Massdrop NuForce EDC3 IEM Quick Review by mark2410

Massdrop are at it again, with their pre purchase, group buy model they can get discounts on things no one else can.  Se they can do they can do cheap but are these any good?   Oh hell yeah baby!!!

Thanks to Massdrop for the sample

Brief

Massdrop make a new force in IEM's

Price

US$100 or about £72

Specifications

Driver units: 3 balanced armature drivers per ear,  Earphones matching: +/- 2 dB, Housing material: Lexan polycarbonate, Color: Smoky translucent blue/gray, Impedance: 16 ohms, Maximum input power: 2 mW, Microphone sensitivity: -42 dB +/- 5 dB, Frequency response: 20 Hz–40 kHz, Sensitivity (at 1 kHz): 100 dB +/- 3 dB, Cable length: 54.3 in (138 mm), Connector: 2-pin, Plug: ⅛ in (3.5 mm) TRS (braided cable) or TRRS (remote/mic cable), Remote/mic cable compatibility: Apple and most Android devices, Remote/mic cable functionality: Play/pause; start/end call; next/previous song; start Siri, Google Assistant, or Cortana (functionality varies between Android devices), Weight, IEMs with braided cable: 0.2 oz (5.7 g), Weight, IEMs with remote/mic cable: 0.3 oz (8.5 g)

Accessories

2 cables (one braided, one with remote/mic), 3 sets of silicone ear tips (S, M, L), 2 sets of foam ear tips (M, L), Shirt clip, Zippered carrying case

Build Quality

It would all appear very sold and firmly constructed.  Cables are pleasant too and that you get two is great.

Isolation

Very good, as you would expect from an all armature affair, they are bang on what’s typical.  So for BA users nothing special but will be wildly isolating to those only used to dynamic IEM’s.  Perfect for blocking out the outside world and easily good enough to use on a long flight.  Just remember to watch out for traffic as you won’t hear it.

Comfort/Fit

Excellent.  Nothing unusual and would appear to visually borrow heavily from Westone, though in fairness all most all multi BA IEM are a similar shape to this, it works if it being very ordinary.  I could wear them all day happily.
Aesthetics:  Nice enough but well they are a bit bland.  Nothing at all what so ever bad about them but its like a ford.  Fine, nice enough but in no way stands out visually.

Sound

Weeeeee!!!  There was a time when a 3 BA IEM was insanely expensive and this is clocking in at $100.  No, seriously.  Full bodied and robust sounding with a frankly stunning bottom end for that price.  Spec wise I wonder if this is a tweak of the HEM6 as it also has 3 drivers a side, but it’s like $300, which I could see being more realistic for these.  The detail levels are great for 100 and the treble is, rather refined.  Now I’m relatively treble sensitive and thus for me I was highly pleased with its subdued treble (which is a wise thing to do with BA drivers as they can get edgy.)  The mids are full and hearty, maybe too full bodied and meaty.  Airy and delicate this doesn’t really do so well but so what.  It has a richness and fullness that made me think it may a dynamic in the bottom end but the spec says BA.  While these may lack the delicate nuances of other triple driver things like the UM3x they’re a barrel load of fun and of capability for the price.  Deeply deep for a BA and a rounded bass capability that is really where these shine most.  While I see them called neutral, I think of neutral as being like an ER4, ruler flat, where these are more “natural” ish.  I still would say they are more on the weighty and bass heavy side of things for an upper end IEM but….. more neutral in comparison to lower end things that given their price tag is reasonable to compare them to in terms of sound signature.  They are in short, a bit bassy and powerful for the audiophile world but bucket loads of fun and should give those more accustomed to very bass heavy things a taste of what quality and of the clarity a BA can provide.  Super fun, beefy little beastly entertainers.

Value

Excellent.  They bring an audiophile dash of quality to a crowd pleasing sound signature.