[shotgunshane]

I too received an EDC3 for evaluation. Somewhere else, out there on the world wide web, I have a thread and 'list' of recommendations, favorites and classics. Hopefully it's OK to copy and paste my thoughts from these places unknown:

So I think I'm going to do something I haven't done before. I'm going to remove something form the list and replace it with something different. After spending some time with the upcoming Massdrop x NuForce EDC3, and comparing it to the Audio Technica LS200, I think I'm gong to replace the LS200 on the list with the EDC3. Yep, gonna do it.

Here are my thoughts on the EDC3 with comparisons to the LS200 and Brainwavz B400:

Massdrop x NuForce EDC3

The overall signature of the EDC3 is a warmish take on a neutral signature. Bass has good extension and texture with a slight warm tilt. Vocals and guitars get a bump in the upper midrange for an engaging and upfront presentation. Lower treble is relaxed and takes a back seat to the midrange and bass. It has a slight rebound in middle treble, which produces a slightly plasticky, Westone like timbre. Aside from the similarity in treble timbre, the EDC3 is less warm, less bassy and more neutral than say the Westone 3 and 4 variants. While not the last word in resolution or imaging, the EDC3 is quite competent and plays much bigger than it’s price. The EDC3 epitomizes a do nothing wrong signature. Add in that it’s a triple driver and it’s quite amazing you can get all this, with very comfortable, ergonomic shells for just $99. Unlike the dynamic driver EDC, which I don’t like at all, the all armature based EDC3 gets a whole-hearted recommendation. Don’t expect to be bowled over or amazed in shock and awe, it won’t do that. But if you want something you can listen to without fatigue, set it and forget it, the EDC3 could be for you.

vs Audio-Technica ATH-LS200 (msrp $249)

The EDC3 is noticeably bigger sounding (both wider and deeper), more upfront and richer. Rock guitars are fuller but retain similar bite and crunch. The LS200 sounds a bit more neutral (doesn’t have the vocal range bump of the EDC3) and sounds leaner and much less visceral. Treble presence on the LS200 is every so slightly more present but not as articulate. EDC3 bass texture is more obvious and seems to dig deeper. Overall the EDC3 is just more engaging and musical, while not straying to much further from neutral than the LS200. Even with a thicker, richer note, the EDC3 sounds more transparent than the LS200, particularly through the midrange, which I suspect is due to lower distortion.

vs Brainwwavz B400 (msrp from $189)

Next to the EDC3, the B400 sounds a little V shaped. It’s bass is a little stronger, it’s treble a little stronger and vocals are not quite as upfront. This is all relative, as the B400 doesn’t come across as V shaped on it’s own and the EDC3 is definitely forward in the upper mids. The B400 sounds a little more visceral, a little more exciting, a little more musical, a little more of this, a little more of that. A little bit is indeed just a little bit. The B400 is noticeably more layered and exacting in its imaging. It sounds more spacious, albeit a bit warmer overall. It’s definitely the next step up, if you don’t mind straying just a little further from neutral than the EDC3. If the B400 is a bit out of your price range, the EDC3 is the next best thing. Two excellent bargains.

 

[fritz1234]

Takeaway: proceed to Brainwwavs thread

 

[squyzz]

I have join the drop
Seeing the pictures i though they were mmcx but i'm wrong.
The plug is 2pin, but i did not find if they are 0.75mm or 0.78mm ; anyone knows ?

 

[shotgunshane]

.78mm.

 

[Aevum]

Personallu, it might be to little of a difference for US buyers,

But 81 euros for a triple armature IEM compared for what the B400 costs,

you´re telling me that the EDC3 is around 98-99% of the B400, but costs almost half... yea im going to buy it, already did and i hope it ships tommorow.

 

[airil]

Took me a few more days than I originally planned (as I was rather busy with the CNY stuff) but here is some impression:

The construction is very solid. I really like the semi-transparent housing and the NuForce's choice of using 2 pins cable instead of MMCX on their IEM line-up. It comes with a good range of accessories as well as an extra mic+remote cable for making a phone call. The only thing I'll like to see is the NuForce making replacement cable available for purchase or even comes out with Type-C / Lightning option in the future.

