At the time this review was written, the Alpha & Delta was listed for sale on Lendmeurears website. Here is a link to their listing of the product:
http://www.lendmeurears.com/alpha-delta-d2m/
Introduction
Lendmeurears introduced its line of in ear monitors last fall, releasing the dual driver Alpha & Delta AD01. It was a bass forward earphone that received a fairly high approval from reviewers. Being in the industry already, they had insight in terms of what their target market was. Their experience combined with what they’ve learned has led to the release of their next model, the D2.
Lendmeurears has designed a new sports earphone. They have an ergonomic fit, are sweat resistant and designed to be used with a smartphone or DAP. Let's take a look at what they’ve accomplished and go over them with a comprehensive review.
Disclaimer
I was given an opportunity to review the D2 in exchange for my honest opinion and review. I am in no way affiliated with Lendmeurears, aside from agreeing to give an unbiased review to inform my friends on Head-Fi what the D2 are all about. I would like to take this time to personally thank Teo for the opportunity.
My Background
I AM NOT a numbers and graphs audiophile or sound engineer. Personal audio enthusiast? Absolutely! Headphone junkie? Possibly…
There’s something about quality DAPs, DACs, Amplifiers and Earphones that intrigues me. I want to hear any earphone that looks promising, in hopes that I can share my impressions with enthusiasts and help them find the audio product they’re looking for. My Head-Fi profile has a list of audio products ranked from favorite to least favorite. For me, this hobby is more about getting great price to performance ratio from a product, and having a variety of different gear to mix and match. With personal audio gear, we tend to pay a lot of money for minor upgrades. One thing I’ve learned over the last few years is that just because a headphone has a higher price tag, it doesn’t mean that it has superior build and sound quality.
I’m always looking for great audio at a great price. I’m after headphones and IEMs that give me the “WOW” factor. I can appreciate different builds and sound signatures as long as they are solidly built, with ergonomics and sound that is pleasing to my ears. It’s my pleasure to share my experiences with audio products and make recommendations based on gear I have owned and used.
REVIEW
The A&D D2 comes in a gray box with red lettering. Unfortunately, DHL managed to crush my box, leaving me with no packaging to photograph. Please check another review if you would like to see the packaging. Sorry everyone...
Specifications and Accessories
Specification:
- Driver unit: 10mm dynamic driver
- Impedance: 16 ohm
- Rated power: 1mW
- Frequency Response: 10 Hz- 20 Khz
- Speaker Sensitivity: 95 +/- db/ mW
- Cord Length: 1.2m
- Plug: 3.5 mm
Accessories:
- 1 shirt clip
- 3 pairs of silicon tips
- 3 pairs of bifiange tips
- 2 pairs of foam tips
Housings
Looking at them, the best way I could describe it is that they are is that they are rubbery plastic beans with nozzles. They are a great fitting earphone that will work with many people's ears. The D2 has a nozzle that is relatively standard in terms of width and length. Tip rolling was easy to do and I was able to get a good seal with almost every style of tip I used. Alpha and Delta logos can be seen on each housing. A red marking on the strain relief of the D2 Identifies the right channel.
Cable, Y-Split, Cable Jack, Strain Reliefs
The D2 cable is a standard black rubber cable that is in alignment with Alpha & Delta’s asking price. Some nice features are the very pliable memory wire that improves the fit. There is a chin/neck slider and Y-split that also operates as single button remote and microphone. Just when that wasn’t enough, a manual volume slider is also built into the Y-split. This combination make the D2 a fantastic traveling companion. Cable jacks are a straight 3.5 mm plug. Strain reliefs are well placed and seem to be very adequate.
Functionality
The D2 comes in two variations, with or without a microphone and remote. I selected the mic/remote option. The single button works great to play/pause/skip tracks in my LG V10. Alpha & Delta has applied manual volume slider attached to the remote, making controlling volume easy. It was a positive experience not having to turn on a screen or reach in my pocket. Kudos for this, especially considering that they are marketed as sports earphones.
