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purr1n
342
Jan 7, 2019
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Original content posted here: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/massdrop-x-nuforce-stride-bluetooth-iem.7304/ Massdrop x NuForce Stride Bluetooth IEM Launch Date: Jan 9 (taking orders) This item is on the lower end of the scale of things I give impressions on, so why? My wife's old iPhone broke (scroo you Apple bean-counters because my ancient Androids and pre-iPhone5s all still work), so she had to get a new iPhone which doesn't have a phono socket. Also, I can't find the DAC / phono socket dongle for my Pixel 2 phone (again, scroo you Apple for leading the way on this because you guys love profit so much that even the Ferengi would be put to shame). So I was talking to @CEE TEE, and he mentioned that they were working on a custom Bluetooth IEM. A Massdrop tuned version of something pre-existing or perhaps something about to exist soon, you know sort of like the HD58X, TH-X00, etc. So here we have it. I think it's a dynamic driver, at least it definitely sounds like a dynamic driver - a single dynamic driver IEM. The price is under $100, but I am not sure because I don't really know exactly. @CEE TEE was on his cell phone and so was I, so I couldn't make out 30% of what he was telling me about the IEM. I'm not even sure it's called Stride. I was able to make out @CEE TEE's garbled words about holding down the button until it the light turned blue (or was that red) for Bluetooth pairing - which was easy enough to do with my Sony ZX2. Anyway, this thing ain't bad. Not bad at all. The sound is typical single dynamic driver IEM with some bass and sibilance (gotta take the good with the bad, dynamic driver physicality and texture in a single driver will come with some peaks in the highs), but Massdrop has done a good job toning down the bass and the sibilance to actually reasonable levels. If anything, I guess we could say the tonal response is slightly V-shaped. The tuning is probably something most consumers and most IEM users would prefer, but still have appeal to some neutral-heads depending how picky they were. I preferred the included silicone tips for crisper bass and highs. The foam tips, also included, sound bassier and darker. Since this is a Bluetooth IEM, I couldn't do my regular set of measurements, but here is an RTA. Massdrop x NuForce Stride Bluetooth IEM Frequency Response - RTA Pink Noise
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I have a couple of crucial comments regarding the graph. The bass is more evident than the graph suggests. This almost always seems to be the case with DD bass drivers. The bass is nicely textured but does tend to get congested when cranked up. The broad 3.5kHz doesn't seem to bother me - perhaps what I am hearing is more a midrange recess from 500-2kHz rather than a 3.5kHz bump. I do think there is a peak at 7kHz. This doesn't seem to be an issue with well-mastered recordings (I tried various k.d. Lang, classical stuff, some of the better MTV Unplugged stuff); however, it did show up in pop recordings from No Doubt and Maroon 5 (later albums). Still, it was listenable as opposed to unbearable. I'm just nitpicking. This is a keeper.
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Jan 7, 2019
mastarem
0
Jan 8, 2019
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purr1nHave any thought on how they would compare to, say, AirPods or Beats?
Jan 8, 2019
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