Massdrop Plus IEM

Discussion in 'IEM Measurements' started by purr1n, Oct 6, 2017.

  1. Decomo

    Decomo Almost "Made"

    Contributor
    Joined:
    Jul 1, 2016
    Likes Received:
    163
    Trophy Points:
    50
    Location:
    Australia
    Thank you for sharing your impression. I was hesitant to getting one and might get one on next drop. Hope they drop again soon.
     
  2. Kunlun

    Kunlun cat-alyzes cat-aclysmic cat-erwauling - Friend

    Pyrate IEMW
    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2015
    Likes Received:
    5,729
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Meow Parlour
    They are shipping now from the first drop, so let's see if there is a second one upcoming. With a wave of reviews, I think there will be.
     
  3. a44100Hz

    a44100Hz Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Jan 1, 2016
    Likes Received:
    1,159
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    US East
    Got mine today. Pleasantly exceed my expectations. In terms of build quality, aesthetic, fit, and comfort, they are a step above the Noble X I'm used to. (The Noble X feels like a toy in comparison due to bulk and plastic feel.)

    Out of an iPhone 6+ headphone jack (OI ~3 to 4 ohm?) they are also a step above the X in separation and detail retrieval. Elements to tracks that sound smothered together on the X are clearly distinct with the MD Plus. Vocals are crisp and clear. Those who seek clarity will likely relish these. The downside for me is they are less "fun", less warm and bassy and are faster in a way that can detract from lingering decay. The lack of bottom end is missed by my ears. Something about it sounds unnaturally thin or hollowed out. I would guess they have a sound signature that would be preferable for actual stage monitoring work. So I would not say these are superior to the Noble X in every way: if you're listening to hip hop and EDM exclusively, the X will probably suit you better.

    Ah, but switching to the Apple lightning DAC/amp dongle (OI <1 ohm?) is actually much better. (I note the reverse is true for the X.) The unnatural feeling is gone and the bottom end is back (though not as much as the X, but I'm not missing it anymore). There is still a lack of oomph to the bass compared to the X but the detail and separation seems worth the exchange. These are very well rounded IEMs, what a treat. I imagine they would sound even better out of a quality DAP with ~1 ohm OI.

    Very satisfied with this purchase. Note: I used the same Comply tips for both IEMs.

    tl;dr really good IEMs for low OI sources like Apple lightning dongle. Not so good for iPhone 6+ headphone jack.
     
  4. BaconBits

    BaconBits Acquaintance

    Joined:
    Jul 9, 2017
    Likes Received:
    40
    Trophy Points:
    18
    Location:
    Austin
    Got these in today. Initial impressions are pretty good, in fact excellent. The main aspect of this iem that stuck me first was the clarity. The tonal balance is as flat as I have heard, with just the slightest bump of bass.
     
  5. rawrster

    rawrster New

    Joined:
    Mar 19, 2017
    Likes Received:
    19
    Trophy Points:
    8
    Location:
    New York City
    I picked these up today and so far initial impressions are good. I was a bit worried about them being too large for my ears however they are smaller than I anticipated. Comfort and isolation is good.

    It's been a few years since I heard a uerm however it seems a bit warmer in tonality to be compared to the uerm. Clarity isn't amazing however at $300 I won't complain. I only have a audio Technica ls200 to compare to. I had a cable on order for them however it too too long so I'm able to switch to the massdrop 2 pin now. This is out of my Samsung Galaxy s8+ and have no clue what the output impedance is. This could very well have a large impact on what I'm hearing and could be different with a better source. Hopefully in a few months I'll have better things to compare with (thinking of getting a custom at canjam)

    Luckily for me I found one used instead of waiting 3+ months. I don't have the patience for that anymore.
     
  6. Cellist88

    Cellist88 Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Nov 11, 2015
    Likes Received:
    1,607
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    NJ
    Got these in today. I have to agree with @sphinxvc and say these are overhyped. Maybe I was expecting too much. "awesome", or bang for the buck aren't words that come to my mind at all. I actually would not compare them to any decent/Totl Iem. There is quite a huge margin of performance between these and the andromedas + other iems I've heard. I guess expectations should be tempered at this price range, but from what I'm remembering, i vastly prefer my old and long gone 1964 V6S(which was around $500 when i bought them new). I would recommend that people save up and shell a few hundred more for a used andromeda, or find other options.

