the N2’s further up 7-8khz pinna peak. The MAX could sound splashy and excessively bitey, which for some kinds of music like metal and anything with distorted guitars or lots of cymbals leaving me tired afterwards. The N2’s peak is higher up, less splashy and more subtle, focusing your attention to lip smacking on vocals, slight and small extra details, and weightlessness or ethereal qualities. It is also less prominent, where the MAX was ever present there. Post mod the MAX is way better now, and I find that splashiness all but gone. The MAX mids are very neutral, remaining in the realm of reference, I hear a perfected balance all the way from lowest mids to lower treble, it’s very natural. They are weighted but not fat. The N2 feels a bit fatter and warmer, a bit less detailed, though I didn’t notice that at all until I was AB’ing.

Treble is very similar also, with the MAX continuing its more reference and slightly more clinical and/or dry vibe. It really comes down to the IEM you’re using as well, with something like the STORM the MAX gives off a very clear and linear sound, which is great for detail and clarity, but slightly tiring in some situations. The N2 has less detail, the treble is more smooth and less prominent in terms of clarity. It sits further back in the mix, where the MAX puts it, and really everything, right up there. That’s not to say either of them are better, as is the case with this comparison, it all depends on how you like your musical presentation.

A quick AB over and over confirms my findings, regardless of how much I like them both. The N2 is softer, warmer, and less in your face - the MAX is all the rest in the other direction. Their similarities, and their differences showcase a different take on a transparent and reference tuned DAP with crazy power. I think the MAX is fantastic, but some people might prefer the N2 for its much smaller footprint, simpler Android skin, and cheaper price. MAX is unapologetically clean and clear, the N2 is bit softer and less intense or forgiving. If you prefer a “correct” sound the MAX is your choice, if you like something a bit more relaxed then N2 is great. Factoring in the cost of the mod pushes the gap between N2 and MAX even further, so their direct compares becomes less evident or fair.

LP6 Ti AE​

This is a crazy DAP. All stop, there is nothing quite like it. Based on a quad of R2R DAC chips makes a direct comparison to any other DAP totally unfair in terms of texture, analog qualities or musicality. I have friends who claim the LP6 Ti outperforms their $10-15k desktop rigs and that sounds about right to me. It’s a massively impressive device that offers a sense of musicality and technical abilities that really just blow my mind. It isn’t perfect, but sonically it is as close as I have ever heard. There are shortcomings if one was to poke around, namely the UI is archaic and utterly basic. No Wifi, BT or any connective options other than USB DAC input. It’s a music only player, but I for one have not only gotten used to it, but fallen in love with its simplicities. It also has rather horrid battery life, like 4-5 hrs on a good day, along with even worse standby time. If you forget to turn it off, you can step away for lunch at 75% and come back an hour later to find it around 15%… But I digress about all that, because as soon as you listen to it all that melts away and you’re greeted to audio heaven.

Tuning wise the LP6 is absolutely ‘king of mids’, being very forward and featured. That’s not to say they overshadow the rest of the spectrum, far from it, but they are certainly very prominent. They are crazy detailed, very powerful and thick, and somehow unbelievably dense and spacious at the same time. That’s the special sauce of the LP6, its simultaneous density and spaciousness, along with undeniably analog character and resolution. It is somewhat warm, but not overly so - certainly more than the MAX and N2 though. It has a heavy extra dose of upper bass and lower mids, giving a very, VERY powerful and impactful sound. The N2 also has a bit extra upper bass thickness, but not to the level of the LP6. It is the most full and punchy of all three by quite some margin. Mids are lush and velvety in a way the MAX and N2 only dream of, it is far from reference adding in quite some color and emotionality instead. There is a complete lack of digital smoothing or glare, instead you’re greeted to such a textured sound that you might actually find it on the dirty or grainy side until your ears get used to it. After some time you do understand this is in fact more real, more natural, and everything else is overly smoothed out and digital. Comparing the N2 and MAX to the LP6’s mids is DOA in my opinion, nothing comes close. But MAX and N2 both have spectacular mids, and leave nothing wanting.

