Which headphones of Drop's currently available?
I have some rewards points to burn but there's no obviously good options on Drop right now for headphones Contenders Ultrasone - maybe? I don't own any Ultrasones, so curious. Looks like garbage travel headphone which could be useful also. Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro. - Maybe? I have the DT 880 Good price point, really uncomfortable headphones but could be interesting to try the upgraded version. E-MU - strong contender but $400 is a bad price point for what it is. Which of the above would you choose and why? Nothing else on Drop is relevant to my interests, because Already own 6xx 820 800 s Ether cx Garbage / Consumer grade Meze 99 - garbage bass canons, hard pass No gaming headphones obviously Sennheiser wireless - no to wireless/bluetooth Hifiman - I have 2 of drop hifimans and they make really bad cheap shit on Drop, hard pass on HE-R7DX Aeon - I own the closed, Drop refuses to address #padgate so no reason to buy open Beyerdynamic 177x - wireless, nope Too similar 8x / 560s...
Mar 28, 2024
First and foremost, the un-boxing experience was good. Everything was well packaged and presented neatly. The earbud fitment kit was a BRILLIANT addition, I think all hi-fi or even mid-fi IEMs should come with something like this, simply based on how crucial a good fit is (especially for balanced armature drivers).
Also, seeing the blue stem was a good sign, after hearing the horror stories of the UE900 IEMs being packaged in a 900s box. Anyhow, that said, here are my impressions:
Fit - 7.2/10 The silicone tips are very soft and the foam tips are fairly comfortable. The body of the IEM doesn't fit nearly as flush as some of it's competitors (i.e., Westone, Shure, etc.) but still overall it's fairly comfortable.
Build - 5.9/10 I may be wrong but everything seems to be made out of fairly simple plastics. Every part feels fine but that's about it, nothing feels quite as premium as it's MSRP would imply. That said, nothing felt particularly cheap either.
Sound - 8.5/10 This is my initial impression after only a few hours of listening, but these sound very good. They're not quite as detailed, bright, or excited as some competitors such as the Shure se425 but it has very tight and detailed bass and a more comfortable sound signature. Overall listening to music on these is very colourful and dynamic. They are a playful and musical earbud rather than a hyper-precise and analytical earbud. After some more use, I have more notes:
Sub-Bass: As one would assume, with a dedicated sub-bass driver, it would sound pretty good. And that assumption is not wrong, as the sub-bass is both impactful and fast. I was quite impressed with the power and extension of these buds.
Bass: The bass on these IEMs continue to have solid punch and detail. It also comes across with a lot of character (this may or may not be a good thing depending on how analytical you want your IEMs to be) which makes it nearly playful when listening.
Mids: They're present, but I cannot say too much more about them. The mids are not BAD per se but they don't leave much of an impression. These earbuds clearly have a V-shaped sound signature so if you listen to a lot of music with prominent female vocals, these might not do you right. Despite this, the mids are still as detailed as any other part of the spectrum, if not a little bland and recessed when compared with the rest of the sound.
Highs: The highs are crisp and detailed while still keeping a lid on things, never becoming sibilant or too sharp. They aren't quite as precise as some other high-end IEMs but you defintely won't find yourself disappointed with the highs on these buds.
Overall - 7.4/10 After my initial impressions, I'm really excited to see how these stack up against my collection of headphones and I look forward to further discovering it's nuances. Great buy to everyone in this drop!
Edit: I'd just like to note that the rumours about build quality are true, in that they seem to use cheap materials. The paint on the back-plate of mine is starting to wear as well as some of the foam eartips have fallen apart. Personally the cosmetic damages are not a huge deal to me but the eartips definitely are. I suggest investing in some Comply 200 series eartips (I use the T200).