NF ACOUS NM20

NFAcous NM20 Pro: Cost-Efficient Studio Monitoring​

NFAcous is a Chinese brand with a little over 10 years of experience building professional audio products. They have a well-rounded lineup of earphones, with the NM20, the subject of today’s review, representing their midrange offering to musicians and audio pros. At under $120, the NM20 is priced very competitively — but does it bring enough to the table to convert customers from mainstay brands? Lets find out.

The NM20 can be found for sale here, for $119.

About My Preferences: This review is a subjective assessment and is therefore tinged by my personal preferences. While I try to mitigate this as much as possible during my review process, I’d be lying if I said my biases are completely erased. So for you, my readers, keep this in mind:

• My ideal sound signature would be one with competent sub-bass, a textured mid-bass, a slightly warm midrange, and an extended treble.
• I have mild treble sensitivity.

Testing equipment and standards can be found here.

The Big Picture​

Pros:

• Excellent treble extension with lots of air
• Premium unboxing experience
• Clean, articulate bass
• Ergonomic shell design

Cons:

• Middling passive isolation
• Lacking in vocal weight
• No foam eartips
• Limited compatibility with aftermarket 2-pin cables

Tech Specs​

• Sensitivity: 108 dB / mW
• Impedance: 32Ω
• Max SPL: 125dB
• Cable: 0.78mm 2-pin 5N OFC (3.5mm)

Sound Signature​

Sonic Overview:​

The NM20’s frequency response is gently V-shaped, with a steeper emphasis on treble. It extends into the upper register pretty far. The NM20, while bright and treble-focused, remains fairly balanced. It maintains a sense of separation and air, staging elements with both depth and width. The NM20 doesn’t have the widest soundstage I’ve heard at this price point, but for dynamic driver IEM I am impressed. Mids are clear and concise, with little warmth or softness. Bass is clean and vocal — and more prominent than you’d expect from a studio monitor.

Sonic Breakdown:​

Treble: Songs used: In One Ear, Midnight City, Outlands, Satisfy, Little One, Show Me How To Live (Live at the Quart Festival), Bittersweet Symphony

Owing to its musician-focused tuning, the NM20 features a well-extended and emphasized treble. It is quick, airy, and balanced, allowing it to capture detail and texture. The NM20’s upper treble is particularly well-separated, giving songs like Midnight City a satisfying sense of emptiness and space. Similarly, Bittersweet Symphony’s heavy use of treble layering remains clear and expressive for the duration of track, rarely smudging or blurring. The NM20 exhibits minor smudging in its mid-treble on the song’s string instrumentation, but the effect is hard to notice outside of critical listening.

The NM20 itself is not a “sharp” IEM, though it transparently portrays sharp sounds within tracks themselves. Satisfy’s piercing vocals sound exactly that way through the NM20. While this may bother listeners with pronounced treble sensitivities, it wasn’t a problem for me at low and medium volumes. Do note that its role as an IEM for live musicians does necessitate a strong treble presence, so NFAcous deliberately tuned it this way.

Midrange: Songs used: Flagpole Sitta, Jacked Up, I Am The Highway, Dreams, Too Close, Little Black Submarines, Bohemian Rhapsody, Cash Machine, Chasm

The NM20’s midrange trades warmth and weight for resolution and layering capacity. This trade had a potent upside, as the NM20 has one of the most detailed and transparent midranges I’ve heard in this price point (from a dynamic driver IEM). Chasm’s ghostly vocals are portrayed with a generous helping of airiness and a sweet timbre. The NM20 is partial to high-pitched vocals like these, owing to its light lower-midrange.

The NM20’s midrange is analytical in nature, it isn’t boring or reference. Everyone interprets that word (“analytical”) differently, but NM20’s take on it suites my tastes well: detail-focused, but not at the expense of overall listening suitability. This makes it great at rendering modern music (that was intended for a V-shaped transducer). Oliver Tree’s Gen-Z madness, while less warm than I’d prefer, was generally very pleasant to listen to. The NM20’s transparent nature reveals a lot of detail in his Cash Machine with nearly zero coloring — as it does with most of his other tracks on Ugly is Beautiful.

And it’s not really until you listen to songs like I Am The Highway that you truly get to appreciate NFAcous’ intentions for the NM20’s midrange. Chris Cornell’s voice has range and textural variety that the NM20 is happy to capture. The song’s carefully layered and spaced instrumentation is staged with a cohesive depth and width. And while the NM20 does do a great job analytically demonstrating the in’s -and-out’s of the track, Chris’s vocals are missing some weight, affecting overall tone. I’d wager you could add a small drop of emphasis to the lower midrange to square this away without impacting overall timbre and detail retrieval.

Bass: Songs used: Moth, Gold Dust, In For The Kill (Skream Remix), War Pigs (Celldweller Remix)

The first thing than NFAcous told me about their products is that they are “not basshead earphones”. This is true, at least with the NM20. These are studio monitors intended to be used by audio professionals. Its priority is on clarity, resolution, and fidelity. That said, the NM20 is not bass-anemic, nor does it have “flat” lower register. It captures and portrays both punchy mid-bass queues and sub-bass rumble, though not with the intensity you may find with mainstream dynamic driver IEMs. And since the NM20 does use a dynamic driver, you won’t have to deal with absence of bass weight and shape that you get with balanced-armature-based earphones.

In contrast to what NFAcous’s pre-qualifer lead me to believe, the NM20 actually does a good job of delivering weight and rumble in Gold Dust. The drivers can move plenty of air, they just need the song to demand it. Flux Pavilion’s filthy bass line sounds as wet and messy as it does in most other V-shaped earphones, but maintains midrange clarity and separation throughout. Similarly, the NM20 does a good job with War Pigs (Celldweller Remix)’s widely varied bass ques, nailing both the bass guitar and electronic lines. This song definitely moved less air than Gold Dust, but still managed to feel well-rounded, balanced, and weighty.

Packaging / Unboxing​

NFAcous knows how to build premium-feeling packaging. The NM20’s box is weighty and sturdy. While unpackaging the earphones, you’re greeted with layers of precisely-cut cardboard and foam, all of which use a nice soft-touch finish. The IEMs themselves are nestled safely in a laser-cut enclave within the heart of the box and appear to be well-protected.

Build​

Construction Quality​

The NM20 Pro’s design and construction is well-suited to its intended use-case — that is, as a tool for musicians and studio engineers. It features a lightweight plastic shell with a sturdy extruded 2-pin socket. The extruded nature of the socket is inverse of the usual scheme used for 2–pin IEMs, so finding a 3rd-party cable with effective connectors may be a challenge.



The NM20’s shells are, as I mentioned, plastic, but its nozzles have wisely been made from metal. Plastic nozzles are prone to cracking and warping over time, so this choice should do well to increase the IEM’s longevity.



The NM20’s nozzles feature an integrated debris filter that should protect the drivers from earwax or other contaminants.



The cable included with the NM20 is excellent. It features a 3.5mm termination and 2-pin cable connector. Although it may appear to be SPC ( silver-plated copper), NFAcous lists the NM20’s cable as made out of OFC (oxygen-free copper). Either way, it looks great, is soft and pliable, and feels sturdy in the hand.



NFAcous selected good termination shells on both ends, with the 2-pin housings made from clear plastic and the 3.5mm shells made from metal. There’s not much to say, quality wise, other than the cable seems well-designed and well-built as a whole.

Comfort​

Disclaimer: comfort is a highly individual metric — no two people will have the same experience.

If you look closely at the cable design for the NM20, you’ll see that 2-pin shell is not a simple vertical cylinder, but rather an angle and offset molded piece. This shape allows the earhooks to organically shy away from the wearer’s head, except for at the point where they make contact with the ear itself. This attention to detail is emblematic of NFAcous real and tangible efforts in making the NM20 ergonomic. While the included eartips did not provide a perfect seal for me, I found myself consistently impressed with just how comfortable the NM20 was. Hours of continuous listening produce zero discomfort, though I took a break about once an hour just to rest my eardrums.

Accessories​

Inside the box you’ll find:

• 4x pairs of silicone eartips
• 1/4" adapter
• Semi-hard carrying case

This is an acceptable, if somewhat sparse, accessory package. At this price-point, I don’t expect the full works, but a set of double-flanged eartips or foam eartips would have been great.



The NM20’s carrying case is solid. It can fit the earphones, cable, and a dongle without too much squeezing or crushing. Its semi-hard construction means it does a good job of resisting both crushing force and drops. I wouldn’t mind having a few more spares of this case lying around for use with other earphones that have inferior (or non-existent) cases.

Comparisons​

1: Meze Alba ($159)

The Alba’s mission is inverse that of the NM20. It seeks to bring the Meze house sound, dripping with warmth and softness, to the table — a stark contrast to the NM20’s sterile studio intentions. But they aren’t entirely different. Both IEMs have a solid bass presence, with the two exchanging blows on emphasis based on which track you listen to. The NM20 is definitively brighter and colder, with a wider soundstage and greater sense of “air” owing to its treble emphasis.

Ergonomics-wise, both IEMs are comfortable. The NM20 has better passive isolation, but its eartips can, after lots of use, make my inner-ear itchy. The Alba’s eartips create no such sensation. The NM20’s case is roomier than the Alba's, but is utilitarian. Honestly, these two IEMs would make a great pair. They have similar core sonic properties, but express then in divergent ways. Again, no clear winner here, at least when calibrating expectations against price.

2: ivipQ Shanhai (~$65)

The Shanhai is tuned very differently from the NM20. It has a warmer, less recessed midrange, a more dramatic treble spike, and a less-emphasized mid-bass. The NM20 has an airier and more refined presentation, particularly in the upper register. However, the Shanhai is more natural and tonally-neutral IEM with a better grasp on vocal weight. Analytically, its pretty clear to me that the NM20 takes the lead on detail retrieval, though not everyone wants maximum detail at the expense of timbre.

The Shanhai has zero packaging (just a case) while the NM20 has great packaging. The Shanhai has large, round shells with middling ergonomics, while the NM20 has precisely-intentioned design and comfortable shells. The NM20 has a compact, but effective case, while the Shanhai has a roomier case that can fit a lot of accessories. If you want a midrange-focused IEM with a spacious case, then you’ll probably gravitate towards the Shanhai, especially given its lower price. If you want that extra refinement, ergonomics, and detail retrieval, you’ll have to step up in price to the NM20.

3: Simgot EN700 Pro ($149)

The EN700 Pro is a much older, but still competent, dynamic driver earphone. It also targets a “studio” sound signature, but does so with much less bass emphasis and a flatter midrange. The EN700 Pro has a similar vocal spike to the NM20, but does so without adding the hotness that can accompany the NM20 in the upper register. The NM20 is colder, brighter, and bassier than the EN700, but even after 6 years, its difficult to call a clear winner between these two IEMs. Ultimately, if you want a cool, color-free IEM that doesn’t sacrifice bass presence, the NM20 will be your choice. If you want a flatter, more reference IEM, the EN700 Pro will be your preference.

Conclusion​

The NM20 is a good, if somewhat austere, dynamic driver earphone. It is well-built, ergonomic, and detail-oriented. It clearly outperforms cheaper, budget-grade earphones and makes a solid value-proposition for audiophiles and musicians alike. It isn’t the most organic IEM, but it doesn’t try to be.

Who This is For​

• Musicians, audiophiles, and studio techs who want a cost-effective in-ear monitor
• Listeners who want an analytical, but not boring, earphone
• Dynamic driver fans who want a treble-focused earphone

Who This isn’t For​

• Bassheads
• Listeners seeking warmth
• Those with a treble sensitivity

As always, happy listening!

NF Acous Audio has provided this example of the NM20 IEM to Audio reviews Downunder in Australia for our assessment and honest review and we thank the company for this.

Description

The NM20 is a single dynamic driver IEM built with a frosted polycarbonate shell which is light and easy to wear. The edge of the shell is outlined in aluminium and the NF logo is prominent of the face. There are two vent holes in the shell. The cable is made of oxygen-free, silver-plated cooper made of 4 strands that are wound into a fairly soft and flexible 3.5mm cord. It is supplied with a simple set of good quality eat tips and a zippered practical fabric carry case.



Customisation.

Fit was not an issue with the NM20 as the shells are small and light and most tips I tried gave a secure fit. Before burn in and with standard tips with the standard cable, the mix was slightly bass light and the treble was bright with splashy cymbals while not being sibilant. After several days of burn in I found the bass and balance improved and using narrow bore tips (Penon liquor orange) and switching to a single crystal copper cable I found the perfect sound balance for my ears. While the cable connector is not flush with the IEM but protruding from the shell, it is a strong design going by the companies’ exploded photos and I had no qualms about inserting a standard 4.4mm balance .78 two pin cable into this outlet. The IEM itself is strong and lightweight, and this adds to the security of the connection.

Bass.

It delivers bass at recorded levels accurately and dynamically. Sub and mid bass is supplied with power and a certain muscularity. It's very enjoyable. Tracks with a sub bass emphasis go moderately deep and snares and kick drums are precise and have weight and speed. Timbre is accurate and uncoloured. As mentioned, using a copper cable and Penon tips fine-tuned the bass response to my tastes. I tried adding a bass boost by EQ but decided I liked the manufacturers tuning in preference.



Midrange.

Again, uncoloured and accurate, the midrange is monitor like but with a natural timbre and with both male and female vocals very naturally presented. There is plenty of air and separation from the bass and the extended trebles add to the spaciousness of the vocal stage. I don't find the vocals recessed, rather presented just right in the mix. NM20 has the ability to reveal layers of backing vocals that might be concealed with lesser IEMs. Familiar songs have layers peeled away presenting details of the recorded tracks you might have been unaware of. Vocal levels perfectly presented mirroring the recording. For instance, King Princess is always close miked and up front but some recordings such as .... Place the vocalist back in the mix. The ability of the NM20 to portray this reflects its monitor like competence. I enjoy listening to music portrayed this way and the other IEM I have found that does this is my favourite, the Kotori Zephyr. I can listen all day picking out new wrinkles in the way the recording was made while happily enjoying the recordings. The NF MN20 is going to be my vocal reference IEM to compare other sets to. It's rather well done!

Another interesting thing is that the NM20 works best at moderate volume levels. It never demands a few more volume notches as everything is audible and ratcheting up just increases the sound pressure unlike my planars.
ANOTHER interesting observation is while writing a few notes for this review and listening to Kelley McRae's excellent album, Good Company, the music stopped. I had listened to 10 tracks in 40 minutes and wanted more. Where did the time go? This IEM is addictive.



Treble

No question that the NM20 sparkles in the treble region. Wide bore tips accentuated the treble resulting in cymbals in particular sounding bright and splashy. Cable and tip changes brought this under control well allowing a crystal detailed top end that was not fatiguing. Treble sensitive listeners using bright sources will probably find the MN20 a bit much but using a warms source with the copper cable and narrow tips can tune down the highs. The chiming guitars and tambourine from The Jesus and Mary Chain Darklands album sound just right to my ears and Bye Bye Pride from the Go-Betweens, a personal favourite has pace and timing with a dynamic bold sound featuring again chiming guitars, clarinet and harmonic vocals. A very enjoyable listen with the NF ACOUS IEM.



Technicalities

I've mentioned this set has excellent technicalities. Instrument separation and also backing vocal tracks are like being in the studio and being able to look around and pick out each performer. Instrument tonality is a standout being completely natural. Stage is adequately wide but has great depth. The IEM can present a large listening spherical environment that is immersive and captivating. Its easy to get lost in the music with this set.



Conclusion

The NF ACOUS NM20 is a set for listeners that prefer a neutral revealing set with monitor like technicalities and a musical presentation. Treble sensitive users or basshead might want to pass. But users that would like an alternate tuning from the current overly warm trend for IEMs will find this a breath of fresh air and enjoy its technical prowess. I'm very happy with this tuning and constantly amazed at the abilities of single dynamic driver earphones. The NM20 gets two thumbs up from this reviewer.

As I’m more of a tone over tech guy , I’ll based off my first ever review with heavy emphasis on tone.

Sound Signature
Neutral to slight V tuning to my ears , more to the brighter side of spectrum. Overall a more reference analytical style of tuning rather than musicality.