LP6 bass is very punchy and ridiculously textured. Lovers of extreme sub-bass should know the reach isn’t quite to the same level as other modern DAPs, it’s just not tuned that way. What you do get is grunt, punchy, textured heaven that has so much decay and natural bloom you’ll be left speechless. The N2 and MAX both reach far lower, and feature more sub bass quantity on the whole. While texture isn’t as much, their presentation of bass may very well be preferred for a lot of listeners, especially those that like electronic/non acoustic instruments. Think an Ampeg tube bass amp vs Eden or Mark Bass’s SS vibe, it all comes down to how you like y’er bass.

Up top the LP6 is more rolled off and smooth than others, again, just part of the analog tuning. This could be considered a great thing, but if you like endlessly extended and sparkly treble the LP6 could leave you wanting somewhat. The N2 and MAX both have far more extended top ends, thought they can’t compete in terms of naturalness. They are both more featured on top, more sparkly, more open, it’s a totally different sound. Interesting enough, the LP6 could be said to be a touch bright, with plenty of energy and accentuation, which gives it that thunderous and powerfully detailed sound, despite its analog roll-offs. The uppermost registers do have a ceiling come down, and there is a slight limit to how high it goes, but it is anything from closed off sounding. The sound is just massive. This is a trade-off for those that value a very modern Hi-Fi sound. If you place yourself directly in the analog camp, the LP6 provides something that no other DAP can. It all comes down to preference, which is why I have decided to have two DAPs instead of just the one, I can appreciate both.

Stage wise the MAX has the largest stage of any DAP in terms of width, the LP6 is huge also but more circular and natural vs MAX’s nearly impossibly wide presentation. N2 has a more intimate stage than the others, but still feels quite wide and spacious. In fact the N2’s stage is really very impressive, only feeling intimate next to these two behemoths. Both MAX and N2 have very spaced out mids, the LP6 manages to sound epically wide but also dense and intimate in the mids which is uncanny, and honestly hard to truly describe. You have to hear it to believe.

The N2 also has a mid forward presentation, and a bit warmer, slightly brighter up top as well. It and LP6 not a similar sound, but they’re not completely different either. Interestingly enough, with the Analog I hear a lot of similarities, while with TTi I heard them very differently. I go back and forth between the STORM and TTi quite often, and their differences are of similar variety as the N2, MAX and LP6. The MAX is like the STORM, everything is in its place, very even and natural, with a heavy emphasis on correctness and reference. They sound like speakers, and while I adore that sound some might even find it too flat. The TTi is much more mid focused, a bit less bass, smoother top and more emotional and airy. Like switching to the N2 or LP6, I hear an immediate focus on the mids, which can skew your hearing to think that it is less big sounding. But, if you give it a minute your ears will adjust, and you’ll find the sound to be very big and natural, more weighted and a touch more thick.

PAIRINGS​

While all three of these DAPs sound great with everything, after my weeks with the N2 I have found my absolute winners. They are in no way mutual exclusive and a mix and match here for different tastes will surely be the case for everyone. And while there is overlap, if I was to keep one DAP for each of my IEMs this would be it.

Traillii Ti and LP6 Ti AE​

This is a godly combo! Trading the slightly brighter TTi top end with a lush and rolled off treble, exquisite mids that gain detail as well as a good deal of weight, and the punchiest bass is undeniable. I could listen to this combo for the rest of my life, and if I was to choose a desert island setup at this very moment it would be these two. Paired with the Nightjar Sovereign Symphony 4W cable is as close to portable perfection as I have ever found. In this case the LP6’s power is felt to be even too much, the sense of headroom is phantabulous.

DX320 MAX and STORM​

The hype is real for these two, they are a match made in heaven. The STORM is notoriously impossible to power correctly, and while I love using my SAEQ Morpheus to bring them to absolute potential the MAX offers a portable version that I could listen to all day long. This is truly something out of the realms of what one thinks is possible. It sounds so insanely huge, so vast it’s truly breathtaking. Everything is in its place, it sounds absolutely correct and natural, extremely revealing, very musical too. Paired with the SS8W, the STORM and MAX achieve a sense of near field studio speaker bliss I never knew was possible. If the TTi + LP6 combo was the most emotional, this would be the most “correct” and engaging.

NiPO N2 and Rhapsodio Analog​

According to Sammy this is the best he’s heard this IEMs and I would agree. There is a very special synergy between the Analog and N2, a match that simply takes my breath away. Unbelievably good bass, lush mids that have just the right amount of bite and clarity, and a velvety smooth top end with zero fatigue. While I enjoy the Analog with other DAPs, there is sweet spot with N2 that works beautifully. After trying a lot of cables I have decided on the BA Orbit Saga as the perfect pairing with Analog - together this makes a fully green combo that is sure to satisfy the most discerning audiophiles and the most OCD visual collectors.

