Eu Jin Ong, Author at Headphonesty

Established in 2012, Massdrop (MD) is a company with a simple yet important concept: It’s a ‘community-driven commerce’, which gather ideas from its end users, off it which they would learn and determine products of interests for the general public. From there, they would work towards negotiating and organizing group or bulk purchases to allow end users like us to be able to purchase desired products at a discount. In recent time, MD’s Custom Products department has gone one step further by collaborating with the best companies from the audio industry to produce MD exclusive products that promise a great bang for your buck. I have previously worked on a couple of MD tuned pieces from many companies, such as the Massdrop x Noble X, the Massdrop Plus and most relevant to this review, the Massdrop x NuForce EDC (EDC). The EDC, or the Every Day Carry, was designed to be a unit in which we can easily carry around every day (as its name would suggest), thus able to be used in many areas and situations though still maintain the audio quality and performance that is staple to the MD house of products. I found the EDC to sound incredible for its $59.99 price tag, and have since recommended it to many people as a possible option for their first take on the in-ear side of the audio industry. Moving forward to February 2018, MD, in collaboration with NuForce, will be releasing the second unit in the EDC line of products - the Massdrop x NuForce EDC 3 (EDC 3). Unlike how its namesuggestst, the EDC 3, was designed as a complementary piece to the superb EDC, promising to provide an alternate sound to appease a different section of the audiophile community, while maintaining the same physical form factor that has been widely praised on the EDC. How does it fare? Read on to find out. INFO + SPECIFICATIONS. Unlike the previous EDC, which used a dynamic driver configuration, the EDC3 uses 3 balanced armature drivers per ear design in a single bass, dual mid/high configuration. The IEMs are matched to within a 2dB difference, and have a frequency response between 20 Hz and 40 kHz. Its sensitivity is rated at 100 dB, give or take 3 dB, at 1kHz paired with an impedance rating of 16 ohms and a maximum input power of 2 mW. It’s fairly easy to drive and I had no trouble with it while using my mobile phone. Check if your audio source have enough power for your headphones: Headphones Power Calculator The EDC 3, when equipped with its braided cable, weighs 5.7g. The figure increases to 8.5g when the unit is equipped with its mic cable. Speaking of the mic cable, it is compatible with all Apple devices and most of the Android devices. The microphone sensitivity is rated at -42dB, and can be used for some basic player control and call control plus starting your voice assistants such as Siri, Google Assistant or Cortana. Price. The EDC will be sold at $99.99, a $40 increase from the previous EDC. The accessories provided with the EDC3 is exactly the same as its predecessor, so the price difference is a significant jump considering that it’s close to a 50% price increase on the original, but still (now barely) reigns under the $100 price range. As always, the unit is subject to the drop system utilized by MD, which may not be your best friend in terms of availability. However, judging by how the EDC is being handled, it’s safe to say that there will be a couple of drops throughout the year, so those who missed out can still get it at a later date. ACCESSORIES & OPTIONS. I received (what I believe is) a pre-production sample but it looks to be very close to the end product, barring any major changes. The EDC3 is packed similar to the EDC - inside a cardboard based box, perhaps wrapped in a layer of thin plastic. I say “perhaps” as mine was opened by the customs prior to receiving it, hence the slight damage to my box as seen in the pictures above. This should not be an issue with your purchased unit, as unreleased products are more prone to such treatment. Removing the packaging box reveals a cardboard cut-out that houses the IEMs and its zippered carrying case. The carrying case is nicely sized to fit into most pocket but would provide some form of protection to the unit but not from heavy damage. Inside the carrying case, one would find the array of accessories that are included with the units, including 3 sets of silicone tips in S, M and L sizes and 2 set of foam tips in M and L sizes. The case also holds the extra mic cable and a shirt clip, while the unit was already equipped with its braided cable. Both the braided cable and mic cable are about 54’’ (138cm) in length and is of the 2-pin configuration, with a 3.5mm single ended jack at the end. From what I could tell, the 2-pin configuration is of the more conventional 0.77mm diameter 2-pin type, so custom cable swapping remains an option, though you do lose out on compatibility with the stock NuForce cables. Shrink wrap is used for its cable guide, not memory wire. Therefore, wearing