Tonality
Bass
- Has presence but not basshead level
- Clean , fast , has thump but no slam
- Subbass was sufficient but nowhere overwhelmed with rumbles

Midrange
-Male vocals is lean and not enough note weight
-Female vocals feels shouty at times ,there’s a slight sibilance too but nowhere as noticeable as my Isabellae.
-As I mentioned this is a reference style tuned iem , don’t expect much musicality from it.

Treble
-As I’m treble allergic , its treble felt harsh when paired with my CD-20 , but when paired with my Shanling M6U its bearable.
-Details are great with this set, can pick out some microdetails from busy tracks.
-Sometimes sound too sterile for the overall tuning due to the excessive energy from the highs.
-fatigue after an hour or 2 from listening to it.

Overall timbre is quite natural and not plasticky , quite pleasant.

Moving on to technicalities , I’m still learning so I’m not so great in deciphering the overall correctness of the terms used , correct me if I’m wrong.

Soundstage
-For its price its pretty decent , more width than depth and height.

Imaging
-One of the thing that surprised me (finally) is the imaging , it can pin point instruments pretty well without much hassle.

Layering and Separation
-Another thing that is good for this unit , but being capped by the capabilities of single dd setup , as such certain busy tracks will still sound cramped but can’t blame it.

Conclusion
Overall for its price it’s a decent set , but as a warm neutral guy myself , I couldn’t convince myself to like it . But this set could make wonders for people who are in search for reference style tuned iem but with special type of tuning instead of meta or harman type of tuning or trebleheads that can handle the zing and sparkles.

NFACOUS NM20

NON-META TUNING.

PROS:
- Fast, clean and well-controlled bassline.
- Decent mid-range performance.
- Good low to mid treble detailing.
- Borderline inoffensive treble.
- Niche tuning.

CONS:
- Sub-bass rolled-off.
- Male vocal lacked fullness.
- Could use with greater air-extension.
- Potential sibilance (Tolerable)

[MY PERSONAL HEAD-FI GRADING]
1 ★ - Appalling! please avoid this!
2 ★★ Subpar offering, there are better options out there!
3 ★★★ Decent with some caveats! Not a bad pick!
4 ★★★★ Not perfect but solid choice ! This should be in your shortlist. A nice addition to your collection.
5 ★★★★★ One the best in class! You should go right ahead & buy one! A must have!

NFACOUS NM20 3½★★★​

MSRP : US$118.99 Driver Configuration : 1- MC2L-100P Dynamic Driver

~ SHORT REVIEW ~

▓▒░ SOUND-SIGNATURE ░▒▓
It is tuned with a V-shaped sound profile, featuring a bright tilt in its tonal balance. The bass is boosted with a slight emphasis on the mid-bass. The mid-range is recessed, yet still preserves a natural vocal presentation. The treble delivers a good amount of brilliance, allowing it to cut through the lower frequencies effectively

▓▒░ BASS/LOW-ENDSOUND ░▒▓
- Right off the bat, the bass sounded fast, clean and well-controlled. It’s not about quantity, but rather delivering the necessary presence whenever called for.

- The sub-bass roll-off is noticeable on tracks that focuses sub-bass. While the sub-bass rumble has good texture, it feels light, lacking in pressure and sustain.

- The mid to upper bass has a slightly slower decay and delivers a wider range of attack. As a result, percussion, such as drum hits, offers a more satisfying slam, while kick drums pack more than enough punch. The bass guitar, however, has a more subdued presence in the mix.

▓▒░ MID-RANGE /VOCAL ░▒▓
- Despite its recessed nature, both male and female vocals don’t come across as too thin or dry. Some may find them lacking in body and fullness, but it remains acceptable for a V-shaped sound signature. In terms of vocal texturing, it manages to highlight the important nuances without sounding harsh.

- Higher-pitched or female vocals in the upper octaves tend to have a more forward presence, while deeper male vocals are slightly pushed back in the mix. In other words, female vocals offer a more rewarding performance, with an airy texture that isn’t overly sharp.

- Thanks to its emphasis on the upper-mids, instruments like guitars, violins, strings, and wind instruments stand out more, with a rounded edge to their attack.

▓▒░ TREBLE/HIGHS ░▒▓
- The emphasis from the lower to mid treble is quite noticeable, but beyond that, there's limited air-extension.

- While it may not have the most even treble response, the noticeable peaks and dips help give the treble elements a better sense of contrast. However, depending on the track, this characteristic could bring out sibilance or unwanted resonance, though most of the time, it remains tolerable.

- Cymbals, hi-hats, and drum brushes sound inoffensive, with a surprisingly tame presence. The same applies to synthetic noise like electronic zings, rings, or even electric guitar. The attack is on the smoother side, and treble-heads may find themselves wishing for more bite in high-pitched percussion.

✧ ════ •TECHNICAL PERFORMANCE/ASPECT• ════ ✧

- In terms of STAGE-DIMENSION, it feels closer to 2D than 3D. It plays with more width than height. There isn't much perceived front to back layering which restrict the depth of the stage.

- The IMAGING PROJECTION is average at best. While the left-to-right instrument placement is generally accurate, it lacks precision in terms of image definition, not being pin-point sharp.

- The LAYERING and SEPARATION are good, but not exceptional. Like most single dynamic drivers, the separated elements tend to sound closer together. The background isn't completely black, with a consistent layer of haziness that slightly impacts the clarity of the separated elements. On simpler tracks, however, it performs just fine.

- Overall, the DETAIL-RETRIEVAL is typical for its price range—nothing extraordinary.

- DYNAMICALLY, the softer attack does take away some of that dynamic feel on transient. The elements of loud and soft can still be heard but lacks distinctiveness.

- The TIMBRE, given the tuning, has a sufficiently analogue quality. There are no noticeable digital artifacts that impact the naturalness of its timbre. The note weight is adequate, though not excellent. The notes generally have good sustain with fairly precise decay. While the attack is fast, it could benefit from more impact. With a V-shaped sound profile, the TONAL BALANCE is inevitably compromised, but it is still well-executed and quite decent in its approach.

◤FINAL THOUGHTS◢
Having experienced several versions of Harman-like tuning, the NM20 brings something different to the table. While its tuning approach isn't groundbreaking, it certainly occupies a niche in today's market. At a $118 price tag, it could offer more, but it's not a bad option. It may not be for me, but for those with an acquired taste, I can see them enjoying it—especially if you're seeking a decent, bright-leaning V-shaped sound.

========================================================================
【SOURCE & GEARS】
● Native FLAC Files [44.1Khz 16bits-96Khz 24bits]
● Foobar2000 [ROG G18] [USB C Thunderbolt]
● Huawei P20 PRO [Phone][ App- Foobar2000]
● Tanchjim SPACE x INNTAK HIFI OTG
● SPINFIT CP100 (M)

========================================================================

【PLAYLIST／TEST-TRACKS】​

1977 Fleetwood Mac - Dreams ★
1982 Chicago – Hard to say I'm sorry. ★
2003 NARUTO Original Soundtrack I – Wakiagaru Toushi ★
2008 K.will (케이윌) – 소원 (Great King Sejong OST Part.1)
2009 Maksim – Exodus
2010 Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou (OST) – Kokoro no Oku De Ha
2014 Grabbitz – Here with you now. ★
2014 BoA – MASAYUME CHASING
2014 Hyolyn – 안녕 Good bye ★
2015 KOKIA – I Found You ★
2015 K MISSING KINGS (OST) - New Kings
2016 K RETURN OF KINGS (OST) - Return of Kings
2016 K RETURN OF KINGS (OST) - If you die.
2017 Berry Goodman – Zutto (ずっと) ★
2017 SawanoHiroyuki[nZk]:mizuki – ViEW
2017 Namie Amuro – Hope
2019 K SEVEN STORIES (OST) - In Pursuit Of
2019 K SEVEN STORIES (OST) - Lost Small World
2019 Blade & Soul (OST) – Half-Moon Lake
2019 CAROLE & TUESDAY VOCAL COLLECTION Vol.1 – Light a Fire ★
2020 Paradox Live Opening Show (1st E.P) – BAE – BaNG!!! ★
2020 Paradox Live Opening Show (1st E.P) – cozmez – Where They At ★
2020 倖田來未 (Kumi Koda) – GET NAKED (Kiyoshi Sugo Remix)
2020 倖田來未 (Kumi Koda) – again (MATZ Remix)
2020 premiere fleurs – プリンシパル
2020 Love Live! Nijigasaki – 朝香果林 (Karin Asaka) – VIVID WORLD ★
2020 Fujii Kaze – へでもねーよ”／Hedemo Ne-YoSeishun Sick
2020 King Gnu – 三文小説 ／Sanmon Shosetsu ★
2021 OWV – Fifth Season ★
2021 加藤 ミリヤ (Miliyah) feat. Yoshida Brothers – この夢が醒めるまで ★
2021 Aoi Teshima – ただいま★
2021 Official髭男dism – Cry Baby
2021 Chanmin BIJIN 美人 – Morning Mood
2021 門脇更紗 (Sarasa Kadowaki) – きれいだ
2021 Mirei Touyama – 美忘録
2021 SELECTION PROJECT Vol.1 – Only one yell -天沢灯ソロver.- ★
2022 Belle (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) – Million Miles Away (ENG vers.)
2022 rei (E-girls) – Dark Hero.
2022 rei (E-girls) – IDNY
2022 I can fly (Special Edition) – Bleecker Chrome - You will shine ★
2022 I can fly (Special Edition) – YOSHIKI EZAKI x Bleecker Chrome - UP ★
2022 BEAST TAMER (OST) – じんわり感じている幸せ
2022 Ado – 会いたくて
2022 Ado – 踊
2023 La prière – Sweet Dreams ★
2023 Bungou Stray Dogs 4th Season ED – Luck Life – しるし★
2023 UMAMUSUME PRETTY DERBY - Hat on your Head!
2023 Anna – 花のように (Hana no You ni)
2023 riria. – 貴方の側に (Anata no Soba ni)
2024 Dungeon Meshi OP – BUMP OF CHICKEN – Sleep Walking Orchestra
2024 Ernie Zakri, Ade Govinda - Masing Masing ★
2024 Paradox Live THE ANIMATION OST – 25 幻影武雷管 - Trauma ★
2024 Bartender Kami no Glass OP – Takaya Kawasaki – Stardust Memory ★
2024 Maou no Ore ga Dorei Elf ED – Sayaka Yamamoto – Blue Star
2024 Spice and Wolf Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf OP – Hana Hope – Tabi no Yukue/ Destination of the journey
2024 Tonari no Youkai-san ED – Aoi Kubo – Iro no Naka (風媒花)

★ Main-Test-Tracks/ A glimpse of what listen to 90% of the of time.


Do take my words for what it’s worth. Afterall, I am just one man. ╮(╯▽╰)╭

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING! HAVE A GOOD DAY WHEREVER YOU ARE! TAKE CARE!

Disclaimer:
- This is a loaner unit sent by a friend of mine, Ah Jeff (Facebook)

If you like me to review your gears, please do send me a message! I'll try to respond ASAP!


EXTRA PHOTOS

MatAudiophiles
When music flows in your veins, choose a good guide!

NFACOUS NM20​

NFACOUS NM20
INSTAGRAM: LINK

Prelude:
NFACOUS has launched with a very strong proposition in the pro audio section. The NM20 model is based on a high-quality dynamic driver and has been carefully tuned for musicians. If you remember my review of the OLLOaudio S5X, you probably know that I have great respect and appreciation for all companies that are present on the pro audio market. That is why I am glad that my collection can include products from the IEM headphone series dedicated to professionals. I would also like to point out that this review will be different from the others and will focus on the utility value and purpose of the headphones themselves. The NFACOUS NM20 are headphones costing 120USD, so they are set in a very decent price range, and offer a really armored housing and excellent technical properties.


Technical specifications:

• Driver Type: MC2L-100P dual-cavity dynamic driver, dual magnetic circuit and beryllium-plated diaphragm.
• Frequency Response: 9Hz-40kHz.
• Sensitivity: 108dB/mW.
• Impedance: 32Ω.
• Distortion Ratio: <1%.
• Jack Connector: SE 3.5mm with 6.35mm adapter included.
• Capsule Connection Type: 2Pin 0.78mm.
• Maximum SPL: 125dB.
• Cable: OFC 5N.
• Introductory Price: $119.

Unboxing:
First of all, I would like to invite you to my YouTube where you can see my unboxing of the NFACOUS NM20. ( LINK ). For those who prefer the written word to watching, I will try to describe my impressions of unpacking the NFACOUS NM20. First of all, the headphones themselves arrive in a large and very nice cardboard packaging. Under the cardboard blister, we will find a sliding cardboard box, and in it not only a great quality hard case, with a truly armored construction. Another important addition is a discreet, but still high quality adapter from a 3.5 mm jack to a large 6.5 mm jack. Another interesting element are the proprietary overlays in four sizes (ss, s, m, l). Although I ran out of foam tips, fortunately the nozzles are standard and popular replacements available on the market fit. The factory cable is a high-quality SPC copper braid. It is a bit of a shame that it is a classic 3.5 mm cable, but I like the safe “collar” ending of the 0.78 mm plugs in the QDC style. The headphones themselves are made of semi-transparent, highly durable material with a metal frame and a metal nozzle. We can thus elegantly take a look at the inside of our headphones. Comfort and build quality are truly top-notch. Now that we have discussed the packaging and build, it is time to move on to the listening experience.

Sound:

For the tests, I used EarMen Stack, FiiO K11R2R and Fosi Audio SK02. The test music was the most popular playlists from Tidal and Apple Music.

Low tones: Low tones are definitely muted and rather constitute a linear background. It is worth noting here that the use of memory foams strongly corrects this effect and makes the sound fuller and more dynamic in the bass. However, let’s understand each other correctly, the NFACOUS NM20 are typical monitor headphones and their tuning clearly shows it. The bass is linear and even, and its structure is shown in such a way as not to drown out the rest of the bands. In instrumental or classical music, such tuning literally shines, and in rock or pop it allows you to catch every imperfection. I do not agree with the statement that the NFACOUS NM20 have no bass, I would describe its contours as monitor tuning similar to that in equipment for professional work with music. It is worth noting that the NFACOUS NM20’s huge advantage is its incredible technical side in the low tones and excellent dynamics and energetic presentation of low tones. All this means that if you want to work with music, you can achieve truly amazing results.

Midtones: It is worth noting that the vocals in the NFACOUS NM20 are presented in great detail, and the technical layer is really great, which allows you to hear and appreciate every little detail in the music. The amount of information presented is definitely above average, both considering the price and the type of driver used. The planes and layers are shown exactly as the manufacturer wanted and in accordance with the recording. Although the vocals are pushed to the front, the sound stage built by the NFACOUS NM20 remains full and very diverse. We will not only hear every imperfection in the recording, but also every detail. At the price of 120 USD, it is simply amazing how much can be achieved for such a small price. Vocals are natural and very realistic, and the headphones faithfully reflect the character of the amplifier itself, without interfering with its sound. Music can really delight or repel us depending on the quality of the recorded material. Regardless of our preferences, we will be able to hear every nuance and disassemble our music into all its components and prime factors.

High tones: First of all, they are quite strongly accentuated and this is most likely due to the desire to achieve the most detailed sound with the strongest technical layer. If someone is sensitive to high tones, they must be careful when choosing a source for the NFACOUS NM20. They can be quite sharp, but with the right low-impedance amplifier, there is no such problem. It is worth noting that the upper bands are very resolving and present an excellent ability to image and show details. This monitor face of the NFACOUS NM20 is something that makes the addition “PRO” really make it not just an empty inscription. Therefore, excessive sharpness is not entirely a bad thing, and these headphones simply need synergy.


Comparisons:

NFACOUS NM20 ($119) VS Dunu Falcon ultra ($230)
The first thing to note is the size and weight of both headphones. Honestly, the Dunu Falcon ultra’s huge advantage is its small size, but due to the metal domes, its weight is slightly more noticeable than the NFACOUS NM20. An important issue is the great fit and low weight while maintaining the durability of the housing in the case of the NFACOUS NM20. When it comes to sound, despite the much higher price of the Dunu Falcon ultra, I think that both pairs of headphones are heading in a completely different direction. First of all, the Dunu Falcon ultra are entertainment headphones with a full and very musical sound, they have excellent technicalities and beautiful sound. However, when it comes to the ability to reproduce details and break down music into its basic components, the NFACOUS NM20 are simply amazing. The flat presentation in a monitor style guarantees faithful listening.
For whom NFACOUS NM20:

• For people working with music
• For artists
• for people looking for flat and monitor sound

For whom Dunu Falcon ultra:

• For lovers of entertainment sound
• For people who focus on stronger bass
• For people looking for discreet headphones of small size.