CONCLUSION​

As I mentioned in the intro, the N2 is really something. It’s packed with lots of new tech, great attention to detail, impressive build quality, lovely tuning and enough power to drive literally any IEM including the illustrious STORM. It has great bass, wonderful mids and a soft and effortless top end that ends the idea of fatigue, while remaining very resolving and spacious. From an audio perspective, for the price, the N2 is hard to fault. Surely tastes will play a big role in this, but for anyone looking to spend ~$2500 on a premium DAP that has monster power, the N2 should be a contender in everyone’s book.

A premium pure Android build, fantastic battery life too. Fast Wi-Fi, excellent streaming capabilities, useful DSP filters. Ridiculous power. There are many, many qualities which I have listed above already, and for this price it’s really hard to fault the N2 in terms of abilities, sonic or otherwise. Is it perfect? Nope, but it’s really fantastic in its own right, and for some this could very well be endgame. There are a few minor quirks in the UI and hardware, and the lower treble peak will affect everyone differently. (Give it time to burnin before judging too harshly) I’ve tried to explain, rather exhaustingly, any real fault in the N2, especially given the price and power output. Sonically it competes well against many of the best out there which is in and of itself very impressive.

If you’re looking for a DAP with world leading power output, that sounds great and has a lovely musical nature without breaking the bank - the N2 is poised to win you over. If you want something very small and light, with amazing battery life, and a great Android build that can power headphones and IEMs from your pocket, the N2 is poised to win you over. If you want something tuned in-between the ultra reference MAX and the ultra lush and musical LP6, the N2 is poised to impress and surprise you. It is because of all of this, and the N2’s chameleon nature that it deserves your attention, and gets my high recommendation. In my months with it I was fully engrossed, enjoying it to the max- no pun intended. Can you find better? Yes, but based mostly on tastes and budget, instead of a huge difference in abilities. I fully urge you all to check it out if you have the time, it’s awesome.

I wish to thank NiPO’s Camel for his help, and his patience with me in this review. I had to push the publish date a few times because of my tour, and Camel was very understanding and accommodating. This is my first connection with NiPO and they have been very upfront, honest, and open to ideas and concerns. I really enjoyed my time with the N2, thanks Camel!

Since my receipt of the N2 demo, to no surprise, @MusicTeck is now a dealer. (They carry everything!) So, if you want to get one of these for yourself, Camel himself suggests you head over to MusicTeck’s website here and snag one. I am in no way affiliated with MT, it is just where I shop personally and I like to spread the love since Andrew is quite the gentleman and ever so accommodating.


I know this was a very long and rather exhaustive review, and I thank you for making it to the end. I salute you all! I hope it was helpful, and thanks for reading! Listen well my friends, and never stop the music!

I've had the pleasure to spend a few weeks recently with the NiPo N2 DAP, many thanks to @Damz87 for organising the tour! NiPo N2 is available at its RRP of $2,599.

I'll preface this writeup by saying I really enjoyed the time I spent using this DAP, I think it's pretty great out of the box. My impressions that follow are mostly in comparison to the HiBy R8 II ($1,999), another recent DAP release at around the same price point. There are a lot of similarities between these two from a tuning and power delivery perspective, and just as many differences as well. Whichever DAP is better for you will come down to individual use case and needs.

We didn't get the full packaging of this DAP on tour, so I can't say what the retail packaging or un-boxing is like (from what I've seen elsewhere it is very nice!) But the unit itself with it's dark green case feels great. You can immediately notice the excellent build quality and finish of this DAP, it's a top-notch piece of hardware. The controls and layout are fairly typical, you've got 4.4mm and 3.5mm jacks on the top, volume wheel and button-controls on the right, USB-C and SD card slot on the bottom. One quibble I had was that I found it a little too easy to activate the side buttons when fishing the DAP out of my pocket. From a size-weight perspective, the N2 is about average for a DAP in this class, it's roughly the same as 2x recent iPhone Pros stacked, and has a "reassuringly dense" feeling about it in the hand. I had zero problems using N2 as a daily-driver out and about on my commute, but then I'm used to the brick-like R8 II.