    So with the value perspective out of the way:

    Overall, these lack clarity, but at the same time they are fatiguing. Overall the sound is muffled, muddy, veiled, with some weird characteristics. Treble is weird. Its either super sparkly and sizzly, or it just feels very hazy and muffled with a lack of air. mids feel like they have a veil as well....I'm just missing clarity...i don't hear good nuancing, microdetail, or microdynamics. Still sounds alright I guess until the bass comes it. There is way too much bass on these as they completely overpower the rest of the spectrum. At least that means that I am getting a good seal. Although the bass is big bodied and with a good deal of impact(surprised me a couple times), control and tightness are lacking. This causes the bass to sound bloated or flabby. Timbre on instruments such as the cello do not sound correct at all. The staging is sometimes weird I had a feeling like there just some empty spaces within the headspace.

    Am I missing something something here? Overall I tried to like them and try to hear what others wrote in their impressions but I can't seem to hear it. I gave it a lot of chances hearing it on different sources. heard it from soekris dac (1.5 ), Samsung Galaxy S6(i don't know the io), Go2A(.47 ohm), Asus Zenfone 2 (I think around 1 or 2),...even the ECP Torpedo III(<1). the T3 was better than anything else(really surprised me! also dead quiet! it can be a good iem amp for iems liking <1 Zout) . I chose some neutral, tight, airy Psvane tubes and the plus sounded started sounding acceptable.

    I guess the plus side was they were very comfortable and I love that they are very small. Very ideal size and packaging is great!

    But seeing that these are meant for portable use, i think I'll give these a hard pass as they dont' pair with my phones. I would prefer silence to listening to them. I guess the andromeda are still the best value iems, though i prefer the Hidition Viento-R(maybe/maybe not...just a tad bright), 64 A18t, and Tia fourtes over them. Seems harsh, but it was the initial impression that never went away. If anyone wants a Massdrop Plus IEM, send me a pm. I used my own tips so the included tips are new and unused.
     
    Last edited: Feb 9, 2018
  7. Kattefjaes

    Kattefjaes Mostly Harmless

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 5, 2016
    Likes Received:
    4,521
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    London, UK
    I wonder if that's OI-centric? I don't hear the bass swamping everything at all (at 0.92 ohms or so). After spending some time dicking about to get a good seal, I found that the bass was reasonably polite- not super extended and a bit midbassy, but not overwhelming even slightly.

    That said, I think you're right about the highs being somewhat tizzy. Actually, I found that the timbre of whole shooting match is off somehow, too- moreso than the normal BA timbre. It's a bit grainy and artificial- lacking smoothness, and you can't listen too deeply into busy passages, either.

    If they fitted better, the Noble-X would be a much more listenable budget IEM.

    I don't know what to think- were the people on the early hype train hearing a pre-production version that was better, or is it truly a matter of taste?
     
    Last edited: Feb 12, 2018
  8. nudd

    nudd New

    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2015
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    1
    Hmmm, not sure if it is a matter of taste or not, but I really quite like these. They sound pretty clear to me and not tizzy.

    I have the Shure SE500, 1964ears A6 and Sony XBA-H3 and to my ears, the Massdrop Plus beats them all in terms of frequency response and overall sound signature. Maybe even clarity.

    Now I really, really want a pair of Andros to see what the fuss is all about ...
     
  9. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

    Staff Member Pyrate Flathead IEMW
    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2015
    Likes Received:
    6,304
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Clear, clear water
    The bass is titled to deep bass. There’s no mud unless you’re running it through higher impedance. These should sound very clear under 1 ohm; the FR is pretty similar to the ER4XR but clearer than those (XR distortion is a little high in the midrange) with a hair more warmth and deep bass rumble.

    I hear the grain with a shallow fit. I use dual flange tips and it minimizes the grain and improve top end smoothness. I’d highly recommend keepin OI under one and playing with deeper fit if graininess is an issue. Hype or no, the Plus is still one of my favorite iems. It does everything I wanted the new Ety series to do. (The old ER-4S is still the one to beat in treble with similar tuning).

    Edit: I own a production unit.
     
  10. kitantisune

    kitantisune Acquaintance

    Joined:
    May 12, 2017
    Likes Received:
    54
    Trophy Points:
    18
    Location:
    Australia
    Got my MD+ in a few days ago and it's been a bit of a mixed bag of emotions: I initially had a wall of text but I'm just going to dot-point my impressions instead:

    - Smallest foam tips + deep insertion: these were pretty listenable, and the isolation was amazing, but there was too much pressure in my ear canal and it sounded slightly 'off'.
    - Single-flange silicone + medium insertion: I wanted to bring up the bass on these, and the treble became really harsh
    - Noble X foam tip + deep insertion: still had harsh treble for some reason
    - Dual-flange silicone + deep insertion: my experience matches @shotgunshane

    Note if you want to tip roll: the bores on these seem a bit wider than usual and I ended up tearing some of the foam tips when I tried to take them off (d'oh!), perhaps wait for them to stiffen up before attempting to remove them.

