Topping NX3s Headphone Amp Discussions | Drop

Topping NX3s Headphone Amp

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denlim777

Oct 11, 2018

can this power my Sennheiser HD6XX and 1More Triple Driver headphones?

Desmond_JC

Oct 11, 2018

denlim777 @cwelton17 Theoretically speaking you can drive the Sennheiser HD6XX as this amp drives up 300ohms which is the impedance of your headphone, so no problem. But practically, it may not drive your headphone to the fullest due to practical implementation.
As for 1More triple driver headphone, yes it will certainly since the headphone is only 32ohms.
Just fyi, most portable amp is commonly up to 300ohms as you hardly see people bring these high impedance headphone, earphones or iems on the street. Usually those with such high impedance are really high end products, mostly for studio use (along with table amp). You might want to consider the impedance next time you buy your gear(especially if you wanna bring them out). :D

shorkorde

127

Keyboard Club Member

Oct 11, 2018

denlim777I just left a pretty long answer for @cwelton17 below on the topic of this amp and the Sennheiser HD6xx, so check that out and see if it helps you. The Senns have an impedance of 300ohms and the 1More Triple Drivers have an impedance of 32ohms; so anything capable of driving the 6xx's should be able to blast your Triple Drivers pretty effectively. Hope that helps.

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denlim777

Oct 11, 2018

shorkordeThank u! i appreciate your advice.

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phila58

Oct 12, 2018

denlim777I am using the NX1s with my Hiby R3 and HD6xx headphones and it really makes a big difference. I'm curious as to whether an upgrade to the NX3s will make any difference...

jaydunndiddit

3262

Oct 12, 2018

denlim777This little amp can output over 3.5 Vrms to the 6XX. For 110 dB, the 6XX only needs 2 Vrms (~14 mWrms). For the 1more Triple, it's actually overkill and will gladly overpower them with plenty of headroom. You should be good to go for both of your devices.

Oct 13, 2018

denlim777The lower power NX1s can easily power the HD6xx without any problems (I own both the NX1s and the HD6xx), so I can’t see why this higher powered NX3s may not ...

Oct 13, 2018

Desmond_JCBelieve me, this NX3s has multiple times the output power under 300 ohms to maximize your HD6xx experience in terms of power. Other more expensive amps may or may not have a more refined sound, but believe me when I say that even the inexpensive and lower power NX1s may fully drive your HD6xx, so imagine what this NX3s may do ...

Desmond_JC

Oct 13, 2018

PeteMtlDude, I didn't say it cannot power the respective headphone. I was referring to the fact that different frequencies have different impedance. Having a high power rating in general doesn't mean everything. You have to look at the input impedance of the amp as well... couple with your devices, your overall impedance can increase even more. For example, phone > dac > amp. Further more, the more connections you have, the more noise you get and using an amp amplifies the noise as well.

Oct 13, 2018

Desmond_JCWhat you say may be true in theory, but I assure you that the NX3s, being 2x more powerful than the NX1s (which I own with my 6xx) is more than enough to drive the Senns. I doubt that the NX3s, being more powerful than the NX1s, can’t manage the 450 ohms maximum swing of the HD6xx. I repeat: the HD6xx are very easy to drive, provided that the amp may reach the required voltage to meet its impedance curve. If it does, the amps needs only a few mw to do the job. Just a few, and fewer at 450 ohms than at 300 ohms by the way. Voltage is king here, and both the NX1s and NX3s draw enough voltage for the HD6xx. The goal here is to enjoy good music with the Senns using the required headphone amp. This amp will assurely enable the enjoyment of good music through the Senns.