Powering up the N2, you are greeted with stock Android 10, and that is about it. Of course, you can install whatever apps you like from the Play store, this one already had Tidal and HiBy music installed, so I just used those. But beyond that, NiPo don't really give you much to tinker with in the OS. Battery life is decent for a device that delivers this kind of power. I didn't do any kind of rundown test, but in my using I reckon I'd get about 9 or 10 hours or so on a full charge. One other issue I ran into a few times was that the WiFi performance on N2 was a little flaky and I had to disconnect/reconnect to get it behaving again. This was a little jarring to me, as I've never had any issues with WiFi on either my current HiBy R8 II, or the RS6 before that. Not a total showstopper, but this kind of thing pulls you out of your engagement with the music, and takes a bit of the shine off the DAP.




Sound
N2 tuning is pretty close to neutral, with a hint of added bass perhaps. This is a good thing imo, as I don't believe a DAP should add much colour through it's tuning. Just about all of the IEMs and headphones I've collected have plenty of their own colour, and I tend to look for a neutral DAP like this. In general I usually gravitate toward the more "organic", natural kind of sound you get from R2R DAC implementations, whereas I find some Delta/Sigma DACs can have just a hint of glare or a kind of etched sound. Thankfully, N2 has none of that, NiPo have done a great job with the ESS ES9039 Pro DAC chips here. N2 has plenty of power on tap to drive any IEM very well, according to the spec sheet it's got an impressive 2.53W at 32ohms, and I was impressed with the sound of everything I listened to. The Fir Xe6 and Noble Spartacus are my typical out and around IEMs, and here I thought the synergy with N2's relatively "lean and clean" approach worked really well. I've also got a Nightjar Acoustics Duality on loan at the moment, and on High gain N2 drove the 2x DDs in that IEM really well. I tried a few headphones as well, just to see where the limits might be with N2's power output. The relatively easy-to-drive Meze Empyrean sounded great with N2, although lacking perhaps the last few percent of dynamics, stage depth and upper midrange resolution I hear with a desktop amp. The 300ohm Sennheiser HD800S sounded only OK, if a bit thin and lacking in dynamic punch down low; the comparison with a desktop amp, especially the ZMF Aegis tube amp, was pretty obvious, and I wouldn't recommend N2 for a headphone like this.

Sound vs HiBy R8 II
In stock mode, there is surprisingly little in it between the tuning and sound of the N2 vs the R8 II. The N2 may have just a hint more bass, but otherwise both DAPs are very clean, mostly linear, and with plenty of power available to drive any IEM very well. However, HiBy give you quite a lot of system-wide options to shape the sound of the R8 II such as increasing sample rate to 192k, "Sound Field" which improves stage width & depth, N-band PEQ, MSEB simplified EQ and a few others. While some of these options are available within dedicated apps like HiBy Music, UAPP and others, those settings only work within the given app and those streaming services supported by that app. Now if you are ok with playing music from local storage, this might not bother you, but if your streaming service is not supported, then you're stuck with the stock N2 tuning. I'm sure this would be just fine for a lot of people, but I prefer having the system-wide options HiBy give me.

Conclusion
I really enjoyed my time with the NiPo N2, I think it hits a sweet spot combination of form-factor vs performance vs battery life. And while the OS is a little bare-bones for my personal preference, for those wanting a simple "just press play and listen" kind of DAP, N2 should be on your shortlist to check out.

NiPO are a new Chinese brand who have come out of the blocks with the N2 music player which they are firmly aiming at the top tiers of the market. To help achieve this, they have packed the N2 with high-grade components, impressive power output figures and bundled it all into a small and easy-to-carry package.

When an opportunity arose to try out the N2, I was interested to find out what a debutant could deliver at this end of the market. I have been using it daily for several weeks and given it more than 100 hours of use at their suggestion before beginning this review.

Like everything in this hobby, what you are going to read are just my opinions based on my hearing, tastes, and previous experience. You may disagree with them, and that’s fine, but just treat them as one data point, as there are no guarantees you will hear things the same.

What’s in the Box​

As you would expect with a device that is aimed at the higher end of the market, the N2 comes in some premium packaging, which reminded me very much of the Hiby RS8’s when I was unboxing.

The DAP is presented in a nice leather case, which is stored in a cloth dust bag. It is a similar type of experience to how many luxury items are presented, and all of the materials are nice to touch and high quality.

