Massdrop x NuForce Stride Bluetooth IEM

Discussion in 'IEMs and Portable Gear' started by purr1n, Jan 6, 2019.

  1. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Massdrop x NuForce Stride Bluetooth IEM
    Launch Date: Jan 9 (taking orders)

    This item is on the lower end of the scale of things I give impressions on, so why? My wife's old iPhone broke (scroo you Apple bean-counters because my ancient Androids and pre-iPhone5s all still work), so she had to get a new iPhone which doesn't have a phono socket. Also, I can't find the DAC / phono socket dongle for my Pixel 2 phone (again, scroo you Apple for leading the way on this because you guys love profit so much that even the Ferengi would be put to shame).

    So I was talking to @CEE TEE, and he mentioned that they were working on a custom Bluetooth IEM. A Massdrop tuned version of something pre-existing or perhaps something about to exist soon, you know sort of like the HD58X, TH-X00, etc. So here we have it. I think it's a dynamic driver, at least it definitely sounds like a dynamic driver - a single dynamic driver IEM. The price is under $100, but I am not sure because I don't really know exactly. @CEE TEE was on his cell phone and so was I, so I couldn't make out 30% of what he was telling me about the IEM. I'm not even sure it's called Stride. I was able to make out @CEE TEE's garbled words about holding down the button until it the light turned blue (or was that red) for Bluetooth pairing - which was easy enough to do with my Sony ZX2.

    Anyway, this thing ain't bad. Not bad at all. The sound is typical single dynamic driver IEM with some bass and sibilance (gotta take the good with the bad, dynamic driver physicality and texture in a single driver will come with some peaks in the highs), but Massdrop has done a good job toning down the bass and the sibilance to actually reasonable levels. If anything, I guess we could say the frequency response is slightly V-shaped. The tuning is probably something most consumers and most IEM users would prefer, but still have appeal to neutral-heads. I preferred the included silicone tips for crisper bass and highs. The foam tips, also included, sound bassier and darker. Since this is a Bluetooth IEM, I couldn't do my regular set of measurements, but here is an RTA.

    Massdrop x NuForce Stride Bluetooth IEM
    Frequency Response - RTA Pink Noise
    Stride.png

    I have a couple of crucial comments regarding the graph. The bass is more evident than the graph suggests. This almost always seems to be the case with DD bass drivers. The bass is nicely textured but does tend to get congested when cranked up. The broad 3.5kHz doesn't seem to bother me - perhaps what I am hearing is more a midrange recess from 500-2kHz rather than a 3.5kHz bump. I do think there is a peak at 7kHz. This doesn't seem to be an issue with well-mastered recordings (I tried various k.d. Lang, classical stuff, some of the better MTV Unplugged stuff); however, it did show up in pop recordings from No Doubt and Maroon 5 (later albums). Still, it was listenable as opposed to unbearable. I'm just nitpicking. This is a keeper.

    Screenshot_20190106-224017.png
     
    Last edited: Jan 7, 2019
  2. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    bump - release.

    Does anyone have the link on Massdrop? I can't find it.
     
  3. BenjaminBore

    BenjaminBore Friend

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    Last edited: Jan 7, 2019
  4. luckybaer

    luckybaer Friend

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    Argh... edited because I posted an URL that was posted 2 weeks ago.

    These do look interesting. $74.99 preorder.

    May give them a shot and compare them to the Bose Soundsports I use. I like the Bose, but they don’t isolate well at all. These Massdrop x NuForce earphones look like they might be better in that regard. Will make trips to the gym and long walks near (not in) traffic more tolerable.
     
  5. Merrick

    Merrick A lidless ear

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    No LDAC, bummer.
     
  6. Thujone

    Thujone Friend

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    FYI - you can get these for free with a purchase of the HD6XX right now. Seems like a good reason to try both.
     

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