Ergonomics, Fit and Microphonics, Isolation
I really enjoyed the fit of the A&D D2. Their egg/bean shape was small enough to fit in just about anyone’s ear, and also rests in the concha of my ear, taking weight off of the nozzle and making the the D2 fit comfortably. The very flexible memory wire didn’t feel uncomfortable, and the housing’s satin texture was smooth and the somewhat spherical shape renders smooth edges. The including chin slider is icing on the cake. The D2 fit fabulously for me. Your mileage may vary. You will know when they fit because they create a suction like seal. You may experience some driver flex if you get too much pressure on the D2 dynamic driver.
NOTE: If there is one thing that might make them hard to get a fit it’s their shallow fit. If you are having trouble getting the D2 to fit well try a wider and shallower fitting tip.
Once I was able to get a nice fit and found the right tip I was able to enjoy the D2 with little or any need to readjust. The D2 is a better than average isolator. The create a suction like seal that blocks out most ambient noise.
Sound Review
I did my demo with my usual gear. I used an LG-V10 for smartphone use, and either my Shanling H3 or iBasso DX80 DAP/Bushmaster D14 DAC/Amp for high fidelity portable use. For desktop use, I used my Toshiba Satellite Laptop in combination with a ifi micro iDSD playing at 32/192 kHz. I tested them with several other sources as well. I used Google Music in its highest download quality (320 KBPS), and also streamed FLAC via Tidal streaming service. I also used purchased and downloaded tracks in MP3, FLAC, WAV and DSD. I make sure that any gear I test has sufficient playtime before writing a review.
I used my usual same songs for testing gear:
“Limit to your love” by James Blake (bass speed, punch, response)
“Doin’ it Right” by Daft Punk (sub bass)
“Get lucky” by Daft Punk (bass to midrange transition resolution, male vocals)
“Madness” by Muse (soundstage, separation)
“Some nights” by Fun (soundstage and male vocals)
“The soundmaker” by Rodrigo y Gabriela (texture and imaging)
“Bassically” by Tei Shi (bass to midrange resolution, female vocals)
“Skinny Love” performed by Birdie (female vocals, acoustic playback)
“One” by Ed Sheeran (male vocals, acoustic playback)
“Outlands” from the Tron Legacy Soundtrack (symphonic presentation, imaging)
“Sultans of swing” by Dire Straits (detail, separation, balance)
“And Justic for All” by Metallica (driver distortion, treble response, rock playback)
“Ten thousand fists” by Disturbed (driver distortion, treble response, rock playback)
Note: Other tracks were used, but the listed songs were primarily used to assess and break down the gear’s response.
Source Selection
The D2 is designed to be used with a portable device. They has a bassy presence that is further emphasized by warmer sources. I got my favorite results listening to them on my LG V10 in Hifi mode.
The D2 sound signature is not set up to make the most of your high bitrate recordings. Plugging these into your high power desktop tube amplifier would be silly.
The D2 is forgiving with poorly recorded music. They will make your Tidal, Itunes and Google Music sound great. They have a bass forward, warm tilted sound with aggressive upper midrange much similar to the sports earphone models of time’s past.
Don’t try to make the D2 anything more than a great sports and portable music companion. They are designed for this and will not disappoint you if used this way.
Sound Signature
D2 is a entertainer, offering a bass bumping sound that will get you going during your run or commute. They have a forward bass and upper midrange that gives you the boom and vocals a younger generation of consumers are looking for. The tuning works great for pop and modern genres of music. Indie, Hip hop and EDM all sound excellent on the D2.
Usually for twenty five dollars you know what to expect, but the D2 will surprise you with its sonic performance. Although not the greatest thing I’ve ever heard, if you popped them in my ears without telling me, I wouldn’t tell you that you got a bad deal if you paid more than what Lendmeurears is asking for them. They are a fun sound that works great in loud environments or during physical activities.