The DAP comes with screen protectors, a charging cable and a green leather case. The case is nice and thin, so it doesn’t add much bulk to the DAP, but it is also nice to use the DAP without it to appreciate the design.

Overall, it is in line with what you would expect at this price point and is nicely done.

Design, Specs and UI​

The N2 size-wise is closer to mid-range DAPs than the top-of-the-line devices it is aiming to compete with. It is smaller and significantly lighter than my RS8 but somehow manages to have an output power over three times higher!

The device measures 139mm x 74mm x 19.7mm and weighs in at 348g. Before I saw the weight, I would have guessed it was even lighter than that, as it doesn’t feel a whole lot heavier than my Cayin N3 Ultra in hand. It is very easy to pocket the device and take it on the go with you.

Taking a look around the device, the steel chassis is sandwiched between glass on the front and back. The back of the device has a piano black finish, which you often see on Cayin DAPs. The 5” touchscreen takes up most of the front device, except for two small bars, top and bottom. The screen has a decent resolution and a good viewing angle and is perfectly adequate for a DAP.

The NiPO branding, buttons, ports and volume wheel all have a nice copper colour, which contrasts well against the black. The buttons are nice to touch and feel, but when you use the included case, they become very easy to press by accident, and you nearly always end up pressing one when you pick up the device. It is something that could be solved by including an option to disable the buttons when the screen is off, so hopefully, this will be included in a future update.

The volume wheel, while also very nice to look at, is a little loose for my liking, and I would prefer if it had a more solid feel to it. These are my only qualms with the design of the device, though, and in general, it is very well-finished and has a premium feel.

There is a microSD card slot on the bottom of the device along with a USB-C port for charging. I have used high-power chargers with the device and it charges very quickly. On the top surface are 4.4mm and 3.5mm ports, and that is pretty much everything.

The N2 has 128GB of onboard storage, comes with 6GB of RAM and runs a fairly stock version of Android 10. The UI is pretty snappy to use and comes with the Google Play Store installed, so you can easily add the apps you require. And that is a good thing, as the device doesn’t ship with a whole load of stock apps. I have been using UAPP as my main music player for local files and Tidal, but I have also tested out other apps such as Hiby Music and Neutron Player.

In general, NiPO has added very few customisations to Android, and it’s up to the user to decide how they want to listen to music or adjust the sound by using apps. From the swipe-down menu at the top of the screen, there are some icons for switching on/off line-out mode, USB In mode, adjusting the gain or selecting between 7 different sound filters. As with most sound filters, the changes they make are subtle.

The rest of the settings and menus are what you would expect to find on any Android-based device.

The N2 uses an ESS ES9039 Pro DAC, a fully discrete amp and I/V conversion along with a host of other high-grade components to improve sound quality. It is capable of producing 2520mW @ 32 ohms, which is one of the highest I have seen in any DAP. Battery life is rated for 9 hours when using the balanced port. When streaming, I have been getting less than that, but as I have mentioned, the device charges very quickly and overall, I found it fine, considering the power it can output and its small size.

Sound​

The sound of the N2 has developed nicely with more and more use. Out of the box, it was quite V-shaped, with a big bass emphasis and slightly pushed-back mids as a result. With use, this has become more balanced and cohesive, and while there is still tons of bass when called for, everything is more in line, and I have really enjoyed listening to it mature.

Starting with that bass, the power that the DAP provides is very evident in the lower registers. It is amp-like in its delivery and very well controlled for a DAP. I have really enjoyed the fact that when I am listening to N2 with the L&P EA4 and I then leave my desk with just the N2 with me, while it doesn’t achieve the same levels of control as the EA4 it definitely doesn’t feel like as much of a step down in quality as it does with some of my other sources.

For sheer slam that remains nicely controlled for a DAP, the N2 is very impressive with bass-heavy IEMs and music. Both sub and mid-bass are elevated with N2, but it is tastefully done and has remained in control without bloat or bleed through all of my testing.

The mid-range is natural and nicely detailed, with enough of a hint of warmth to keep it from being analytical. Vocals and instruments are engaging, and how much detail or resolution you receive really depends on what your IEM is capable of. As an R2R advocate, I will always prefer how natural vocals sound with something like the Hiby RS8, but N2 does a good job, and I have had no real issues with it through all of the different tracks I have tried.

