ND X12

Introduction :-

Hey guys, today I will be reviewing the ND Audio X12.

I have also shared a video version of the review at YouTube any support there in form of a view, A like or A subscribe is greatly appreciated. But if you so wish to read the written version you can read this.




This is a review unit from ND Audio, but all thoughts and opinions you are about to hear are my own.


Buy it here (Unaffiliated link) :-

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806327475730.html?


I will be as usual following my bullet style format for better readability for those who are dyslexic and in general find it hard to read long paragraphs. I follow this guide in general from the British Dyslexia Association.


So lets get started!

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Build, Comfort and Accessories:-



1. The package contains the iem. The 3 pairs of white and black eartips each, the flimsy cable, a sim tool for changing the switches and a pretty nice case. I would have loved to see a pair of foam tips here





2. The cable provided does have quite a bit of microphonics even though it is a thing cable.



3. Now the face plate of the iem is really interesting! I rally like it, its quite funky. Its nice to see something a bit different.



4. Shell of the iem is made out of aluminium, I have the silver version there is also a black version available.



5. They are really comfortable and I have had no issues wearing it for long periods of time.



6. These have 1DD, 4BA’s for mid and 1 BA for treble



7. There is a BA timbre



8. The price of the ND X12 is about $49.

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Sound Impressions:-



1. There are 8 possible tunings possible for the X12 with the tuning switches



2. All the tunings with different tuning switches are quite useless as they don’t change anything.



3. The DDD is just treble paradise but it sounds too thin.



4. The UUU although bright sounding, is quite ok. My testing is done using this combination



5. The other combos are very similar there is no differences between them



6. These are very easy to drive



7. There is a lot of driver flex



8. Now the sound with UUU is a bright V tuned




9. The bass here is more sub-bass focused



10. The bass is quit thin and not so engaging in songs like crack crack crackle by classy. It sounds quite limp. Although if I wear foam tips the bass response is a tad bit better.



11. The mid-bass too is quite ok and follows the trend of the sub-bass, there is mid-bass bleed here



12. The instruments from songs like YMO and Cassiopea sounds a bit thin and lacking texture, but with a foam tips it sounds quite alright and ort of mangeable.



13. Now talking about the mids, the mids are quite meh



14. Male vocals like chris cornell and bill withers lacks that texture and warmthness of the sound and they take a back seat in the mix.



15. This meh male vocals does give a rise to pretty good female vocals. When listening to J-pop it sounded quite nice.



16. But this female vocals might be too much for someone who is sensitive to this shrilly female vocals.



17. Now treble, well X12 is certainly not lacking here. I mean if you are treblehead you will love this here.



18. The treble here is very shrilly and very uneven. While a treblehead might like the quantity if treble here, but the quality of treble is very lacking






19. The extension of treble is very bad too.



20. The overall technicalities it does perform quite good and is apt for the price.



21. The Soundstage and imaging is above average and what I would expect for this price.



22. when listening to the 1985 live album from cassiopea the crowd clapping noise was surprisingly good and fairly spaced with a nice sense of transition for imaging.



23. Now coming to comparison



24.v/s the simgot ew200 – the ew200 is better at every aspect here. If you are treblehead, the ew200 has a much nicer quality of treble and the extension of the treble is really good too. At under the $50 heck even $100 its hard to beat or compete with the Ew200



25. I think so the X12 would have made for a great iem a few years back specially for the price. But the competition has gotten so fierce that it is hard to compete now. The under $50 market is really good.



26. Specially the simgot Ew200 being at this price point makes a no brainer choice here even if you are treblehead.



27. If you are not a treblehead I would still suggest the ew200 and suggest using my tape mod and using a foam tip with it. That helps a lot with the overtly bright nature of ew200



28. unless you are too much intro treble, the X12 will be a hard choice to recommend. It would be nice if there was more variations among the tuning switches so that we could get different tuning.



29. Well thats my review of the X12, I hope you liked it. If you have any questions please do comment and I will try to help you out.

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If you have any questions please feel free to ask me and also if you have any issues regarding this format of review please do comment I will try to mend it. Also sorry to those who are used to reading long paragraphs of review in headfi. I hope my review was upto the mark, I appreciate any feedback.

Again a big thanks to ND Earphone for making this review possible.

Have a great day ahead, Bye

DISCLAIMER

I would like to thank the Angeldac Audio Store for providing this review unit.

