NF Audio impression thread.
Jan 19, 2020 at 2:38 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 1,292

Dsnuts

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I recently got the NF Audio NA1s and I have to say I am very impressed with these. Sales page here. I will be getting a few more of NA audio earphones NF%20AUDIO%20NA2T-700x700.jpg

NA2 RP of $99. sales page here. I figured I would start their own thread for discussion here. These are worthy of having their own thread. Will post a review of the NA1 and NA2 soon.
 

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Jan 19, 2020 at 2:41 PM Post #2 of 1,292
Saved for me cus everyone else does that when they create a thread.
I have to admit. If you based a phone on looks alone these aren't gonna win any type of award. They are kinda basic looking.


But the sound. Lol.
 
Jan 19, 2020 at 5:29 PM Post #3 of 1,292
Jan 19, 2020 at 5:37 PM Post #4 of 1,292
This seems to be yet another up and coming company that is making bang for buck earphones. I mentioned this on the discovery thread but I mentioned about the NA1. It was from a listen I had at Can Jam a while ago and I have never owned them but the NA1 sonically reminds me of the Xelentos. Which is crazy but they have a stupid high resolution for earphone that cost less than $200. These sonically remind me of my DT1990 pros which is another Beyer sound which reaffirms my thoughts on how they sound against the Beyer sound.

Authority in the sub bass as well as very nicely done extended clean treble. It is a very nice sounding iem. Just looking at the earphone design you would never guess how they sound. Caught me by complete surprise the first time I heard them. I would have never suspected they have the resolution they do. They sound like they have like 5 BAs for the detail they got going on. It is amazing and this is coming from a single dynamic with dual voice coils.

I asked about the NA2 as well as it just got a release and instead of telling me what the differences are they are going to send me one for review so I should get those next week. All I am saying looks aside if they sound anything like the NA1 as it is using very similar tech. Those are going to blow the socks off of anything in the $100 range of earphones. I haven't heard a single dynamic sound so detailed coming from the NA1. The NA2 is intriguing as it is almost half the cost but uses the same stuff that is in the NA1. Cant wait to try them.

In the mean while I am almost done with burn in of the NA1 and yes burn in is highly recommended they still have the precision but now has some fullness to the sound which is what I was looking for. The treble was a bit hot on open listen but it is now much cleaner sounding. Sub bass is crazy good on these. I love writing about earphones like this because these are clearly punching above what they cost. A prime example of yet another value Chinese made earphone.
 
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Jan 19, 2020 at 8:13 PM Post #6 of 1,292
This was the same question I had. I wont know till I get the NA2 but from description it looks like they are using the same stuff. I bet it has a different tuning though. Usually cheaper stuff has bigger bass.

Art of Sound—NF Audio MC2L-10 ESC dynamic driver
Integrate tuning circuit

The idea of tuning the NA1 circuit has been well-received. This time we integrated the tuning circuit directly on this dynamic unit to polish the sound more accurately to obtain an unprecedented listening experience.
Dual cavity design
The traditional dynamic unit has only one back cavity. An additional back cavity is added to the MC2L-10 to control the air pressure more precisely, which makes the diaphragm movement smoother, the sound field larger, and the sound details richer.
Tesla-class dual magnetic circuit
Magnetic force is the source of power for the moving coil. The MC2L-10 unit uses a dual magnetic circuit design. Two high-performance rare earth neodymium iron boron magnets provide a magnetic flux of more than 1 Tesla, which in turn provides greater driving force, higher sensitivity, and more. Good dynamic and transient performance.
5μ polymer composite diaphragm
unlike the popular high-rigidity diaphragms on the market, MC2L-10 uses a lightweight, medium-rigidity, high-molecular composite diaphragm that starts from the sound. With carefully designed textures, you can get lower distortion and better music performance.
 
Jan 26, 2020 at 3:03 AM Post #8 of 1,292
Jan 31, 2020 at 2:57 PM Post #9 of 1,292
Hi, everyone! Please forgive my noob impressions. Just sharing my thoughts on these. :relaxed:

NF Audio NA1 Dynamic Driver IEM

Based on the documentation included in the package, Shenzhen Ningfan Acoustics Co., Ltd. manufactured this product under the NF Audio brand name. They also noted that the NF stands for “Near Field, Nice Fit, Nice Frequency.” The brand has released several other earphones already including custom fit IEMs (CIEM).
Comments on sound, build, and aesthetics are mostly subjective and based on how I appreciate this product. As always, YMMV.

