DISCLAIMER
The Massdrop x NuForce EDC was sent to me by Michael (Mike) and Christian from Massdrop in exchange for an honest review.
Due to the inconsistency in tuning for EDC samples received by many reviewers, Massdrop has sent out a second sample to most if not all reviewers to ensure the EDC’s evaluated are of the intended tuning. I have since received a second EDC sample. I thought it would be interesting to include my original writing for the first unit in for comparison. This review is written based on the unit with final tuning. Certain interesting findings identified during comparisons of the two units will be written in Italic, and indicated with a *.
INTRODUCTION
Since its establishment in 2012, Massdrop (MD), a company that functions on a business concept as described by them as ‘community-driven commerce’, has continued to gain more attention, not only in the enthusiasts side of things but also the general public. By gathering ideas from its end users, MD would then learn and determine the products of interest for the general public, in which it works towards negotiating and organizing bulk purchases to allow said end users to have the chance of purchasing the desired products for a fine discount. More recently, their Custom Products department, manned by people such as Christian Tanimoto and Michael Wilson, took the extra step by working with the best of the best from our industry to produce products that are exclusive to MD, taking pride in their attempt at providing the best value for performance in all of their MD unique products.
Just a month ago, I was given the opportunity to work with the team from MD and review an exclusive product from the company – the Massdrop x Noble X (X). The X, cheapest Noble unit sold on the market as of writing, was warm yet smooth, and is evaluated (by me) to be a good recommendation for someone who wishes to find an all-rounder performance type IEM for the price. Nonetheless, at roughly $250, it still proved quite steep for some people, especially those who are just trying to dip their foot for the first time into the bottomless pool that is the audiophile hobby. I have since returned the X back to MD as promised between the two sides for the previous review, though I missed the days where I could reach for it from my bag as I can easily carry it around me every day.
This is where the Massdrop x NuForce EDC comes into play. The EDC, which stands for Every Day Carry, was designed to do what its name suggests, acting as a unit which one could easily bring around on each day, able to stand up to everyday usage in a multitude of real life situations, and most importantly provide zero compromises in audio quality performance, albeit at a price cheaper than the Noble X. Does the EDC live up to its own name and purpose? Let’s find out.
INFO + SPECIFICATIONS
The EDC is equipped with a single 6mm dynamic driver on each side, with the left and right channels matched within +/- 2dB difference, which was done in order to aim for a cleaner and perhaps more coherent sound. EDC has a frequency response between 20 Hz to 40 kHz, with the IEMs weight quoted at 15g when connected with the supplied braided cable (more on this later) and 16g when paired with the supplied remote/mic cable. The unit has its impedance rated at 16 ohms, with its maximum input power set at 2 mW, while its sensitivity rating at 1 kHz is rated at 90.5dB, give or take 3dB, which should mean that it’s fairly easy to drive. However, in real world usage, I found that I had to provide it a little more juice than expected, just barely hitting the volume warning limit of my Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge to achieve listening levels that I have been accustomed to, whereas most other units I’ve tried with similar sensitivity rating never reached that ceiling.
The microphone sensitivity was rated at -42dB, give or take 5dB, and calls were clear for the most part, but I will not go further in depth with my comments as I have been sparingly using it with the mic cable. It was designed to be compatible with Apple and most Android devices, and allows for functionality such as play/pause, start/end call and next/previous song, though functionality may vary for Android users, depending on their device. For my case, it functions as designed when paired with my Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.
The EDC has an original MSRP of $99.99; nevertheless one can snag it at a price of $59.99 from MD, including the remote/mic cable that was previously mentioned. In fact, there are no additional accessory that could be separately added onto your purchase, as (I assume) it has been deemed to carry all the basic accessories that are needed for an IEM. It is sold exclusive through MD, which may lead to someone thinking that $59.99 is the actual price tag for the unit. On the other hand, many may have forgotten that the units are offered at wholesale prices, as a large volume purchase is needed to allow for such a discount. All and all, I am glad MD went with this direction; specifically that it comes at a price that is perhaps more affordable to most at the sub $100 market and at the same time made little to no (major) compromises on its design and the accessories that comes with it.