I have had issues with ESS glare in the past but I had heard this latest generation of DAC was less prone to it, and that has been the case with N2. Upper mids into lower treble doesn’t have that excessive energy or sharpness I have experienced with some implementations of ESS DACs in the past.

The N2 has quite detailed treble, which I do find more intense than something like my RS8, but it is in line with many delta-sigma based DAPs I listen to. If you listen to a lot of high-energy music with IEMs that are considered bright leaning, it may not be the best choice of source, but overall, I think the way it is tuned brings out the details in the higher frequencies.

Age, hearing, and preferences play a big part in deciding how treble sounds to you but the N2 is definitely on the more lively side of the spectrum, and it can push the line to eke out those details.

The soundstage N2 helps produce is quite impressive for a DAP. If your IEM is capable, you will hear a nice 3D stage that stretches out far in every direction. It also has that amp-like quality of painting a very effective image of where instruments and performers are situated and the distance between them. What NiPO has achieved here competes with any of the top DAPs and deserves a lot of credit, seeing this is their first attempt.

Comparisons​

To see how N2 performed, I compared it against my Hiby RS8 with a selection of my IEMs. I used local files and UAPP on both devices as the music player.

Campfire Audio Astrolith​

This pairing of IEM and DAP has been one of my favourites so far with N2. The extra power on tap and the more neutral, detail-focused tuning of the DAP allow Astrolith to shine.



Fada - Andre Soueid

Listening first with N2, the opening of the track has a quite ominous feel to it with its sub-bass reverberations that remind you of a tension-building score in a movie. There are drums spread out around what feels like a vast stage, and the track builds until around the 02:14 mark, where you are met with a heavy and intense bass line. The track progresses with a range of different instruments and sounds, all detailed, engaging and impactful. It’s an immersive listen with N2 and Astrolith and one you can’t help but be impressed with.

Listening to the track again with RS8, it isn’t a case of one source being better than the other, more a case of appreciating two different presentations. There is the same sense of a grand stage and those sub-bass undertones, but it is not as intense as with N2. When the track breaks, the heavy bass line doesn’t impact in the same way; instead, it adds another layer to the track, which continues to build and engage you in a more melodic fashion than with N2.

There is undoubtedly more tension and impact in the track with N2, and there is the perception of more detail as each sound is a little more aggressively presented than with the smoother RS8.



Vapour (Original Mix) - Mulya

A straightforward track, but one that is very impressive with Astrolith and N2. The main beat and rhythmic bed of the track remain the same throughout, with drums and other sounds coming and going to draw your attention and engage. The bass drum hits hard with this combo, and the core rhythm draws you in. The ability of N2 to cast a wide stage means as the different sounds and drums are introduced across the track, they surround you and occupy their own space while remaining highly detailed.

With RS8, the kick drum is less visceral, and I find that my attention is more on the sounds that come and go throughout the track. I think RS8 does a better job of portraying the sense that sounds are travelling across the soundstage, and it seems like you can track the sounds way off into the distance.

When going back and forth, there is more resolution in the track with RS8, but individual notes seem to have more detail when listening with N2, which I think is mainly down to the different presentations. RS8 is silky and easy to listen to, whereas N2 aims to be more precise. Depending on what you are listening to, one will suit more than the other, but it is certainly nice to have both available to experience the track differently.

Aroma Audio Fei Wan​

Want You (Need You) (Adam Port Remix) - Bell Towers

There is quite a contrast in how Fei Wan can sound swapping between both sources, and it is a reminder of why people can have such different experiences with the same set.

Listening with RS8, the track is very rhythmic and smooth. There is a nice 3D soundstage with sounds appearing all around you. The vocals are detailed and clear, but the bassline is softer than it is with N2. There is almost an ethereal feel to the track with RS8.

Swapping to N2, there is slightly more of a sense of rumble at the start of the track. The bassline is a little more impactful and there is more attack to notes in general. Vocals are equally detailed, but there isn’t that ethereal sense there is with RS8, and there is more apparent space between each sound in the track.

RS8 presents the track in a way that makes it easy to sit back and get lost in the music, whereas N2 presents the track more aggressively and is more about appreciating all the details and sounds with the track.



The Rhythm of Dancing - &lez

I love this track, and it is a treat with Fei Wan using either DAP. RS8 sounds much fuller and more forward, and there is a great sense of how far the soundstage stretches in each direction.