The ND X12 can be gotten here: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/1005006485187631.html (no affliliate links).





SPECIFICATIONS

• Driver configuration: 1 x 10 mm nano dynamic driver + 4 x 50024 BAs + 1 x 30095 BA
• Impedance: 22 - 33 ohms (dependent on tuning switch toggled)
• Frequency response: 20 Hz - 20 kHz
• Sensitivity: 104 - 109 dB
• Cable: 2-pin, 0.78 mm; 3.5 mm termination. 4-strand silver-plated wire
• Tested at: $59.99 USD (non-mic version); $61.19 USD (mic version)

ACCESSORIES



Other than the IEM, these are included:
- 3 pairs of pliable silicone eartips (S/M/L)
- 3 pairs of stiff silicone eartips (S/M/L)
- Cable
- Carrying case
- Card pin

For gear residing at the $60ish USD bracket, the accessories are quite decent, perhaps other than the lack of foam tips.




2 types of silicone tips are provided, with a similar narrow bore sizes. The grey ones are a bit more pliable, whereas the white ones are stiffer. Do see what suits your preferences in terms of fit and sonics.




ND has included a 4-strand silver-plated cable. This is quite well braided, with just a sprinkling of microphonics. It has no chin cinch unfortunately. One can opt for a mic or non-mic version when placing an order.




Instead of a run-of-the-mill waifu, ND has included a Lion Dance post card instead! Sorry to our waifu fanboys.




Lastly, we have a leatherette button carrying case to store the X12, and a card pin to flip the tuning switches - don't lose them!

The rest of this review was done with the stock cable and stock white silicone tips. No aftermarket accessories were used, so as not to add any confounders to the sound.


BUILD/COMFORT



The housings are fashioned from aviation-grade aluminum alloy, thru CNC manufacturing. There is a black or silver version available (the former's black paint is slathered on via a frosted process, whereas the silver one is electro-plated for a mirror-like finish). On the faceplate, we have a colourful striped motif, which gives the X12 a very psychedelic and eye-catching aesthetic.

The X12 is very ergonomic and comfortable, with the shell design being compiled from a collection of ear anatomies. The inner aspects are smooth with no protrusions, and it can be worn for hours without issues.



Being a vented IEM, isolation is average.


TUNING SWITCHES/INTERNALS

The X12 is a 6 driver hybrid:

• 1 x 10 mm nano dynamic driver handles the bass frequencies.
• 4 x 50024 BAs take care of the midrange.
• 1 x 30095 BA settles the treble.

The X12 has 3 tuning switches, which in theory should provide 8 different tuning permutations. However, on independent graphs, sneakily, we only have 2 different signatures!

Graph of the ND X12 via IEC711 coupler. 8 kHz is a coupler peak.

Thus, the tuning switches are rather gimmicky. Of the 2 tuning permutations, the X12 can only be tuned to bright and VERY bright.

So on the VERY bright tuning (switch DDD), it is extremely harsh and thin sounding. Maybe only bona fide trebleheads will enjoy this tuning choice, but it is too sibilant and fatiguing for me, and I can't tolerate it for more than a few minutes. Vocals are nasal and metallic, though clarity and resolution are high. This DDD setting is not recommended for the majority of consumers.

Thankfully, the other tuning option - switch UUU - although still bright, is overall tamer in the treble. So this is my preferred setting, and it furnishes a bright U-shaped tonality, which cedes some resolution but is more tolerable to the ears. However, it is probably still not a kindred spirit for the treble-sensitive or anti-pinna gain gang amongst us.

As part of the acoustics, ND markets that this IEM has a rear BA chamber vent, which purportedly assists in pressure equalization and expanding soundstage. Sadly, despite this vented design, I found slight driver flex on my pair, but this is partially dependent on ear anatomy and type of eartips used.


DRIVABILITY

I tested the X12 with the following sources:
- Apple dongle
- Cayin RU7
- Chord Mojo 2
- Fiio KA11 dongle
- Fiio KA17 dongle
- Khadas Tone Board -> Schiit Asgard 3 amp
- Questyle M15 DAC/AMP dongle
- Sony Walkman NW A-55 DAP (Walkman One WM1Z Plus v2 Mod)
- Sony Walkman NW A-55 DAP (Walkman One Neutral Mod)
- Sony Walkman NW WM1A DAP (Walkman One WM1Z Plus v2 Mod)
- Smartphone

The ND X12 is easy to drive, and amplification is not truly essential. However, as discussed above, due to the bright nature of this IEM, it synergizes better with warmer sources, rather than something already bright or treble boosted.


