NF Audio NM2

I am not too familiar with NF Audio as a company, so I decided to take a shot at their NM2 single-dynamic model when they were offered. They claim to have years of experience in making “real” monitoring earphones, so their entry-level IEMs should showcase their expertise.

There is a plethora of sub-$100 IEMs these days and every other review will claim one of them to be the “best” under $100. NF Audio NM2 entered this crowded market with some established heavy-hitters already staring them down. Let’s see if these can carve themselves a niche.

This review was originally published on Audioreviews.

Note: the ratings given will be subjective to the price tier. KeepHiFi was kind enough to send me the NF Audio NM2 for evaluation.

Sources used: Sony NW-A55
Price, while reviewed: $90. Can be bought from KeepHiFi.

Click to expand...

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES​

Packaging of the NM2 is rather interesting with vinyl-like shapes abound. In terms of accessories, you get a bunch of eartips, a round carrying case (looks cool but a bit cramped), and a stock cable that has one of the worst memory wires in existence. The memory wire is so stiff that the IEMs pop out of the ear at times by itself.




Apart from the memory wire portion, the cable itself is good: supple, well-braided, and doesn’t carry much touch noise. You also get a 3.5mm to 6.35mm adapter, keeping true to the “studio monitor” status of the IEMs.
3/5

BUILD QUALITY​

Build quality is the weakest point of the NF Audio NM2. I find the plastic shells cheap and they feel fragile. The finish is also subpar and reminiscent of $5 budget IEMs. Even the nozzle is plastic instead of metal, which some $5 IEMs nowadays have as well.



It’s clear where NF Audio did their cost-cutting, but I wish they left the build quality somewhat passable for the price bracket.
2/5

COMFORT, ISOLATION, AND FIT​

Comfort and isolation are very good, with the single vent near the 2-pin connectors not allowing much outside noise in. The plastic shell is ironically a help here due to their lightweight and skin-friendliness.
4.5/5

SOURCE AND EARTIPS​

For the review, I used Spinfit CP-100+ tips and Sony NW-A55 DAP (MrWalkman firmware modded). The NM2 are fairly sensitive so won’t need much powerful sources.

DRIVER SETUP​

NF Audio used a dual-cavity 10mm dynamic driver for the NM2, with the twist being that there are two rear cavities to further optimize the pressure behind the diaphragm. The driver is called MCL2-10, though I have no idea what that acronym stands for.

TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES​

NF Audio NM2 treads the fine line between “bright” and “energetic”. In loose terms, the NM2 can be categorized as “bright V-shaped” even though that description does them a disservice.

Bass response on the NM2 is very interesting. It has the sub-bass rumble and mid-bass punch, but lacks some of the mid-bass texture. This results in a bass response that is fast and (mostly) accurate while lacking the fullness of low notes.

Midrange is where the things can become divisive. The lower-mids could have done with a bit more body, but they don’t sound overly recessed as the mid-bass bump adds body to the lower-midrange. Upper-mids can be contentious due to peaking around 4KHz which adds intensity to guitar riffs and leading edge of hi-hats or cymbals.

Fortunately, the intensity is counterbalanced by the boosted sub-bass. In most tracks the upper-mid glare is masked by the sub-bass frequencies. Only in acoustic or vocal-oriented music do you notice the peakiness in that region.

Treble can be too forward on some tracks due to the aforementioned 4KHz peak but things never got sibilant or splashy. Treble is well-done here with adequate sparkle and good upper-treble extension. Triangles and cymbals decay naturally with their resonant frequencies being audible beyond 14KHz. Many IEMs in this range opt for treble roll-off and NM2 does it better than most here.

Soundstage is fairly wide but lacks the depth due to the forwardness in the upper-midrange. Imaging is accurate with good cardinal and ordinal placements of instruments (within the limitations of the in-ear form-factor of course).