A specific limit on the amount of EDCs available for purchase per customer was not stated, with a quick browse onto the order page seems to indicate the limit per order on 5 units. One may be able to make multiple orders of 5’s if they wish; still I think it’s better to seek clarification from MD directly about this. They have also not stated about the total amount of units available for the first two drops, so it would be safe to assume that there are more than enough units to go around. There is no official confirmation as of yet when the next drop will go on, or if there even is one. Regardless, I have been told to expect further drops in the future, perhaps after the first and second order batch has been shipped on October 12th 2017.
As touched on previously in the X review, I am divided on the modus operandi of MD, more when it comes to their exclusive product. I appreciate that the products are being offered at a substantial discount, some rivalling the ones we can get in shows and events, but the drop system has its limitations. One loses the ability of purchasing a unit immediately, as we would have to wait until a drop is available to put in our purchase order. Then the waiting game commence, as both MD and the partnering company, NuForce for this case, would require some extra time to process and produce the units to fulfil the orders, so instant gratification or reward for your investment is absent, safe for a few drops that I have previously seen. I personally think that the products should be instantly available, at least for the MD exclusive products, though how this will impact the business structure of MD is beyond my understanding and capability. For all I know, I might be too adamant and pressing too hard on this part of the case. Well, who doesn’t appreciate a good deal being available at any time of calling?
*The two units are identical in regards to their specification.
ACCESSORIES & OPTIONS
Firstly, I would like to assert the fact that both units I received is a pre-production sample which might be slightly different compared to the end product that you will receive as last minute changes may still apply. The second unit arrived with a packaging that seems to be close to the actual final packaging. No other changes to the packaging have been stated by the MD team.
The EDC comes in a packaging made with what feels to me to be the conventional cardboard material, wrapped in a layer of thin plastic. It feels like a typical packaging you would expect from a decently build electronic, and I frankly I don’t expect much more than that as I rather not have a impeccably crafted box that increases the price unnecessarily for a product at this price range.
* The front of my pre-production packaging (for the original unit) had a typo in which “Monitor” was spelled as “Mo” instead but I was assured that this will be rectified in time for the actual production run. The typing error on the packaging has since been rectified during the latest run of review units. Furthermore, the packaging has been further streamlined through the removal of its hang tabs which is commonly placed to allow for neat and convenient storing on store shelves, which is not needed since Massdrop does not sell any products through other commercial outlets or brick and mortar stores anyways.
Contents found in the packaging box, which reveals to be the IEMs and carrying case that house all the extra accessories provided. This shot is of the second unit.
Inside the packaging box, it reveals two separate pieces, one is the same cardboard material cut out that houses the IEMs itself, the other the IEM carrying pouch. The soft, zippered carry pouch is very nicely sized and will surely fit most people’s pockets if not one of their own hand. It should not be able to withstand a car running over it still it should be able to take some (softer) hits on much more forgiving circumstances. Sadly, I wasn’t extreme enough to prove my inference wrong, but hey it’s still a pretty nice case overall.
The carrying pouch holds the accessories that come with the EDC, including the array of both foam and silicone tips, the extra mic cable, and a Velcro strap. 3 set of silicone tips in S, M and L sizes and 2 set of foam tips in M and L sizes are included in the package, so people who require S size foam tips should look for external additions. The Velcro strap provided is slightly wider than normal, and come swith the ‘NuForce’ logo etched.
*Originally, the carrying pouch holds the braided cable while the IEM was equipped with the mic cable. The velco strap provided was a more pedestrian one with no logo.
The Velco strap on the left is the one which will come with all production EDCs. The Velco strap on the right is provided with the original pre-production unit.