NFACOUS NM20 (119USD) VS Kinera Celest Relentless (99USD)
Depending on our preferences and what we really care about in music, we can observe that NFACOUS NM20 are much more technical headphones with stronger instrument separation. If we are looking for a monitor sound, NFACOUS NM20 will stand out with its natural and faithful to the original tuning. However, if someone focuses on musicality and sound with more bass, then Kinera Celest Relentless definitely has a lot to offer and will work better in such a scenario. If someone is a fan of clinical listening, they will definitely find what they are looking for in the NFACOUS NM20. However, if you are a fan of entertainment, you should listen to the Kinera Celest Relentless.
For whom the NFACOUS NM20:

• For lovers of critical listening
• For lovers of vocals and mid-tones
• For people looking for the highest technical experience

For whom the Kinera Celest Relentless:

• For lovers of entertaining sound
• For lovers of stronger bass
• For people looking for a more intimate presentation

NFACOUS NM20 (119USD) VS iBasso 3T-145 (149USD)
First of all, I will point out that these are worthy opponents, because the iBasso 3T-145 are headphones with a fairly neutral and clean presentation. They also have an excellent ability to reproduce details and, to be honest, they are one of my favorite headphones. The tuning of the iBasso is a compromise between a monitor and musical approach to sound. Nevertheless, the NFACOUS NM20 are headphones much more focused on flat frequency response. Here we have more linearity and the housings themselves in the case of the NFACOUS NM20 are much smaller and more discreet.



For whom the iBasso 3T-145:

• For lovers of a wide stage
• For people with large ears
• For lovers of quiet listening

For whom the NFACOUS NM20:

• For lovers of references
• For lovers of details
• For people who do not like excessive bass

Summary:
The first thing I would like to strongly emphasize is the fact that the NFACOUS NM20 are not typical headphones for listening to music. Their tuning and the quality of the presented material and the quality of the materials from which they are made clearly indicate the working nature of the headphones. In this case, working does not mean worse. Undoubtedly, the NFACOUS NM20 headphones surprise with their excellent technical side and incredibly good separation of layers, especially since they are headphones with a dynamic transducer. These are headphones with less bass, but are characterized by great linearity and an even natural presentation, which makes them excellent tools for working with music.
Why Choose the NFACOUS NM20 Headphones:

• Excellent technical layer
• Above-average imaging and details
• Excellent resolution
• Natural midtone color
• Linear presentation

What I would improve in the NFACOUS NM20 headphones:

• Slightly sharp upper bands
• Sometimes too little bass

My personal score is 10/10 because for applications working with music these headphones are really excellent, but if I had to evaluate them from an audiophile perspective, I would give them a score of 9/10. I would say that I would take a little less score for the sharp upper registers. I still think that in both categories the NFACOUS NM20 are a really great pair of headphones and for a very good price. They are also very sensitive and sensitive to noise, but it is not particularly noticeable when we have a clean sound source. If you are looking for reference headphones with a clinical and clean presentation, then the NFACOUS NM20 are definitely for you.

NF ACOUS- NM20: Live in Studio

DISCLAIMER: The NF Acous NM20 was sent to us free of charge by the NF Acous team for review. We would like to thank the kind people at NF Acous for their continuous support of Aural Café. However, the review reflects our honest assessment as always.

Introduction: -

Today at Aural Cafe we are reviewing NF Acous's first offering after their complete brand revamps NF Acous- NM20. The NM20 has a single dynamic driver setup featuring NF Acous MC2L-100P Dynamic Driver and NF Acous Patented Clutter Trap technology.

Before starting our review of NM20, we at Aural Cafe would like to apprise our fellow audiophiles of the brand NF Acous. NF Acous formerly known as NF Audio is a premium audio brand of Shenzhen Ningfan Acoustics Co Ltd which was founded way back in 2014 in Shenzhen China by a fellow Audiophile and music enthusiast Felix Yang. NF Acous team from the very first day interestingly identifies themselves as In-Ear Artists and considers in-ear monitors as a bridge between the music and the people. Since its birth, NF Acous engineers have been actively involved with professional musicians, vocalists and music producers to have a better understanding of the whole art of composing and recording to come up with solid offerings across different price ranges. We recently had the honour to review their budget offering NF Acoustics RA15 IEMs on Aural Café and our readers can learn more about NF Acous History by clicking on the RA15 review link: https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/nf-audio-ra15.27432/reviews#review-35429. Now coming back to the present, 2024 marks a new dawn for NF Acoustics as it went under a complete brand revamp after 10 years of foundation from NF Audio to NF Acous. We at Aural Cafe believe that the transformation is not just in brand name but there is a complete business revamp where we feel NF Audio will focus equally on universal IEMs so that not only professional musicians and live performers enjoy NF Acoustics IEMs, but Audiophiles also be able to enjoy the hi-fi music the NF Acoustics way. Not only that we also believe that NF Acoustics from now on will also focus more on geographies such as Germany, the USA and India as well. The same has been reflected through their newly launched website www.nfacous.com where an audiophile can check and order items directly from their offerings across three broad product series Professional, Music and Game Series.

NM20 is their first IEM offering under the ‘NF Acous’ brand from their ‘PROFESSIONAL SERIES’. The NM20 comes in a single Dynamic Driver setup featuring NF Acous MC2L-100P Dynamic driver along with NF Acous Patented Clutter Trap technology. NF Acoustics’ proprietary MC2L-100P 10mm beryllium plated diaphragm Dynamic Driver not only uses a high precision integrated tuning PCB board for better timbre and stability but also comes integrated with high-performance Neodymium-Iron-Boron (NIB) magnets in a dual acoustic chamber to achieve better dynamics and transient experience. NF Acous NM 20 is an upgraded version of their classic NM2 which sold about a hundred thousand units globally and is the first IEM from NF Acous stable which comes implemented with NF Acous patented Clutter Trap technology. Since the NM20 comes under the NF Acous Professional Series it is designed to achieve a reference studio-like sound quality to cater to the monitoring needs of professional musicians as well as hi-fi music enthusiasts. The NF Acous team have tried to achieve the same through the implementation of their patented Clutter Trap technology on NM20. Through Clutter Trap Technology NF Acous, team has tried to reduce the reflected sound frequency which generally results in a coloured sound tonality. Under this patent technology, the NF Acous team have tried to achieve a colourless natural reference sound tonality by placing a ‘black colour clutter trap’ at the side of the dynamic driver. This clutter trap is composed of five air pressure-controlling damping nets and two tuning sponges. The clutter trap aims at achieving a reference sound tonality by adjusting the air pressure balance between the front and rear cavities. The NM20 retails for 118 US$.



Specifications: -

• Driver Type/Count: 1-Double Cavity Dynamic Driver
• Impedance: 32 Ω
• Freq Response: 9Hz-40Khz
• Sensitivity: 108 dB/mW @1 kHz
• Electrical Crossover: 6-way
• Noise Isolation: -25 dB
• Distortion: <1 %
• Cable: 0.78mm 2-pin 5N OFC with 3.5mm connector

Unboxing Experience, Design & Build: -

NF Acous NM20 comes in three unique shades of blue, pink and grey. The NM20 arrives with a rectangular black and pink cardboard box. The NF Acoustics team have smartly used the combination of black and soft pink frost shades to depict the pink colour of our review unit of NM20. The designing the NM20 box comes out pleasantly attractive and the pink shade surely going to appeal especially to the young female professional musicians and audiophiles out there. The front side of the box is dominated by a 3D sticker of NM20 IEM along with the model’s name NM20 which is printed right on the left side of the box using silver colour font. The NM20 specifications are being inscribed in Chinese language on the back side of the box in silver colour fonts. The new brand identity and logo of ‘NF Acous’ is printed simply and subtly on the top and the bottom left side in white colour fonts. We at Aural Cafe would have loved it if the new NF Acous logo and brand identity were presented more boldly at the front of the box as NM20 is their first offering after complete brand transformation. On removing the outer sleeve, one comes across the vital black colour cardboard box inside which NM20 IEM cables and accessories are placed. The new brand logo and NF Acous tagline “FREE LISTEN AND CREATE” can be seen shining brightly right at the centre of the top layer of the black box. As you can visualize from our unboxing video (), the NM20 unboxing is an experience in itself which we have rarely encountered before for a budget IEM offering. The box opens from left to right just like a book and gets divided into two halves. The added invisible magnetic strip inside the edges of both sections of the box not only keeps the two separate sections as one single box but adds a premium touch to the whole unboxing experience. The NM20 shells can be seen placed in the right-side section of the box in a traditional vinyl style cutout which we have earlier seen in RA15. On taking off the vinyl cutout one comes across the stock cable of the NM20 under which the stock silicone ear tips can be seen placed cleanly with the help of an ear tip flap. The user manual is placed right at the top of the left section of the box under which a small and solid lightweight black colour carry case is placed. The NF Acous NM20 also comes with a high-quality 3.5mm to 6.35mm gold-plated adapter which will help professional musicians for monitoring purposes.






As far as the design and build quality of the NM20 is concerned, the NF Acous team has tried to achieve a balance between the looks and comfort quotient. The NM20 exhibits small, lightweight and ergonomically designed IEM shells along with an elegant, frosted surface texture made using lightweight and sturdy polycarbonate material. The edges of the NM20 faceplate are seamlessly highlighted using lightweight aluminium carved out of precision CNC machining. The NM20 shells come with a qdc style 2-pin 0.78mm socket structure which is implemented by the NF Acous team keeping in mind the convenience and durability factor. One can also spot two vents on each shell of NM20 which will surely help a lot in reducing air pressure and increased dynamics during on-stage performance. We at Aural Cafe give immense importance to overall wearing comfort and fit and we would like to state here that in our testing we are quite happy with the comfort quotient of the NM20 lightweight IEM shells. When it comes to ear tips NM20 comes with NF Acous MS42 high-quality silicone ear tips in four standard sizes XS. S, M, and L. When it comes to passive isolation, the ear tips here play a very important role in the case of NM20 as NM20 offers just average passive isolation and we at Aural Cafe would suggest choosing the ear tips carefully to get the best out of NM20. When it comes to stock cable NM20 comes with a decent quality 1.3m silver plated 5N oxygen-free copper cable with a 3.5 mm earphone connector. The provided lightweight flexible cable will not only add to the overall comfort while onstage performance but also comes in really handy while listening to music on the go. We at Aural Cafe, considering the price, are quite satisfied with the minimalistic design and quality of the shells, cables and a sensible set of accessories.




Sound Analysis: -

We would like to state here that the sound impressions are based on our usage of NF Acous NM20 with stock tips and cables along with neutral clean DAPs after 50 hours of burn-in period as suggested by the NF Acous team. The effect of other aftermarket ear tips, cables and sources on sound impressions has been dealt with separately in the Source matching and Drivability section so we would request every audiophile to go through that section for sure.


Credits: @ToneDeafMonk

• Tonality: - After testing NM20 with several hi-fi DAPs and dongles across different genres of music we at Aural Cafe like to state that the tonality of the NM20 leans towards a neutral uncoloured clean sound. Although the added number of bass does make NM20 a mild V-shaped fun-sounding IEM the reference soul of NM20 remains unaffected thanks to the patented clutter trap implementation which shows its prowess as there is top-notch clarity across the frequency and helps NM20 to achieve a natural and reference tonality. The NM20 showcases NF Acous's take on reference tonality with a decent amount of tight mid-bass which doesn’t bleed into mids. The 10mm beryllium-plated diaphragm dynamic driver is meticulously tuned to present you with a reference sound tonality that surprises us by changing its colours while listening to soundtracks across various genres and in the process takes you directly to a studio setup. The high-quality integrated tuning PCB is doing its job wonderfully well as overall sound is stable and smooth across the frequency without any kind of sibilance. The timbre of the instruments, especially the electric guitar and piano, is top-notch. Although this kind of tonality can go with most genres, we at Aural Cafe loved listening to Progressive Rock, blues such as ‘Stairway to Heaven’ by Rock band Led Zeppelin and vocal-centric soundtracks such as ‘Apocalypse’ by Cigarettes After Sex on NM20.

• Lows: - The lows in NM20 are tastefully tuned with the help of a single 10mm beryllium-plated diaphragm Dynamic Driver keeping in mind the the overall reference sound signature of NM20. The enhanced low frequency makes NM20 a mild V-shaped which sounds very precise yet fun with popular pop numbers such as ‘Bad Guy’ by Billie Eilish. But NM20 will never be a bass head’s dream as it is precisely tuned keeping in mind the monitoring needs of sound designers and on-stage performers. The lows on NM20 are agile, clean, and stable with a decent amount of thump all thanks to the well-implemented dual magnetic circuit. The midbass takes the lead over the subbass both in quantity and quality. The tight midbass showcases foot-tapping agility and speed along with decent thump while listening to ‘Bury a Friend’ by Billie Eilish, whereas the subbass demonstrates a decent rumble, texture and modulation which we really enjoyed while listening to ‘The Hills’ by the Weekend but we at Aural Cafe would have loved a tad more layering in the subbass region.

• Mids: - The midrange is where the magic begins as the NM20 shines its brightest in this region. When it comes to positioning the mids on NM20 are slightly flat and balanced, immersing well with its reference tonality. The balanced presentation of the mids on NM20 showcases the vocalist position accurately and completely depends on how the specific soundtrack is recorded and therefore we feel NM20 can cater to the monitoring needs of budding sound designers and producers in a very solid manner. The vocals have a very precise and accurate note weight. The NM20 evokes very textured and clean vocals with lots of souls both in the case of male and female vocalists which we have rarely heard before from an IEM in this price range. We were really intoxicated listening to ‘Comfortably Numb’ by Pink Floyd and ‘Des Mera Rangrej ye Babu’ composed by the Indian Ocean. We also loved listening to ‘Skyfall’ by Adele due to accurate note weight. The lower mids are a bit thin whereas the upper mids are where it shines the best across the sound frequency. The upper mids are also tuned very precisely and effortlessly merging with the highs without any harshness. The upper mids are energetic and fun without compromising on stability and smoothness as a result of which NM20 sounds surprisingly non-fatiguing in the upper midrange during long listening hours the timbre of the instruments is life-like without any colour. The electric guitar section on ‘Hotel California’ by the Eagles was intoxicating with each note crystal clear with a very lovely texture on Dethonray DTR1+. We also loved the electric guitar timbre, texture and control while listening to ‘Sultans of Swing’ by Dire Straits.

• Highs: - The highs on NM20 are decently bright yet smooth and airy without any harshness even on high volume due to the well-implemented clutter trap. The micro details are not on the face but come in a much more organic way while listening to different genres of music. The overall high is quite resolved and refined. The highs have decent air which adds a sufficient amount of excitement while listening to ‘In Your Eyes’ by Weekend feat Kenny G version on the iFi Go link with Linum Dualbax zebra cable. The upper treble has sufficient body and sounds truly reference. The guitar notes and vocals while listening to ‘Sidewalks’ by Weekend feat. Kendrick Lamar is exciting and engaging. The highs are not overdone and tuned in keeping with the reference tuning so it is there but it's not in your face. We also enjoyed the upper treble while listening to ‘Paayalliya’ composed by Amit Trivedi for the movie Dev D and sung by Shruti Pathak.

• Soundstage & Imaging: - The Soundstage on NM20 is intimate and immersive with a better depth in comparison to the soundstage width. We think the dual magnetic circuit in a dual acoustic chamber setup helps NM20 to achieve better soundstage depth and dynamics in comparison to width. The NM20 goes really well with the Progressive Rock and blues genre of soundtracks, and we had an amazing time listening to ‘Echoes’ by Pink Floyd due to the intimate and immersive soundstage of NM20. When it comes to instrument separation it is average at best but when it comes to imaging, we would like to state here that NF Acous NM20 is one of the best offerings in terms of imaging which we have come across in recent times considering the price. Imaging is dead precise and showcases spaces and positions between vocals and instruments quite accurately. We really enjoyed listening to ‘Zariya’ composed by A.R. Rahman for Coke Studio India on NM20 due to its top-notch technical abilities.

