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Review and Measurements of Topping NX4 DSD Dac and Portable Headphone Amplifier

Viper Necklampy

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What is the frequency response of this DAC? Looking to pair it with my Adam A7X monitors that are 45Hz to 50kHz.
I get the impression from Amirm's measurements that all Topping DACs are limited to 20Hz to 20kHz but that may be simply because he tests with redbook (CD quality) files only.
I was thinking this too, but i saw the spec are this:
Frequency response20 – 100,000 Hz (± 0.55 dB), this means that extend well even at 100khz with necessary sampling rate, so good to hear, prob was Rolling off at amirm measurement Coz dc quality?? .. But surely at low freq under 20hz will roll off, I have one and it sound very good with Audeze El8 titanium, well, of course it's portable so it is limited in soundstage, micro-detail etc, but damn it is good, to upgrade from this little unit is hard to find something good, need 4.4 balanced, no roll off, linear phase fast roll-off and.. Good internal components, capacitor etc, and good durability material for no audio degradation in lot of ours (I'm not saying that this will degradate in SQ after long usage, don't know..)
 

MWC

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@Viper Necklampy Thanks for your insight :) Here's hoping more of the Topping DACs tested here also have similar frequency responses. It was something I asked for clarity on, in other threads besides this one, and got nothing but abuse from a few members who I imagine (from their response) must be in the redbook is good enough and hires is pointless brigade. I respect their choice to believe that, but they don't need to proselytise it all the time do they?
 

Viper Necklampy

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@Viper Necklampy Thanks for your insight :) Here's hoping more of the Topping DACs tested here also have similar frequency responses. It was something I asked for clarity on, in other threads besides this one, and got nothing but abuse from a few members who I imagine (from their response) must be in the redbook is good enough and hires is pointless brigade. I respect their choice to believe that, but they don't need to proselytise it all the time do they?
Oh don't tell me that, i even get laught or even offended for no reason, because i found differences in cables (i found improved of 2-4% my D50 and Atom with 160€ used Qed reference cables, believe it or not..), so, you know those kind of people, better stay away, if it's possible ;P Just most of them don't accept our 'preferences' and they will be harsh .. Anyway, if you find upsampled audio better, i don't see why not, i also found hi-res audio more trusty: natural and open, with hi-res no roll-off in high frequencies is better, i think..
 
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amirm

amirm

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Frequency response20 – 100,000 Hz (± 0.55 dB), this means that extend well even at 100khz with necessary sampling rate, so good to hear, prob was Rolling off at amirm measurement Coz dc quality??
The frequency response measurements by default don't have a lot of resolution. I can dial it up but then takes a long time to run.
 

tomaszffffff

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Is it true that if I use the unit while its charging it would degrade the battery? Thinking its a pretty solid desktop driver for me. I already got the unit with me and its amazeballs but I'm just scared to test out my theory

I'm asking myself the same question. What's more in manual there is information about "Intelligent charging with battery indicator" feature, which may suggest the possibility to bypass the battery. I tried to ask Topping to clarify that by their website contact form but they haven't answer for over 2 weeks now. That discourages me from buying a little.

I'm also wondering if NX4 is going to drive Beyers DT150 correctly, can anyone of you please comment on this?
 
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MWC

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I'm considering an NX4 to drive a pair of powered monitors (Adam A7X) My thinking is this battery powered DAC, with a battery powered phone / tablet as source, would be very quiet compared to mains electric. What do folks think ?
 
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mgmate

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I'm asking myself the same question. What's more in manual there is information about "Intelligent charging with battery indicator" feature, which may suggest the possibility to bypass the battery. I tried to ask Topping to clarify that by their website contact form but they haven't answer for over 2 weeks now. That discourages me from buying a little.

