[pig30n]

Hello. I made an AB test between Topping NX4 DSD vs Chord Mojo, as some people were interested (including me).

- Topping NX4 DSD thoughts:
I own it for 7 months and I’ve been very happy with it. I only used it as transportable and plugged to a Mac and to a power source at 1.8A/5V with Audeze iSine 20 headphones (24ohms).
I never had any connection or battery problems with the unit.
The line-out sounds better than headphones-out. It feels more precise and sounds more natural.

Indeed, there is a channel imbalance at low volume, around 9 o’clock, but if you have sensitive iems you can plug them into line-out and use the digital volume directly from the DAC. Line-Out doesn’t have any channel imbalance no matter where you set the digital volume. The DAC runs at 32bits and won’t loose any information until -40db.
I’ve tried this with my 10y old Shure SE530 and there was plenty of juice coming from that line-out with digital volume at -15db. Push it up to 0db and you will get tinnitus.

Overall it’s a very good unit for the price. If you buy all the components inside for a DIY project you will easily spend 100$+. I had a Dragonfly Red before which doesn’t hold a candle to NX4 DSD.

- Chord Mojo thoughts
Not much to say here, there are plenty of articles on the web. After reading zillions of them, this Black Friday, I clicked the buy button on the son-of-a-gun.

- Topping NX4DSD vs Chord Mojo
The first thing you notice is a wider soundstage on the Mojo. It’s not a night and day difference but it’s there.
Sound signature on the Mojo is warmer and laid-back whereas the NX4DSD is neutral.
Bass is more refined on the Mojo with cleaner attack-decay. The amount of bass is the same in both units, unless you flip the bass switch on NX4DSD.
Mids and vocals sound pretty good on both units. Maybe a little bit forward on NX4DSD but not in a bad way. It’s just the Mojo being laid-back.
The highs are more pronounced on the Topping, not too harsh, but that’s the Sabre DAC chip. Not the usual “Sabre Glare” from ES9010 series. They fixed that glare in these new 9028/9038 chips. Haven’t heard the Pro versions yet but they aren’t transportable, so not for me.

All the tests were done versus NX4DSD’s line-out. On the headphone-out, definitely there’s some sound coloration coming from that OPA amp. I don’t have any high impedance headphones for testing at higher than 13 o’clock volume. Not to mention the gain switch.

Either way you can’t go wrong with any of them. They are both great portable/transportable choices. I will keep the NX4DSD because I like its neutral sound.

Does the Mojo justifies 3 times the price over NX4DSD? You pay a premium for owning a Chord ... but if the budget is of concern then definitely not.

 

[TiborG]

Line-Out on NX4 DSD is variable? Usual is a fixed volume level. The firmware X5-III firmware 1.2.1 also has a choice of fixed-adjustable Line-Out

 

[mushin1989]

I just wanted to chime in and say that of the Topping NX4, FiiO Q1 Mk II, and X-Duoo XD-05, I liked the overall quality and smoothness of presentation of the NX4 the most. Wonderful bass boost too. You can buy used for around $100. One of the best values in amplification/Dacs. Seriously.

 

[devin.oct]

I didn't expect it to be this good looking at the price point, the DAC is so clean, pretty detailed, neutral, and practically distortion-free with a littttle bit more pronounced highs.

It has plenty of power, I'm pairing this with HD6xx and found to be a good match, Low-gain 11 - 12 o' clock.
I'm not a bass boost person, but i use it with my cheap earbuds(Sennheiser MX 400 ii) and really like it.

 

[VancityDreaming]

I don't know if you read my brief impressions here ... https://www.head-fi.org/threads/topping-nx4.854311/page-5#post-14059922

My conclusion is that they are close but that the NX4DSD is worth the extra.

So the balanced output on the q1 doesn't beat the single ended on the nx4 dsd? Just wondering. Thank you.

 

[Charente]

@VancityDreaming ... I can't help you with that specific question ... my listening is through SE ... I don't have a 2.5mm balanced connector on my headphones. Looking at the specs, the Q1 has similar power level with balanced to the NX4's Single-Ended output (32Ω). But whether that translates into better SQ, I don't know. Maybe someone else could chime in ?

I have recently also been using the Massdrop HD58X headphones with the NX4DSD connected to an iPhone via CCK ... that setup works well too. The CCK that I have has a separate Lightening connector for charging, but the NX4 doesn't pull charging power from the iPhone while playing ... an issue for some other players that don't have separate connectors for playing and charging.

 

[harry501501]

Wonder how this'll compare to my Sabaj DA3? I know the NX4 will be more powerful, but I like the balanced output of my DA3. Anyone have both?

 

[fokta]

Repost alert...



I really like this pairing.
Notebook (Spotify) - DAC/AMP NX4DSD (Bass boost on, Low Gain) - Ifi Earbuddy - SOLARIS with Ref8

impression :
Good Solid Black background.
Non Random POP sound (+ earbuddy)
Layer bass still there and decent.
Mid and sub Mid a bit recessed.
High... not as sparkle using DAP
Soundstage, a bit narrow...
Using this set up, Solaris tends to dark, not sparkling but still detail...
The Imbalance issued fixed with Earbuddy, can crank that volume knob up to 11 o'clock....

 

[harry501501]

This channel imbalance is pretty widespread... it's the only thing putting me off pulling the trigger. Leaning towards the Topping D50 instead. Hmmmmmm

 

[fokta]

This channel imbalance is pretty widespread... it's the only thing putting me off pulling the trigger. Leaning towards the Topping D50 instead. Hmmmmmm

Its a great value for DAC/AMP, will be great pairing with high impedance Headphone.