• Synergy: - We at Aural Cafe would like to state that we do believe in burn-in and would suggest at least 50 hours of burn-in period to get the best out of NM20. After the burn in the brightness of the beryllium-plated dynamic driver has mellowed a bit and the lows have achieved top-notch dynamics. When it comes to driving ability, we are happy to communicate that NM20 is easy to drive and can be driven easily with the help of a dongle but would suggest using it with a hi-fi source to get the best out of NM20 as NM20 scales really well with hi-fi portable or desktop sources. Although the NM20 is a 120 US$ IEM, we tried it with many DAPs, cables and ear tips to test the ‘reference’ and monitoring ability of the NM20. We tried NM20 with a number of hi-fi portable and desktop sources such as Astell & Kern SP1000M, Dethonray Prelude DTR 1, DTR 1+, Dtr 1+ LE, Listening M1, Pegasus SG1 Gold Bluetooth Dac/Amp, and Aune M1p and felt that it matches really well with warm musical sources such as Dethonray SG1 Gold, Dethonray DTR1+ and Astell & Kern SP100M as it mellows down the brightness of NM20 and adds a bit of warmth and thump to the lows, whereas layering and soundstage improved a lot making us feel that we are listening to more expensive IEMs when NM20 is driven by hi-end portable desktop sources such as Dethonray Listening M1. Entry-level Desktop sources such as iFi Audio Zen Dac 3 add a touch of analogue tonality to the overall sound totality of the NM20. NM20 didn’t match well with neutral sources such as Dethonray Dtr1+ limited edition. When it comes to the portable dongles which are so much in the trend we tested NM20 with a line of dongles such as iFi Audio GO Link, Go Bar Kensei, Aune Yuki, Tanchjim Space Lite, Celest CD-20 and felt that RA15 sounded best with Aune Yuki and iFi Audio GO link and Tanchjim Space Lite whereas it didn’t really match well with iFi GO Bar Kensei. We tried it with a few cables from Linum, PW Audio, Rhapsodio, Modular Workshop Copper cable and Linksmith and felt that NM20 synergies well with copper and SPC cables such as Linum DualBax SPC cable which adds a bit of width to the soundstage and brings the mids touch a bit more forward on the NM20. Whereas the Linksmith’s flagship Fire Rock Poison cable makes the NM20 a lot more musical with more sub-bass rumble. When it comes to ear tips, we felt that NM20 goes decently well with the stock narrow bore ear tips, but it really shines well with E-pro's latest Propeller ear tips which increase the soundstage in terms of both width and depth making NM20 sound a bit more spacious and holographic. Overall, we at Aural Cafe would suggest matching NM20 with warm musical sources along with a solid copper or SPC cable.

Conclusion: -

We at Aural Cafe would like to conclude this review by stating that the NM20 single-DD IEM, which is NF Acous's first offering after complete brand transformation, does total justice to start a new fresh chapter for NF Acous Team. NM20 comes with a top-notch flashy unboxing experience which merges really with the simple, sturdy and ergonomic frosted shell of NM20. We at Aural Cafe feel that through NM20 the NF Acous team likes to exhibit their ability to come up with a precise reference IEM at a decent price of 120 US$. We loved the way the NF Acous team added clutter trap technology which helped in achieving top-notch clarity and retrieving micro details from NM20 in an effortless manner. We also feel that the high-quality dual magnetic circuit and dual acoustic chamber setup help NM20 add a fun dynamic low to the overall reference tonality of NM20. We also loved the decision of the NF Acous team to go with the beryllium-plated diaphragm which adds speed and clarity to the overall sound frequency. We would love it if the NF Acous team could have bundled NM20 with a better quality of SPC cable and if the sub-bass region had a better rumble and layering, so if you are out in the market in search of an IEM at a tight budget for monitoring needs or if you are those rare breeds of audiophile which love reference tuned IEMs then NM20 is a solid offering from NF Acous.

Non-Affiliated Link: -

• https://nfacous.com/products/nm20

​

>>I am brazilian and I speak portuguese, so forgive my english, I’ll use translation tools to help<<


INTRO:

★ Introduction :-

NF Audio is a very popular chinese brand, recently they changed their name from NF Audio to NF Acous. Along with the name, they have assured to give considerable importance to innovation in their new journey. I used some of their previous model IEMs which were fairly good sounding. NF Acous has recently released the item to keep up with their much hyped product in the current market which is known as NM20, It is basically a single dd IEM. The company claims that this set is a worthy successor to their previous Nm2. Now I'll discuss this in today's review and try to highlight how much it is equitable of price to performance ratio.

★ Disclaimer :-

This review unit was sent to me directly from NF Acous. I had no financial agreement with them to promote their product. So, the entire opinion of this review is completely my personal.

★ Box Content at a Glance :-

Unfortunately, the unboxing experience of NF Acous' first IEM has not changed much. This set comes with a big black color box. If you open the box, you can see a pair of NM20 set attached to the familiar circular shape board. Besides just below there is a thin card board with a few pairs of ms42 eartips and a round shape carrying case with silver plated copper cable with qdc connector as before. This time also they have provided 3.5 mm to 6.35 mm male-female adapter which is quite a positive aspect.The stock carrying case was very practical which is able to protect the IEM well at the same time. There is enough space inside the case for easily carry to this set, there is even a system for keeping extra eartips.

1. A pair of NM20 ×1
2. 5N silver-coated OFC cable with 3.5mm terminated jack ×1
3. Three pairs of different sizes eartips
4. A black colour Carrying case ×1
5. A 3.5mm to 6.5 adapter ×1

★ Specifications :-

Model :- NM20
Dimensions :-150 × 132 × 83mm
Package Weight :- 300g
Driver :- Dynamic Driver
Cable :- 0.78mm dual pin 5N OFC
Sensitivity :- 108 dB / mW
Impedance :-32Ω
Sound Insulation :-25dB
Frequency Response :- 9-40kHz
Distortion :- < 1%
Max SPL :- 125dB
Connector :- 3.5mm

★ Design, Build & Comfort :-

Design similarities with the previous Nm2 are easily found. As before, polycarbonate is used as the shell's build material, but this time Nm20 feels to be somewhat robust. The polycarbonate shell fits very comfortably in the ear and at the same time being lightweight can be worn in the ear for a long time. I did not face any problem of ear heaviness or discomfort while using it. This IEM has three different color variants available, the unit in my hand is black color and there are two more blue & pink color variants, among which the blue one is the most attractive. The saddest thing is that the look of this set, even in hand, feels quite cheap naturally. Slightly better build quality can be we expected from a sub-120$ set. The most disappointing part of this set is the stock cable, they release new IEMs every time, but they don't make any major changes to the stock cable. Although the braid of 5n ofc copper cable is fine, the Y-splitter of the cable is made of plastic, but the straight 3.5 mm jack termination attached to it is completely surrounded by the metal cover. A big down side of this cable is to become tangled very easily. To avoid this problem Nf acous has included strap guider with the cable to keep it tangle free. Then in the context of carrying case, I will say that the carrying pouch is practical as always. Although not too big in size, It's round shape seems to be ideal for regular use. Apart from this, if i talk about some of their proprietary ms42 eartips, which they provide almost with all kind of their IEMs. The stock eartips are fairly soft & decent comfortable.However, I personally benefited more from using aftermarket eartips on this IEM. I got the best results with kbear 07 & dunu candy eartips. Those who have a collection of eartips in their arsenal, they can try tip rolling to get better result.

★ Sound Aspect :-

The NF Acous NM20 seemed to be a bright V shape tuned single dd set. Where there is an excess of bass and treble and the position of the mids section was a little behind. As impressive as they are claiming the sound performance of their newly customized DD, it is not consistent enough with the real life experience. The treble has been boosted more also I noticed the lack of tightness of the bass. There was noticeable peak in the upper treble region which brings fatigue during long listening seasons. Specially, I'm pretty sure that it will bother some treble sensitive folks more. On the other hand, they have improved quite in terms of sound stage & imaging, but they have not been able to make this set very competitive in its price segment.

Credit :- @cqtek

★ Gear used :-

1. Questyle Audio Engineering CMA Fifteen
2 . Xduoo xd05 bal 2 (Se & Bal both)
3 . Cayin Ru7 (Se & Bal both)
4 . Questyle m15 (Se & Bal both)
5 . Quloos Mc01 (SE & Bal both)
6 . Epz Tp50 (Se & Bal both)
7 . Fosi Audio Ds1 (Se & Bal both)
8 . Fosi Audio Ds2 ~ 2024 (Se & Bal both)
9 . Roseselsa Rs9039 (Se & Bal both)
10 . Blon V1 (Se & Bal both)

NM20 is a set of 32Ω impedance whose sensitivity level is 108dB so not very powerful amplification is needed to drive it, I got decent loudness from the phone's 3.5mm port, but if a good quality dac amp or portable player is used, then it gets scaled up with the sources (warmish-neutral)and becomes better sounding. However, the best pairing I've found with CMA Fifteen. Good stage depth & dynamics, improved imaging even a bit more enhanced micro detailing capability.Tonal balancing is a little bit improved.

Now, I will discuss the sound in detail, I will start with the Low end of this set, i.e. the bass....

★ The Bass :-

Nm20 delivers good performance in bass section especially mid bass. There I got fast attack & decay and the body of the bass was fairly fuller but the texure was less abundant and the tightness was not enough. However, I noticed that the emphasis on the mid bass was relatively higher than the sub bass performance, which resulted in the presence of the mid bass on some bass heavy tracks and pushing the upper mids towards a bit of bloat. The rumble of the sub bass region was of a mediocre level, although I wouldn't say that it hits very deeply, but the control was good and the definition did not seems very clean or articulate. The quantity & quality of sub bass is inferior to mid bass, it is not overpowering the other frequencies sound even the lower mids do not seem to have been ruined or recessed much . All in all the bass region is not too backward but not too impressive either.

★ The Mids :-

In the context of mids, this set is more upper mids focused compared to lower mids. To be honest, the emphasis is more on the upper mids, That's why the vocals feels more forward. It doesn't seem very engaging or enjoyable. Besides, the male vocal has a good body, but the female vocal has noticeable shouty-ness which undermines the quality of the vocal. At the same time, the lower mids were recessed and there was a lack of details & clarity. Vocal & instruments fail to retain their character adequacy most of the time, resulting in a lack of aural enjoyment experience. Folks who are more used to vocal centric genres will not get much expected result from here, I personally like a little warmth & rich vocal so considering those things, Nm20 will not be able to give full satisfaction. It could not fulfill my expectation.



★ The Treble :-

Talking about the treble, there is a lot of detail here. As a single dd set, it has enough energy & sparkle in the treble. But it makes cymbals & high frequency notes a bit lifeless. While the upper treble has decent clarity, the mid treble is largely disappointing.There was occasional harshness in the sound and I even noticed problems like graininess. The 5k-8k region doesn't seem to be very consistent which causes fatigue during the enjoyment period. In this case after market eartips are somewhat helpful. Treble extension was decent extended but lacked refinement, I'm pretty sure that bright treble with such unnatural sparkle would be fatiguing to many except those for whom extreme treble energy is preferred. This grainy nature of the treble left me a little disappointed. Despite being a fairly treble head, I could not enjoy such unnatural & bright characteristic.



★ Technicalities :-

The Nm20 IEM has managed to maintain a strong position in terms of technical ability. The sound stage is considered wider with accurate stage depth. Moreover, the biggest strength of the imaging capability is to say that it has been able to provide absolutely holographic imaging, which I hope will put it far ahead in such a price category. The Nm20 IEM has managed to maintain a strong position in terms of technical ability. The sound stage is considered wider with accurate stage depth. Moreover, the biggest strength of the imaging capability is to say that it has been able to provide absolutely holographic imaging. Which I hope, will put it far ahead in such a price category. This set has been able to clearly highlight the presence of the movement nature of most of the instruments. This feature is most helpful in gaming as it can precisely locate the opponent's positioning. Those who play battle royal games will definitely get excellent results from nm20. Tonality & timbre accuracy was not so appreciable while micro detail is there to some extent but macro detail was lacking more

Overall rating out of 5 is what I would give

Bass : 4 /5
Mids : 3.8 /5
Treble : 3.5/5
Technicalities : 4/5
Dynamics & speed : 3.8/5
Build & Aesthetics : 3.5/5

★ Comparison :-

~ NF Acous NM20 Vs OG NM2 ~

Nm 20 comes with few changes compared to the previous nm2. There is no biggest difference in build quality, the midrange tonality of the nm20 seems to be a bit of a downside compared to the previous nm2. nm20 performs better in mid bass but nm2 is in safe position in treble. Technically just improved nm20 compared to nm2. In my opinion, for those who are nm2 users, this new nm20 does not seem to be a worthy upgrade except for some small aspects.

~ NF Acous NM20 Vs Dunu Kima2 ~

Kima2 is another new contender in the sub 120$ price range. The shell construction of Kima 2 is not made of cheap looking polycarbonate like nm20, being fully metal constructed there is no chance of any question about durability. The accessories that come with out of the box kima2 are much better than nm20. In terms of sound, kima2 is slightly warmish V shape tuned set. It has managed to maintain solid performance of bass & treble as well as well balanced tonality in midrange region which will be much ahead of Nm20. Nm20 is ahead only for its holographic imaging capability otherwise kima2 offers better sound value for the price.

★ Conclusion :-

After Nf audio changed their name to Nf acous, the Nm20 as the first IEM of their new journey did not show much promise as they claimed. I haven't noticed any major improvement on it from their previous Nm2. If you look for a better option than this in the current market, you can easily find it, which offers better value from the build to the overall appearance, where the nm20 is lagging behind. I'm not saying this set is bad in any way but there is an opportunity to improve more in the sound segment which may be seen in the upcoming launches of nf acous. I wish them all the best for this new venture.

I've provided the purchase link below for everyone convenience

Nf acous ali express store (link isn’t affiliated)

General/Build/Packaging/Comfort
NF Acous, formerly known as NF Audio is a brand that caters mostly to pro musicians in Mainland China as well as outside of China, they offer both stage use IEMs as well as IEMs for audiophiles, but the main focus is still on pro musicians based on the offerings. They are slowly venturing into the audiophile’s market, offering IEMs with tunings suitable to most audiophiles. The RA15 which I had reviewed previously shows that NF Acous is diversifying their target audience to the audiophile market as well. The NM20 that I have with me today is touted as a professional series from the brand. It is a single dynamic driver with a frosted surface as well as a mixture of aluminium for the shell. The size is rather small and it is very lightweight and comfortable to wear for a long period of time. The only gripe that i have with it is the earhook which is slightly stiff for me and causes me to lose seal, the workaround is to just remould the earhook with some heat or to use a different eartip(Spinfit W1). Worth mentioning is the patented Clutter Trap tech, snippet from the product page “ Reduce the reflected sound, making the sound purer by 5 air pressure controlling damping nets and 2 tuning sponges. Adjust the air pressure balance between the front and rear, providing a better reference class sound”
Packaging is very nice and the unboxing experience is very positive and premium looking in my opinion. It comes with the MS42 eartips from the brand, the case is also a brand new design according to the rep. Purely nitpicking, I do wish it has the option to go for 4.4 or 3.5mm termination.



Gears used for this review

• Aune S9C
• Macbook Air M2 3.5 Out
• NM20 with stock cable and eartips
• iBasso DX180, Sony ZX300

Foreword
My review is solely based on what I hear via my equipment and I never consider my reviews to be objective in any way rather a subjective approach. Do take into consideration that everyone’s ear anatomy is not the same, so the psychoacoustics perception might be different as well, but i believe it will not stray too far



Sound Impression
The NM20’s tuning is leaning towards a slight V shape and it has quite a bit of energy on the top end which I personally think is a house sound/signature of NF Acous. Timbre sounds very natural to my ears and it has quite a good body to it overall with sufficient note weight to it.

