[VeniVidiVale]

Drop to impulse speed!​

 

The problem with deals is that you end up buying stuff you never wanted in the first place. So when I saw the Nuforce NE-600X for under $10, I immediately felt that familiar feeling when the two little dudes climbed out of my clavicles and took up their usual places on my shoulders.
 
"Don't do it," the little dude in white with the wings and harp on my left shoulder said, "You need another pair of headphones like you need a third testicle."
 
"Do it," the little dude in red with the horns and pitchfork on my right shoulder said, "It's a sweet deal, pull the freaking trigger already!"
 
"But it's an IEM, and you don't even like IEMs!" the dude in white said.
 
"What is he talking about, you've always wanted another cheap pair of IEMs so that you don't repeat what you did on that flight to Boston last year."
 
I remembered the sad story of my SE535s who, like Jimmy Hoffa, were lost and never found again (that's when I swore never to travel with expensive headphones) and shuddered at the horror of the terrible memories (the loss! the empty aching hollow feeling inside!). 
 
"Look over there on the wall!" I told the dude in white, and when he was distracted, I clicked on "Add To Cart" and bought the NE-600Xs. 
 
The dude in red laughed with evil glee. The dude in white started to weep softly. I looked down, and discovered that lo and behold, I now had a third testicle.
 
The Look
 
The packaging is robust, and easy to open -- the cover pops open without the need to resort to a laser cutting tool or the jaws of life to extricate the IEMs from the packaging.
 
The plastic + metal IEMs are well built. Left and right sides are marked by a small "L" and "R" respectively on one side but not the other, but are not otherwise color-coded. The nozzles are large, and there is a bass port at the opposite ends. The flat cable is a nice touch, and terminates in a 90 degree TRS connector. At the other end the cable enters the IEM housing at 90 degrees, and so these IEMs are best worn with the cable hanging down; they can be worn behind-the-ear style but I found them uncomfortable to wear that way because of the flat cables. 
 
Personally, I like the red/silver/black color combination. The NE-600X is also available in a silver/black variation. Accessories are sparse. Three earbuds, the medium tips pre-installed on the IEMs, and the cable tie if you count it as an "accessory". That's it.
 
The Feel
 
Fit and finish is reasonably good. Cable microphonics are moderate. Luckily the medium tips fit my ears reasonably well with good seal.
 
The sound 
 
The NE-600X features 11mm dynamic drivers and have an impedance of 16 ohms. The first thing that strikes you when you listen is the prominent bass. Extension is good, and low-end tonal definition is surprisingly robust. There's some boominess of the upper bass, though which can be distracting in non-EDM genres. Mids are recessed and vocals have a somewhat flat sound but aren't smeared or distorted. The treble is somewhat artificial-sounding and the highs roll off rapidly and noticeably. Tone is on the warm side. Soundstage is modest. As usual, isolation is highly dependent on fit and seal, personally I thought isolation as average.
 
In conclusion
 
I'm somewhat ambivalent about these IEMs. For $10 they are certainly cheap, bass prominent headphones. But the flat mids and tinny highs detract from an otherwise enjoyable listening experience. If you are looking for bass-prominent IEMs in this price range for genres like EDM, the JVC HAFX101 gives you more bang for your buck. And if you want a bright pair of headphones, these are definitely not for you because of the artificiality of the tone. As a throwaway pair I suppose they are fine, but for serious listening they do not step up to the plate. If you ever have an impulse to jump on the NE-600X, my suggestion: don't do it. It's not worth it.
 
I should have listened to the dude in white.