them straight down isn’t ideal ergonomically. I personally prefer memory wire as I like having the option of adjusting the cable guide according to my preference though this seems to be a popular choice now, especially for those who are wearing glasses. I’m pretty surprised to see that (AFAIK) Lightning and USB-C based cables will not be available add-on options for the time being, considering that it is an ongoing trend or movement. Regardless, I’m still a firm believer in the conventional 3.5mm jack (I’m looking at you Apple) and am not affected by this. Yet, those who use iPhone 7 and up would probably be less inclined to the unit, unless they use it with their Apple provided adapter. All and all, you’ll find that the comprehensive array of accessories, more so than most other products of this price range, would cover most of your needs on a day to day listening activities. BUILD QUALITY. Similar to the EDC, EDC 3 uses a Lexan polycarbonate material for its housing in a smoky transparent blue/gray colour and a much darker take of the same transparent colourway for the body. In fact, in terms of size and shape alone, it looks identical next to the EDC, except the fact that it’s etched with ‘EDC 3’ this time around. I’m a big fan of the colour way it to look very simple and sleek overall. With my previous experience from the EDC, the housing proved to be quite sturdy and resistant to scratches. Therefore, the EDC 3 should last you a pretty long time unless it was mishandled. SOUND QUALITY. Evaluation Process. The EDC3 was burned in for at least 150 hours before any critical evaluations were made on the unit. The tracks used for my listening sessions are files that are either FLAC/ALAC from a wide variety of genres except for metal. The following is a list of source gear that I used during the review: Calyx M player One thing that I would like to strongly emphasize upon is that all listening sessions were conducted with the braided cable equipped. Another variable that I maintained constant throughout my listening sessions was the use of silicone tips that were provided only due to comfort reasons. No tip rolling was made with the provided foam tips or any third party tips available in the market. Initial Impressions. Upon first listen, the EDC 3 has an overall warm sound signature. The bass is lifted beyond neutral to give a satisfying thump for your music’s lower region notes, never threatening to enter the realm of ear bleeding excessive bass. The mids are the star of the show, clear yet smooth, lush yet detailed. The treble is below neutral but there’s more than enough air to go around most music. Detail, except the midrange, does not come aggressively on you but was sufficient for me on a casual listening basis. Soundstage is deep though not very wide. Burn-in helps smooth out the sound of EDC 3. However, don’t expect to have a leaps and bounds improvement experience from the unit post burn-in. Sound Signature. The EDC 3 takes an overall warm and smooth sound signature. This is an alternate, and I would say trending, take on the ‘all-rounder’ sound signature, in contrast to the previously favored V-shape sound signature. Specific to the warm tonality of EDC 3, it produces a sound that is mid focused, added bass and has just enough air to disqualify it from the realm of sounding dark. Bass. Bass on EDC 3 is north of neutral, with the elevation in the region primarily present on the midbass. The bass comes in rich and full but not necessarily thick. Focusing on the subbass, there’s a nice weighty feel to it. It comes across punchy but stays far away from the line of boomy bass. In fact, the sense of control within the region is exceptional, so the bass does not feel intrusive or bleed into other regions. Mids. To me, mids are the main highlight of the piece. EDC3’s mids are clear and arguably the smoothest and most detailed of its 3 main sound regions. It is forward in nature, yet it’s lush and articulate throughout. Vocals, both male, and female, were an absolute bliss to listen to on EDC 3. The instruments within the region are also well represented in its tonality, with each note coming through with an organic touch. Treble. Treble presentation was perhaps the most underwhelming of the 3 main regions. The treble is sufficiently airy but is a touch recessed and has a slight roll off specifically at the top end. However, my main gripe is its interplay with the other regions, as the forward mids seems to overshadow the highs, making it sound more recessed than it actually is. It does hit the nail on the head when it comes to smoothness, as I found no sibilance or harsh tones coming from EDC 3, maintaining a sense of sweetness throughout. EDC 3 will not scream ‘detailed’ to you. Except for the midrange, I found the detail level in the other regions to be adequate but not exceptional. Its soundstage, although average in depth, is wide especially at this price point, does help provide a more...

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