Bass

• Bass on the NM20 is not lacking by all means, It is punchy has good quality bass with sufficient quantity, but certainly not a set where i would recommend to basshead
• It has good textures and body to it, doesn’t sound loose and thin
• Mid bass has good slam and punch to it, listening to Metallica’s Lux Aeterna is very pleasing as every hit on the drum be can felt
• Sub bass is slightly more prominent compared to mid bass and rumbles when the track calls for it, the transition to mid bass is also fairly smooth
• The speed is also excellent on the NM20, handling complex tracks with ease without sounding muddy and bleeding into the mids

Mids

• The midrange is good with sufficient note weight, not sounding too thin and vocal positioning is not too forward nor laid back
• Female vocal has good energy to it and good texture
• Male vocal that has low baritone voice such as Zhao Peng retains the warmth and texture to it, it doesn’t sound thin at all, very pleasant experience
• The upper mids are borderline shouty depending on tracks, but i am not that sensitive to it so overall it is very pleasant for me, and it does very well in terms of giving the female vocal a slight boost
• Slightly recessed in the mids, but not really a deal breaker

Treble

• Treble response on the NM20 is energetic but not harsh nor sibilant
• Good amount of air and presence and contributed to good sense of staging and imaging as well, resolution is very good for the asking price
• Detail retrieval is good and i can hear the nuances distinctively without having to try hard, an example of such track is Faye Wang’s 旋木，the finger slides from the guitar can be heard easily

Soundstage/Imaging

• Soundstage for NM20 is good for the price, good sense of width, depth, a little lacking in height but very good overall. It is quite spacious sounding, listening to orchestral or live tracks is very enjoyable
• Imaging is also a strong point for NM20 as well, instruments can be pinpointed easily even on complex tracks such as Slipknot’s People = crap!, well layered and good separation, i even play games with it, enemies sneaking up on you can be heard quite clearly

Driveability

• The NM20 is not hard to drive, any mid range dongle will do just fine
• It scales quite well with source whereby not so much on the amplification
• Pairing it with Sony’s ZX300 tilts the overall spectrum to the slightly warmer side with a thicker note weight, whereas on the DX180, it is not as warm but quite dynamic overall

Comparison (Simgot Supermix 4)

• The tuning of Simgot’s Supermix 4 is more on the harmanish side, overall note weight i would say they are more or less quite similar
• Soundstage is just slightly out of your head compared to NM20 which has a wider and bigger perception of stage, imaging is more or less similar
• Mids are forward on the EA500LM and the upper mids might be perceived as slightly offensive for those who are sensitive in this region
• Mid bass on the Supermix 4 is punchy and more focussed on mid bass rather than sub bass, extension is not as good as NM20
• Treble is slightly smoother on Supermix 4
• Supermix 4 is easy to drive and scales with better source, similar to NM20, but doesn’t benefit much from amplification based on my listening impression

Final Thoughts
I have a very positive experience with the NM20 and I definitely look forward to trying out their upcoming products from NF Acous when I have the chance. NM20 is a solid product overall that offers good sonic performance, at the same time, showcasing the direction that NF Acous is heading after the rebranding, exciting times ahead i would say.
With all things considered, this is not to say that NM20 is perfect and without flaws, or perhaps i shouldn’t say flaws because i’d be instilling my own preferences instead of properly reviewing the IEM itself, i would say if the treble can be slightly smoother while retaining the extension,it would make the overall listening experience more “musical”. All in all, the NM20 is definitely worth recommending if you are looking for something different in this current industry.



*NM20 is being sent over for the purpose of this review. I thank NF Acous for the opportunity. I am not influenced in any way to produce this review nor do I receive any monetary compensation.

Head over to the following link if you are interested in getting a pair!
*The website also received a total overhaul with a very refreshing look, head to the link below to check it out!

NF Acous NM20 - Non affiliated link
NF Acous Official Site

NF Acous NM20
1DD
$120

Before I begin this review, let me thank NF Acous (previously known for NF Audio) for providing this IEM for review.
Rest assured, as always all of my reviews are 100% my own personal opinion.

You can get the NF Acous NM20 here : https://nfacous.com/products/nm20
(There's promo until 3rd Nov 2024)

Unboxing
As always with NF Acous the packaging and unboxing experience is pretty good.

Inside the box you get :

• IEM
• Cable
• 6.35mm Adapter
• Eartips
• Manual
• Pouch

Build Quality & Comfort

The NM20 is made from plastic, the plastic itself is not like your typical cheap plastic, but it still feels kinda underwhelming for its asking price.

But there is also good thing from plastic use, the IEM weighs nothing, and because NF Acous marketed this IEM as “Professional Series” and “Stage IEM” I think this is a good choice because user can wear the NM20 for a very long session without getting their ears feeling pain or discomfort.

As for the design of the IEM itself, it's pretty minimalist. Also I believe there are color options and apparently I got the pink variant.

As for the cable, I believe it uses QDC model 2pin variant, though normal 0.78mm 2pin also work just fine.
To be honest if you primarily gonna use this for stage IEM, you probably will need some kind of cable extension / change the cable to a longer one.

Sound

Tested using Poco M6 Pro, Audient EVO4, FIIO KA15, FIIO BTR13, Stock Cable, Stock Eartips
Music is mostly from Apple Music (J-POP, EDM, Rap, Metal, Jazz).

Tonality in general : Mild V-Shape

Bass : One thing I immediately notice is that the NM20 has a very speedy bass, it can handle your double pedal music without any problems, and for stage use, it is a very positive thing.
That means you can easily monitor your performance rhythm while performing on stage.

The bass quantity itself is boosted a bit, more or less just like your typical mid bass boosted harman-esque tuning.
So If you’re a basshead, this model is probably not for you.
The NM20 offers a decent slam and OK rumble for its bass presentation, not the most detailed bass for its price, but one thing for sure, it is very speedy.

Midrange : The NM20 has a scooped out lower midrange and normal upper midrange gain, the effect of this kind of tuning is a somewhat increased stage width and depth, though because of this, the vocal would sound somewhat a bit thinner than normal.
Talking about vocals, the NM20 has some sibilant because of how the treble is tuned, but at least it's free from shout.

For instruments it also sounded more or less the same, a bit thin but with good clarity.

Treble : SPICY, that's probably the word I personally would describe the NM20 treble tuning.
It has some peaks and is definitely not tuned like your typical harman type IEM.
I feel like all treble regions except the upper treble / air has some peaks.
It makes the overall sound presentation to be edgy.
NF Acous probably tuned the NM20 to have these edgy sounds to help musicians to be able to hear and distinguish whatever they’re monitoring on stage while they perform.

Though, if we change our POV to personal music enjoyment, for me or subjectively the NM20 treble is a bit too spicy, because I found myself to listen at much more lower volume to compensate for the treble peaks, so if you’re sensitive to treble, this model is also probably not for you, and on the other side, if you’re treble heads and like your music to be spicy and has some bite to it, then you definitely will enjoy the NM20 treble tuning.

Technicalities
Good for $120USD

Stage : Medium Sized
I found the stage layering good for gaming, it has a symmetrical stage shape (Width - Depth) and for some reason, it feels like it has exact wall placement, or we can say the stage presentation is not like an empty void stage.

Separation & Positioning : Very good
I have no issues separating and locating sounds / objects both in music and gaming with the NM20. In fact, I think this is the strong point of this IEM. It sounds cohesive because it only uses a single driver but it also offers us a very good separation & positioning.

Detail Retrieval : Good
The NM20 has good detail retrieval especially on its treble region, thanks to its unconventional treble tuning.
Everything in the treble region is mostly pushed forward and it really helps create a sense of detail in that region.
Though for midrange and bass, I can just say the detail is just OK, nothing special.

Comparison

Moondrop Aria 2
1DD
$90

Cheaper than NM20, has better build, more or less same level of accessories, except the Aria 2 has modular cable.
The Aria 2 has a much more relaxed presentation than NM20.
I feel like for personal music enjoyment, the Aria 2 tuning would be more “safer” for a lot of people. The Aria 2 sounded a lot more mellow than the NM20, bass also feels more slower but more natural than the NM20, overall presentation also sounds more rounded rather than edgy like the NM20.
Though If you do need an IEM for professional stage purposes, I still vouch for NM20 due to its driver speed, edgy sound tuning and technicalities (Especially the separation & positioning).


Conclusion

Is the NF Acous NM20 any good?
Is it worth it?

The answer is “It depends”.

If you’re a musician or lets say need a stage IEM then yeah, I can easily recommend the NM20.
It offers a very comfortable wearing experience and good sound isolation.
The sound separation and driver speed of the NM20 is also very good, so you won’t have any issues trying to monitor your performance.

On the other hand, if you only need an IEM for personal music enjoyment, if you’re sensitive to treble or bassheads, this model is probably not for you, or at least, if possible, try a demo unit first.
The NM20 offers a bright mild V-Shaped sound tuning and probably this kind of tuning is not guaranteed to be easily accepted by the mass market.
Though, if you really like your music to have good clarity and some bite to it, then yeah, NM20 is probably good for you.

That's all from me for now,
Thanks for reaching this far.

You can watch the review of this IEM here (English)


-littlenezt

Review of the new NF Acous NM20.
The legacy of their classic model, the NM2 for just $120 USD.

On this occasion we tested them with the Aune Yuki through the 3.5mm (stock) and 4.4mm (balanced) outputs, we also performed tests with a DENON amplifier through its 6.35mm output with its included adapter and a few more sources.
DISCLAIMER...
For this review I don't have in mind the sound of their previous model, since I didn't have the opportunity to try it, so I consider that this small review is focused on users who would try this IEM for the first time, in any case I would consider extremely important the opinion of people who have had the opportunity to try this previous model, the NM2, since they will be able to speak directly about the differences that exist both in sound and general details between both models.



PACKAGE -> HERE IS THE REVIEW ON YOUTUBE <
To start with this review, as with the RA15, I would like to congratulate the brand, since it gives us a new model that is extremely polished in all its aspects, from the moment we open the packaging. We can see the care and attention they put into designing a highly pleasant and outstanding user experience.
At first sight we have the IEMS on a small disk, and the user manual along with a rigid case with many details alluding to the brand, without a doubt a simple case that stands out for its red details and the metal pin with the NFAcous logo.
- We have a 3.5mm to 6.35mm adapter with a very good quality manufacture, the ear tips that we also find with the RA15, the MS42 in sizes XS, S, M and L.
And its respective .78mm standard connection but like the QDC connectors, that gives you a stronger connection type cable with good quality materials; it has a holder so that the cable does not get tangled, its slider and the 3.5mm jack with the “NFAcous” engraved. In my opinion the cable is not bad, it works more than correctly, although I really like thin cables, I personally feel that the material of this one is very easy to stick with itself and get tangled together, even being careful when storing them or arranging them for later use, I think the cable of the RA15 was much better, today it is one of my favorites.




COMFORT
Now we can talk about comfort, we have an extremely light and ergonomically shaped earphone (as is usual in IEMS) but with a detail that segments it into a “slim” IEM since it feels slightly smaller than a standard IEM, but it also feels more comfortable and with a better hold in the inner area of the ears. After mentioning the above, I could consider that comfort and “fit” are very strong and very careful points in this model, so I consider that it could fit a very important number of people very well; this same comfort manages to make the sound insulation extremely good.

SOUND
Definitely an excellent recommendation for monitoring and listening close to the analytical, the details feel precise, slightly made up; but the mids and highs have a very enjoyable texture, a precise speed and a timbre very close to natural that feels very comfortable and correct with practically any genre, it is noted that the mid and high frequencies have a considerable prominence, however the bass area is also taken care of but with a slight delay, in which we sacrifice a little "quantity" gaining some "quality" both in its sound and the texture and separation that can be achieved to notice. I consider that they have a balanced and natural sound with a slight emphasis on mids and highs with an extension somewhat above average in the bass.



BASS
The bass has a very good speed, a controlled extension and a deep but fast punch, which makes it feel thin and with enough precision, the gain they have compared to the rest of the frequencies makes them feel a little delayed, in exchange for this they retain a very good general quality and texture, being precise even in their sound image.

SUBBASS
On this occasion I needed to talk about the “bass” before the sub-bass, since these are slightly more delayed than the bass but are present, and have an intense and very controlled depth, since they are noticed only when necessary, making the sound feel very natural and crystalline without dirtying the sound scene and giving a very good general sound location.

LOW MIDRANGES
In this area the sound has a bit more presence, it feels clean, fast and with a somewhat more noticeable body, but it also has a very good transition towards the bass and sub-bass, so the sounds manage to have quite clean pans and can achieve a gain much higher than standard, which is very enjoyable and makes the sound feel very dynamic and comfortable.



MIDS
From these frequencies towards the highs you can notice that the sound has a slight preference, that is, the mids have more gain than the bass, giving us more detail and a quite crystalline and natural timbre, the definition is correct, the texture is very good and all the details that can be heard are really good, practically with any genre of music, I usually use Metal, and despite the fact that there are strident songs in these areas you can really enjoy the texture in the instruments and voices.

HIGH MIDRANGES
Female voices are clear, sweet, thin and if necessary sharp. Instruments are fast, airy with a comfortable gain, but resolution can sometimes be noticed as a bit compromised, this is only noticeable if you are very demanding, if you are editing audio, or you are dedicating an analytical listening. Despite this last detail, I consider that the general sound we have here is excellent for the cost of this IEM. Without a doubt this section is one of the strong points as well as its comfort.

TREBLE
At first this area can be noticed as tiring and perhaps a little annoying, after spending hours of listening (approximately 60h) the sound is rounded enough to give a relaxed listening and with a fairly correct level of detail, the instruments, choirs and details that exist here are precise and manage to create a fairly dynamic sound image.



SOUNDSTAGE
The soundstage is wide but with a control and dynamism somewhat superior to usual, so sometimes it is possible to notice that it is somewhat intimate if we are only listening to voices or string instruments and when listening to drums or percussion they envelop the rest of the music only for the necessary moment, this makes the sound be noticed with a somewhat better extension than usual, personally I like it, but it tires me a little at very high volume since you feel that everything is moving all the time, however I consider that it is something very well achieved that at adequate volume and with adequate music is very enjoyable.

SOUND IMAGE
The instruments can be noticed with good precision, it is not the best, since sometimes it can be noticed with a very small bleeding in the area between the high and high mids, but it is something that is only noticed at very high volume, and it is very easy to correct with EQ. Even so, I consider that the instrumental separation that they manage to perform is very good, very precise and with a very well achieved texture.

AMPLIFICATION
This NM20 headphone has excellent performance and is easy to use with virtually any type of device, which makes it for everyone who is just starting out or who uses standard equipment (3.5mm or 6.35mm outputs).
When using a DAC AMP (I used the aune yuki) there is a considerable improvement in the cleanliness of the overall sound and allows us to notice the “detail” and “naturalness” of these NM20s that I am totally sure perform at 100% of their capacity with this Aune Yuki.
On the other hand, when using it with the Sony NW a55 dap (Mr. Walkman OS - Warm mode) I consider that its sound improves a lot, giving a somewhat warmer tone and slightly more present bass and a slightly darker tone, this is just a little small change, but personally I consider that it is more enjoyable and gives us a slightly more comfortable listening for hours.
Another device I tested was the iPod Classic 5th Gen, with this DAP the sound is excellent, clean, simple and of good quality, the downside of this is that you can notice that the MP3s do not take full advantage of the NM20.
With the DENON AVR-900 room amplifier with the 6.36mm front output, the sound is very similar in warmth to the Sony NW a55 and detailed like the Aune Yuki; I was able to test moving the “Bass” knob to a high enough level and no distortion (almost 6db) of any kind was noticed and the gain in these areas was significantly increased. The same happened with the “Treble” knob, it could be increased and the presence improved (almost 4-3db), I preferred to leave them both at 0 since the sound as it is seemed cleaner and more pleasant to me keeping a warmer and detailed sound.



NEGATIVE POINTS
1.- It is necessary to give a burn-in time of approximately 60HRS
2.- For people who are extremely sensitive to highs, it may not be a suitable IEM, since despite not having any type of sibilance or discomfort, it is possible that they become tired.
3.- The cable is very thin, it gets tangled a lot and sometimes it is more difficult than usual to untangle. (I much prefer the cable of the RA15)
4.- The clarity in the sound is much better than average, however if what you are looking for is detail over a natural sounding iem, perhaps the RA15 is more suitable for you.

