First of all, a big thank you to @JohnYang1997 and everyone associated with Topping for making a product that is affordable, fully featured and well-built. Much appreciated.
I have been using this DAC for about two years now (pandemic time flies) and I have found it to be useful when paired with good headphones. I do not want to overplay the jump in fidelity from Apple 3.5mm USB or Lightning converters with their built in DAC (IIRC @amirm has done some measurements and they perform really well), but the NX4 DSD brings great support for digital sources of any resolution and plays them well. I feel confident that I can use whatever source I want and hear whatever was intended in the recording. My sources of failure will be my choice of headphones or (more likely) my ears.
Pulling back from detailed, perfect recordings, I also like the results with my Planar Magnetic earphones while watching movies on the iPad Pro or MacBook Pro around the house, in coffeeshops or chilling in my car after a hike. Yes, I know. Streaming Netflix is not really testing either sound device. But I seek immersive sound experiences and this DAC helps deliver my own 12.9” movie theatre. It adds a little extra joy to the world.
I wanted to flag build quality as a positive for this portable DAC. I must be honest and confess I have not treated it gently, instead regarding it as part of my portable audio stuff. The only item I was concerned about is that after two years of (ab)use is that I noticed my audio stream occasionally auto-pauses due to a bad connection on the MicroUSB to USB-C path.
Good news: testing by jiggling my DAC with gusto showed the issue is isolated to my iPad Pro.
Bad news: this means my iPad Pro USB-C port is a bit damaged.
Result: nothing to criticize on Topping’s choice of components.
Occasionally I get bored of wires in my life and the Planar headphones and the DAC languish on a shelf. Then I try them again and surround myself with wires until I do something silly and knock something expensive off a table. Rinse and repeat.
If there was one item to nitpick regarding the DAC it is that it takes a while to fully charge. I doubt many people will use it for long enough to wear out the battery before themselves, or that they will want it to charge quickly immediately afterwards, but once or twice I forgot to charge it after lengthy sessions and had a tiny bit of range anxiety heading out. That said, I think I actually ran out of power only once. Perhaps twice. And that’s on me.
Highly recommend the NX4 DSD for anyone wanting to upgrade their audio with something that delivers your sound as it should be and can happily live in the real world.
I have been using this DAC for about two years now (pandemic time flies) and I have found it to be useful when paired with good headphones. I do not want to overplay the jump in fidelity from Apple 3.5mm USB or Lightning converters with their built in DAC (IIRC @amirm has done some measurements and they perform really well), but the NX4 DSD brings great support for digital sources of any resolution and plays them well. I feel confident that I can use whatever source I want and hear whatever was intended in the recording. My sources of failure will be my choice of headphones or (more likely) my ears.
Pulling back from detailed, perfect recordings, I also like the results with my Planar Magnetic earphones while watching movies on the iPad Pro or MacBook Pro around the house, in coffeeshops or chilling in my car after a hike. Yes, I know. Streaming Netflix is not really testing either sound device. But I seek immersive sound experiences and this DAC helps deliver my own 12.9” movie theatre. It adds a little extra joy to the world.
I wanted to flag build quality as a positive for this portable DAC. I must be honest and confess I have not treated it gently, instead regarding it as part of my portable audio stuff. The only item I was concerned about is that after two years of (ab)use is that I noticed my audio stream occasionally auto-pauses due to a bad connection on the MicroUSB to USB-C path.
Good news: testing by jiggling my DAC with gusto showed the issue is isolated to my iPad Pro.
Bad news: this means my iPad Pro USB-C port is a bit damaged.
Result: nothing to criticize on Topping’s choice of components.
Occasionally I get bored of wires in my life and the Planar headphones and the DAC languish on a shelf. Then I try them again and surround myself with wires until I do something silly and knock something expensive off a table. Rinse and repeat.
If there was one item to nitpick regarding the DAC it is that it takes a while to fully charge. I doubt many people will use it for long enough to wear out the battery before themselves, or that they will want it to charge quickly immediately afterwards, but once or twice I forgot to charge it after lengthy sessions and had a tiny bit of range anxiety heading out. That said, I think I actually ran out of power only once. Perhaps twice. And that’s on me.
Highly recommend the NX4 DSD for anyone wanting to upgrade their audio with something that delivers your sound as it should be and can happily live in the real world.
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