These are especially adept at locating the position of the microphone relative to the speaker or singer. As a result, while live recording with a stereo mic you can notice if the singer is singing off-center.

Macrodynamic punch is above-average but there are other IEMs that do it better. The lack of mid-bass fullness somewhat dampens the impact here. Microdynamics (subtle gradation in volume) are excellent though as you can track the subtle shifts in volume even in busy tracks.

Separation is good when it comes to mids and highs but the recessed lower-mids can make some low-notes smear into each other. Timbre is mostly good with a hint of metallic sheen to some higher-pitched notes. In general, the NM2 are excellent for acoustic or live music and also suited for live microphone monitoring.

Bass: 4/5
Midrange: 4/5
Treble: 4/5
Staging: 4/5
Imaging and Separation: 4/5
Dynamics and Speed: 4/5

FREQUENCY RESPONSE GRAPH​

SELECT COMPARISONS​

vs Dunu Titan S, Moondrop Aria, Tin T3 Plus​

So, I somehow ended up with all three of the contenders for the “best under $100” tag, namely: Dunu Titan S, Moondrop Aria, Tin T3 Plus, and of course: NF Audio NM2.

I will go about it a bit differently this time around, and rank each of the IEMs based on a specific aspects.


Build: Titan S = T3 Plus > Aria >> NM2

Titan S with their metal shells and T3 Plus with the resin shells – both have excellent build. Aria’s paint tend to chip off and NM2 has the build quality of $5 QKZ IEMs.


Accessories: T3 Plus = Titan S > Aria > NM2

T3 Plus got a good cable and decent tips but the carrying case is poor. Titan S got a great carrying case (better than many expensive IEMs come with) and good tips but meh cable. Aria got horrible cable and meh eartiops and case. NM2 got the worst cable of the bunch, replacement recommended.


Bass: Aria = Titan S > NM2 > T3 PlusAria has slightly denser bass whereas Titan S has more “neutral” bass tuning. Both are fast with good texture. NM2 can sound thin in mid-bass at times and T3 Plus lacks texture.


Mids: NM2 > Titan S > T3 Plus = Aria

Both T3 Plus and Aria have issues with lower-mids. NM2 handle lower and upper mid pretty well, so does the Titan S. However, Titan S tended to get slightly shoutier.


Treble: Titan S > NM2 > T3 Plus > Aria

Aria has the weakest treble response among these. T3 Plus has a bit more energy in lower-treble. Titan S and NM2 both got good treble extension but the NM2 has more focus near lower-treble which can be fatiguing. If you like higher amount of treble: NM2 for you.


Soundstage: Titan S > Aria > T3 Plus = NM2

Perceived stage is widest and deepest on Titan S. Aria comes second though the margin between Titan S and Aria is sizeable. T3 Plus sound congested, whereas NM2 can sound too forward at times.


Imaging: Titan S > NM2 = Aria > T3 Plus


Separation: Titan S > NM2 > T3 Plus > Aria


Dynamics: Titan S = Aria > NM2 > T3 Plus

I am bit torn here. Microdynamics are superior on Titan S whereas Aria has better macrodynamics (e.g. sudden bass drops). NM2 does both better than average but doesn’t exceed the performance of the benchmarks.

Click to expand...

Overall, I think the Titan S ticks most of the boxes. It’s got good technicalities coupled with a neutral bright tonality that works well. NM2 is the most technical among them and will cater well to those who need more information up top.Aria meanwhile got the best timbre and has the smoothest signature here. T3 Plus is more of a mixed bag due to the odd-sounding bass.

CONCLUDING REMARKS​

NF Audio NM2 are primarily let down by their uninspiring design and cheap build, which is a shame. The tuning is unconventional and offers something unique among the myriad of Harman-target doppelgangers. This gives rise to a “nice” problem – there are a number of good choices for the end-user and it becomes confusing to pick the right one.

While the NM2 nails technicalities, tonality could have been better or smoother for general listening. However, the intended purpose of these IEMs are studio monitoring and for professional applications there is usually some presence-region emphasis. On that front, the tuning choices are justified.

