NICEHCK NK1 MAX REVIEW

>>I am brazilian and I speak portuguese, so forgive my english, I’ll use translation tools to help<<

INTRO:

After reviewing the excellent NX8, NICEHCK also sent the NK1 MAX DAC/AMP dongle for review. This will be a very short review, just to summarize my impressions of the device.

Price: $19.99 USD
Color: Mint green or Pale silver

NICEHCK LINKS:

https://amzn.to/4oTVYHL

https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c38cdSmp

https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_c4Cau3Ad

SPECIFICATIONS:

– Product model: NICEHCK NK1 MAX
– DAC chip: CX31993
– Op-amp chip: MAX97220
– System support: Android/Windows
– Decoding support: Up to PCM384kHz/32bit
– Input: Type-C
– Output: 3.5mm single-ended
– Output power: 63mW @ 32Ω
– SNR: 115dB
– THD: -95dB
– DNR: 111dB
– USB-C to USB-A adapter
– Dongle dimension: 12.5cm (edge to edge)
– Dongle weight: 8.1g
– Total weight (packaging, dongle, etc): 32.5g
– Packaging size: 17.5cm [L] x 7.3cm [W] x 1.5cm [D]

UNBOXING:

PHYSICAL ASPECTS:

Sources: Samsung S22 Ultra, Samsung A36, Motorola Z3Play, Dell Notebook (W10).
Dongles: FiiO KA11, Letshuoer DT01 Pro.
IEMs: NICEHCK NX8, Kiwi Ears Quintet, KZ Gale, and KZ EDC PRO.
I evaluated the sound with the dongle connected to the notebook.
The tests with the cellphones were only to test compatibility or any possible anomalies.
Product of excellent build quality.
Excellent quality cable.
Good flexibility and durability.
Very portable and lightweight dongle. Compact.
It didn’t present abnormal heating.
It’s Plug & Play: it recognizes the device automatically, just plug it in.
It has support for microphone and in-line controls.
It’s good that an adapter was included, as I use it on my cellphone and computer.
I only use FLAC 16-bit-44.1/48kHz and common streaming services (Spotify, Deezer, YouTube Music).
I use VLC Player to listen to music (on all devices).
I haven’t found any information about iOS/Mac compatibility (but I don’t use them).
It doesn’t have any LEDs to indicate operation or sample rate.
There are no apps available for the dongle (although I don’t see the need).
Making an app just for EQ, I think it’s better installing a specific EQ app (in my opinion).
Contents: NK1 MAX dongle, USB-C to USB-A adapter, packaging, and QC pass.

SOUND ASPECTS:

Clean, defined, and transparent sound.
I didn’t experience any distortion, noise floor, or abnormal sounds.
Of the IEMs I tested, the NK1 MAX managed to push all of them.
The volume was at 30% with the NK1 MAX and 20% with the FiiO KA11 (out of 100% on the W10 scale).
The dongle reaches maximum volume without clipping (or it wasn’t noticeable).
The NK1 MAX is weaker than the FiiO KA11, but stronger than the Letshuoer DT01 Pro.
For this type of dongle, my recommendation remains the FiiO KA11.
For those who have very inexpensive IEMs – like the KZ GALE and EDC PRO – the NK1 MAX emerges as a great option.
While the NK1 MAX is more expensive than the KZs mentioned, it’s already cheaper than the FiiO KA11.
If you have demanding headphones, a more powerful dongle is ideal, but if you’re only going to use IEMs, the NK1 MAX is sufficient.
The FiiO KA11 is slightly warmer and has a slightly larger soundstage than the NK1 MAX. The differences are minuscule, and at the end of the day, it’s the IEM/eartips that will make the real difference in the sound.
It’s like this: if it’s for a earphone enthusiast, I would recommend the KA11, but if it’s for someone without pretensions of going further, the NK1 MAX is great.

PROS AND CONS:

– Excellent build quality
– Great value for money
– Attractive design (subjective)
– Sufficient power for 99% of IEMs
– Great transparency and definition
– No audible distortion
– Doesn’t overheat
– Microphone and in-line control support
– High-quality cable
– Very lightweight and portable product
– USB-A adapter included

– iOS/Mac compatible?
– No LED indicator
– No app (not necessary)
– Not the most powerful, nor the weakest

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