Topping NX4

[jessymarinus]

I use NX4 for now. Is it a major step to buy a DSD version?

 

[Heals]

Where are you getting this price? I'd buy it instantly at $150.

I just basically took the price from Taobao and converted it to USD, obviously not an official price. There may be other factors involved like what country you buy it from, shipping, and all that good stuff. Even at $200, if it performs, I wouldn't hesitate to try it myself.

 

[nexvid]

May I ask what desktop setup do you have, and how does the device differ from your desktop setup? That way, it is easier for people to have a point of reference for the SQ of this NX4 DSD. Many thanks!

Well referring to my desktop setup, I should probably had said desktop speaker setup. I have a Rampage 4 BE in my PC that has a pretty decent audio, nothing extreme in the audio department as the name would imply (motherboard wise it was a beast at its time), and my trusty edifier 980t, that are the only bookshelf speakers that fit in the space i have for my desktop. The board does have an headphone amp so it is kind of my reference sound, I have had it for several years and nothing made me want to change it, either too big (space wise) or improvements where minimal, with the topping just sounds less crowded, with better instrument separation. Maybe its time for a new threadripper build....

 

[Jimster480]

I just basically took the price from Taobao and converted it to USD, obviously not an official price. There may be other factors involved like what country you buy it from, shipping, and all that good stuff. Even at $200, if it performs, I wouldn't hesitate to try it myself.

I wonder when it will come to the USA.

 

[redryder]

Has anyone used the NX4 with the Massdrop THX00? I have it connected to my Samsung Note8 via usb and the cans actually sound worse with the amp compared to being plugged directly into the phone. I hear distortion on bass heavy sections of some songs, and less distortion without the amp.

Is it because the THX00 impedance is 25ohm?

 

[Jimster480]

Has anyone used the NX4 with the Massdrop THX00? I have it connected to my Samsung Note8 via usb and the cans actually sound worse with the amp compared to being plugged directly into the phone. I hear distortion on bass heavy sections of some songs, and less distortion without the amp.

Is it because the THX00 impedance is 25ohm?

It should only have a 1 ohm output impedance so it should be fine.
But the thing is that your source music might not be good and it may be revealing how bad the source is.

 

[redryder]

It should only have a 1 ohm output impedance so it should be fine.
But the thing is that your source music might not be good and it may be revealing how bad the source is.

Hi,

Could it be that the Topping does not produce enough current to drive the low impedance THX00? Where can I find the maximum current output of the NX4?

 

[Jimster480]

Hi,

Could it be that the Topping does not produce enough current to drive the low impedance THX00? Where can I find the maximum current output of the NX4?

Seems unlikely, especially compared to a Samsung phone.

 

[Ted Presley]

Where are you getting this price? I'd buy it instantly at $150.

159 USD, I'm trying to stop me from buying one .....but the price is really tempting......

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Top...2.html?spm=a2g0s.13010208.99999999.269.Y9D18f

 

[pwjazz]

Just got an NX4 (regular) from Amazon. I'm enjoying it. Here's a copy and paste of my review from there:

This amp has a nice solid feel to it, with a metal body and metal volume knob (potentiometer) with a nice feel to it. The amp worked well with everything I tried:

Phones - iPhone 6 and Moto G5
Software - Google Play Music and Roon
Headphones - Hifiman HE-400i, Sennheiser HD 598 and HD 598 Cs, Etymotic HF5
Songs - Giorgio by Moroder (Daft Punk), This Too Shall Pass (Danny Schmidt), Rachmaninov Piano Concerto no. 3 performed by Yuja Wang

Pros:

- Sounds great
- Pairs well with HE-400i (better than my Schiit Magni 3 actually). On low gain, my volume was set to about 10 o'clock for comfortable listening.
- Seems to be fine with the high efficiency/low impedance HF5 (no hissing)
- Automatically mutes while plugging headphone in/out
- Doesn't require Apple Camera Kit unlike my Dragonfly Black (the included micro USB to lightning cable works just fine)
- The bass boost switch is an easy way to add a little bass on songs where I feel it's needed, and it doesn't noticeably degrade the audio quality

Cons:

- I occasionally noticed some drop outs when playing from Roon, but I think that may have been network issues and not the NX4 [Edit: listening closer to my router now I'm not noticing the dropouts anymore, so I suspect this was a Roon/Network problem. I also don't notice this with Google Play on the iPhone).
- The aluminum chassis is very slick to the touch which makes me afraid I'm going to drop it every time I pick it up

 

[Ted Presley]

- The aluminum chassis is very slick to the touch which makes me afraid I'm going to drop it every time I pick it up

I have a Topping NX5 with same chassis, and order a handmade leather case from a local guy. It helps with handling a lot.

 

[pwjazz]

I have a Topping NX5 with same chassis, and order a handmade leather case from a local guy. It helps with handling a lot.

Thanks! Any concerns about the unit overheating?

 

[Ted Presley]

Thanks! Any concerns about the unit overheating?

Oh yes, NX5 is a amp which isn't getting hot much even for a long time usage (in my case, as my headphone is easy to drive).

But a DAC like NX4 may getting some concerns in terms of heat.

 

[Heals]

Quick question for those more knowledgeable than me;

In the amplification specifications it states the NX4 has a maximum output of 307mW x 2 (Gain=L, RL=32Ω, THD+N=1%)

So does this mean 614mW total at 32 Ohm or just 307mW?

Thanks in advance!

 

[redryder]

Guys, the NX4 does not support DSD decoding right? I know my phone does (Samsung Note 8).

So when I connect my phone via USB to the NX4, and I can hear a DSD song, what is going on? Is my phone decoding it first then sending it via USB to the NX4? I am using Poweramp Alpha.
This is what it says on Poweramp Alpha when playing the song - 1 Bit 352.8KHZ 5644KBPS dsd_lsbf_planar.

Now I'm wondering if I'm somehow bypassing the NX4 DAC even for regular PCM songs.