EDC3 is tuned pretty much with a classic warm+smooth signature. Treble is fairly well extended but in a smooth way. You can still hear good detail and sparkle but it won't pierce anyone's eardrum anytime soon, Mid-range is slightly forwarded and vocal is a bit on the sweet side, though I won't go as far as to call it being intimate or in-your-face. Bass has decent reach but not quite the rumbling type. Soundstage is about average. Compared to its little brother, the Massdrop x NuForce EDC, which has a bigger bass hit and more of a fun and easy going sound signature, EDC3 is tilting more toward a stage monitor tuning but remains versatile and balanced enough as a good all-arounder. I reckon the EDC3 will go quite well with all sort of mainstream music but might not be the best choice for those who demand extra fine detail or tons of bass. Another way of looking at this is that EDC3 will be quite a good choice for those who are looking for a more refined and matured EDC.

I guess it is hard to look at any $100 triple driver IEM without comparing it to the first of its kind, the 1MORE triple driver E1001. While 1MORE did offer more drivers than any $100 IEM at its time, the actual sound quality wasn't really quite the best you can get for the price, considering that you can already find really good sounding sub-$100 single dynamic IEM back then. In many ways, 1MORE was more concerned about winning the number game rather than getting the sound quality right. Fast forward 1.5yrs till today, the EDC3 sounds comparatively much better in every way - at least I don't think it will fall short when compared to any IEM of the $100 price range, regardless of driver number. In fact, the first thought after I listened to EDC3 is that it might just give the FiiO F9 (the regular version, not the pro version) a good run of its money. After spending quite some time going forth and back between the two, I'll say they are pretty close in overall quality (though F9 has more of a mild U-shaped sound signature), I will give the nob to EDC3 for being slightly more refined, especially over treble and finer detail.

Hi, @ClieOS fellow countryman, I have the E1001, and am thinking for an upgrade to the EDC3, is this worthwhile, and can you please elaborate more between both 2, please?

Cheers

 

[ClieOS]

Hi, @ClieOS fellow countryman, I have the E1001, and am thinking for an upgrade to the EDC3, is this worthwhile, and can you please elaborate more between both 2, please?

Cheers

The first thing to notice between them is that E1001 has a deeper bass (though by no mean much bigger), probably thank to its dynamic driver. It also has a wider soundstage - however, the deeper bass and wider soundstage come with the cost of mid-range detail and texture, as there is a fairly obvious dip / disjoint of frequencies between the dynamic and the two BA drivers. The result is a vocal that sounds distanced and dull. On the other hand, the EDC3 has a flatter frequency transition that gives a lot more texture, and you can actually hear the sweetness in vocal much better. Treble is also better rendered on the EDC3 - while both are what I'll consider to be smooth sounding IEM, EDC3's treble has a slightly better extension and sparkle.

 

[scrypt]

I'm interested in the EDC3s, but will they sound better than the corpse of my late uncle? I realize that IEMs will be more portable on subway rides than Uncle Antonio, but how will the signature differ? I listen primarily to Mexican funeral marches and my favorite band is Wolves of the Sierra. Can anyone help?

 

[shotgunshane]

I'm interested in the EDC3s, but will they sound better than the corpse of my late uncle? I realize that IEMs will be more portable on subway rides than Uncle Antonio, but how will the signature differ? I listen primarily to Mexican funeral marches and my favorite band is Wolves of the Sierra. Can anyone help?

Your uncle sounds dead. No kick, no life, not engaging. Just dead. These are better.

 

[CEE TEE]

I'm interested in the EDC3s, but will they sound better than the corpse of my late uncle? I realize that IEMs will be more portable on subway rides than Uncle Antonio, but how will the signature differ? I listen primarily to Mexican funeral marches and my favorite band is Wolves of the Sierra. Can anyone help?

They were tuned with Los Tigres Del Norte and so Wolves of the Sierra should sound fine…

 

[gemmoglock]

Took me a few more days than I originally planned (as I was rather busy with the CNY stuff) but here is some impression:

The construction is very solid. I really like the semi-transparent housing and the NuForce's choice of using 2 pins cable instead of MMCX on their IEM line-up. It comes with a good range of accessories as well as an extra mic+remote cable for making a phone call. The only thing I'll like to see is the NuForce making replacement cable available for purchase or even comes out with Type-C / Lightning option in the future.