The EDC comes attached with the braided cable, and with the two cables, you are essentially getting a spare cable. The braided cable to me was more like a twisted cable, but with no official confirmation for this, I shall continue to treat it as a braided cable. Both the mic cable and the braided cable come in the 2-pin configuration, soldered to a 3.5mm single ended jack, with both cables (as confirmed by MD) made with copper and about 48’’ long. The cable guide is made with shrink wrap rather than the conventional memory wire. This makes wearing them straight down unsuitable ergonomically though I would fathom a guess that it was not their intention for you to wear them like that anyways. Personally, I prefer memory wire as I enjoy the option of adjusting my cable guide as I please. On the other hand, people with issues towards wearing memory wire in the past will rejoice with MD’s choice of direction.
My sample unit came with a rather unfamiliar 2-pin configuration (at least to me) as it comes with shrouded 0.75mm diameter 2-pin, which is actually NuForce’s in house standard for cables. From the information provided by my good friend @glassmonkey, this will be more familiar to people who have previously (or currently) used or owned the Trinity series of IEMs that employ a similar design for their detachable cables. I didn’t like this configuration as it made replacing the cables a tough task, seeing that options with 3rd party cable manufacturers is much more limited, forcing you to be stuck with the NuForce cables. This is hardly ideal if you are trying to look into pairing your EDC with the multitude of fancier upgrade cables available on the market right now.
It has since been rectified by MD, as they have since declared that they would move to the conventional 0.77mm diameter 2-pin for their production run. Earlier testing from MD showed that the EDC would accept a range of 2-pin cables, but varying tolerances have since made them change their mind to allow for flexibility with aftermarket cables. The two EDC stock cables will still be shrouded despite the diameter change, though MD has assured that the EDC is compatible with most if not all aftermarket 0.77mm diameter cables. As a trade-off, you may no longer fit the NuForce stock cable they use for their HEM range of monitors properly. I think most would favour this change, I certainly do.
As previously mentioned, there are, as of time of writing, no add-ons that is listed with the EDC, hence one could possibly find a glaring omission – there is no option, or at least there is none directly from MD, for a Lightning cable. This will not be a big issue for some of us, who prefer to always have a separate DAP as their main music source. However, those who primarily uses their phones, specifically their iPhone 7/7 Plus, and possibly any future iteration of the iPhone, will have to either fork out for an extra adapter or sought out a specific 2-pin Lightning cable. This is probably a non-issue for most of us. Regardless, I foresee a big portion of the EDC orders will be made with the view of pairing it with a mobile, so users of the more recent iPhones may have to look elsewhere if they do not favour the options above, unless you wish to fork out for an extra adapter from Apple. Alternatively, you can always switch to a non-Apple phone, your choice really.
*
My second review sample came attached with its braided cable. It remains to be the less conventional 0.75mm 2-pin cable compared to the classic 0.77mm 2-pin cable. I have been assured that the changes will be implemented for the actual production run.
Housing shells are made with a material known as Lexan Polycarbonate. Polycarbonate is, among our circle, a material that is best known for its uses in CDs, DVDs and Blu-rays. It is quite resistive to impact and fairly sensitive to scratches from my previous experience. Based on the EDCs that I have, you shouldn’t have any dent or scratch issues on regular usage given a standard of proper handling. I store within the given case and have it inside my bag almost every day and I have yet to see a mark on it, so the build quality is quite good and has a nice solid feel to it, perhaps better than most within the price range.
The final production EDC has a smoky transparent blue/gray colour and a matte black body, with the blue hue more akin to the midnight blue found on the HD 6XX colour scheme. The overall colour scheme might look a little pedestrian to some, but I found it attractive as it looks simple, sleek and unassuming, just the way I prefer my gear to look. Or it’s probably just the darker colour scheme.
*
The older unit came in a different colour, known as charcoal black.
SOUND QUAITY
Evaluation Process
The EDC was burned in for at least 100 hours before any critical evaluations were made on the unit. Reasoning behind the change in usual burn in time for the EDC is due to timing of the final sample, which arrived very close to the closing date of the first batch/second drop, so the change might potentially allow for this review to be posted before it is shut off.
