After having the NC5 V2 for about a week now, it`s maybe time to write down some first thoughts....
Custom IEM:
First of all, I must say that this is my first CIEM and unfortunately I seem to belong to the few that have fit problems.
It seems that my right and left ear are pretty different, and the first two or three days I had serious problems to get the right phone into my ear (it hurt quite a bit). It took me a while to figure out that the reason is/was, that the part of my right ear which lies right over the "Concha" (not sure how it`s called) seems a lot less stretchable than on the left side, so the earphone just could not slip under it, like it was supposed to do.
Thomas sent me some really helpful mails with illustrated techniques to pull certain parts of the ear to get a proper fit - and somehow it worked! Quite complicated at the beginning but my ear slowly adjusts to it and it`s getting easier day by day. Stil after one week it`s not as comfortable as I thought CIEMs are and I need to wait for maybe another week (and also talk to the audiologist where I took the impressions) to see whether it`s really just a question of getting used to it or I might need a refit. I hope not the latter, because I really enjoy the sound of these (more below) and don`t feel like letting them go again for some weeks...
In any way, again, Thomas was very helpful with replying to mails quickly and offering help where he could.
Built:
My final design choice - solid black with two simple Massive Attack Logos - was kind of a process, but I am very happy with the result. Once more Thomas gave great support! The red print, for example, is not as bright as I thought, but he helped by adding a yellow line to make it more visible.
Actually I wanted to go with a clear shell design first, but I am glad I did not - because the phone now looks really minimalistic and noble at the same time, like a set of black Onyxes...
Material is thick and solid, everything is well polished. I love the fact that you can choose MMCX connectors (quite rare in the world of customs?) and they seem well implemented. If you have a close look, you realise a lot of love for details, for example how the vent is done, the wooden splitter for the cable or the nice leather clip it comes with. Even the case with its engravement and integrated zipper bag is a lot nicer than it looked from the pictures. For sure with NCM you get the feeling of a truly handbuilt and personalized product - and that is really nice!
Sound (see my signature for other phones I am currently using):
There are a few people who already wrote about NC5 V2 and I must say it roughly sounds like i expected it to sound from the descriptions. "Roughly" because I expected it to be a w-shaped signature, but I expected even more elevated bass and treble (maybe because everybody wrote so much about "sparkle"). But actually the NC5 V2 has a wonderful balance between bass, mids and treble. What I mean is, elements
are pronounced, but it`s done in a way they kind of harmonise eachother. I`d say the NC5 sounds a little less bright and slightly less detailed than the Andromeda (still far away from dark though), but it has more attack to the mid and bass tones. The bass is still far away from something like the Atlas. It sounds very deep and punchy, though, with surprisingly quick decay (quicker than my Fidue Sirius)- so on the very clean side. Certainly with its dynamic driver it can move more air than the Andromeda.
Compared with my Fidue Sirius the mids are even more present. Voices sound so natural and full to me, my IE800 sounds recessed and thin in direct comparison.
The NC5 V2 clearly is on a very high level with its tuning. Now I would love even more to also listen to the „Bellas“, NCMs flagship - to hear with my own ears whether the tuning of these two really is so close...
Well, this are just some first impressions, but I`d describe the NC5 V2 as a true "Ying and Yang phone". Not only because of the sound but also because imo it offers a way, way better price performance ratio than all of these recent 2000 dollar phones. I am very happy with my purchase and hope the fit problems can be solved soon!