POSITIVE POINTS
1.- The MS42 pads are excellent, comfortable, give a natural sound and feel of excellent quality
2.- The sound is a reference (at least for the range in which it is found)
3.- They have an excellent sound for monitoring, consider that they can serve more than correctly for different instruments, audio editing and video editing Highly equalizable, you can turn them into Basshead without dirtying the mids and highs or increase their detail despite increasing the bass or voices. (without a doubt one of my favorite sections)
4.- Good sound with neutral audio sources
5.- Excellent sound with warm audio sources
6.- They do not need much amplification (they could work very well directly from a smartphone)
7.- Excellent for competitive games.
8.- Very comfortable after very extensive listening.
9.- 0% tiring sound
10.- Very good noise isolation



In general, the sound with different genres can be noticed in this same way, you will always get details, texture and precision without any kind of fatigue or discomfort at a moderate volume, however I consider that this IEM is focused almost 100% for people looking for a natural-crystalline listening with slightly rounded details; which is excellent for people who want to hear everything without any kind of fatigue with a very good performance noticeable directly in the extension of the frequencies, providing a relaxed and clean sound.

A small table of the performance of each set of frequencies, a higher number does not mean that it is better and a lower one does not mean that it is worse, it totally depends on the target and its tuning. For the performance captured here I recommend taking into account their cost of: $120 usd
Q=Quality / L=Quantity (max 7)

SUBBASS:_____________Q5/L3
BASS: .................................Q5/L4
BASS MID: ____________Q5/L5
MID: ....................................Q5/L5
HIGH MID: ____________Q5/L4
HIGH: ..................................Q4/L4
SOUNDSTAGE: ________Q4/L4.5
SOUND IMAGE: ..............Q5/L5
COMFORT: _____________Q6/L6
SOUND ISOLATION: .....Q7/L6
EARTIPS MS24: ________Q7/L7

They are certainly a very solid option with many strong points.
Keep them in mind if you are looking for something for live music monitoring, for audio or video editing and for competitive video games.
In my case, they will remain as my default headphones for monitoring video editing.

**I can't recommend this iem for people very sensitive to mids and treble.**

NOTE: WORKS PERFECT TO ANALYTICAL LISTENING OF ELECTRONIC MUSIC, I DIDN'T TRY THIS BEFORE (I WASN'T EXPECTED FOR THAT HAHA)

NF Acous NM20 In-Ear Monitors Review

The NF Acous NM20, priced at 119$, are a welcome entry offering a combination of high sound quality, comfort, and affordable price. Here is a detailed analysis of their performance.

Design and Build Quality

The NM20 feature a robust design with high-strength transparent polycarbonate shells, giving them a sleek and professional look. The ergonomic design guarantees a comfortable and secure fit, making them suitable for extended listening sessions.

Sound Quality

The NM20 is equipped with the MC2L-100P dynamic driver, which includes a dual magnetic circuit and a beryllium-plated diaphragm. This setup delivers a slightly V-shaped sound signature, characterized by enhanced bass and treble with a slightly recessed lower midrange. The bass is deep and well-textured, providing a punchy and detailed low end without overwhelming the other frequencies.

The midrange is clear and forward, and vocals (especially female) are energetic and engaging, making them suitable for genres like pop and, rock where vocal clarity and presence are important. On the opposite end, jazz vocals might lack a bit of warmth given by the slight recession in the lower treble.

The treble is bright and airy, adding a sense of openness and detail to the overall sound, but its peaky character can sometimes lead to some harshness and listening fatigue over extended periods.

The soundstage offers excellent imaging and placement of instruments.

Comfort and Accessories

The NM20 comes with a variety of accessories, including a high-quality 0.78mm 2-pin silver plated copper cable, which is free from microphonics and ensures durability; a newly designed storage box; and four sizes of silicone tips to ensure fit for different users. The inclusion of a gold-coated 6.35mm-3.5mm adapter adds to its versatility.

Conclusion

The NF Acous NM20 in-ear monitors are a very good choice for different music genres, given its technical qualities and overall package. The sound signature is balanced thanks to the overall analytical approach being counterbalanced by the energetic bass. The comfort is really good, and the removable cable is a great addition for the price.

Introduction

In the last six months, the famous audio brand NF AUDIO has changed its name to NF ACOUS and the first model to be released under this new name is the NM20. Everyone will remember the NM2 and its specialised version NM2+. The new NM20s move in a wave halfway between those two models, as far as tuning is concerned. Aesthetically, they are more similar to the NM2, as the NM2+ were made of metal. There are hardly any changes in the packaging and accessories, where the CD-style case remains the same. Technology-wise, the NM20s use the updated MC2L-100P dynamic driver, with a circuit with two neodymium magnets. It is equipped with a new cavity structure using interference trap technology and an improved beryllium-plated diaphragm. NF ACOUS has used new techniques, new materials and designs to enhance the advantages of the classic NM2. High-strength transparent polycarbonate and CNC machined anodised aluminium parts have been used to manufacture the capsules. A transparent cable with 5N OFC wires and silver coating is used for the cable. There is a choice of three finishes: blue, pink and grey.
The sound of the NM20s focuses on dynamic transients with a clear sound and detailed resolution. The frequency response is tuned to approximate the diffuse field with slightly enhanced bass to suit noisy stage environments.
The NM20s have a passive isolation of 25dB.



Specifications

• Driver Type: MC2L-100P dual-cavity dynamic driver, dual magnetic circuit and beryllium-plated diaphragm.
• Frequency Response: 9Hz-40kHz.
• Sensitivity: 108dB/mW.
• Impedance: 32Ω.
• Distortion Ratio: <1%.
• Jack Connector: SE 3.5mm with 6.35mm adapter included.
• Capsule Connection Type: 2Pin 0.78mm.
• Maximum SPL: 125dB.
• Cable: OFC 5N.
• Introductory Price: $119.

Packaging

The NF ACOUS NM20 comes in the brand's classic CD-shaped packaging, whose dimensions are 150x132x83mm. It has a ring for hanging. As the model I am reviewing is the blue one, the packaging has a lot of this colour. On the main side you can see the name of the model from top to bottom, on the left side, in thick silver letters. In the centre is an actual photo of the capsules with the cable. On the back side the name is repeated in the same way, but this time horizontally. This time there is a realistic photo of the capsules without cable, descriptions of the features of the model and a summary of the contents in the right vertical margin.
The box pulls out from the side, is black with the brand logo in silver in the centre. It opens like a book in the middle and shows that foam CD containing the capsules on the right side. The left side contains the user guide. Underneath is the new zippered case. Underneath the CD with the capsules is the cable and a blister pack containing 4 pairs of silicone tips model MS42. In a nutshell:

• The two NM20 capsules.
• One silver-plated 5N cable with gold-plated 3.5mm SE plug.
• One 6.35mm SE adapter.
• One zippered carrying case.
• One user guide.
• Four pairs of silicone tips model MS42, sizes XS*S*M*L.

The inclusion of a new rectangular zipped case is much appreciated. The rest is more than classic.



Construction and Design

It can be said that the shape of the capsules is closely related to that NM2 model. But instead of being completely transparent, a frosted polycarbonate is now used, which is somewhat more diffuse, but still very light and strong, even if it doesn't look like it. The edge of the outer face is now formed by a piece of aluminium. The logo is visible in the middle in silver ink. The shape is the same as that of the NA2 and NM2, and the two strategic holes are still there. The shape of the capsules is maintained because their design is very advantageous, both ergonomically and musically. The comfort was evident in those previous models and after the new studies carried out by the brand, it continues to rely on it. The 2Pin 0.78mm connection interface is still projected on an 8-shaped piece. One of the holes is on its side. The other is on the slope of the inner side towards the nozzles, which coincides with the centre of the driver. The nozzles are also made of aluminium, with a base, a narrower inner diameter of 5mm and a crown with an outer diameter of 5.8mm. The mouthpiece is protected by a perforated metal plate. The model name is written on the rim of the capsules in silver lettering, as well as the indication L, R for the channel.
The cable is 5N made of oxygen-free, silver-plated copper to improve the skin effect and reduce impedance. It consists of 4 tightly wound strands, resulting in a smooth, shiny, almost white cable, with a very adequate thickness and very manageable, yet not very windable. The sleeve of the plug has not changed with respect to the other models, being cylindrical and grey, except for the flat part where the name of the brand is inscribed, this time NFACOUS. The splitter piece is a triangular black plastic medal, with the logo on one side. The pin is made of metal, with two holes inside. The two-pin connector is covered by a rigid transparent plastic sleeve. The sleeve is angled and has the classic vertical axis spacing. The cables coming out of these connectors are protected by a semi-rigid, transparent sheath, which gives them an over-ear shape. The cable has a Velcro strap with the brand name in white letters.
The NM20s have the same cable as the NM2+, but retain the polycarbonate construction, this time frosted, as in the NA2, and have some aluminium parts on the edge of the outer face, which is also used for the mouthpieces.



Adjustment and Ergonomics

Both the shape and the ergonomics are very similar to those of the NA2 and NM2. The weight is negligible. After testing a number of heavier models, I was very pleased to use such a light IEMS. The classic semi-custom, slightly slimmer shape fits my ears very well. It gives scope to use several sets of tips to find the best fit and the best passive isolation. As usual, the tips used have been the large tips with homemade foam filling. The large amount of foam inside makes the tips expand inside my ear canal. The good diameter of the canal allows a great clarity of sound. This, together with the expansive power of the foam, means that the amount of contact of the surface of the tips with the walls of my ears is the greatest. In this way, the bass is also propagated by this contact effect. The use of these homemade tips is nothing new, as the large diameter of my ear canals is the reason why I had to look for this type of solution. With them, the fit remains durable, with remarkable hold and no discomfort. There is hardly any friction with the parts of the ear. The insertion, which is slightly deeper depending on the tips, increases the level of isolation (according to the manufacturer, up to 25 dB).
Regarding the cable, the connectors have the same shapes and the detail that separates them from the head. The cable is very manageable and there is no noticeable increase in weight.
They are still very comfortable.



Sound

Profile

The NF ACOUS NM20s have an energetic V-profile on the top end, almost reaching an excited W on the last two peaks. Not that the bass is totally light, but there is a higher energy level from 2khz onwards.
Thinking back to the old days, they have an almost identical curve to the NM2s from 30Hz to 2khz. From there that higher amount of power in the NM20s makes this new model more vivid, penetrating and splashy. And this should be taken into account for those sensitive to upper mids and treble.
In the graph you can see a peak at 5khz, which indicates a distinctly high pinna gain. That level of energy does not go unnoticed by my ears and implies some listening fatigue and the choice of warm sources. It also has its advantages, as well as an escape from the current tendency to make profiles too soft and dark. In the NM20s the information capacity is quite pronounced and the contrast with this new batch of IEMS heightens that sense of darkness and heightened quietness, where detail is hard to decipher.



Bass

This time, the subwoofer is not as loud and the frequency response of the NM20s is a little more rounded. But, as is the brand's tradition, the bass is of a high quality. It is a technical lower range, concise, fast, with a punchy, tight and dry attack. The texture is not as pronounced, which gives it a superior technical ability and a more agile behaviour. Although it has a good amount of energy, in the overall sound the bass presence is a little above neutral, without standing out from the rest of the bands.
In the very low-presence pure tone test, you feel that the sub-bass is not too high. Even so, it feels very sensory, deep, natural and uncoloured. It should be noted that there is no negative undulatory character, but rather a quite realistic behaviour. As the frequencies go up, the power, punch and forcefulness also go up, with a little more texture appearing, but without losing that realistic and natural character that is typical of good dynamic drivers. The translation of this behaviour to music is demonstrated in a bass that is not very elastic, not rubbery either, has a very short decay and does not linger very long in the room. Thus, the sensation of volume is not very high, although the colour feels dark and deep. On the other hand, the high amount of light in the set overcomes any hint of darkness that the bass might generate, something that contributes to a cleaner lower range, if that's possible.
Finishing with the other classic test of dirty, unfiltered bass, the NM20s demonstrate their technical prowess by delivering very strong, clean bass lines without any loss whatsoever. The clarity of the bass is the usual tonic for these cases, leaving almost anecdotal, that is reproducing very complex bass. In this way, the dirtier notes feel finer than usual, generated with a high level of delicacy, but maintaining a good level of power. The layering of the layers is quite good, but the cleanness of the bass lines means that there is little volume between them and more space, due to the skill and speed it possesses to draw those notes quickly and accurately. It is clear that the NM20's bass is very resolving, informative and detailed, proving that power and skill can be combined in one piece.



Mids

The initial part of the mids drags a slight warmth from the bass, but it fades quickly. This gives a minimal base to both the male voices and the instruments based in that range. But then there is a certain lightness in the centre of the body, losing physicality and overall consistency. From here on, the voices are reconstructed on the basis of more exalted and very vivid nuances. Fortunately, there is less of a sense of hollowness, but this character in the profile is perceived in the same way with the male voices, with more accentuated extremes (especially the upper one) and with a more subdued and less represented centre. Even wheezing and breathing are more noticeable than other elements. The response is the recreation of a very detailed and nuanced voice, but without being distant, rather a step away, avoiding the classic sinking of the IEMS in V. One could say that the ornamental and harmonic excitation completes the voices, and even makes them closer, closer and, above all, more explicit.
There is certainly a lot of light, sharpness, clarity and transparency in the midrange of the NM20s. That makes for a very clean sound, with a fairly dark and perceptible bottom end. The notes feel very well defined, with plenty of contrast. They are fine and delicate, with a lot of resolution, definition and informative impression, taking the sound to a more analytical and pure level in this respect. But, it is also true that such finesse sharpens the notes and they become more penetrating and incisive, which is always a double-edged sword when it comes to listening comfort over the hours.
The female voices do not gain as much body and grounding as one might expect, as they are still drawn with a sharp and defined precision. There is a proximity to the major listener, and there is no longer any curve or inflection throughout. But the notes that compose it are maintained with the same finesse and delicacy.
The upper mids are very exposed, pushing the clarity of the mids to the limit, making the whole a very vivid, splashy and energetic system. Macro detail is very clearly revealed. Micro detail depends on where it is. If it is in the background and somewhat deeper, it is relegated to a less noticeable position. The level of layering in the middle ground is more limited and elements tend to be presented much closer and in the foreground. There is an obvious overwhelming level of information that tends to expose details and nuances to the surface, but there are some that are not presented due to the V-profile itself, being more distant or obscured by other notes.
This cooler character favours genres such as metal, where the guitars are sharp and prominent.



Treble

The transition from the upper mids to the first treble begins with a high energy level. As this is not a classic V-profile, the treble drop is just a simple limited control zone. The profile becomes an excited W, thanks to an extra dose of power that stretches the upper zone into the air zone. The result is a very pronounced top end, while maintaining the finesse of the notes and their penetrating, incisive power. The treble is very crisp, exposed and informative, full of energy, brightness and light. It is worth noting that both the timbre and sonority are natural, with very concise, direct and precise notes, as is usual for an analytical driver. This is not the first time that the brand has reached this point, as it has already demonstrated with the NM2+. But here they wanted to add more power in the bass and take the treble to the next level.
The NM20s are sure to delight treble heads.



Soundstage, Separation

Such a clean, bright, transparent and shallow profile often lacks depth. NF ACOUS has given the NM20s more bass to gain depth and a sense of layering. In that respect, the sound is sort of exposed in two terms: you get that sense of depth while many elements feel very close, with few notes remaining in the middle distance. True, the male vocals and some lower-mid based elements can fill that gap that is a step and a half away. But the main axis is not stretched too far. The sound comes across as wider, higher and, above all, more volatile and ethereal. In this way the scene is more oval, with a medium surrounding or immersive feel, but not over the head and more frontal, with a certain gauzy feeling due to the amount of floating detail.
The image is well positioned, with a clear and sharp formation, but with a more limited body.