It is smoother again, but it is the fuller sound that really separates the two sources. N2 sounds very clean and detailed. It is easier to focus on individual parts, and this is particularly noticeable when the piano comes in later in the track. The soundstage appears larger with RS8, but with N2, it seems like there is clearer space between everything and the sounds are pushed further out in the soundstage.

The more flowing nature of the track with RS8 means you are never really focussing on one part but rather the track as a whole. With N2, when each instrument, sound or vocals comes into the track, your attention is immediately drawn to it, with everything being detailed and easy to hear.

Fir Audio XE6​

Pulse VI - Kerala Dust

Before listening, I had some concerns that there would just be too much bass quantity when pairing XE6 with N2. XE6 often doesn’t pair well with amps for this reason, but while there is certainly more slam with N2, it is perfectly listenable.

The opening of the track is dominated by the bass guitar and drums, and there is a tactile sensation from both the string vibrations and drum hits. When I swap to RS8, that tactility drops off comparatively.

With N2, the female vocals in the track are clearer and more to the fore. Conversely, though, the male vocals sound less natural than they do with RS8 and are thinner. It is a common theme among all of my impressions, but RS8 has fewer peaks and foregoes absolute details for a natural and easy listen. N2 doesn’t forego anything on the detail front so the IEM you are listening with needs to be able to handle that if the track is complex.



Midnight (The Hanging Tree) - Hosh

There are lots of similarities between the two sources for this track. The female vocals at the start are clear, full and detailed with both, but there are some sharp “s” sounds initially with N2.

As the track progresses, it is only a matter of taste that would separate either. RS8 is slightly fuller and warmer sounding, whereas N2 is faster and has more attack. Both do a good job with the song, but the differences between the sources are fairly minor and reflective of the type of DAC each uses.

Custom Art Fibae 5​

Harvester of Sorrow - Metallica

Fibae 5 and N2 are a superb pairing. Fibae 5 really performs better with this type of power and is transformed over how it can sound with weaker DAPs. It is definitely the budget set amongst the other IEMs I have used here, but it punches way above its weight when it’s adequately driven.

What is particularly good about this track with this combo is the gritty guitar riffs and Hetfield’s vocals. The guitars sound life-like, and you can imagine being blasted by large speaker stacks while listening to it live. The vocals are brought forward with this pairing, too, and are not lost behind the collective intensity of all the instruments. It is involving, gets the toes tapping and is a great example of how N2 can elevate an IEM, which would normally be considered mid-tier.

Swapping over to RS8 to compare, the electric guitars have a softer edge, as do the drum strikes. Vocals sit slightly further back and while they are still easy to hear, it is a less preferable pairing than with N2. It is nice to listen to with RS8, but it is exciting with N2, which is a clear winner for me in this comparison.



Killing in the Name - Rage Against the Machine

What a track! As with Harvester of Sorrow, the N2 & Fibae 5 combo is excellent, and I loved listening to this track with them. The combination of the full and in-your-face electric and bass guitars, along with the slamming drums and intense vocals, really makes for a fantastic listen. It is a case of sitting back and enjoying the track with this pairing. Nothing feels lacking or out of place, and that has been consistent when listening to many other tracks from similar genres.

Again, when listening with RS8, the major difference is the softer note edges and more relaxed presentation overall, which suits certain genres, but for tracks like Killing in the Name and Harvester of Sorrow, the more aggressive results with N2 are more preferable.

Line Out​

The N2 has a clean and quiet-sounding line out. It is fixed to 2V, which works well with most amps and allows you enough headroom for volume control.

I recently used the N2 as a source to compare the L&P EA4 and the Mass Kobo 475 as part of a review, which you can read here if you wish to find out more about this function.

I was quite impressed with it during my testing, and it provided a clear and detailed base to assess the amps from.

Conclusion​

There is a lot to like about the NiPO N2 and I have enjoyed getting to know it over the last few weeks.

The device is well made, is nice in hand and is easy to take with you on the go. It is very powerful and has some amp-like characteristics to its sound, which are not often found in DAP.

Personally, it is the best implementation of an ESS DAC I have come across so far and I think the combination of detailed sound and powerful bass will appeal to many.

It has been a nice alternative to my normal DAPs, has worked well with my amps, and I have found some really nice pairings with some of my IEMs, so I am glad to have gotten the opportunity to experience it.

The NiPO N2 is currently available on this side of the world via Musicteck, and I believe there will be more dealers added in the near future.