    What intrigues me is the fact that wide-bore silicone produces the smoothest treble. I was convinced foamies were the way to go to roll it off a little bit, but they didn't seem to help at all.

    EDIT:

    Impressions were done with Sony Xperia Z1 Compact (~2-4Ohms), Schiit Fulla 2 (<1Ohm), Focusrite 2i2 w/ ieMatch "Ultra" (<1.5Ohm).

    I don't think they have HD650 highs (which seem smoother); the note texture seems more lean than the HD650.
     
    Last edited: Feb 12, 2018
  11. Eric_C

    Eric_C Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2015
    Likes Received:
    364
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Got mine in for a few days, been listening to them out of AK Jr and Rockbox'd Clip+. You guys (folks like marv, zerodeefex, shotgunshane) were right: higher Z-out sources like the AK Jr make the whole sound too warmed up. Out of the Clip+ (I think output impedance is 1-ish?) everything is much clearer, but the single flange tips are way too harsh. Double flange is much better.
    Haven't tried the foam tips but I can't be bothered.

    Comfort and isolation is quite good.
     
  12. KowalskiFUT

    KowalskiFUT New

    Joined:
    Jul 30, 2016
    Likes Received:
    7
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Location:
    EU
    Did anybody paired these with Chord Mojo? I ordered MD Plus, and the Mojo is the only source I have.
     
  13. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    8,200
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Northwest France
    Here's a few notes after a week.

    I have tinnitus which make me extra sensitive to high frequencies and these were unforgiving to me when I first tried them out of my Cayin N5. I decided to give it a couple hours to burn in at medium volume and then tried them with the Meridian Explorer 2 (0.5 ohm OI). This softened the brightness a bit and wowed me enough to continue my listening session until 3am. Incredibly detailed and the semi-custom shape is extremely comfortable. They also work well out of my 2016 Macbook Pro (0.2 ohm OI). The nozzle is a bit large though which can be a problem for people with smaller ears canals. I am using the smallest foam tips and they still feel tight. I will experiment a bit to find optimal tips though because these are keepers.
     
  14. jexby

    jexby Posole Prince

    Staff Member Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Sep 28, 2015
    Likes Received:
    8,145
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Exit stage left....
    during my few days with these IEMs from the loaner tour, I too am impressed with the sound when OI is low.
    no mud at all. all goodness and certainly the best $299 IEM my ears have heard to date.

    only nitpick: the 2 pin cable detracts from overall ergonomics IMO.
    much prefer the MMCX connectors as found on Campfire Audio line as the cable is free to twist and spin,
    which makes for easier insertion and cable alignment/flexibility.
     
    Last edited: Feb 18, 2018
  15. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    8,200
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Northwest France
    Fixed that for you
     
  16. kitantisune

    kitantisune Acquaintance

    Joined:
    May 12, 2017
    Likes Received:
    54
    Trophy Points:
    18
    Location:
    Australia
    I'm curious if you measured this or if you have a source for the spec sheet, since I couldn't find any official info on this and there is a huge variation in reported OI across various forums.

    To me my MBP (2014) is still a good source for the Plus but it sounds slightly lean with CA Orion, which suggests to me an OI of around <4 ohms.

    Could be my inexperienced ears talking of course, and I haven't taken any measurements.
     
  17. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    8,200
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Northwest France
    I measured it myself with a 100 ohm resistor. I couldn't find specs anywhere for the output. Lower resistor values would probably be more accurate.
     
  18. wormcycle

    wormcycle Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Aug 13, 2016
    Likes Received:
    1,506
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Toronto, ON, Canada
    I am just about o join the drop, what dual flange tips you are using? Etymotics ER4-XR?
     
  19. shotgunshane

    shotgunshane Floridian Falcon

    Staff Member Pyrate Flathead IEMW
    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2015
    Likes Received:
    6,304
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Clear, clear water
    I’m using Mee Audio I believe. The Ety stuff is too narrow bore. The key with Plus is keep a wide bore and get deeper fit.
     
  20. Eric_C

    Eric_C Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2015
    Likes Received:
    364
    Trophy Points:
    63
    It comes with dual-flange tips. Compared to the included singles, the dual-flange helped enough for me.
     

Share This Page