Burn in for the EDC is crucial, which I will highlight in the proceeding sections. As most users will be pairing the EDC with their mobile, I also made sure to have an extended listening session with mine to get a better feel of it. The tracks used for my listening sessions are files that are either FLAC/ALAC from a wide variety of genres except metal. The following is a list of source gear that I used during the review of the X:
· Chord Mojo
· iBasso DX90
· Questyle QP1R
· Calyx M player
· Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
· Sony WM1A + WM1Z (loaners)
One thing that I would like to strongly emphasize upon is that all listening sessions were conducted with the braided cable equipped, which EDC was tuned upon. MD has advised me that the mic cable might slightly affect the sound due to its inline circuitry, but YMMV. 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
The EDC is a unit that should not be judged based on your first immediate listening experience, based on the units I received. The bass was like a ravaging monster, too much yet uncontrolled, wreaking havoc on everything it could reach. Its treble felt like a weakened superhero, overly subdued, thus unable to contend with its bass. The mids, like the average citizen involved in the struggle, is completely lost and devastated due to the extreme lack of balance. Before an initial period of burn in, the EDC sounded all over the place, and the listening experience did not improve by much when I changed my source from my mobile to my dedicated music sources.
Now, what I’m going to say next might tick off more than a few, but I’m going to come straight about this here: Burn-in actually tamed the EDC beast. From my past experience, I reside within the group that believe in the hocus-pocus black magic people like us call burn-in, more so when the gear tested involves a dynamic driver configuration. Having said that, when Mike advised me that the EDC benefits from being burned in for at least a couple of hours before giving it a serious go, I did not expect this night and day difference that I have not experienced since my LH Labs Geek Pulse Infinity went through a similar transformation.
Burn-in put a leash on the EDC’s bass, controlling and taming the elevated bass, which no longer feels bloated or excessively thick. The treble is no longer overwhelmed by the bass, with its less than neutral quantity ensuring the bass remains to be the focal point of the piece. The mids are more in the relaxed region rather than recessed thanks to the better sense of balance achieved. The details might not be bursting through left and right but it was proving to be quite an easy and fun piece to listen to.
The EDC upon first listen was something that doesn’t belong in the MD catalogue. The EDC upon second listen post burn in was definitely a unit that boasts a performance which MD exclusive products are more commonly associated with. If I wasn’t excited to listen to it more at the start, I am now.
Sound Signature
EDC has a V-shaped sound signature, one that is standing near the borderline of U-shaped sound. If you are looking to associate words like ‘balanced’ and ‘neutral’ to the EDC, words that I commonly associated with each other, then this might just not be the piece for you. This does not surprise me one bit as I found, in general, that units which are labelled as ‘everyday usage’ or ‘all-rounders’ usually share this sort of sound signature. Specifically to the EDC, it has more of a lopsided V-shape sound, as the boost or lift to the bass region means that EDC has significantly more bass quantity than treble. Safe to say, if you like more bass in your music, yet don’t want something that is completely dark, then the EDC is one for you.
The bass is the star of the show, both in quantity and quality. For me, most of the boost provided for this region comes in the mid bass, coming across with a heavy-hitting punch that Mike Tyson would certainly be proud of (George Foreman fans look away, he’s too old for me). The bass is punchy (that was honestly not intended), rich and thick, which would surely tickle the fancy of bass lovers out there. It’s not the most detailed and well extended bass you will find out there, but punch (I should stop) higher than its weight within its price range. Most importantly, it’s not the least bit boomy or bloated, always maintaining in control, so the additional quantity does not rip the ‘balance’ of the IEMs to pieces. It is right at the edge, refined enough to keep the quantity over quality conversations behind doors, and yet does not alienate the growingly bass loving everyday user in their quest for some sound thump with a hint of class from their IEMS.
And I swear if I use the word again I am going to pu…… MOVING ON!