EDC3 is tuned pretty much with a classic warm+smooth signature. Treble is fairly well extended but in a smooth way. You can still hear good detail and sparkle but it won't pierce anyone's eardrum anytime soon, Mid-range is slightly forwarded and vocal is a bit on the sweet side, though I won't go as far as to call it being intimate or in-your-face. Bass has decent reach but not quite the rumbling type. Soundstage is about average. Compared to its little brother, the Massdrop x NuForce EDC, which has a bigger bass hit and more of a fun and easy going sound signature, EDC3 is tilting more toward a stage monitor tuning but remains versatile and balanced enough as a good all-arounder. I reckon the EDC3 will go quite well with all sort of mainstream music but might not be the best choice for those who demand extra fine detail or tons of bass. Another way of looking at this is that EDC3 will be quite a good choice for those who are looking for a more refined and matured EDC.

I guess it is hard to look at any $100 triple driver IEM without comparing it to the first of its kind, the 1MORE triple driver E1001. While 1MORE did offer more drivers than any $100 IEM at its time, the actual sound quality wasn't really quite the best you can get for the price, considering that you can already find really good sounding sub-$100 single dynamic IEM back then. In many ways, 1MORE was more concerned about winning the number game rather than getting the sound quality right. Fast forward 1.5yrs till today, the EDC3 sounds comparatively much better in every way - at least I don't think it will fall short when compared to any IEM of the $100 price range, regardless of driver number. In fact, the first thought after I listened to EDC3 is that it might just give the FiiO F9 (the regular version, not the pro version) a good run of its money. After spending quite some time going forth and back between the two, I'll say they are pretty close in overall quality (though F9 has more of a mild U-shaped sound signature), I will give the nob to EDC3 for being slightly more refined, especially over treble and finer detail.

Hi @ClieOS thanks for this! How is the detail retrieval like? I am tiring of the Pinnacle PX as while detail retrieval is amazing, the timbre of violin strings in orchestra works sounds a bit thin especially reaching up to higher registers. I'm wondering how this would compare.

I got a copy of these for eval and sent CEETEE some brief impressions:

Massdrop EDC3: Tonally, these are almost perfect. They might be a bit soft up top for my tastes- (you know) my personal preference leans toward a bit of lower-treble bite ala Noble Savant. I like stuff on the bright or even slightly aggressive side. (That's why HD600 > HD650 for me.) Other than the upper-most frequencies, I'd consider these pretty darn flat with a very slight low-end tilt. By tilt, I mean they're still quite flat. Picture a coffee table raised on one side by about an inch.

There is no ringing or frequency spikes whatsoever. I can listen for hours and not notice anything bad or sense any sort of fatigue. TBH, I've been using these quite a bit lately because they're right there on my desk. And they've been getting far more listening time than expected, considering all of the other (more costly) options I have within reach. The headstage is at least as good as anything I've heard in this price range. The same goes for dynamics and overall clarity. The bass is solid- you won't get it mixed up for a dynamic driver or hybrid. The resolution here is real; not the boosted high-frequency kind.

The fit for me is only matched by Westone universals. In other words, they fit me better than any other over-the-ear-cabled IEM. As a result, isolation is fantastic too. This is with the medium silicon tips. I didn't try any of the others. One more thing: I really like the mic'd/ braided cable. It has the perfect amount of weight to it; not too thin or too thick.

Bottom line: It's a really honest sounding IEM. Plug it into your phone and just enjoy.

Hi @Mkubota1 are these comparable to any other IEMs you are familiar with?

I too received an EDC3 for evaluation. Somewhere else, out there on the world wide web, I have a thread and 'list' of recommendations, favorites and classics. Hopefully it's OK to copy and paste my thoughts from these places unknown:

So I think I'm going to do something I haven't done before. I'm going to remove something form the list and replace it with something different. After spending some time with the upcoming Massdrop x NuForce EDC3, and comparing it to the Audio Technica LS200, I think I'm gong to replace the LS200 on the list with the EDC3. Yep, gonna do it.

