I am still having trouble on which one to get first, so far I have 2 options to consider to get with my current budget. For the first one is the Topping NX1 which I know is an amp and I am considering to get it
since it is within my price range and it is available here in my country. The second one however is a Fiio K1 from which I know is a dac/amp combo, it’s a bit higher on my price range atm and might take some time to save but I am considering that one as well. An input fro you guys would be appreciated the reasons behind it, and I will thank you guys in advance for every suggestions you give.
I personally thing the amp is what you should get first (unless you are going to get a combo), but tbh out of what you listed, the fiio k3 is better then the nx1 unless you want to go portable imo
well right now, I am aiming towards portability, because right now my desk does not have enough space for DACs or AMPs that are not portable in general. well the Fiio K3 sure I can get it here but it’s not my price range atm.
Is it the nx1 or nx1s? if you want portability, that would work just fine imo
oof my bad it is the NX1s
I mean, the nx1s might help you, but personally I would suggest saving for a dac/amp combo portable unit. The fiio q1mk2, EarStudio ES100, AudioQuest DragonFly Black, or Topping NX4 are good options. I just think that the while the nx1s gets the job done, it might be worth it to save for options like these as I think they will yield a better sound quality improvement
I mean sure I can save up to get those options but I am not so sure if they are even available, so the only options I got are those 2 I mention. Well the NX4 is available here and they cost like $136 here while the DragonFly Black you mentioned is even more staggering in price. Also other factors that I also have other stuff to buy so yeah it’s going to be a pain for me.
I just think you would be better off saving your money for something like a topping nx4 or looking for good deals, as you would not be taking that large of a step with something like the nx1s. Sticking with what you have should be just fine until then
I’m with Mon, I think the amp first, you could get a 3.5mm to rca and connect to you PC or phone until you get the DAC
Amp first if you have headphones that aren’t getting as loud as you need them straight from your phone or computer. Otherwise absolutely DAC/amp combo for quality improvement, because if you have a mediocre/submediocre DAC implementation (and line-level amp) in your phone/PC, the sound is already degraded by the time it comes out and won’t be corrected no matter what amp you add after that. In general a DAC/amp combo is the better choice for beginners taking the first step away from integrated audio.
Pretty much, that’s a good idea as well to assess the quality of your phone and pc dacs
Yeah that’s what I have decided, for an overall improvement I will get a DAC/AMP combo. But yeah, I will only get the one that is available here in my country and of course that is within my price range.
As an expert, I would suggest going with speakers or headphone first and then either a DAC or an AMP. That being said, I’m assuming you have bought some music and the device that supports the format your music is on. Don’t forget a couple wires to link everything together. I know it’s a bit overwhelming but you won’t regret it
