Switched: KHV Topping NX1
KH: SONY MDR-Z-7, SONY XBA-4
Physical
++ Small and light (compared to FiiO X3 / X5)
++ Very good GUI
++ Very liquid and logical operation (until the icon for the "Settings")
++ SDXC to 128GB available and works (with exFAT and FAT32)
++ Pleasant and comfortable operation
++ BlueTooth available with aptX
++ Very good search facilities (compared to the FiiO GUI sensational ... ;-)
++ Haptic keys for the most important operating steps, z. B. Pause / Start
Very well finished ++ Front (metal)
++ Available FM radio
++ Screen brightness and contrast for outside ok, it even comes with sun
+/- Back plastic, relatively resistant and scratch-resistant
+/- Music must be saved in the "MUSIC" folder, otherwise the folder navigation is not working
- Gaps very differently and with game
- Fiddly micro-SD card slot cover
- No line out
- Only company-specific charging and data port
Interior / sound
++ Completely hassle BluueTooth-coupling, for. Example, with JBL Charge 2 Refurbished
++ No audible noise
++ Very pleasant, slightly warm sound
++ No audible distortion not even at maximum volume (but not very high)
++ Very good sound via Bluetooth aptX (z. B. with Denon Ceol Carino)
++ Radio: fast search
++ Radio: good reception, low noise
- Pretty quiet, although AVLS is off
- With Topping NX 1 no real improvement (?)
- Much less dynamic and powerful than the FiiO X3 / X5 (Line out and topping NX1), with Z7 and XBA-4
- Z7 sounds with and without KHV far below its potential, XBA-4 is better but too quiet
- Radio: No RDS (station name will not be displayed)
- No DAB (+) - T
Conclusion: Unfortunately, something ambivalent. Overall, I like it well, particularly because of its good GUIs and Bluetooth with aptX. Codec.
But without KHV he is, unfortunately, almost unusable for me. The XBA-4 the maximum volume level 30 is just ok.
The Z7 he is too quiet, even at maximum volume.
Very pleasant is the integrated FM radio and the sound.
Because of the outer "quirks" and at low volume, I forgive "only" 4 stars.
The price / performance ratio is just good, who needs no Bluetooth aptX, is possibly X1 or X3 better served with FiiO.
The SONY NWZ-A15, however, does have one huge advantage: it is small and light.
VG
Bernd