Oct 14, 2018

denlim777Yes, speaking literally; I'm sure it can power them somewhat, but how well(properly) is another question.., Regarding the Sennheiser i don't know, i would check it out with the digiZoid headphone calculator.,. Regarding the 1More, this amp has a high output impedance(5ohm) for those headphones, which puts the damping factor out of spec' i feel, so for a great implementation and for consistent accurate response; I think it's probably not recommended (by myself) to pair those two together, at least unless you have a very definitive and concise understanding of how these particular drivers response when under dampened to various degrees and so across the frequency range... but otherwise I'd preferably stay away. =) Cheers

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jaydunndiddit

3262

Oct 14, 2018

CaizAn OI of 5 ohms isn't a big deal for the 1More Triple as their impedance curve is incredibly flat: https://www.innerfidelity.com/images/1MORETripleDriver.pdf. The 1/8th rule is a general rule of thumb and won't apply to every single ear/headphone.
For the Sennheiser, unless the OI us <= 0.1 ohm or >= 120 ohms, their frequency response is also unaffected. And even then, any determined differences are so slight it may as well be neglible at best: https://diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/headphones/measurements/brands-s-se/hd650/.
So as stated prior, this amp is still suited just fine for the products mentioned.

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Oct 14, 2018

jaydunndidditYeah, I made concessions for this kind of case and arugment, where one might know the driver's behavior really well, as i explained jay. However, that said, and while i generally "trust" innerfidelities findings, myself i would still be leary. and wouldnt recommend the pairing, since i dont know the driver intimately enough even from the one graph at one setting and one power.., Just how it actually performs when "under-damped", so, until i'd see hard figures, about the actual performance, at various output impedance's, in linearity and driver response, I'd still be concerned about the linearity, until maybe i seen some more, me personally., but i'd like to see that 30hz ssquare wave "under-damped" in this condition. That said, Benchmark (makers of benchmark dac) recommends a 20 damping factor, and other amplifier manufactures recommend even more, so why even chance it and not go with an amp with a good under 1 ohm output impedance? Going with the grain and rule of thumb instead of against it, and ensure that damping is there, especially with the already loose bass? To save a few bucks? Heresay that it should be okay, (which is what the suggestion though maybe entirely true and valid would still be to me without proof) i'd like to see some measurements of the actual responses before i could say for certain, as im simpy not deeply enough versed in the topic to go against the rules of thumb.., =) Going with the nx3s, if you find a new headphone with a low output impedance, as most phones are; then this amp can easily become useless.. And need to buy a new amp just like it but with lower output impedance,. what situation is that! Now, they don't even say @what setting this amp is scoring these SNR and THD measures at, either... And they withhold the "undesirable" output impedance figures at their site, and only show the favorable ones.,! Ca you beleive that, shysterie., I mean they might be great, but i think that antics or decisions is shyster. Infact, this product isn't even listed at their website.. for what reason I think we can only speculate... but I'd feel it's certainly concerning.,, Like a store asking you to buy fruit or a fruit contract without seeing it displayed. Why have they pulled support for this product or not advertise it and it's debut and feature it?, Too much challenge to the nx5? Some kinda wild ulterior motives? lol Who knows?! Not saying it's not a good choice, just saying i think it's pretty gambly.., especially given Toppings funny reliability track record, against the rule of thumbs, and the non-user-replaceable battery, high reports of build quality issues with some flagship topping products, the high output impedance not being on their site, what warranty, 30 day ect ect ect .,. Welp, could be fun too..! =) might just be a great bargain.! I think good competition for this amp is the A5,. NX3s is better priced, and maybe more amp, but A5 has the low output impedance and lots of great reviews on amazon for 30 bucks more , NX3s has none, A5 is made by a more producing company and one with a better track record, has an under 1ohm output impedance, and looks like a solid build, and it's promoted and supported at the FiiO site and not hidden out of sight of the public sold discretely through some third party vendors (no offense massdrop ;-) ) maybe the nx3s has some better electronics performance and a better price, but thats not the only thing to consider i'll suggest, for everyone consideration and caution.. these are real issues pertaining to here as far as we can know, i'd say.. unless someone has new application related knowledge to share.