PROS:
• Clean and well balanced bass response
• Highly resolving details
• Seamless build quality
• Quite easy to drive
CONS:
• Some tracks seem to sound sibilant

Source:
• Sony Walkman ZX300

Build, Fit, and Accessories:
NF Audio did a great job for the build quality of the NA1. The outer part of the shell is made of aluminum with an elegant design bearing the NF Audio logo, NF. It is coated in a matte finish which adds an elegant feel to it. The outer shell joins seamlessly with the inner part which appears to be a semi-opaque resin. It’s as if the whole shell was made out of single block of material, having no feeling of being clamped together when you run your fingers between the outer and the inner parts. Two vent holes can be found in each earpiece; one located near the nozzle which looks like just a hole poked into the resin, and the other one close to the outer shell which is made of metal with a small bore in the center. The included cable is a 5N silver-plated OFC with 2-pin connectors and a 3.5mm single ended plug. Cable design is decent and doesn’t look like a generic type of cable, having NF Audio labels on the plug as well as on its Y-split. It also has a Velcro strap attached to it.

Throughout my testing period, I did not encounter any signs of driver flex. And that’s good news for this dynamic driver IEM.

I decided to use my own wide bore ear tips, which appears to be just appropriate since the nozzles are a bit wide in diameter. They sit comfortably enough using medium tips, though still protruding a little bit off my ears.

Other accessories include two extra sets of ear tips (S, M, L) for balanced and bass tunings, a cleaning brush, and a box-shaped traveling case with snap-on magnets.

Sound:
Bass – The overall bass response is well balanced and clean, no bleed going into the upper frequencies at all. Bassheads will probably feel the lack of quantity on the subbass though. For me, there’s definitely enough rumble to feel whenever tracks needed it. This doesn’t strike me as a bass-anemic IEM. There’s also a decent punch on the midbass, with a quite fast decay and enough thump on mid to higher volume levels, but almost on the threshold of being smooth. Overall, it’s a well-rounded bass that fits my preference.
Midrange – Vocals sound slightly upfront and at times on the thin side. Sibilant recordings, specially of female vocals, have the tendency of being slightly emphasized. It is probably unforgiving on such qualities of recordings. The rest of the frequency is rich in detail. Stringed instruments are highlighted well without being too upfront throughout.
Treble – The upper midrange going up to the treble region is highly resolving while still having a smooth feel to it. The sparkle up top is good without any obvious graininess. Though the extension could have been improved more.
Soundstage – Soundstage width is good which enhances its imaging capability as well as its instrument separation. There’s enough airiness which prevents the overall sound to feel confined or too intimate despite all the microdetails being offered.

iBasso IT01 comparison:
The IT01 has more subbass quantity and goes a little deeper. Vocals sound more laid back, but without any hint of sibilance or harshness. Treble is on the smooth side here in comparison to the better textured NA1. Extensions on both ends are slightly better on the IT01. Soundstage feels more airy, but with almost the same width. The NA1 edges the IT01 when it comes to definition of microdetails and overall resolution.

Conclusion:
The NF Audio NA1 has a well-rounded sound which, I think, will please both bassheads and trebleheads enough. Those who are looking for “earth-shaking” bass or boom-boom type of sound may look at some other place. Perhaps try the iBasso IT01 instead. However, if you’re the type who’s looking to pay more attention to details and who’s also looking to have a great all-rounder type of IEM, I highly suggest you try the NA1. Awesome dynamics! For the asking price of $169, I would say that money is well spent on these, having an excellent build quality, elegant design, and despite leaning slightly to bright at times, still maintains a flexible type of sound signature with good neutrality.




SPECS:
• Model: NA1
• Driver: Double cavity dynamic driver
• Frequency response: 9Hz - 40kHz
• Maximum SPL: 125dB
• Sensitivity: 110dB/mW
• Distortion: <1%
• Impedance: 18Ω
• Sound insulation: 25dB
• Cable: 2-pin 0.78mm 5N silver-plated OFC
• Plug: 3.5mm single ended
• Dimension: 138 x 225 x 50mm
• Net weight: 330g
 
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May 7, 2020 at 1:19 AM Post #14 of 1,292
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Besides having a new cleaner look instead of being frosted I have no idea. I will have to ask if Penon will get those. They just look different cosmetically. But I have no idea if they changed the tuning on these or if they are the same. The specs read the same but who knows.
 
May 7, 2020 at 8:37 AM Post #15 of 1,292

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