[PolloLoco]

Shanling M3s is a great match for the NX7. Love how it sounds just straight out in balanced out of it. Speaking of Shanling.

IF you guys was looking for a great sounding dap. I mean GREAT sounding dap. Drop.com got a sale on the Shanling M5s. For $350. Crazy price for performance.https://drop.com/buy/shanling-m5s-digital-audio-player

Oh and your not that old my man. Lol.

I mention my age because that may explain why others complain about piercing highs and sharp peaks, but I enjoy the treble. Perhaps my old ears filter out the harshness.

For curiosity's sake I ran an online tone generator at the same volume I was just listening to music at for an hour. I was able to clearly hear 25 hz to 16.5 khz tones. Much better than my Tenhz P4 Pros, which were more like 50 hz to 15khz.

I agree that the sound is colored and unrealistic but it reveals so many details that I'm definitely keeping these in my lineup. These are fun yet detailed, an odd combination.

Neither of the sources I'm using are known for extended highs, I plan to take these to work and try them with my Sabaj Da3, which kind of are. If theres anything notable to report, I'll add a comment.

 

[Otto Motor]

I've attached this image to give an idea of what the compensation file does. Red is compensated, blue is raw.

As for the NX7, they're better than the N3, but they still are an IEM designed for detail retrieval at the expense of fatigue-free listening. I agree with @Otto Motor that most people should just buy the M6 and the brass filter for them.
Full review to follow.

My review draft is presently boiling and fermenting. Lots of observations to come....timbre, transients, resolution etc. But one thing for sure: the 70 hrs of break-in made no difference in my perception (which means that, if there was a difference, I did not notice it...which could be my fault).

UPDATE: now bringing out the "big berthas": all sorts of crazy cables from my early KZ days. Let's see what difference it will make .

P.S. I am not trolling anybody (no reason to report me...again), this pre-IKEA table was simply handy.

 

[Otto Motor]

My rule of thumb. Trust guys like dsnuts, carlsan and panda. They don’t have blogs, they have many many earphones from cheap to expensive, don’t just trust graphs and most of all, don’t think their opinion is the final word. The ignore feature is totally awesome, use it.

You are essentially saying that bloggers rely entirely on graphs, think only their opinions count, don't have many earphones, and therefore can't be trusted? What about trying to understand the (different) reasonings of these people, one by one, and then try to compare to your own preferences to arrive at a comparison scale that works for you. And then look at the collected body of opinions...Not sure that broad brushing and cherry picking are the answer.

And, errr..., which of the bloggers started the NX7 hype and pulled out the Polaris graph in support of its quality...we two just discussed this behind the scenes...between blogger and non-blogger...after all, we are all good sports...you included (from what I was told).

 

[loomisjohnson]

i got alot of eartime with the nx7 this weekend and (whether due to break-in or mental acclimation), they are improving markedly. a few further observations:
1. their leanness notwithstanding, they work surprisingly well with metal and heavy fare--they have enough lowend and capture speedy transients like snares and cymbals.
2. the level of microdetail is really exceptional for this price point--to echo the familiar refrain, i hear little nuances on familiar material that i never heard.
3. that said, they are "digital" sounding--it's the difference between listening to a brightly-mastered cd and vinyl.

 

[mbwilson111]

3. that said, they are "digital" sounding--it's the difference between listening to a brightly-mastered cd and vinyl.

This is why I will pass. I do not like brightly mastered cds. Had vinyl once upon a time... don't actually miss the clicks and pops though.

Anyway, you know I have other choices, several of which I believe I would prefer over the NX7.

 

[activatorfly]

This is why I will pass. I do not like brightly mastered cds. Had vinyl once upon a time... don't actually miss the clicks and pops though.

Anyway, you know I have other choices, several of which I believe I would prefer over the NX7.

I dig both: brightly mastered cd’s & vinyl....(in the absence of physical media) FLAC files help to bridge the gap!

 

[mbwilson111]

I dig both: brightly mastered cd’s & vinyl....FLAC files help to bridge the gap!

I tend to dislike brightness.

 

[Otto Motor]

i got alot of eartime with the nx7 this weekend and (whether due to break-in or mental acclimation), they are improving markedly. a few further observations:
1. their leanness notwithstanding, they work surprisingly well with metal and heavy fare--they have enough lowend and capture speedy transients like snares and cymbals.

I can confirm the metal notion: listened to, pardon and my apologies, Saxon, this weekend and it worked well with the NX7 (results may vary depending on the "noodling" factor of the lead guitarist). As to the micro detail...I am still not sure whether there is a lot of "perceived" micro detail introduced by that 13 K peak. Will need more work for me.

