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PROS:

• Superb coherency for a tribrid
• Versatile Tuning
• Warm but technically capable sound
• Good details
• Beautiful aesthetic
• Good accessory inclusion

CONS:

• Not the most stable or best sealing fit
• Occasional metallic timbre
• Not the most technical or detailed tribrid for the price

WHO THIS SET IS FOR:

• People who are looking for a coherent tribrid sound
• People looking for a warmer tilt to the modern hybrid sound
• People looking for a versatile tuned IEM

WHO THIS SET ISN’T FOR:

• People who want a technical-focused IEM
• People who want a snug-fitting and sealing IEM
• People who want a more nuanced sound

RECOMMENDED GENRES:

• Most genres work well

SHORT REVIEW:

NiceHCK’s improvement in the NX series peaks with the NX8 with impeccable tuning, good technicalities and superb coherency for a tribrid under $200. There’s so much to love about this IEM and very little to hate, but its versatility is also its achilles heel as it just doesn’t excite you as much as other more fun-tuned sets in this very competitive price range. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

FULL REVIEW:

In the advent of multidriver IEMs, it’s hard to deny that the “more is better” movement has come back swinging with multitude of different driver types in the market, one conduction, piezoelectric, microplanars and passive radiators just to name a few. This, expectedly, leaves many companies scrounging up the best ways to implement multidriver tech into their IEMs. But what about those who have been doing multidrivers sets for a while? Let’s see how NiceHCK implements their own with the NX8. 

THE NEXT IN LINE

If you’re familiar with NiceHCK, you should know that they’re quite prestigious in the audio market for being one of the few that have been consistent with their releases in the last few years. They have never really been the type to be trend setters, but they’ve always been close by whenever something new came around. This was evident in their products like the planar F1 and the topic of today’s review, the NX8. 

The NX8 is a $200 tribrid featuring a single dynamic driver, 6 balanced armature drivers and 1 piezoelectric driver. Technically speaking, this should make it fall in line with the previous NX7 series of IEMs. However, the NX8 fundamentally changes the driver configuration by adding an additional balanced armature to the set-up. There are also physical changes, but let’s talk about that later. Let’s start with the unboxing experience. 

UNBOXING:

As far as unboxings go, the NX8 does not disappoint for $200. A good amount of accessories with a good enough quality to keep you from needing to buy anything else. 

Here’s a full list of the accessories:

• NX8 IEMs
• Cable
• Carrying Case
• Eartips
• Cleaning Tool
• Paperwork

What I find most fascinating is the inclusion of this liquid-silicone style eartip. While not a new concept, including something like this in your package is much appreciated especially considering the other ear tips included are unfortunately not very good to pair with the IEMs. 

The case is high quality and spacious, but most importantly very compact unlike other cases. It has a surprisingly large volume while being small enough to be chucked into my back without issues. Not pocketable though, sadly. 

BUILD & FIT

On first glance, the NX8 has got to be one of the prettiest looking IEM that I’ve seen with it’s purple theme and soft appearance. Looking closer, however, will stun you with how detailed the design on the faceplate is. It seems to be inspired by a beautiful purple galaxy with little glittering stars shining with the right lighting. I absolutely love how this looks and has become one of my favorite IEMs in terms of aesthetics.

The quality of the build on the other hand is just about average for a resin IEM. The faceplate is thankfully covered in a layer of resin which protects it from being damaged or scratched and the inner shell is just pure resin. The decision to finally go 2-pin over the weird protruding connector is a plus, but that also means that the NX8 and NiceHCK seems to have finally let go of that connector all-together. 

My biggest gripe with the build is this nozzle. NiceHCK decided to make the NX8’s nozzle removable and include a replacement nozzle. This isn’t to change to sound and is instead for either repairs or modding opportunities. Unfortunately, that nozzle is ridiculously easy to unscrew and I’d find myself unintentionally turning the nozzle as I adjusted the eartips or the earpieces in my ear. I assume it has to do with the fact that resin just isn’t very good for maintaining screw-ability, compared to its contemporaries, but I think they could have done a better job with the nozzle. 

Fit wise, it’s nothing special as it just fits alright with good comfort but subpar stability and seal. The cable pairing doesn’t help with stability as it ends up hovering over my ear rather than wrapping around my ear, but we’ll talk more about the cable later. The earpieces themselves are small enough to fit snugly into my ear, but the shape is a little too rounded for my ears to grip onto the IEM and prevent it being dislodged. 