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jaydunndiddit

3262

Oct 14, 2018

CaizOh, I agree with you. I was just responding in direct response to this amp powering said devices sufficiently. And it would. For a starter setup, you could do much worse.
Also, I have a Fiio A5 and iFi nano BL that I use for my portable rig and from 300 ohm cans to planars, the little combo pushes everything with gusto while staying hiss free with my very sensitive IEMs.

Oct 14, 2018

CaizBear in mind that this unit‘s price is 55$... wére not talking about a 200$ or 300$ amp here... Knowing how the little brother NX1s (35$) sounds, I would have no trouble buying the NX3s without trying it out first. Whatever the output impedance (and for a HD6xx or HD58x it makes no significative difference), and based on my personal knowledge of the little brother NX1s, I think this a pretty good deal for a budget headphone amp, provided that you use the device with medium or high impedance headphone (If its true that the output is 5 ohms) any headphone over 40 ohms will see its frequency balance Unaffected by the output Impedance. If you need a headphone amp and are on a tight budget, I recommend both the NX1s and NX3s.

Oct 14, 2018

PeteMtlWe'll i don't think i agree on your over 40 ohm estimation, but understand it to be that damping effects extend into factors over 100, actually. Isn't it? However that it is generally understood diminishing returns are often quoted at being factors over 20, or 8. ;-) I think it would be, wildly exaggerating and untruthful to say a 5ohm output would necessarily have little effect on "any 40ohm headphone", completely, or saying anything nearly so. Wouldn't you agree? Or do you feel that damping factors are a non issue for headphones beyond the rule of thumb 8?? =) A factor of 20 is easily attained with many amps, even with low impedance headphones when having an output impedance below 1, or below .5 If you need a headphone amp, I'd recommend getting one that you know works well for the application, and maybe with a good warranty and support, instead of gambling on hopes and buying into a likely broken implementation,.

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Oct 14, 2018

CaizIf you are implying that the 8/1 rule doesn’t apply, and if you believe in a 20/1 rule, I leave that to you. Moreover, if the frequency balance in the bass region is slightly affected by a db or two at most (and I do not think it is by the way) with a 40 ohms headphone, I couldn’t care less. Remember it’s a 55$ amp we’re talking about here. There is absolutely no significant frequency disturbance for a 150 ohms or 300 ohms headphone, or else I know nothing about anything...

Oct 14, 2018

jaydunndidditYeap, i'd say for a case where you know the driver VERY WELL; go for it, and a case where the damping factors is such as it is with your sens' the NX3s may be a great deal for that application.., =) As a great and handy low cost solution, or any.. I'm not sure if it' bests the objective 2 however. They both seem to advertise very similar reproduction quality figures, for like high efficiency devices, but clearly the topping has the mobility edge. ;-) The o2 out of Mayflower Electronics while prices almost twice as much; at 100 bucks, however has a 10 year warranty , is made in the U.S.A and has replaceable batteries, and can charge and play at-specs, so might end up costing much less in both the short term (1-3 years) and the long term (1-20), and be more useful, but costs almost twice as much upfront, could be counted on much more. That nx battery will probably not last so long eh. I read about alot of fiio amps batteries dying, but i bet they are replaceable, there is a thread on FiiO E11/A3 with lots of information about batteries, over at headfi.., I suspect topping uses leads soldered to the nx3s pcb to make the battery connection, if you find one replacement (in-spec with overcharge protection built in) which can fit, i'd say it can still be economical.., Just crimp the soldered leads with a dsub pin tool ($30) and "make" an interface, and find the right battery, or let it die... for most people, i'd think the 02 would last at least three times as long as the nx3s, and need lss babysitting. I guess it also depends on the headphone one wants to power =) Are you an owner of this NX3s amplifier Jay? Did you join a drop?

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CapnCook

Nov 8, 2018

denlim777Listen to @PeteMtl

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