I'm also wondering if NX4 is going to drive Beyers DT150 correctly, can anyone of you please comment on this?
It should not be an issue for your Beyers at 250 OHM if you doesn't want very high volume on them. I have a Senns 660S at 150 OHM and is always running at 12 in dial in low amp mode, so it should not be an issue.
 

thms

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I am new here, and I have the Topping NX4 DSD that I use to power my HD58x, love it.

Also use it to replace X230 sound card, and use it as a source for my bookshelves (use aux from the amp).
 

slazyel

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Hi guys, waiting my nx4 dsd to arrive. I just want to know, is the nx4 dsd good for 100% desktop use too? Dx3 pro was $50 more and i've heard nx4 had a bit better dac for headphone use. As i will only use it with headphones, can you help me?
 

daftcombo

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i've heard nx4 had a bit better dac for headphone use
Hi,
That part of your sentence doesn't make sence. A good DAC is a good DAC, doesn't matter if it's for heaphones or speakers.
What you want to know is if the headphones output is good, with low impedance and lots of power. The answer is yes.
 

reza

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Hi guys, waiting my nx4 dsd to arrive. I just want to know, is the nx4 dsd good for 100% desktop use too? Dx3 pro was $50 more and i've heard nx4 had a bit better dac for headphone use. As i will only use it with headphones, can you help me?

I've been using it as a desktop unit and I'm happy with it. The only inconvenience is the double USB cabling. I prefer the small footprint to the larger dedicated desktop systems.
 

thms

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Hi guys, waiting my nx4 dsd to arrive. I just want to know, is the nx4 dsd good for 100% desktop use too? Dx3 pro was $50 more and i've heard nx4 had a bit better dac for headphone use. As i will only use it with headphones, can you help me?

You will kill the battery if you always charge it while using, or so says Topping.

I would get a JDS Lab Atom + Ol dac for desktop. Just because they'll have 6.5mm plugs instead of 3.5 and will look better.
 

slazyel

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Another newbie question:

I have a Thunderx3 monitor stand that has a usb dock. I am using the nx4 dsd both for dac and for charging in this dock, that is conected via one usb port to my pc. Question is, will i lose sound quality or anything by conecting it to this generic dock using gereneric usb cables?
 

slazyel

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You will kill the battery if you always charge it while using, or so says Topping.

I would get a JDS Lab Atom + Ol dac for desktop. Just because they'll have 6.5mm plugs instead of 3.5 and will look better.
I already bought the nx4 dsd. Also, jds labs has a too expensive shipping to where i live. I am limited to Aliexpress.
 

MrC

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I would recommend you use a wall charger to charge the NX4 @slazyel, as the usb port will be very slow charging it.

Also, I have used the NX4 as a desktop solution and it is great, you just need to lift it off the desk a little to make volume adjustments easier. However, I didn't use it charging constantly. Because it has two ports (one for charging and the other for DAC) it is very handy to unplug the charging cable when not needed, the led on the front will warn you when it needs charging.
 

slazyel

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This is how i am using it:

P90503-150539.jpg

P90503-150553.jpg
 

thms

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This is OK but make sure to:
* Not charge always
* When you use battery, don't go lower than 20% ideally. The blue dot will become red when battery is low.

A wall charger will be faster but will destroy your battery faster.
At least it's what it does to IMR 18650s, when I'm not in a hurry, I make sure to charge them @ 0.5A instead of 1A.
Not sure if this translates to the type of battery used by Topping.
 

slazyel

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Another question:

A friend want to buy a Desktop Dac/amp like the nx4 dsd. He listened to my nx4 dsd and loved it. He wants something for desktop use only. Is there any combo costing the same or less with the same quality as nx4 dsd?
 

MWC

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I recently bought a Topping D50 for a similar price as the NX4 DSD. I love it. A friend has the cheaper D10 and knows a fair bit about DACs and recommends it. There are other options too, but I can only recommend something I have used myself.

The D50 is a DAC only, not also an amp.. I have it connected to my Denon receiver in one house and in another to a pair of Adam A7X powered monitors.
 
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