Cable wise, NiceHCK included a high quality cable with the NX8. It’s a dual strand cable with a nice brown tint and uses a nice material both physically and aesthetically. Could it have been more premium? Of course, but they made the material of the cable comfortable and very functional. My only gripe is the ear hooks are a bit too curved up. I would usually say it might be a QC thing for the earhook to be this far up, but I experienced the same thing with the F1 Pro a few months prior. I assume that whoever’s molding the ear hooks are being used for NiceHCK cables, their ears are way too big. 

SOUND:

Sound Signature:

The NX8 has a modern “neutral” sound signature with a slight emphasis on the low end. Many IEMs in the $200 have this kind of tuning, but the NX8 stands out as it sounds more natural timbre wise. Hybrids, particularly, suffer from this incoherency that is caused by the treble being a bit too defined and the bass sounding slower or warmer. Essentially, this gives the effect of specific regions having a very defined contrast between low and high frequencies that sounds “unnatural”. This is less present in single DDs, but can still happen if the DD quality is poor or the tuning is poor. 

Source and AMP Pairing:

The NX8 is an easy to drive and responsive pair where using a cheaper or lower quality amp can overemphasize the metallic timbre or the sloppiness of the bass. Using a higher quality source in turn makes the NX8 sound considerably more consistent and better separated overall. 

Volume Scaling:

One of my favorite things about the NX8 is how well it scales with volume compared to other hybrids I’ve tried in this price range. I can jack up the volume pretty well without harshness, but not as high as darker/warmer sets that I’ve heard. I can comfortably go medium to high volume with the NX8. 

Listening Experience:

I want to try something different with the NX8 review as I want to share my experience with this with the songs I listened to rather than throw random terms that some people might not understand.

The NX8 excels with basically most genres as I found its tuning to be very versatile. From bass to treble, most tracks that I listened to on the NX8 were satisfactory. However, this versatility also made it not the most “exciting” to listen to on specific genres that likes a more specialized. 

Necry Talkie’s album, ZOO !!, was one such album where its versatility made the overall experience genuinely so good. ZOO !! is such a dynamic album that leans to a brighter overall mix with the drums and cymbals having such a distinct sharp and fast attack that the NX8 was able to present beautifully. You Should Head North has, and will always be, one of the best test tracks in my arsenal as it combines a very thick but nuanced bass and the tendency to shout that I absolutely love to test on the products that come to my doorstep. 

The NX8 presents that track and, in general, the whole album with such balance that gave me a new appreciation for the album that other IEMs and headphones don’t really do. However, it’s not really “perfect” in the way that due to the brighter mixing, the incoherency and metallic timbre stands out. Thankfully, the shout isn’t really that strong due to the somewhat subdued upper midrange paired with the warmer tone. Speaking of, the warmer tone does stand out as while it does provide the bass notes good definition and detail, the warmth can occasionally get overwhelming. I think this is an effect of this style of tuning with the mixing of the album, but it’s also my own personal tastes as I do want a leaner but more nuanced bass in my IEMs. 

Another album I experienced the NX8 on is the Hold Up, Look Back album of Woody and Jeremy. This is an album that I’ve had a slow burn love for as I didn’t really enjoy it on first listen, but grew to love it more and more. The NX8 is also partially to blame as its funky nature somehow fits the NX8’s neutral-warm tuning really well. The funky synths and bass paired with the distinctly crisp cymbals and hi hats are so satisfying to listen to on that specific album with the NX8. Once again, however, the issue of the treble occasionally sounding metallic is the main issue I had with this album. It’s not as bad as the ZOO !! album, but still distinct enough to be an issue for some people. 

Listening to something more nuanced like Hotel California does show the NX8’s weakness of sounding a little bit cramped overall. While separating the instruments are great for the price, the overall sound is a bit in your head and not very “wide” or “tall”. I know that this is a tuning thing more than a physical thing for IEMs, but really good IEMs can present that “headstage” in a very wide sense. The NX8 is not one of those IEMs, however. Thankfully, it makes up for having superb instrument separation especially with separating the more dominant guitars, the Eagles’ wonderful vocals and the very clean but rich bass guitar. However, I wouldn’t say that this is the most “resolving” IEM that I’ve heard for the price as it’s more focused on warmth and relaxation overall. 