Comparisons

Hidizs MS3 Balanced (Rose Gold)

The current price of the Hidizs MS3 is $119, the same as the starting price of the NF ACOUS MN20.
Both models have a capsule with a very similar semi-custom shape on the outside contour. The MS3s are slightly slimmer at the apex, while the capsule of the NM20s is subtly smaller. The Hidizs are made of metal while the NM20s use polycarbonate. It is clear that the ergonomics of both are very similar, but the weight is different, the NM20s are ultra-light.
The MS3's cable is better, consisting of four strands of thick, dark copper, and has a balanced plug option.
The Hidizs come with three sets of silicone tips and three pairs of interchangeable mouthpieces for fine-tuning the sound. On the other hand, they come with a leatherette pouch underneath the zippered case of the NM20s. The NFs, however, only come with one set of silicone tips, even though they come in four sizes, plus a silver-plated cable with four much thinner strands.
The NM20s are more difficult to move, while the MS3s need less power to achieve the same sound pressure level.
To begin with, the NM20s are more luminous and brighter, while the MS3s are comparatively darker. Both have a profile that moves between the V and the excited W from midrange onwards. However, this excitation is more pronounced in the NM20s, especially in the upper mids and first treble.
There are many similarities from the audible low end down to 1000Hz between the two models. However, there is slightly more energy in the transition from sub-bass to mid-bass in the NM20s. The result of the graphs does not correspond to the audible reality because the MS3s give a bass feeling with more power, density and darkness. The NM20's bass is more technical, precise, concise and tight. There is a little more rubberiness and elasticity in the MS3s, which gives it a little more texture. There is a distinct difference in the feeling of volume and darkness in the lower range, which is more abundant in the Hidizs. Both models perform very similarly in the very low frequency pure tone test, both sounding very natural, with physical tendency and no colouration, attesting to the high class of both drivers. The bass enthusiast will enjoy the MS3s more, while those looking for more technicality and a more accurate and faster bass will go for the NM20s.
The mids of the MS3s are denser and warmer. In the NM20s you feel that greater clarity and transparency, that distance between thinner and sharper notes. The macro detail jumps out, emphasising them, but without losing sight of the base. The MS3s are more musical and smoother, more focused on the base, with a fuller upper body and more lushness and thickness in the male voices, something that makes them sound fuller, but less nuanced.
In the upper mids of the MS3s there is still that more cohesive, dense and warm feel that keeps the female voices from feeling projected. In this same range the NM20s continue to sound thinner, more delicate, crisp and spaced out. Female vocals are thinner, less full-bodied, without warmth. However, the amount of detail and nuance feels more prominent in the NFs, giving a splashier, brighter feel, with many more sparkles and elements flooding the ears. However, the sound in this part can become more incisive and penetrating, while the MS3s are quieter.
The differences in the treble are great. While the NM20s have very thin, sharp, excited, energetic, projected high notes, generating a really crisp, bright and sparkling area, the MS3s have a quieter treble, but very much in keeping with the sound of the whole ensemble. There is distinctly more thickness in the high end of the MS3s, something that gives them a more analogue, musical, less forced and smoother feel. On the other hand, the NM20s have more overall energy, more delicacy and also a little more air.
The soundstage is wider and deeper on the MS3s, while it is louder, gauzier and more volatile on the NM20s.
Micro detail is very good in both models. But there is a clear emphasis on macro detail in the NM20s, while micro detail can be somewhat obscured due to the overwhelming analytical and informative capabilities they possess. The reduced sense of layering and depth can cause such detail to overlap. In MS3s, despite their density, there is space at the bottom and more layers all the way down to the bottom. That allows you to house deep detail in a more specific location. They may not sound as defined, but they are there.



Conclusion

The new NF ACOUS NM20s are a further twist to the profile of the brand's own NM saga. It started with a clear V-profile with the NM2s. It excited brightness in the NM2+, while softening the bass. And now, with the new name, the brand is looking for the best of both models: the bass of the NM2 and the high end of the NM2+, but with a stronger punch from the upper mids onwards. It is clear that even more emphasis has been placed on clarity, on sharpness, on a product with more analytical, informative and vivid capabilities. But backed up by a more powerful, but very technical and fast bass area. The NM20s are delicate, very fine, but also cooler and more penetrating. Both extremes of great quality: the level of precision in the lower range is high, while the treble is full of brilliance, vitality, edge and energy. The new model from the renowned NF ACOUS bucks the current trend for warmer, softer and darker IEMS with a model full of energy, brightness, clarity and transparency, to persist with the idea that dynamic drivers are capable of offering a high level of description in this price range.



Sources Used During the Analysis

• EPZ TP50.
• iFi GO bar Kensei.
• Tempotec V3.
• Aune M1p.
• Burson Audio Playmate 2.
• Aune X8 XVIII Magic DAC + EarMen ST-Amp.
• S.M.S.L Sanskrit 10th MKII + iFi ZEN CAN.

Purchase Link



You can read the full review in Spanish here

NF Acous Review

I am an audiophile from sunny South Africa doing reviews to further awareness for the wonderful hobby of portable audio in my country. I hope that by my reviews more young people can get involved and enjoy the wonder of these little sound making marvels. The NF Acous NM20 was sent to me for my honest observation and I will aim to give my opinion and how I perceive these in-ear monitors. The package took 21 days to arrive from China and dealing with the company representative just like before is just such a pleasurable experience. NF Acous has celebrated their company’s ten-year anniversary this year and they were formerly known as NF Audio. This NM20 is an upgrade of the old NM2 and with the birth of a new name this company also gave birth to an IEM that I think will stand the test of time contrary to the normal hype trains that die out in 3 months.



Unboxing

These NM20 sell for R2185-00 in my country and roughly As with the RA15 which I also reviewed; packaging is one of the strong points of NF Acous. Once again you are greeted by very sturdy and well thought out packaging design. The packing has a blue and black theme and the cardboard cover covering the black cube which houses the product features a picture of the earphones on the front and back. The black cube is cleverly thought out to open up like a book and I think it is a different approach and I really appreciate the originality. I think the packaging designer has an eye for smaller details just like me because there is even a little pin attached to the instruction booklet so that you can lift it out easily. They did not jus chuck the booklet inside there. I praised the packaging of the RA15 and I have to do the same with the NM20.

The sponge/cardboard housing the earphones once again reminds me of a compact disc and I love that idea. You get two different colors silicon ear tips. White and black. I did most of my listening with the white ones as for me they just suited the overall look better. There is also a 3.5mm to 6.3mm adapter as these is also geared to audio engineers. You do not find that anymore with all new modern earphones and I think it is a nice gesture.

The case really impressed me the most as this looks really sturdy and it’s made from some canvas material. I see it is a new trend now and companies are moving away from the synthetic leather designs we have had now for so long. This case looks so sturdy that I do not believe carrying it as muso to your next gig or on a daily commute and any activity away from your home will damage this. The bright little red label you can hook a key ring to is a nice touch and breaks the black a little.



Specs

NF ACOUS MCL2-100P Double cavity dynamic driver unit.

High-strength transparent polycarbonate and CNC-carved anodized aluminum parts.

optimized cavity and casing mechanical structure.

Patented technology: Clutter Trap

Stage monitoring sound tuning.

Impedance: 32Ω.

Frequency response range: 9Hz-40kHz.

Sensitivity: 108dB/mW.

Distortion: <1%.

Universal 0.78mm 2-pin connectors.

High-quality 5N silver-coated OFC cable.



Connectivity

The marvel of today’s technology is that with a smartphone, Dac/amp and these NM20 in-ears, you can have audiophile sound at minimum expense. If you however own any of the LG v-series phone like I do with the V20, V30 and V40 like I do, you don’t even need a Dac/amp. The NM20 comes only in a 3.5mm termination and this is the only nitpick I have with it. I would have liked a balanced 4.4mm would have been a nice option as many audiophiles like myself prefer it. There is also a 6.3mm adapter to connect the NM20 to more desktop-based headphone amplifiers and audio interfaces. For this review I connected the NM20 to my pc via M-Audio audio interface, Laptop via Hidizs S8 Pro Robin, Astell & Kern and Hiby M300 dap with EPZ TP50 Dac/amp connected on Hiby. I also connected it barebones without any Dac/amps to my OPPO A78+ Phone and LG V40.



Look & Build

When you take the shells out of the packaging you immediately notice how light they are. Do not mistake this lightness for cheapness. They are very well built and because they can be used for on stage monitoring the logical thing is for them to be as light, durable and unobtrusive as possible. The shells are made from plastic and have a little silver border that seems to be made from metal but I can’t say for sure. It gives the shell a well-rounded look almost like a frame does to a piece of art. The sample I got is in blue and even though I am not a big fan of the color blue it is just my personal preference. There are also other colors available pink and gray. The fit for me was excellent and I got a good seal right from the very first insert.

The cable is 1.3m long and if you have an audio interface on your desktop and you want to monitor your mixes you will appreciate the extra 10cm. Especially if your interface or headphone amp is a bit further away from your seating area. I have experienced this many times while evaluating in-ear monitors on my pc. The ear hooks you can bend to your liking and I really love the way they hook behind the ears. Where I hated the cable on the RA15, I love this cable. It is also very light and thin but not in a flimsy way and once again I think because the NM20 can be used on stage as well by musicians and for them the weight of a heavy cable while you playing an instrument dangling along would not be a positive. I also saw this with the cables I got in for by Linum as they are also designed for musicians and sound engineers and are also very thin. Also, studio gear takes a lot more punishment than home gear so I would think the whole design idea concept was light but durable. There is also a nice chin slider on the cable and the 3.5mm termination is made from metal and feels really good when you plug and unplug.



Sound

I want to start this sound impression by stating that the NM20 proves that you do not have to fit an array of drivers in an earphone to get great audiophile sound. These sound like the Sennheiser house sound without the veil if I can be so bold. This is so refreshing to put the NM20 and you realize after the very first notes that this is a well-tuned earphone. This happened to me when I unboxed and plugged the NM20 into my Astell & Kern and listening to Lights of Barcelona by Marc Valee Trio. Within a few seconds I smiled and just new this is a sound way above the price range that gives a soundstage that is not just wide and deep but also, I heard music from the top and it made me look up a couple of times to see if it is my roof creaking that is interfering with the sound until I realized it was part of the recording. I have to admit that the soundstage does not sit in the middle of your ears but extents way beyond your head.

I also have to mention that these little monitors are very revealing. So, if you have a bad recording do not blame it on these little guys. This is why I think they are great for monitoring. Feed them with some decently recorded music and they will reciprocate with a sound that most audiophiles would find hard to fault.

I had a feeling these will be good with the Metal genre as I saw a Facebook post where one of my reviewer friends posted a photo of him listening to some Iron Maiden so I took a chance and put on some Rammstein on my laptop via Tidal High-res and it was a train wreck. I could not understand it so I tried another Metallica- Black album and these NM20’s shined. The V-tuning worked and especially the bass on Enter the Sandman is something I always listen out for when evaluating earphones. On Slayer- Seasons in the Abyss these NM20 Stepped up their game and I almost started headbanging. This weird observation brought me to the conclusion that as soon as you add electronic instruments and have them feature prominently as the electronic keyboard in Rammstein things go downhill. Iron Maiden- Fear of the Dark and Disturbed- Down with the Sickness sounded phenomenal and proves my point.

Someone with a lot of experience in live music and desktop monitoring tuned this earphone as I found that this earphone was made for live music. I stared with Nirvana- Unplugged in New York and I listened to the whole album. It took me back to my teen years listening to Kurt Cobain and being angry at the world. There is a very organic sound to instruments that I can pick especially if there are classical instruments involved. On Metallica S&M the classical instruments came through so nicely from the sides and behind James Hedgefield thanks to the big soundstage. These NM20 Pics up little details so nicely and you can hear exactly when the sound board engineer pushes one instrument’s volume up or down. The whole experience is as if you are there in the audience.

When I listen for bass, I normally put on some cello music as it is always a good indicator of bass response for me. On Adam Esra- Can’t stop running those low notes were produced beautifully and not bleeding into anything. I heard distortion on EDM and that is not the fault of the earphone but the way new electronic music is recorded. Fort Minor- Remember the Name was a disaster and I heard distortion. Then I just switched to some DJ- Omiki which I know records is songs in good quality and I was right. No problem there and the NM20 kept up with all demands from the drumline. Make sure you feed these little monitors good recordings and they will reward you.

I can’t say anything about the sub-bass because there is none. This not a deal breaker for me but some bass lovers might not like this. I can’t fault the NM20 for my personal preferences. I evaluate an earphone on its design principles and for what it was designed this earphone shines.

Treble is the real star here and it is bright but not in a banshee screeching kind off hurt your ears and is fatiguing way. The treble shines with realism and sparkle and because the earphone is revealing every little treble detail is picked up which is normally made thicker or drowned out by bass dominated earphones. The lower treble ranges have beautiful presence and the realism of the instruments and voices in this range is a major plus point. Acapella male voices in the higher male voice spectrum range really sounded so smooth and organic.

The holographic imagining is a cut way above the price as I explained earlier about me keep looking up at the roof as that is where the sound is coming from. You can pick out each band member and instrument with ease in 3d space. I have to go a step further and state that this is among the best imaging I have heard so far.

Listening for atmosphere it is very song dependent but you can immediately paint a picture in your mind when music starts playing and that tells me that the NM20 is very good at recreating the original recording in your mind

The mids is a bit recessed in true V-shape way but that did not bother me at all as midrange is a very subjective subject. But then there is a conflict in my statement because I have not heard a V-shape with still this much control over the Mids. This an earphone of contradictions and surprises believe me.

The words “audiophile” and “transparency” goes hand in hand and this for me truly is a very transparent earphone and I am sure if any recording engineer had these on and listened to his/her song they would agree it is as they intended the song to sound like. The easiest way to listen for transparency is to put a on song which you know really well and know how every instrument should sound like on it. I did it with Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin as I have heard that song a million times and I can report that this is exactly how this song should sound like. From the voice to the instruments nothing was out of place.

The resolution on the NM20 is so good and you can here every little nuance that is especially present in jazz music. Jazz aficionados this set is for you.

In conclusion regarding the sound, I want to say that NM20 preformed some magic with a single DD that I did not think was possible anymore. I can highly recommend this set for anyone who looks for recording quality in music.



Conclusion

Who should buy this? The answer is musicians, sound engineers, home audio enthusiasts and audiophiles. Basically, anyone who looks for good recording quality in all their music. I feel that for the price you are getting an earphone that can hold its own against many more expensive earphones. Will I still be using these after the review? Absolutely these are going into my daily driver storage case.

Intro

The time they sent this product NF Audio changed their name to NF Acous宁梵声学 and this NM20 is their 1st product with their new name. NM20 priced at 119$ is in the line up of professional series where mostly gears are used for professional stage monitoring. This is a single DD iem provides a bright bassy V shaped paired with insane level of resolution. Let see how NF Acous NM20 peforms.





Disclaimer

I would like to thank NF Acous for arranging a unit for me. My opinions are unbiased, and I haven't been influenced or instructed to praise these IEMs. Every detail in this review is actual experience made by listening for hours everyday.





Packaging

Pair of NM20 in ear monitor
High-quality 5N silver-coated OFC cable
High Quality Nylon Case
MS42 Eartips(High Quality and Value)
6.5mm to 3.5mm Adapter


Build and Comfort

The build is made from high strength transparent polycarbonate and CNC carved anodized aluminum parts to be honest it looks well built and surprisingly it is light!
The driver used by this NM20 is their updated MC2L-100P Dynamic Driver that can produce high resolution sonics.


Drivability

I never encountered in NF Acous products that is hard to drive and NM20 is one of the easiest to drive In ear monitor I've tried in their line up. I just needed 35/100 to get the proper loudness listening volume in my smartphone.


Paired with Onix Alpha

The NM20 improved its timbre accuracy and provides a smoother midrange. Speaking of technicalities, soundstage become wider and immersive.

Paired with Fosi SK02

The bass is more dynamic and tighter while the treble is airier and sparkly and the pitchblack background of SK02 helps with the detailing and imaging.





Sound Aspects


Source used :


IQOO Neo9s Pro

Onix Alpha XI1

Fosi Audio SK02


This iems spend 50 hours of burn in using pink noise before taking details of this review


The NM20 is a bright bassy V shaped paired with insane level of resolution. Its a typical tuning in the NF Acous iems but with a twist. A V shaped tuning that is done right, maintaining the excellent midrange quality while implementing the V shaped sound signature.


Bass

This is a subbass focused delivers textured rumbles and produces clean and tight midbass punch. I just found out while I'm listening to some EDM song like Gryffin, Illenium and Sabai after I explored other genres this my stop, this department helps in giving lively dynamics and immersive experience.


Mids

The midrange is a little bit recessed but not in a point that it is getting behind in quality. This is where the twist starts, it has clear, airy and energetic vocals that it is not shouty. Yes, you read it right this is the first time I heard a V shaped that still retaining the right quality of the mids.