The NF Audio NM2 earns my recommendation for studio monitoring purposes, and will suit those who prefer an energetic and engaging listen.

Introduction:
Founded in 2014, NF(Near Field) Audio is a brand from China that produces in-ear monitors in both custom and universal fit. They got popular through their NA and NM series of IEMs that utilizes a single dynamic driver, but they also have IEMs with balanced armature and electrostatic drivers. The NM2 was released way back in 2020, as well as its sibling, the NM2+. The NM2 currently retails for 99 USD, and was provided to me for free by KeepHiFi in exchange for this review.

International purchase link

Specifications:
Driver unit: MCL2-10 dynamic, dual cavity (diameter not specified)
Impedance: 18 ohms
Sensitivity: 108 dB
Frequency response range: 10 Hz - 40 kHz

Source:
Poco X3 paired with FiiO KA3, Tempotec Sonata E35 and Zishan U1

Test tracks:
Africano - Earth Wind and Fire
Dark Necessities - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Gurenge - Lisa
The Chain - Fleetwood Mac
Monsters - All Time Low
Ours - Taylor Swift
Stay - Mayday Parade
Snuff - Slipknot
Yesterday Once More - Carpenters
So Slow - Freestyle
Aurora Sunrise - Franco
Attention - Pentatonix
Blue Bird - Ikimono-gakari
You're Still The One - Shania Twain
Anyone Who Knows What Love Is(Will Understand) - Irma Thomas
Salamin - Slapshock
AOV - Slipknot
Hey Jude - The Beatles
The Way You Make Me Feel - Michael Jackson
...and a lot more.

Unboxing and Accessories:
The NM2 comes in a pretty unique packaging. The box is sleeved but only one side is open. The accent color of the box depends on the color variant of the earphone. In my case, I chose pink, so the box was also pink. The inner box opens like a book. On the left side, there is the instruction manual, and underneath it is the round hard fabric case that contains the 3.5 mm female to 6.35 mm male adapter, and a pair of a super small widebore silicone eartips. On the right side, there are the earphone inserted in a circular foam, and made to look like a compact disc. Underneath, there is a circular card that holds two sets of silicone eartips in three sizes. An "atmosphere" set which has wide bores, and a "balanced" set with regular size of bore. Lastly there is the cable with a velcro strap and a plastic cap for the plug.

Build:
The shells are made of transparent resin with a smooth and glossy surface. The faceplate sports the NF Audio logo. It is barely noticeable but right blow the female pins, there is a small vent. Another vent is present at the rear side of the shell. The medium-length nozzles are equipped with a recessed metal filters and a lip to hold eartips in place.

The cable is a 4-core silver plated oxygen-free copper. It is slightly on the thin side but construction feels good. Some microphonics can be heard but nothing major. It is light, very soft and has great flexibility. The male 0.78 mm 2 pin connectors are made of plastic, the splitter is made of hard rubber, while the chin slider and the 3.5 mm gold plated plug are made of metal.

Now let's get to the sound.

Lows:
The lows also have a smooth and clean texture but with an almost neutral attack. Subbass has a slightly above average depth with an adequate level of decay. Midbass is average in weight and is placed at just the right spot along with the subbass.

Overall, the lows of the NM2 exhibit a very dynamic approach where the rumble is impactful when the track calls for it, and takes a step back when not needed.

Mids:
The mids are placed at the center and reproduced with great transparency. Vocals have an above average level of articulation. Both the lower and upper mids are average in terms of note weight. However, there is a small bump in the upper mids that give extra energy to the female vocals and highlight to guitar and pianos.

Overall, I consider the mids of the NM2 to be an all-rounder since it sounds great for most genres. Depending on the track, the boost in the upper mids can sometimes give a hint of aggressiveness although it is very minimal.

