HiFi Mai Tai

I paid just under £2 for the ND NX2. I was going to list all the other things that could be bought for £2 but in this modern world £2 doesn’t really get you a lot. But the question remains. For £2 what can sound can I get? Well lets find out. Lets get into the Bartender’s ND NX2 Review.

ND NX2 Review – The Cocktail:

At this price I would expect nothing other than a single dynamic driver probably a 10mm and that is exactly what we have here. An easy to drive, easy to explain, ever dependable 10mm dynamic driver. Did you expect anything else?

Drivers: 10 mm Dynamic Driver
Frequency: 20 to 40,000 Hz
Impedence: 19 Ω
Sensitivity: 101 dB

ND NX2 Review – The Taste Test Setup:

I have persisted with using the SMLS M20 and my ever present Tripowin balanced cables. Usually for these ultra budget IEMs I would provide some comparison of how the price of this equipment compares to that of the IEM but this time the numbers got too big and too scary. I will let you work them out for yourselves (Bet you didn’t think you would be getting homework).

DAC/AMP: SMLS M20
Cable: 4.4 mm Tripowin Zonie
Eartips: Stock (Silicon)

ND NX2 Review – The Non-Audio:

The ND NX2 are cheap (did i mention that already?). They are cheap, the look cheap (though quite fun), they feel cheap and they were probably designed to fit the ear of a random intern who wasn’t busy at the time and as a result do not fit me particularly well.

I do like the clear colored shells. I always like being able to see the driver without any effort (using my x-ray vision can get so tiring). A number of different colors are available and if the others are as vibrant as the purple/blue ones I have then they will capture the same sense of childish fun.

ND NX2 Review – The Audio:

Lets briefly cover the audio.

Firstly, the bass. Well this is a based focused tuning. Specifically, its a more slam than rumble focused bass so the bass hits are pretty clean and the bass has good speed. However, the bass can also lack texture, shape and definition often sounding a little dull. More of a thud than a slam at times.

The mids can be pretty recessed sounding but were sufficiently clear and are not overly thick or thin.

The treble is far less sharp than may be expected particularly if comparing to the ultra budget KZ options (more on that later). Its not really an airy sound, its not really a relaxed softened sound its just a generic safe presentation that will get fatiguing in long listening sessions but isn’t really a big problem.

I really struggled with placing the vocals. On some tracks the vocals sounded pushed forward where on others far more recessed. Its like the ND NX2 pushes the inherent vocal position to the extreme. Additionally, vocals often sound softened perhaps even muffled. The muffling is partially noticeable for female vocalist but the ND NX2 presents male and female vocals very similarly.

The level of detail was not bad. The treble has the sort of detail that you might expect and the bass is a bit more dull and lacking. Technicals are also nothing really to shout about. The soundstage is actually rather big certainly in its width but the imagining and layering do not out perform the price.

ND NX2 Review – The AI Opinion:

This a new feature that I am trying out. How well will it work? I don’t know but here goes anyway.

In this section I have asked Google’s AI mode to predict a score for the to be reviewed IEM prior to publishing my review. To get this prediction I have asked that it predict a score based upon the scoring system employed by me here at the HiFi Mai Tai beach bar. That’s it. It is as simple as that. I could be doing myself out of the job here. But got to embrace the modern world etc. And if AI is gonna take my job I am going to go down fighting. Hopefully it proves itself rubbish and there is nothing to worry about.

So the ND NX2. What does AI think?

These results really surprised me and it took AI much longer than normal to work them out (maybe there are less online opinions for this IEM or maybe its just a bad day for my internet). AI thinks highly of the the ND NX2 much more highly than I do. Whilst our ratings for the mids very closely agree, the mids are the highest score I gave and AI’s lowest. The AI bass score is really high and would put (from a bass perspective) the ND NX2 ahead of quite a few of the other IEMs I have reviewed.

ND NX2 Review – Overall:

My first comparison is the Tangzu Wanner Red Lion. This IEM cost a fair bit more than the ND NX2 but I wanted to include it as I think it might represent the sort of tuning ND NX2 was going for. The Red Lion is a bass and vocal set and it does this rather well. On tracks where the ND NX2 pushes the vocals forward the presentation can sound a lot like the Red Lion (not as good as the Red Lion but similar in style). Of course this is only half the story as the ND NX2 also seems to push vocals back and when this happens it does not sound like the Red Lion. So Red Lion or ND NX2? Red Lion of Course.

Next up is the KZ EDX Pro which is now the second cheapest IEM I have reviewed. The EDX Pro is a more agressive V-shape with the treble pushed and sharpened. It is therefore the more fatiguing set but also for me at least the more egaging set. Combine this with the clearer vocals of the EDX Pro and it would certianly be my choice over the ND NX2.

And finally, its the KZ Gale. The bass of the KZ Gale hits with a much more satisfying force and like the EDX Pro the Gale has a sharper more egaging treble. All of this is good for the Gale but where the Gale really shines over the ND NX2 is in the technicals. The KZ Gale has much better separation allowing instruments/vocals to be picked out in space much more effectively. This may be the result of the Gales gaming heritage but it certainly works well for music. So its the KZ Gale for me.

Okay lets wrap up this summer clearnance sale. Compared to the other ultra budget IEMs I have reviewed the ND NX2 can hold its own and there is nothing better for the price of £2. However, when considering IEMs under £10 it does come up a little short with the KZ Gale in particular offering more. If you really only have £2 to spend then the ND NX2 are undoubetly for you but I would recommend saving for just a little longer.