I also tried comply tips which increased bass control, but they also also sharpened the voices and resulted in a perceived overall scratchy sound....but that's universal for any earphone combined with my ears. As to silicone tips, I tried all shapes and bore widths. In the end, I settled for the Tennmak Whirlwind wide-bores as they produced the most focused bass. The narrow-bores generated a borderline boomy bass in my ear canals. The problem is that the wide-bores also boost perceived treble.

Last but not least I tried 5 different cables (all between $7 and $10): 2 silver plated copper, 1 gold (!) plated copper [how much gold is in a $7 cable?], a "Frankenstein" cable (the original KZ ZS5 one), and the stock cable: no difference found (I found a huge difference when using another earphone, though). I like the idea of "Frankenstein" cables [the term is lifted from the Archimago's Musings blog]. Considering that many expensive Sennheisers or AKGs come with "non-detachable" Frankenstein cables, this did not come as a surprise. I therefore considered my cables as "jewelry" and kept the "sexiest" one attached.

I then tried the original KZ ZS5 vs1...a two-year old "vintage" earphone, which sounded boomy and much less refined in comparison...but still not bad at all (when amped).

 

[Otto Motor]

I tend to dislike brightness.

From listening to Hifi in stores in China, brightness may be a local flavour and therefore intended. Westerners tend to be more sensitive to it.

 

[davidcotton]

I tend to dislike brightness.

Only reason I haven't tried chifi. After the hype trains end the run, reports of brightness, peakiness etc etc start to surface. The build quality for the most part seems to be pretty much impeccable, it's more the tuning.

 

[peter123]

Only reason I haven't tried chifi. After the hype trains end the run, reports of brightness, peakiness etc etc start to surface. The build quality for the most part seems to be pretty much impeccable, it's more the tuning.

Yeah because all chifi sound the same, it's clear that you haven't tried any though.

 

[activatorfly]

Only reason I haven't tried chifi. After the hype trains end the run, reports of brightness, peakiness etc etc start to surface. The build quality for the most part seems to be pretty much impeccable, it's more the tuning.

It all depends upon whether “brighter” & “more energetic” tuning suits your listening preferences.

 

[CactusPete23]

[QUOTE="Otto Motor, post: 15105272, member: 462617"In the end, I settled for the Tennmak Whirlwind wide-bores as they produced the most focused bass. The narrow-bores generated a borderline boomy bass in my ear canals. The problem is that the wide-bores also boost perceived treble.

.[/QUOTE]
I tried the NX7s with some wide bore silicones (Auvio 12A12, 3300785 Large is my fit). Like for you, treble was a bit bright. Then tried a Mod that I think Slater mentioned. Placed micropor tape to cover the IEM tip before placing the Auvio Tips On.
- The combination seemed to control the high treble at first. But when I increased volume, the treble made drum hits to snappy.
- So I went into the Hidizs AP80's Equalizer (Which I never use), and dropped 16Khz down by 4db. That combo sounded pretty good at both low/normal and higher volumes.
- For lower volume listening, the micropor tape might be enough.
And yes, I have 60+ year old ears, and slight tinitus, so am sure this won't match everyone's ears. Personally don't like custom EQ for different earphones. Gets complicated...

Will try this combo with a different/better dac/amp later...

EDIT: Tried with Ifi Micro DSD and then removed the micropore tape. The NX7's sound good without the tape, with the Auvio Silicones, with no EQ. Re-tested on the AP80, and it sounds good to at normal listening levels. When cranked up a little higher than normal, the treble gets too piercing. But sound great at normal listening levels. At least for me. Think they are very good for the price. They definately needed some burn in, as out of the box they had a lot of sibilance. That is almost all gone 50+ hrs. Most of that dropped off after 3-4 hrs...

 

[HungryPanda]

I really appreciate the NX7 now after a good burn in and these tips

 

[CactusPete23]

I really appreciate the NX7 now after a good burn in and these tips

Which tips are those? Tried the Sony Hybrids (Narrow) that you suggested. They were good, but lost something for me in the high end/air...

Curious, if you crank up the volume, say double the perceived volume, (+10db), do you get a little too much snap/piercing? (Which should happen as we are less sensitive to the bass and treble at low volume that at high listen volumes.)

I just think that the piezo is just a little too sharp.(that 13Khz peak) Maybe more hours helps? I have about 50 hrs play time currently. Mostly just cooking and not active listening.

MAybe they are best kept at low/normal volumes to sound their best!