Highs:
The highs are presented in a neutral manner. Treble reach and its accompanying decay is average. Having said that, subtleties are still fairly easy to pinpoint. The splashing sound of cymbals and lead guitar overtones sound detailed and crisp.

Overall, the NM2's highs are balanced in such a way that it doesn't come across as too sparkly or too tame, yet it maintains its presence well and doesn't get drowned out easily by neighboring frequencies.

Soundstage and Imaging:
The NM2 has an average size of stage. The height partially expands more than the width. Instruments sound airy, spacious and well separated and the resolution in the imaging is really, really good. Accuracy is great as well as the clarity. Instruments sound airy, spacious and well separated. Congestion is very minimal even in busy tracks.

Comparisons:
NF Audio NM2 (1 DD, 99 USD) vs. TForce Yuan Li (1 DD, 119 USD)
These two are not far from each other in terms of price and overall sound signature, but the Yuan Li is a lot harder to drive than the NM2. The Yuan Li has the bigger sounding lows. Subbass has more depth and cleaner in texture with the Yuan Li. It has a louder rumble, although the difference is very, very small. Length of decay is just about the same. Midbass impact and weight are identical but slightly more forward in the Yuan Li. With the mids, the difference is also really, really small. The Yuan Li only has partially more energy in the upper mids and slightly better transparency. Other than that, they are identical. In the highs, the decay is equal but the Yuan Li has a very slight, almost unnoticeable edge in the reach. As for the soundstage, they have the same expansion in the width but the NM2 has a bit more height. Imaging, instrument separation and layering are also identical.

Conclusion:
Many have pointed out that the NM2's shells doesn't look all that impressive given its price tag. They are absolutely right. NF Audio could have improved it especially when similarly priced IEMs come in fancy, elegant looking shells. But what the NM2 lacked for the aesthetics, it made up for the sound quality extremely well. Despite being released a few years ago, the NM2 remains to be a great option until today for its respectable sonic performance.

NFAUDIO NM2 REVIEW

TONE: 7.5/10
TECHNiCALITIES: 7.5/10
BUILD: 7/10
SOUND BENEFIT: 7/10



SOUND IMPRESSIONS

The TONALITY is lively, balanced with an emphasis on the textures of the mediums. This is between a bright V curve and a colored neutrality. There is a boost of the mid bass and the mid and high midrange. Energetic, with punch and an excited, front-end presentation, the NM2s favor vocals, midrange energy and bass hits but is not really rumbly or extension.
The TECHNICALITIES are pretty decent for the price, it's faster than well controlled, favors macro resolution over micro details, and cuts short in bass-to-high extension. Presence zones are amplified, providing a two-step type of dynamic: low-high mids. There's no air, it's not very clean or very well defined in the contours, but in the end it's quite agile and versatile in terms of performance, although not super refined and a bit rough.

The BASS concentrate their energy in the hitting of the mid-bass. It hits without moving alot of air and the extension does not dig deep. The definition is rather warm and tenuous, the texture quite saturated and without solid grip. The seat lacks weight, so we feel the kicks more cerebrally than physically. Here there is more quantity than quality, the resolution being muffled and the whole thing lacking in well-sculpted roundness. It slips a little on the mids without giving them more body, therefore affecting the overall cleanliness but not in a dramatic way. In short, the bass lacks flexibility and extension as well as a well-defined separation. Not recommended for double bass, cello and acoustic basses in general which sound tonally out of tune, the cello being too thin and grumpy and the double bass lacking linear extension and natural resonance.

The MIDS benefit the female vocals, which have a very prominent presence with a nice opening in width but lacking a little transparency. It's very energetic, with an artificially pushed clarity. The timbre is realistic but not very refined and nuanced in texture, it also lacks a bit of warmth and density. The attack lacks grip for all that requires high harmonics such as violin, piano etc. Speaking of the piano, the notes have little weight, as if both the bass and high harmonics are tenuous, so again, it is the presence of resolution that intrigues the listener. I believe that it could pass for rock, because it remains quite abrasive and that the electric guitars have their emphasized distortion, without the need for a precise hook like the violin, piano or acoustic guitar. A little garish, but very little prone to sibilance. The mids are both crisp in their presence and muted in their impact and grip.