The mids are pulled back, which shouldn’t come as a surprise since its v-shaped, but would be ranked as relaxed more than recessed. I perceive the upper mids to be the highlight of the region, as I found guitar or female vocal focused tracks to come through better than tracks that emphasize male vocals, coming across just a touch less lush and organic. It is not the most detailed or articulate of mids, nonetheless it doesn’t sound muddy or congested amidst the strong bass and relative stronger treble. The mids are never harsh, coming through smoothly; hence they are pretty easy to listen to. All and all, the mids prove to be a strong supporting cast, and while I’ll not be running to my desk to rush an order if forward and lush mids are at the top of my ideal sound wish list, its performance absolutely up to task, forming a nice solid foundation for EDC’s sound signature.
To my surprise, treble presentation of the EDC is the region that impressed me the most. The EDC has a roll off at the top end, something that comes expected with a bass heavy piece, but with a bit of help from the upper mids it doesn’t come across muffled. The extra bit of energy given to the treble rather than the mids makes string instrument that resides around this region like the violin sing, more so than the counterparts that are more commonly found in the mids. At times I even found the treble to be pretty crisp, not piercing nor edgy, bringing a rather pleasant shimmer to cymbals played from my favourite tracks. The treble keeps the overall sound signature in check, transforming the EDC from what would have amounted to be a dark or warm IEM to a V-shaped one. EDC’s treble is something I feel more acceptable for the wider public, even for the basshead among us, and ensures trebleheads like me do not get overwhelmed. Calling it clear and well extended may be a stretch, though the EDC boasts a treble performance that would appease most general consumers.
The EDC is not one for the detail heads. I wouldn’t go to the point of calling it blurred as it is not, but the details will not immediately come to you, especially in the mids. However, the wider than normal soundstage typically seen on IEMs of this price range help spread out the sound, hence lending for a non-blurry or muddy image of your music. The depth is average, but PRaT certainly hits a high mark. Coming from a dynamic driver, I expect no less of a natural decay and a superb attack, which I think the EDC certainly delivers. The EDC has a sense of rhythm and timing that is highly organic, along with a nice fast sound, so it’ll easily keep most people tapping on their feet.
I got decent isolation and fit from the EDC using the stock tip. Despite that, I still found the EDC to require more amplification, even when compared to my IEMs that are less sensitive. Not only does it need more juice the achieve my normal listening level, as mentioned before, it also benefits and scale better when there’s more power going into it. Therefore, it can still sound good and at a suitable listening level for most through the phone, though you’ll have to note that it might go pass the volume warning limit on most mobiles. So you don’t have to worry about getting an external DAP, but one is recommended if you can find the extra change for it.
*
As stated, the sound quality is judged solely on the unit with MD’s intended final tuning. However, if you’re interested to know how the initial sample sounded like, I’ll try to summarize it here for you. The first unit, or the ‘bad’ sample, was a bass heavy unit, with more recessed mids (than the final tuning) and a treble that is rolled off right at the top and slightly below neutral in quantity. The newer sample is tamer in bass, has more of a relaxed midrange but similar in treble. While the detail is not there on the first unit when compared to the second unit, it is an EXTRA FUN MODE piece, and would still be enjoyed by others. I have to say I prefer the final tuning, but bassheads who wished for more bass from the production EDC might have missed out this time.
COMPARISONS
For the comparisons below, I compared the EDC to my Periodic Audio Mg and my Echobox Audio Finder X1. I set the benchmark for the comparisons to be within $100 of the EDC price to allow for the comparisons to be made with IEMs of roughly the EDC’s price range. The Finder X1 barely makes the cut at its current price, but the Periodic Audio Ti misses out.
If you do wish for some comparison notes with the other IEMs I have in my arsenal, please do let me know in the comments below, though I doubt it will be a fair fight as the price range might be quite far apart.
Periodic Audio Mg
The Mg currently has a MSRP of $99, so is priced much closer to the original MSRP for the EDC, which is at $99.99
If the option of replacing your cables is a must, you should look far away from the Mg. The cable on Mg is without a doubt it’s biggest flaw or weakness. Not only does it feel flimsy with its uninspiring build quality, it’s highly tangle prone and worst of all, non-replaceable. There is a non-existence of any form of chin lock on the cable, which I thought was a glaring omission and could have been rectified with a plastic sheath or something similarly low cost but highly functional. So if the cable side of your Mg died during action, it’s sad to say that the IEM will have to be buried with it too. The EDC, with its replaceable cables, easily triumph in this department, offering users with the option for an upgrade or a quick replacement if a previous cable is damaged.