SOUND & TECHNICALITIES

The following impressions were done with the UUU switch config - ie the lesser evil less bright of the two available tuning options (caveat: this is still a bright U-shaped tonality).


On this setup, the X12 has a sub-bass focused tone. Bass is north of neutral but it doesn't hit basshead quantities, with just a little rumble heard. In terms of quality, the bass has above average texturing, and is relatively speedy, with no mid-bass bleed.

As per the U-shaped tuning, the lower mids are a bit scooped out. With no big bass to add heft to this region, the lower midrange is admittedly somewhat sterile sounding. However, it is transparent and clear, so there are pros and cons to the tuning choices. On the UUU setting, the ear gain hits around 11 dB or so in the upper mids - this allows vocals to be forwards in the mix, but we get some harshness and fatigue, especially at louder volumes (Fletcher Munson curve). Thus, the X12 is probably best used at low to moderate volume levels.

The X12 is a trebleheads' dream, with a very extended and airy treble. This brings a lot of resolution and clarity. However, cymbals and highhats can be splashy, in addition to some sibilance. Once again, the tuning alienates the treble-sensitive in our midst, so this may not be their cup of tea.

Unexpectedly, this hybrid has BA timbre, what with 5 out of the 6 drivers in this set being BAs. So notes are a bit hollow, especially when acoustic instruments come out to play.

In technicalities, the X12 redeems itself. As detailed above, the DDD brighter tuning switch option is definitely more resolving (but too fatiguing for non-trebleheads). Even so, on the UUU less bright setup, the X12 is a very technical and analytical IEM. Soundstage is above average, with good micro-detailing and imaging. Layering and instrument separation are well done for a budget hybrid.


COMPARISONS

The X12 will be compared against other budget multi-driver types that have tuning switches. The X12 will be toggled to the UUU less bright tuning switch setup on for this comparison.




CVJ Mei


Graphs of the CVJ Mei on various tuning switches. 8 kHz region is a coupler artefact peak.

The Mei has only 2 tuning switches, but the switches make a whole world of difference, unlike the borderline shady ones on the X12. The Mei has 4 distinct tonalities, from L-shaped LowFI sounding, all the way to a neutral-bright soundscape.

To compare apples to apples, we will use the most resolving neutral-bright setup on the Mei for the comparisons (both switches up). With this toggled, the Mei is thinner in note weight, with a more metallic timbre. The Mei has a smaller soundstage but slightly better imaging and micro-detailing.


TRI Star River


Graphs of the TRI Star River on various tuning switches. 8 kHz region is a coupler artefact peak.

The Star River is a dual DD set with 2 tuning switches, but is another switcheroo scam, as there are only 2 distinct signatures out of a promised 4. Additionally, my Star River unit has poor QC, with one earpiece having the switches stuck, requiring great force to activate them.

Whatever the case, the Star River's 2 tunings confer a very old-school shouty V-shaped banshee-like sound. The Star River's upper mids are harsh and fatiguing (worse than the XD N12's) and to top it off, the timbre is off, with weaker technicalities (in soundstage, imaging and micro-detailing). Comfort is worse than the XD N12.


CONCLUSIONS



The ND X12 is a hybrid for our trebleheaded friends, and won't be a universal recommendation - especially for the treble-sensitive - in view of the polarizing treble-on-steroids tuning. For the treble-inclined, the X12 bestows a very analytical soundscape, with solid technical chops. Additionally, comfort and accessories are more than decent, with easy drivability.

Unfortunately, despite boasting of 3 tuning switches - ie 8 tuning permutations on paper - there are only 2 true tonalities measured on independent graphs, so the switches are crowbarred in for the illusion of choice. And to top it off, these 2 tuning options are only bright and VERY bright. Even on the less bright setup, the X12 may be a bit too hot, if used at louder volumes. Slight driver flex and BA timbre are additional blights.

Essentially, the X12 is a niche IEM for trebleheads who want something analytical and technical to analyze music. It's case use might be quite limited as such, but for ears whose listening preferences dovetail nicely with this hybrid, the X12 may prove to be an affordable entry transducer for this subset of consumers.