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slugman
69
Mar 9, 2018
I own a silver NX4DSD and I absolutely love it. (I upgraded from the sabaj da2 which has the ess9018q2c.) It drives my K7XX's very well. Unfortunately I don't have any high impedence headphones to test it with, so I can't comment on that. I mainly use it to drive my K7XX's and my iBasso IT01's. Also I paid 170 on aliexpress so this is a solid deal. This is a great dac/amp and I reccomend it to anyone who needs a powered portable dac/amp.
LSTNJRD
2
Mar 16, 2018
slugmanThanks for your insights on this. Have you tried comparing with other DAC/Amps within the same price range?
slugman
69
Mar 16, 2018
LSTNJRDOnly spec comparisons, the equipment list I own at the moment is small so unfortunately I haven't had the opportunity to perform an A-B comparison (aside from my Sabaj Da2, which is also a ess sabre dac). Before the NX4DSD I was seriously considering the Xduoo XD-05. I ended up w/ the NX4DSD because I was more concerned with portability at the time.
Honestly I would also recommend checking out the IFI IDSD LE, which runs for 129 on amazon. It doesn't have as long of a battery life and output power is limited to 130 mw, but it has a burr brown dac. IFi makes solid products and i've heard nothing but good reviews from them.
My next Dac will most likely be Toppings DX7s (waiting for massdrop to put it back up), but I am also consdering iFI's Micro IDSD Black Label.
LSTNJRD
2
Mar 17, 2018
slugmanYes, I'm actually trying to pit this now against the iFi Nano BL as both have almost the same price in my country. Having been very satisfied with the Oppo HA-2 which I've owned for a significant amount of time, I'd still prefer less of the Sabre glare, and while they say that the ESS9038 has less of the treble which the 9018 has, I'm not exactly sure how I can quantify that claim. The Nano BL would've been a shoo-in if not only for the non-stackable form factor and that it does not come with the Type-C OTG inside the box.
The sheer lack of official reviews for this Topping unit makes things a lot harder too.
slugman
69
Mar 22, 2018
LSTNJRDOh wow, so you have direct experience with the ess9018 (the dac in your Oppo HA-2).
The Topping NX4DSD is great, and I highly reccomend it. However in your case I would recommend trying something that doesn't have a Sabre dac (especially if you want something without the Sabre glare/brightnesss). FYI, the brightness/glare isn't nearly as bad as it was on my sabaj da2 / ess9018.
The Xduoo XD-05 has a AKM AK4490, allows you to roll op-amps, and is stackable. I would personally go with the IfI Nano BL, but if stacking is a requirement Id check out the XD-05.
You could also go the DAP route. I would personally go with the Caiyin N3 or the Shanling M2s, both of which have AK dacs and both can be used as a external DACs.. However if you need an affordable but excellent sounding option, I would do the Xuelin IHIFI-780 (which I personally own and love). The 780 is a pure dap though--you can't use it as an external dac.
LSTNJRD
2
Mar 30, 2018
slugmanThanks man. I'll consider those options. I'm really leaning towards a DAC/AMP so I'd have the versatility to stream anytime from my phone. One more thing, is the integration with an Android phone seamless on your end? I normally use Spotify and other streaming services so NOT having to use Hiby or UAPP would be great, same as how it was on the HA-2.
slugman
69
Mar 30, 2018
LSTNJRDMy experience is a little buggy, not sure if its specific to my phone or Android 6.x, but I've heard several other users report difficulty w/ xmos and android too.
I basically have to launch Hiby first to get my phone to recognize the DAC, except I select No when it asks me to use it. (If I select Yes it doesn't work!). After I do that, I can use any app with my dac. I had the same issue on my Sabaj Da2 & NX4DSD, which is why I think its an xmos issue. I normally use VLC (so I can stream via my NFS server over wifi), or if i'm playing files from my internal memory I use foobar2000 (the android app).
This could very well be my phone, but I don't have another one that I can test unfortunately.
slugman
69
Mar 30, 2018
LSTNJRDSome more suggestions: - Fiio Q5: Chips Used; Dual DAC: AK4490EN  , USB:  XMOS   XU208 ,   Bluetooth: CSR8670 ,  LPF:OPA1642×2,Volume IC:NJW1195  OP+AMP:AD8620+OPA926
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