Both use Polycarbonate as the material of choice for their main housing, so should have similar build quality in terms of durability and toughness. However, the end cap of Mg is made using metal injection molding, where stainless steel is used. While I am yet to test and compare the durability of both units through stringent stress test, visually, body to body, the Mg would convince me it had better build quality. The shape of Mg’s body would allow for the piece to be worn over ear or straight down, which is not the case for EDC, yet more often than not I would resort to wearing Mg straight down as I found it more comfortable like that. EDC, to me, is much more comfortable to wear in the long run with its natural over ear orientation.
The bump to EDC’s bass is made more apparent by the boosted, but closer to neutral bass which the Mg wields. With its increase in quantity across this region, the bass on EDC hits harder, faster and stronger, though not necessarily better. For those who appreciate their bass to be more extended and filled with more details, then the Mg’s bass might be of your preference as I found it to perform better than the EDC in these categories. Between the two, I preferred EDC’s bass, as I found the difference in bass extension and detail to be small, while the difference in the extra energy and better PRaT is more substantial and to my ears, which sounded more in place.
Both share smooth, relaxed mids in their repertoire, with the one on the EDC placed further back. Again, the Mg triumphed in terms of detail, able to convey each note more accurately. I found it slightly cold compared to the richer, lusher mids of EDC. Not by much, but it is noticeable. With the same consideration made to the bass comparison, I found myself to prefer the mids of the Mg, as its difference in detail is more significant than the difference in tonality.
Treble wise, it’s easy to see where my taste would lean towards. The Mg does not have the roll off at the top that EDC has, is more pronounced, and better extended. However, some people I know have found the Mg to be more sterile and at times a little harsh for them, and preferred the EDC’s treble as it’s easier to listen to in the long run. The soundstage felt wider on the Mg, but the sense of depth for the EDC is more realistic.
In terms of their sound signature, Mg and EDC could not be any more different. From the get go, it was obvious that the two pieces are heading towards separate directions. The Mg is a treble driven, brighter and the more detailed IEM while the EDC, the more ‘fun’ sounding IEM, is a beast pushed by its bass. So if you like one, chances are you’re not going to enjoy the other as much, unless you are a person for all sounds.
Echobox Audio Finder X1
The X1 (mic version) is currently being sold at $159 on the Echobox web shop, but one could have gotten an X1 for prices as low as $79 if you hope on the Indiegogo campaign train early. Hence, the price difference between the X1 and EDC, which may be a huge leap for a lot of people. The original MSRP for the X1 is $229.99.
First and foremost, let’s talk about the physical part of the two IEMs. The X1 applies a non-detachable cable, which is a caveat for most, but let me assure you that it’s highly durable. Although you can’t replace the cable if it DOES break (let me know how you did it), it’ll last you a pretty long while. On the other hand, the EDC is open to replaceable cables, so even if you break one you can just easily find a replacement for it. The added benefit is that you will be able to fiddle with upgrade cables for the EDC, which is an option unavailable to the X1, but I don’t foresee that happening often as most upgrade cables are most of the time more expensive than the EDC itself.
The X1 is made of what Echobox term as ‘aerospace grade’ titanium. I don’t believe they actually took the X1 and tested it in a space simulation rig for its toughness and overall build quality; it will easily convince you that it’s build well, albeit suggestive looking. When compared, the EDC came across extra plasticky, and while it’s still built well, I’m convinced that the X1 would fare better if the two were thrown towards the wall by your mates. Not that you should ever do it for any of your gear, but it’s always a plus to have this luxury. Shape of the X1 allows for the user to choose between a straight down or over the ear wearing method, while the shape of the EDC limits those options down to only the latter. I still much prefer to wear my IEMs over the ear as I found it more comfortable that way, but people who find it otherwise should take note.