Probably my biggest gripe with the NX8 overall is also what makes it good. I personally enjoy more engaging and energetic sets and the NX8 just isn’t that. It’s a neutral leaning warm set with impeccable tonal balance but just doesn’t have the kick that I usually look for in an IEM. Don’t get me wrong, that doesn’t make this set bad at all. But as someone who’s used to more v-shaped and u-shaped sets, this level of “neutrality” can be a bit sterile especially when doing direct A/B with other sets. Speaking of which;

COMPARISON:

vs Aful Performer 5+2

I’ve made a short comparison with the Aful and I pointed out the fact that the NX8 has got to be the closest comparison to the former. More listening time on both sets did not change my mind as I genuinely think that the Aful and the NX8’s main differences is not in tuning but execution of the driver. The NX8 has a stronger emphasis on the low end compared to the Aful’s slightly more v-shaped tuning. Paired with Aful’s treble tuning also makes it a considerably less coherent sounding IEM which I’ve pointed out in my comparison. But that doesn’t mean that the NX8 is outright better as the Aful has a superior detail, separation and headstage and far superior fit and comfort. One of the things I can give credit to Aful is how well they craft their IEMs and their molds. Regardless, both IEMs are great choices and comes down to whether you want something more natural or more “technical

vs Rose Technics QT9 MK3

A simpler yet more specialized hybrid, the QT9 MK3 has a considerably brighter and leaner sound compared to the NX8’s more neutral leaning warm sound. I want to say they contrast each other, but the NX8 has a bit of brightness in its tuning. The main difference and the “selling point” between the two is whether you want a specialized bright-neutral sounding IEM with impeccable technical ability or a more neutral and more versatile tuned IEM. Additionally, the QT9 MK3 is prone to sibilance and harshness due to that emphasis in the treble which makes it unbearable for treble sensitives or treble heavy tracks. NX8 handles treble heavy better, but is less engaging in return.

vs Simgot EA1000

Compared to the EA1000, the EA1000 follows the QT9 MK3 by being a more specialized kind of sound compared to the NX8 as it’s brighter than balanced. However, the emphasis in the lower mids does give it a far more balanced listening experience compared to the NX8. The highlight and the main comparison between the two is definitely the EA1000 having a far superior technical ability compared to the NX8. The EA1000’s level of detail and nuance is some of the best I’ve heard for the price and is arguably the reason why it’s such a compelling set for me personally. Tactility is amazing and the details is crazy good while maintaining a very listenable sound for most genres. It all comes down to whether you want a slightly more balanced QT9 MK3 in the EA1000 or a more neutral, leaning warm with the NX8

vs Dunu Falcon Ultra

Falling in line closer to the NX8 than the last two, the Falcon Ultra is a traditional U-Shaped IEM with emphasis on both ends giving it a very engaging but expectedly less “neutral” sound compared to the NX8. Interesting, the Falcon Ultra ends up sounding more “natural” timbre wise while also being more v-shaped over the NX8’s more neutral but less consistent sound. Like the EA1000, the Falcon Ultra is also a more technically capable sounding IEM compared to the NX8. However, the tuning is definitely more skewed to a more “colored” and “fun” sound over the NX8’s more reference-like tuning. 

CONCLUSION:

NiceHCK has undoubtedly made their mark in the budget tribrid with the NX series of IEMs and the NX8 is arguably their best release by far. Great unboxing experience, beautiful aesthetics and impeccable tonal balance with good technical ability. While it’s not necessarily the “best” hybrid to come out in recent times, it’s still a testament to NiceHCK’s ability to create a consistent product that lines up with their ideologies while also being able to keep up with the competition pretty well. 

My only wish for NiceHCK is that they’d experiment with more driver types in the future and maybe create a series successor the NX lineup so we can see them flex their tuning muscles a bit more. But as it stands, the NX8 is an impressive IEM not only for NiceHCK, but also for anyone looking for a balanced, versatile but technically capable IEM. 

Thank you for reading my review on the NX8. If you would like to get one, consider using the non-affiliated link below: 

NICEHCK Website：

Amazon US：

AliExpress ：https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005008113784727.html