Bass
The D2 is a little bassy for my preference, but on a bright note they have some very nice range and depth. During Daft Punk’s “Doin it right” the D2 was easily able to hit the lowest of low notes without distorting or losing it’s tone.
Occasionally the D2 bass would be a bit too forward, making things seem boosted or slightly boomy. Bassheads will love it. Purists will be able to tolerate it. It doesn’t ruin the D2 sound, it boosts it.
Attack and decay are that of your average dynamic driver, but nowhere near as clear as some of the world’s best transducers I’ve heard. They aren’t sloppy, but at the same time they aren’t going to blow you away with low end resolution and clarity.
Midrange
Midrange of the D2 is warm tilted and takes a slight back seat to their authoritative bass presence. I can’t pinpoint if it’s the bass or overall clarity, but the D2 didn’t have an airy or detailed midrange presentation. A lift at upper midrange frequencies prevents them from sounding dark. Still, for twenty five dollars the midrange sound really good and really fun. You won’t feel like vocals are missing. It's a fair amount of decibels lower than the booming stuff, but but also not the farthest back in the mix (that title goes to the treble tuning).
Upper midrange puts a nice bite on vocals. Harmony sounds okay as long as the bass isn't dominating the track. There will be some breakup in midrange sounds when the bass hits hard.
Treble
Treble is formidable, not harsh, and not what I would consider to be extended. A forward upper midrange presence extends and rolls off when we get to treble sounds. You can make out things like cymbal crashes and pronunciation of the letters S and T, but they will be a considrerable amount behind the rest of the tuning. The forward upper midrange saves them from being an incredibly dark sounding earphone.
Soundstage and Imaging
Because the D2 can hit the lowest bass notes and hold the tune, I give them a good rating in terms of soundstage depth. The gradual decent from bass to treble prevents me from saying they have any advantages in terms of soundstage height or imaging. All in all the D2 ranks average in this criteria.
Comparisons
Brainwavz XFIT sports earphones ($25 to $30 USD on many sites)
Comparing the two, the XFIT seems to have a more balanced, and also more grainy sound. Although they aren’t very far off in terms of sound signature, the D2 bass seemed to dig a bit deeper. The XFIT seemed to be a bit more forward and a bit more extended at upper midrange and treble frequencies.
Builds are nearly identical. I give the D2 a decisive advantage in terms of shell material shape and surface material. I also give the D2 an advantage for adding a manual volume slider on the Y-split. It made controlling music fun and easy during running and bike rides.
Accessories is a draw. Brainwavz may get a slight edge for offering a few more tips.
At the end of the day, it’s a toss up with these things. It depends on what you think looks best and is tuned more for your preference.
Moxpad X3 ($19 to USD on many sites)
The X3 is a budget Shure SE215 challenger released a few years back. They have detachable DC style cable, solidly built and designed housing with over-ear fit. They make great workout phones or stage monitors.
Comparing the two, they honestly have a very similar tuning. Bouncing back and forth it was very hard to distinguish differently between them aside from the fact that the D2 seemed to have a bit more refinement and clarity in the midrange and higher frequencies. Bass on both are boosted at about the same degree to the rest of their tuning.
Accessories is a draw. The X3 gets an advantage for having a replaceable cable, but D2 gets a slight edge in terms of fit.
Conclusion
I really like the D2. Alpha & Delta hasn’t reinvented the wheel for sports earphones, but they’ve refined it a bit. If I were in the market for a sports earphone, I would consider these for sure.
I give the D2 three and a half stars for sound, three and a half stars for materials and build quality, and five stars in terms of fit and functionality. Average them out, the D2 gets four stars.
If you are looking for something to throw in the gym bag, use on the bus, or take on a bike ride they won’t disappoint. They’ll give you everything you need to make the most of your music collection while on the go.
Thanks for reading and happy listening!