To clarify, the following sound comparisons were made with specific configurations on both the X1 and EDC. First of all, the X1, which applies a filter system that allows the user to tweak its overall sound signature based on 3 types of filter selection, is used only with the ‘reference’ filter. With the reference filter, the X1 takes on an overall U-shaped sound, bordering on becoming V-shaped. The other, is that both IEMs were compared when equipped with single flanged silicone tips that were supplied together with the units. Do note that both EDC and X1 utilizes dynamic driver designs, but with different diaphragm material and structure.
Elevation in the bass, which both share, is actually fairly similar. If I had to choose, I would say it is slightly more prominent on the EDC than the X1. The bass on the X1 is a little more detailed and better extended, but the one on EDC will have a deeper impact and sense of timing. With that better sense of PRaT, the EDC will come across as the one with more vivid and lively in this region, though it falls short when it comes to the ability of clearly conveying each and every note of the lower register.
The X1’s mids are comparatively pulled further back than the one found on the EDC, with the X1 having what I would regard as recessed mids. The mids on EDC simply came across fuller, smoother and more detailed, which is surprising as mids is not its forte.
When it comes to the treble, the X1 felt sharp and somewhat sibilant when compared to EDC. The detail on the top end, not the strongest point for both, is on par with each other but it is better conveyed and presented on the EDC, which has an overall smoother, easier on the ears treble. Soundstage felt wider on the X1 with both having similar depth, but I would not say they are leagues apart, just subtle differences.
CONCLUSION
In recent years, many companies, to the benefit of us consumers, pushed beyond their limits to deliver products with better value for performance. $100 is no longer a price point where outstanding performers in the IEM world are scarce, so it’s becoming harder to impress and continue to stay relevant. Despite the fierce competition, I found the EDC more than capable to compete with the best in the bracket, and it’s obvious that many people believe so too even without listening to it as the first batch was quickly followed with a second batch to comply with huge demand.
To me, the EDC delivers what it has set out to do, and gave a little more. For the price, the EDC is an easy inclusion to my list of recommendations for anyone who is looking for a competitively priced piece to take their baby steps into the hobby. With its V-shaped sound signature and comfort while worn, those who pre-ordered the unit in search of an IEM that is both easy to carry and easy to listen for day to day use will be fairly impressed with what they are receiving. Its superb bass response and added quantity would ensure that your favourite bass notes does not get drown out in noisier environments, yet is done tastefully enough that it does not come across excessive in quieter situations. Accessories which comes with the unit also far surpass what is offered by most at its competitors, even at price points higher than it, especially with the option for a mic or non mic cable.
It’s not perfect, but its downsides are few and far between. First off, it doesn’t have the most orgasmic mids you will ever experience in its bracket, so don’t expect many vocal performances to knock your socks off through the unit. Secondly, it is harder to drive than what its sensitivity would explain, which means that it will be harder to achieve ideal listening levels through regular mobile devices for loud listeners. Also, in an ideal scenario, I would love to EDCs available for purchase constantly, with the product being sent out within dates of order confirmation. This is (for now) not achievable through MD’s drop system, so I wish to see drops consistently occurring to provide more people with a chance to purchase a pair and experience them first hand as they are just that darn good. Finally, since we reviewers had an issue with it, I hope that the inconsistency that plagued the sample units will be completely resolved by production.
Let’s make it clear: The EDC is no game changer, but it is pretty damn close to being one. It’s not the first to break, or rather, stay within the $100 boundary and deliver amazing sonic performance, yet it took inspiration from several IEM that precede it, improving on what was seemingly not improvable (in the stiff pricing target) to provide one of the best, if not the best, overall package for an IEM within the $100 price range. A great sounding IEM with solid build quality paired with a comprehensive array of accessories, all that $59.99. At that price, you owe it to yourself to at least give these a try and finally take your first step into the audiophile world. Even if you have a host of other gear that outperform (and most likely, outprice) the EDC, it’s still a great one to keep within the collection.
So jump in when you still can. If you miss this drop, jump in the next drop, because this is definitely a train worth hopping on.