The TREBLE leaves me perplexed due to a cut extension that steals the air between the instruments, the brilliance and resonances of high percussion and acoustic string instrument pulled or struck like the guitar or the harpsichord. The harpsichord is really not pampered by the NM2s, it's dry, without weight or resonance and brilliance, with a strange emphasis on the saturation of note texture, but it's quite fast and the resolution is sharp in the low and middle highs. The presentation is rather "in your face" with a dynamic presented in a packaged amplitude. The NM2s are pretty cruel to bad recordings too, tending to extract background hiss-distortion. Yeah, I'm really not a fan of the NM2 treble, like its big brother the NM2+. It's a bit garish and the aggressiveness is too concentrated in the lower treble. The NM2 only extract very few micro-details, the snare drum always seems full of distortion and the cymbals too. Primitive treble.

SPATIALITY has not many dimensions, it is frontal and intimate, it has an average width, but little height and almost no depth. You are not traveling in a vast landscape with the NM2, you are rather subjected to a wall of sound.

IMAGING is not much better, for simple music it is okay'is, we will not look for the location of the instruments, but in the end it sounds more mono than stereo. The lack of micro definition and clean space between the instruments makes the location diffuse, muffled and saturated. The highs are particularly difficult to pin down. Overall, very mediocre for the price.

CONSTRUCTION:
Cheap, light plastic. Nothing to write about really. Cable is decent. Comfort is good due to light housing. QDC connector isn't a plus imo. It come in different colors, even pink I think, which is kinda cool. Isolation is average.
Box presentation is very nice with a magnetic black box and refined presentation. Carrying case and 6 pairs of good ear tips of different shapre. A plus here.

COMPARISONS

VS NFaudio NM2+ (1DD-180$)

On the mids and highs side it's super similar, although a little cleaner and more extensive with the NM2+, but it's especially on the bass side that the difference is obvious. The NM2s are therefore significantly more boosted in the low mids, have a warmer strike too, and less clean. In the end, they are more of a balanced V signature, making the Nm2+ look very neutral and mature. Technically, they are almost equivalent, the attack speed being good for both, the NM2+ stand out with their treble and high midrange hooks. Yeah, the NM2+ are more monitor-like and the NM2 mainstream-like, less cold and sharp, and ultimately, to my ears at least, more pleasing because the notes have more weight, the basses have more body and vibrancy, the mediums more body and sweetness, only the highs are less extended and clean.

VS WHIZZER HE01 (1DD-80$)

When I listened to the NM2, I kept thinking about the similarities with the HE01. Now that I compare them side by side it is even more obvious, to believe that they use the same dynamic transducers! But it's not exactly the same, just like with the Nm2+ there are small differences. The timbre seems the same, but the bass is a little more pushed and warm with the NM2, so it's more sharp in the upper mids. It's so subtle that I can only put them on the same level of sound quality. Since the HE01 is $20 less, it's a better buy, and the build is more glorious.

CONCLUSION

Although well balanced and quite fast in the attack, the Nfaudio NM2 leaves something to be desired in terms of technicality in general and offers an aggressive tone even if without extreme peaks. In a market saturated with earphones superior to these, it's hard to recommend them. Especially with the fact that the Whizzer HE01 are extremely similar, better calibrated and $20 cheaper.
On the positive side, if you love the NM2+, the NM2 is 99% as good for 70$ less.

-------
PS: I wanna thanks KEEPHIFI for sending me this review sample as well as letting me full freedom to express honnestly myself without compromise.
You can buy the NFaudio NM2 for 90$ (on sale) here:https://keephifi.com/fr/products/nf-audio-nm2