Treble

It has bright, airy, sparkly and well controlled treble. I was impressed that this department is not peaky or prone to sibilant but still it is not for people that is sensitive to treble because of its energetic character. Picking up details and nuances is its forte making these NM20 exhibits musical presentation.


Technicalities

This is where it shines, NM20 delivers wide soundstage, excellent imaging and resolution. I really like my experienced here when I'm watching to live performances and recordings this gives me an immersive experience like I'm watching in front of my performer not gonna lie, pinpointing where the instruments and vocalist is placed in the stage. Another thing I have to point out is the separation and layering. The nuances and details are separated clearly, which is excellent for critical listening sessions.





Conclusion

NM20 serves an excellent example how V shaped sound signature is performed. From clean and detailed bass to decent quality of mids to bright and well-controlled treble paired with very good technicalities I can simply say these can compete with higher priced iems I've tried. And just pairing it with the right sources will give this the performance you'll be looking for with its extraordinary technicalities.


Where to buy?
Non affiliated link below:
Official website: https://www.nfacous.com
Aliexpress: https://www.aliexpress.com/store/1103468625

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Disclaimer:

• I don’t read FR graphs. I only use my ears, as earphones should be used.
• NF Acous sent this unit to me in an exchange for an honest, transparent review. Rest assured that this review will do its best to devoid from any bias/es as much as possible.
• The following remarks and observations shall be made and owned only by me.
• No monetary compensation is/was involved before, during, and after the period of creation of this review.
• Your mileage may (and always, will) vary.

Burn-in time: 4-8 hours per day, 5 days.

Source/s used:

• - Non-HiFi smartphone (Infinix Note 12 G96), PC.
• - Tanchjim Space DAC
• - Fosi Audio SK02 USB DAC
• - Kiwi Ears Allegro Mini DAC
• - Aiwa XP-V710C CD Player (12 sec. EASS)
• - Sony Xperia X Compact
• - Local Files via Foobar, YouTube Music, Deezer, and Qobuz with UAPP.

IEM/Earbud/Setup configuration: Stock large MS42 eartips, any form of EQ or MSEB off, 40-60% volume.

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Sound signature:

• The NF Acous NM20 is a mild-v-shaped sounding IEM, leaning to the brighter side of the spectrum. To my ears, it came across as a neutral-bright sounding, which is the norm for the brand, based on their IEMs that I have reviewed, loaned, and owned, but with better refinement and less aggressive upper mids. Despite being a neutral-bright set, they managed to tune the sound of this set in a smooth, pleasing manner.

Lows:

• The lows here are quick, clean, firm, and punchy, exhibiting a midbass dominance over subbass. This also means that this will never be a basshead’s dream as it is not tuned to be one. Despite having this finding, the bass quantity on this set never lacked to my ears, and to those ears I lend these IEMs with. The bass quantity is sufficient in quantity and very versatile on any track that you pair this IEM with. When compared with the NM2, the bass is noticeably thicker, but not by a lot, giving the impression of a good balance between non-lacking and not being overdone.

Mids:

• While not being the most elevated region of this IEM, I can confidently say that this is one of the parts of this IEM that I like the most, along with its technicalities (more into that later). The mids done excellently, as it never drowned on the busiest tracks that I listened with, while keeping everything clean and bleed-free. Lower mids are nearly transparent as it does not have that extra “thickness” that are found on most warm sets. Upper mids are elevated, airy, sparkly, clear, as most NF Acous IEMs are. This also means, however, that this IEM will not be for those people who have ears that are very sensitive to upper frequencies, since the NM20, just like its older siblings, are energetic in this region forward, exhibiting mild peaks and boosted energy, depending on the track played.

Treble:

• As for the treble, it is bright, airy, and well-extended. It does not have the peaks that the upper mids have, since the cymbals do not have the extra “splash”. Detail retrieval is excellent for this price and renders micro nuances with ease.

Soundstage, Imaging and Separation:

• I have always preferred how NF Acous handles technicalities. They maintained to balance the spaciousness of the soundstage while keeping the layering, separation clean and precise. The NM20 also exhibits those redeeming qualities. The soundstage is very holographic to my liking, as it is deeper than wide. Separation and layering is excellent for its asking price since I have not encountered any serious congestion on heavy passages with the NM20. Imaging is dead precise and renders spaces and positions between vocals and instruments well.

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Other IEM Comparisons!

Simgot EW300

• The Simgot EW300 is a warmer, safer sounding set, which is in contrast to the NM20. The EW300 has chunkier, more bass quantity while the NM20 keeps it tight and modest. Mids are a bit more forward on the NM20, while the EW300 has it thicker. Upper frequencies are safer but lacks a bit of air on the EW300, while the NM20 is airier and sparkly. Technicalities are more or less the same, with the NM20 exhibiting a slightly better separation and layering, but not by a mile. Both sets are easy to drive.

Sivga Que

• The Sivga Que is a warmer, laid back set when compared to the NM20. Bass is definitely plenty on the Que. Mids are slightly thinner and a bit recessed on the Que when compared. The treble is brighter and airier on the NM20. The soundstage on the Que is less deep when compared. The rest are more or less the same.

Rose Technics Star City 5 Pro

• Out of all these comparisons, the Star City 5 Pro is the most “balanced” IEM, in terms of sound. It is also thicker in sound when compared to the NM20, but is noticeably slower in attack and decay. The mids are slightly recessed on the Star City 5 Pro. Treble is airier and more extended on the NM20. As for the technical performance, the Star City 5 Pro still exhibits solid qualities, while the NM20 excels slightly on the soundstage.

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Pros:

• A well-done, cleaner, mildly thicker refinement of the NF Audio NM2!
• Clean, resolving, “almost neutral” bright sound!
• Composed, neat bass response.
• Open, vivid mids!
• Well-extended, upper frequencies!
• Excellent technical performance under 100 USD!
• Very good fit, comfort, and isolation!
• Lightweight yet rigid (for a resin-shelled IEM)
• Cohesive, unique packaging! (subjective)
• Finally, they upgraded the accessories!
• Easy to drive!

Cons:

• There are mild peaks present on certain sibilant prone tracks.
• An extra set of eartips would be a good treat for everyone (nitpick)

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The NF Acous NM20 is a really, really good start for a company’s updated innovation, while keeping things rooted from where they start. The NM20 reminded me of the NF Audio NM2, their IEM that I have first reviewed, and grown to love Its impressive technical chops and resolution are carried over here in the NM20, while improving some things to cater a wider range of preferences, such as adding a bit of meat or thickness to the sound, that can be hear and observed when the track needs it. Overall, I wholeheartedly recommend the NF Acous NM20 for those ears who prefer things energetic and bright, with a technical performance that most IEMs under 100-200 USD do not have today (based on my experience and knowledge, at least). A banger start, NF Acous!

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Pairing recommendations:

• Source: The NF Acous NM20 is easy to drive, and will benefit from a warm-sounding source, like the Simgot DEW4X as an example.
• Eartips: The eartips is alright and does not seem to hinder the full potential of this IEM. You may still use your preferred eartips
• Cable: The cable is simple yet well done to my liking. However, some people may find the cable of this IEM a bit “basic” to their preference, so they may use their own cables for this.

Thank you for reading!

Non-affiliated links here:

- Official Website: https://nfacous.com/ (to be updated soon)

- AliExpress: https://www.aliexpress.com/store/1103468625 (to be updated soon)

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Additional Photos Here:

Let's start with NF audio, a company that has been around and makes some great IEM for both professional and the everyday listener. Now known as NF-ACOUS. The packaging is that same wonderful CD style box I like opening. inside is tips of various sizes and a new type of square case as opposed to the traditional round one. A new logo in similar font to metal band judas priest is on the front with a N.

In a nutshell:
The NM20 IEM feature a finely tuned mature V-shaped sound signature, a stunning design, and a high-quality but lightweight feel. They boast an impressive technical and fun sound, with a wide soundstage that has superb imaging for the price. The soundstage is expansive, the sound resolution is high, and the details are crisp. The bass is robust, offering great value for money, all complemented by the robust and attractive packaging we are accustomed to from NF.

Sound:
The bass boasts impressive depth and a warm, well-textured slam, yet it is not over-boosted to the bass-head levels typical of V-shaped IEMs in this price range. Instead, it offers a well-defined and controlled bass, with both sub-bass and mid-bass being detailed and possessing a very fast attack. The bass may not be at 'bass head' levels, but I believe many will appreciate its quality and quantity.
The midrange delivers flawlessly, offering a subtle warmth and a gentle dip in the lower frequencies, complemented by a brighter, more vibrant upper range that maintains clarity. Vocals naturally position themselves just slightly ahead of the instruments. The mids themselves have good separation and details are impressive.
The treble is impressively extended, offering a good amount of air and sparkle, especially for a single driver. Those sensitive to treble may find it energetic, particularly at higher volumes and on brighter equipment, but I found it to be just fine and appreciated the openness.
The soundstage is expansive, as wide as it is deep, offering spot-on imaging with excellent detail placement that doesn't suffer from busy recordings at all. This would make it an excellent choice for gaming.

NF Acous NM20, review.
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NF Acous NM20, priced at $119 USD.
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The NM20 is one of the best, if not the best, single DD IEMs I have heard to date and the most refined-sounding V-shaped IEM I have heard, bar none. It beats many higher-priced IEMs in sound quality and performance. I'm very inspired and ecstatic to write this review. Let me explain why.
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But first,
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I'd like to thank NF Acous, formerly known as NF Audio, for sending me the NM20 for a review. Even though this was given to me for free, which I gladly would accept in any other cases, you can rest assured that I will be telling how this review goes as it is, the way I see or hear it, strictly in my own words and opinions.
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The NF Acous company, with their recent rebranding, promised to release new and improved products with more diverse designs and tunings. The NM20 is the first product to come out under the NF Acous brand, and oohh, it sounds very different to any NF Audio IEMs that I've heard before, with totally different characteristics, yet maintains the positive qualities like the big soundtage and high resolution from their former products.
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NF Acous was established in 2014 mainly to produce customized in-ear monitors for stage use and has grown into a professional acoustic brand integrating product development, creative design, and precise manufacturing to ensure top-notch sound, aesthetics, technology, and user experience, as those are the core values their brand maintains.
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They are now creating IEMs not just for professional use, such as stage, recording studios, video production, and editing, but also for casual listeners, audiophiles, gamers, and E-sports competitors.
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Technologies:
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It uses their patented Clutter Trap tuning technology, which utilizes a sound tunnel, tuning nets, and foams to tune and equalize the front and back chamber pressure and also purifies the sound.
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The NM20 uses their new MC2L-100P dynamic driver, which has an inside and outside voice coil magnet configuration that completes the dual magnetic circuit. It has a new berylium-plated driver diaphragm that improves distortion, transients, and frequency response; it also utilizes a dual chamber acoustic design; and on top of that, there is a board with electronic parts attached at the back of the driver, which tunes the sound precisely.
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The integration of the electronic tuning to the acoustic tuning for the best sound possible.
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The optimization of the cavity and mechanical structure makes the whole structure much more stable and durable.
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In my opinion, all these technologies won't matter if the sound is not good, but the sound of the NM20 is exceptional, especially for the price of 119 USD. I feel that these technologies really work.
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Features: (copied from their product showcase)
>NF ACOUS MCL2-100P Double cavity dynamic driver unit.
High-strength transparent polycarbonate and CNC-carved anodized aluminum parts.
optimized cavity and casing mechanical structure.
>Patented technology: Clutter Trap
Stage monitoring sound tuning.
>Impedance: 32Ω.
Frequency response range: 9Hz-40kHz.
>Sensitivity:108dB/mW.
>Distortion: <1%.
Universal 0.78mm 2-pin connectors.
>High-quality 5N silver-coated OFC cable.

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Package Contents: (copied from their product showcase)

One pair of NF ACOUS NM20-monitoring IEMs.
One high-quality 0.78mm 2-pin cable with 3.5mm termination plug.
One new-designed storage box.
>One user guide.
Four sizes of MS42 high-quality silicone tips
One gold-coated 6.35mm-3.5mm adapter.




Sound Signature:
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Take note that this is a V-shaped sounding set, where the lows and highs are obviosly boosted with the midrange sounding lower in volume. If you like this kind of sound signature, I'm very sure that you'll love the NF Acous NM20, as I do.
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It sounds very energetic, contrasty, vivid, and very clear without the vocalist singing in your face. Bright and bassy yet very realistic once your hearing has adjusted to it. In fact, I've been so addicted to listening to the NM20 that when I went back to my near-neutral sounding sets, they all sounded wrong; they seemed to have too much midrange and not enough energy and vitality.

Technicalities:

The sound seems to come from a few feet to many feet in front of you, and sometimes it sounds like you are listening to a high-end speaker system in a music room or the recording studio, or at least, it is easy to imagine it that way with the eyes closed. It doesn't sound like the typical 100 or even 220 dollar IEMs that you feel that most of the sounds are just imminating between your ears. I'm telling you, this is different, this is special, especially for the price or even much higher, based on what I've experienced listening to many IEMs.
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The imaging is very good; it might not be the best I've heard, but most probably one of the, if not the best, I've heard around its price point.
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Bass:
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One of the best bass I have ever heard in terms of quality. It is obviously boosted, but it never sounded bloated and slow. It is fast, punchy, textured, detailed, granular, and with excellent separation that I can feel or almost feel the air vibrating around me at high volume levels. There is always bass presence and impact, preventing any songs or tracks from sounding thin. The level of bass perfectly counterbalances the boost in the treble.
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Please note that I'm mostly talking about the sound quality of the bass; it is boosted, but not a bass-head-level bass.
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Midrange:
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Moderately recessed or laid back in its presentation. Musically clean, clear, coloration-free, and having a very good instrument and vocal note weight for both the male's and the female's, it never sounded thin. It sounds very non-fatiguing and never shouted, even at high volume levels. I perceive the upper midrange elevation as adding additional clarity to the sound and not as a peak, because this may be due to the treble being even higher in level than the upper midrange, masking the peakiness of the upper mids, as I theorize, but I am not really sure. Made me wonder how they made the upper mid and treble elevated yet the vocals don't sound in your face or shout. Please note that I'm not an upper mid or pinna gain peak and treble sensitive person; in fact, I need my IEMs and headphones to have the upper mid and lower treble bump to sound right.


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Treble:
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The treble has exquisitely high resolution for a single DD, negating the need for a separate treble driver to perform the high frequencies, yet it never sounded fatiguing. I theorized that the drivers they are using have very low distortion and that the pinna gain or upper midrange is lower than the treble levels, which masks the glare from the upper midrange region, resulting in a very engaging, very detailed, and airy treble.
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Comparisons

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I have nothing in its price range or any price range to compare it to; the other V-shape set that I like is less expensive, feels cheap, and doesn't sound nearly as good. And when I compared it to my other set, all of them sound to have too much midrange, too forward, sometimes in your face, and have less vitality, as I said before. So I can't compare it.
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But if I were to hypothetically compare it to other sets disregarding the sound signature difference and only assessing the technical sound quality, I would have to compare the NF Acous NM20 with my $220 dollar sets, because that's about the most expensive single DD IEM that I have heard, with exceptions to some IEMs that I demoed that are much more expensive than $220 dollars that come from expensive brands but don't sound nearly as good as the NM20, but those IEMs are the exceptions.

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Pros:
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Very well tuned V-shaped sound signature
Gorgeous design
Very high-quality feel
Excellent build quality
Very good out-of-the head sound presentation
Very good imaging for the price.
Big soundstage
High-resolution sound
Very good details
Very good bass
Very good value for money.
great packaging
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Cons:
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The treble could be a problem for treble-sensitive people.


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Conclusions:

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I believe that every portable audio enthusiast should have different-sounding IEMs, as variety for different moods and sonic perspectives. If you haven't had a great-sounding V-shaped IEM or are looking for one, I sincerely suggest you try the NF Acous NM20, as this is a very good example of that sound signature.
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My main tuning preference is towards a neutral or near-neutral sound signature, and I occasionally appreciate other types of sound, but because of the sound quality and performance of the NF Acous NM20, it made me addicted to the V-shaped sound for the first time, as this is the most well tuned IEM of this sound profile I have yet heard. And thus the NF Acous NM20 comes very highly recommended.
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And that, my friends, concludes my review of the NF Acous NM20. Have an awesome life ahead, all. Cheers!