KindofBluer
New Head-Fier
New member here. I bought the N5005s a little over a year ago. I'm really surprised they haven't got more love. FWIW they're my first hi res IEMs, so I can't compare them to other IEMs. I use them with the Hugo2 and primarily hi res audio files - rock, jazz, folk, roots, some classical. Here are my impressions.
- Fantastic sound that is a real pleasure to listen to, either with my DAC or using my Apple X's DAC. Instruments, in particular trumpet and sax, are full and natural sounding.
- Amazing detail, mid-range warmth and instrument separation. Listening to multi-part vocal harmonies I can quite easily listen to each individual vocal line.
- Treble is bright but not too bright.
- The bass is considerably less present than I would like. I don't consider myself a bass head - my HD650s come across as a little overpronounced, even muddy, in the low end - but I like to be able to hear the bass guitar and kick drum in the mix without having to concentrate hard. One of my go-to tracks is Miles Davis' So What. The opening stand-up bass notes are definitely there, but they don't stand out as they do with the aforementioned 650s. Similarly, in rock songs the electric bass and drums are clear but to my ear not fully present.
- Possibly related to the previous point, I had a very difficult time finding earbuds that fit and gave me a good seal. I tried all the ones that came in the box, and ended up ordering another few sets based on forum comments. I ended up using foam tips that worked well. I was using the bass filter, but didn't find it made a big difference, and went back to the neutral filter.
- The Bluetooth option is very nice to have and works well, though not something I use very often.
- My phone's DAC is able to drive the IEMs just fine, though in busy, outdoor environments, I would appreciate a little more volume.
All in all I am blown away by the N5005s, and would purchase them again in a heartbeat.
- Fantastic sound that is a real pleasure to listen to, either with my DAC or using my Apple X's DAC. Instruments, in particular trumpet and sax, are full and natural sounding.
- Amazing detail, mid-range warmth and instrument separation. Listening to multi-part vocal harmonies I can quite easily listen to each individual vocal line.
- Treble is bright but not too bright.
- The bass is considerably less present than I would like. I don't consider myself a bass head - my HD650s come across as a little overpronounced, even muddy, in the low end - but I like to be able to hear the bass guitar and kick drum in the mix without having to concentrate hard. One of my go-to tracks is Miles Davis' So What. The opening stand-up bass notes are definitely there, but they don't stand out as they do with the aforementioned 650s. Similarly, in rock songs the electric bass and drums are clear but to my ear not fully present.
- Possibly related to the previous point, I had a very difficult time finding earbuds that fit and gave me a good seal. I tried all the ones that came in the box, and ended up ordering another few sets based on forum comments. I ended up using foam tips that worked well. I was using the bass filter, but didn't find it made a big difference, and went back to the neutral filter.
- The Bluetooth option is very nice to have and works well, though not something I use very often.
- My phone's DAC is able to drive the IEMs just fine, though in busy, outdoor environments, I would appreciate a little more volume.
All in all I am blown away by the N5005s, and would purchase them again in a heartbeat.
but yeah, i own both and imo the n5005 has the upper hand, the only other iem i can place it against is the ier m9