For Me, this make any source device Bright, the bass boost work, not like my e12a....
I still keep it just to roll or looking different taste if bore with the current device...

Imbalance issued, only with high sensitivity device, I found if you own below 100 dB sensitivity CANS or IEM, the imbalance will not an issued since u need to cranck more than 9 o'clock...

Best practice is try it first, then trust your ear to decide. Cheers

 

[devin.oct]

This channel imbalance is pretty widespread... it's the only thing putting me off pulling the trigger. Leaning towards the Topping D50 instead. Hmmmmmm

I wouldn't worry about it, all my headphones to IEMs don't have this issue on listening volume.
Yes it has channel imbalance at whisper volume level, unless you listen to that low, otherwise it doesn't exist.

 

[afico]

Hello. I made an AB test between Topping NX4 DSD vs Chord Mojo, as some people were interested (including me).

- Topping NX4 DSD thoughts:
I own it for 7 months and I’ve been very happy with it. I only used it as transportable and plugged to a Mac and to a power source at 1.8A/5V with Audeze iSine 20 headphones (24ohms).
I never had any connection or battery problems with the unit.
The line-out sounds better than headphones-out. It feels more precise and sounds more natural.

Indeed, there is a channel imbalance at low volume, around 9 o’clock, but if you have sensitive iems you can plug them into line-out and use the digital volume directly from the DAC. Line-Out doesn’t have any channel imbalance no matter where you set the digital volume. The DAC runs at 32bits and won’t loose any information until -40db.
I’ve tried this with my 10y old Shure SE530 and there was plenty of juice coming from that line-out with digital volume at -15db. Push it up to 0db and you will get tinnitus.

Overall it’s a very good unit for the price. If you buy all the components inside for a DIY project you will easily spend 100$+. I had a Dragonfly Red before which doesn’t hold a candle to NX4 DSD.

- Chord Mojo thoughts
Not much to say here, there are plenty of articles on the web. After reading zillions of them, this Black Friday, I clicked the buy button on the son-of-a-gun.

- Topping NX4DSD vs Chord Mojo
The first thing you notice is a wider soundstage on the Mojo. It’s not a night and day difference but it’s there.
Sound signature on the Mojo is warmer and laid-back whereas the NX4DSD is neutral.
Bass is more refined on the Mojo with cleaner attack-decay. The amount of bass is the same in both units, unless you flip the bass switch on NX4DSD.
Mids and vocals sound pretty good on both units. Maybe a little bit forward on NX4DSD but not in a bad way. It’s just the Mojo being laid-back.
The highs are more pronounced on the Topping, not too harsh, but that’s the Sabre DAC chip. Not the usual “Sabre Glare” from ES9010 series. They fixed that glare in these new 9028/9038 chips. Haven’t heard the Pro versions yet but they aren’t transportable, so not for me.

All the tests were done versus NX4DSD’s line-out. On the headphone-out, definitely there’s some sound coloration coming from that OPA amp. I don’t have any high impedance headphones for testing at higher than 13 o’clock volume. Not to mention the gain switch.

Either way you can’t go wrong with any of them. They are both great portable/transportable choices. I will keep the NX4DSD because I like its neutral sound.

Does the Mojo justifies 3 times the price over NX4DSD? You pay a premium for owning a Chord ... but if the budget is of concern then definitely not.

i agree withs most of you impressions...but using the dac with digital volume is not the way to go..you loose resolution..

 

[TiborG]

Dokonale vyčistite všetky zdroje - ako vstupy DAC alebo LineOut. S Androidom bez váhania konečne bez akéhokoľvek iného vynikajúceho UAPP. A excelovať ako DAC pre PC s operačným systémom Windows 10, pod Mac OS X s Audirvanou je to trochu menšia sláva. Pre môj IEM FiiO FH5 a BGVP DMG s impedanciou 16 Ohm nie je žiadna nerovnováha kanálu

 

[Ynot1]

@VancityDreaming ... I can't help you with that specific question ... my listening is through SE ... I don't have a 2.5mm balanced connector on my headphones. Looking at the specs, the Q1 has similar power level with balanced to the NX4's Single-Ended output (32Ω). But whether that translates into better SQ, I don't know. Maybe someone else could chime in ?

I have recently also been using the Massdrop HD58X headphones with the NX4DSD connected to an iPhone via CCK ... that setup works well too. The CCK that I have has a separate Lightening connector for charging, but the NX4 doesn't pull charging power from the iPhone while playing ... an issue for some other players that don't have separate connectors for playing and charging.

People who praise Q1mk2 most likely used the balanced out with usb input. It is the best sounding configuration of Fiio. It would not do justice to measure 0 to sixty for a Bugatti Chieron going in reverse gear, even though the super car is equipped to go in reverse. Just saying.

 

[Kitchener]

Got a NX4DSD from ebay seller forexmen about a month ago.
I've been using it with my iPhone 6S + and Macbook Pro to drive my HE-560 and it drives them quite well, haven't noticed any abnormalities.

It runs straight from my iPhone 6S + with the supplied Lightning to Micro USB cable without issue, that's a big plus in my book.

Soundwise, I can't say more than that it sounds good. No noise, can't detect any imbalance.
Using high gain and I'm really appreciating the bass boost function.
Bought this because I wanted something small, portable, powerful and affordable (and audiosciencereview recommended it), and I am very pleased.