Here are my thoughts on the EDC3 with comparisons to the LS200 and Brainwavz B400:

Massdrop x NuForce EDC3

The overall signature of the EDC3 is a warmish take on a neutral signature. Bass has good extension and texture with a slight warm tilt. Vocals and guitars get a bump in the upper midrange for an engaging and upfront presentation. Lower treble is relaxed and takes a back seat to the midrange and bass. It has a slight rebound in middle treble, which produces a slightly plasticky, Westone like timbre. Aside from the similarity in treble timbre, the EDC3 is less warm, less bassy and more neutral than say the Westone 3 and 4 variants. While not the last word in resolution or imaging, the EDC3 is quite competent and plays much bigger than it’s price. The EDC3 epitomizes a do nothing wrong signature. Add in that it’s a triple driver and it’s quite amazing you can get all this, with very comfortable, ergonomic shells for just $99. Unlike the dynamic driver EDC, which I don’t like at all, the all armature based EDC3 gets a whole-hearted recommendation. Don’t expect to be bowled over or amazed in shock and awe, it won’t do that. But if you want something you can listen to without fatigue, set it and forget it, the EDC3 could be for you.

vs Audio-Technica ATH-LS200 (msrp $249)

The EDC3 is noticeably bigger sounding (both wider and deeper), more upfront and richer. Rock guitars are fuller but retain similar bite and crunch. The LS200 sounds a bit more neutral (doesn’t have the vocal range bump of the EDC3) and sounds leaner and much less visceral. Treble presence on the LS200 is every so slightly more present but not as articulate. EDC3 bass texture is more obvious and seems to dig deeper. Overall the EDC3 is just more engaging and musical, while not straying to much further from neutral than the LS200. Even with a thicker, richer note, the EDC3 sounds more transparent than the LS200, particularly through the midrange, which I suspect is due to lower distortion.

vs Brainwwavz B400 (msrp from $189)

Next to the EDC3, the B400 sounds a little V shaped. It’s bass is a little stronger, it’s treble a little stronger and vocals are not quite as upfront. This is all relative, as the B400 doesn’t come across as V shaped on it’s own and the EDC3 is definitely forward in the upper mids. The B400 sounds a little more visceral, a little more exciting, a little more musical, a little more of this, a little more of that. A little bit is indeed just a little bit. The B400 is noticeably more layered and exacting in its imaging. It sounds more spacious, albeit a bit warmer overall. It’s definitely the next step up, if you don’t mind straying just a little further from neutral than the EDC3. If the B400 is a bit out of your price range, the EDC3 is the next best thing. Two excellent bargains.

Cus this one has tidal, i kinda like it. You are right about overkill. But from what i know that better source will give better sound with mojo.
I have the N3 right now and it pairs well with mojo too.

Hi @shotgunshane I think we have exchanged comments on Massdrop before! I'm still hunting for what to go next from the Pinnacle P1 because of string timbre issues (see above). I have demoed both the IM02 and LS200 successor, how do the EDC compare in detail retrieval? The PX has me spoilt on that front. And are there any glaring weaknesses compared to the LS200?

The B400 is out of my budget but if you are familiar with the B150 or B200 happy to hear what you think of these compared to EDC3

 

[ClieOS]

Hi @ClieOS thanks for this! How is the detail retrieval like? I am tiring of the Pinnacle PX as while detail retrieval is amazing, the timbre of violin strings in orchestra works sounds a bit thin especially reaching up to higher registers. I'm wondering how this would compare.

It is quite good but by no means analytical. If you are like me who enjoy a very sharp and crispy violin, I doubt EDC3 will meet your need. I have my Etymotic ER4S for that, EDC3 is more mainstream.

 

[gemmoglock]

It is quite good but by no means analytical. If you are like me who enjoy a very sharp and crispy violin, I doubt EDC3 will meet your need. I have my Etymotic ER4S for that, EDC3 is more mainstream.

Thanks for your reply! Is the treble rolloff obvious (I'm looking at the FR).

 

[ClieOS]

Thanks for your reply! Is the treble rolloff obvious (I'm looking at the FR).

Treble is fairly well extended, but more of a smooth fashion and thus you won't get a lot of hot sizzling string vibration that you would typically hear in an analytical IEM.

 

[shotgunshane]

Think of the treble as slightly shelved down. This is going to give it a thicker/richer note weight compared to the LS200. I’d say resolution is comparable between the two, both of which I consider just average in detail retrieval. Although the EDC3 will be smoother sounding.

I haven’t heard those other Brainwavz models. The B400 will be less accurate than the EDC3 in frequency response but sounds more dynamic, with better bass texturing and better layering over all.