[jude]

Massdrop x NuForce Stride Blueooth IEMs: First Impressions & Measurements

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Wireless headphones have gotten a lot better over the last several years — so much so that it’s not surprising to hear a good one any more. It is surprising, however, to hear a really good one and then find out it’s priced at only $75. With their first “Massdrop Made” wireless earphone, Massdrop has come up with just such a thing, and a thing that’s AAC- and aptX-enabled, no less. It’s called the Massdrop x NuForce Stride Bluetooth IEM.

I’ve watched and discussed the Stride with Massdrop as they worked with NuForce for quite some time to get it dialed in, so I was excited to receive the production version of the Massdrop x NuForce Stride just before leaving for CES. I’ve had time enough with them to form some first impressions, and also had a chance to measure them.

First impressions? The Stride sounds excellent for a Bluetooth headphone at its price, with a tastefully sculpted V-shaped sound signature — rich bass that’s not overly thick; linear midband; and crisp treble that’s on the cusp of what I’d call bright, but stays just shy of crossing that line (keeping in mind that I tend to prefer warmer signatures with a smoother treble presentation). Across several musical genres (rock, jazz, classical, electronic, pop), the Stride has what I'd so far call a safe tuning -- one that works well across genres. It's early still, so I'll have more to say with more listening time.

One thing I strongly prefer wireless headphones for is exercise. I’ve only used the Stride for one workout so far (one session on an elliptical trainer), but it shows early promise for me as a wireless workout headphone. For this use case, the fact that it has IPX5 water resistance is also a big plus.

Here are our measurements of the Stride:

As Bluetooth headphones go, the Stride’s THD level is quite low.

Here’s the Stride’s frequency response plotted against the Harman IE (in-ear) Target:

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The audio measurements in this post were made using:

• GRAS 45CA Headphone Test Fixture, with:
  • GRAS RA0401 High Resolution Ear Simulators
  • GRAS KB5010/KB5011 Anthropometric Pinnae for 45CA (video)
• Audio Precision APx555 Audio Analyzer with Bluetooth Duo Module
• Audio Precision APx1701 Transducer Test Interface
• Herzan Acoustic & Vibration Isolation Enclosure

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As you can see, while the Stride does not directly match the Harman IE Target, it has a closer relationship to it than many of the IEMs we measure. In other words, the Stride has a frequency response that those who endeavor to hit the Harman IE Target’s sound might very well appreciate.

As for nitpicks, I sometimes find myself twiddling with the Stride upon initial insertion to get a good fit. Once it’s in, it’s in, so that’s good — but it takes a bit more work than I’d like. I have no doubt I’ll be able to solve this with eartip-rolling, but the none of the tips that come with the Stride have been awesome for me in this regard. Of course, fit varies from person to person, so your experience with the stock tips may be completely different from mine.

I also wish the Stride’s volume-up and volume-down confirmation tones were a bit more subtle, but that’s just a minor nit to pick.

Overall, though, my first impressions of the Massdrop x NuForce Stride Bluetooth IEM is overwhelmingly positive so far. The Stride's sound signature is wonderful for the category, and utterly surprising for the price. As I gain more experience with the Stride, I'll post most follow-ups in this thread.

When the Stride drops opens up on Massdrop, it’ll be at the following link:

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-x-nuforce-stride-bluetooth-iems

 

[jant71]

Wow, coming soon and BT 4.1? No thanks. Had that type of remote with the JVC ET50BT. Can you have the buttons stick out more? They like to have one sheet covering the buttons to help with the IPX rating but feeling for slightly raised small symbols is just not good for a sports oriented model. I want buttons that are evident and easy to identify more quickly. You'd do better with this to buy the stick on rubber/silicone dots and put it on over the play button.

Little bit late to the party for me for design and features. With CES 2019 here we will see all new stuff. We already have this design with built in MP3 players and on board EQ even with aptX for much cheaper.

Believe this is just an existing Nuforce model so read your Amazon reviews on them. As usual do you usual homework

 

[meringo]

BT5 or nothing at this stage in the game. The interference problems from before are virtually gone (at least in my experience)

It's kind of like the Fiio BTR3 vs Radsone ES100 -- I love Fiio, but it's a tough sell when the direct competitor is doing something way better, WAY prior to your release. Or those new DAPS / Wireless headphones that use USB-micro instead of USB C. Why? I guess the answer doesn't really matter... the wallets will speak.

We are in 2019. IDK if Massdrop and Nuforce got the memo.

 

[Mark Up]

A bit off topic but the Harman curve above intrigues me. We are most sensitive from 1-5 khz. The higher peak is right in that range, with it rolling off as it goes higher, which ironically is how our hearing rolls off as you go higher. I had thought the curve, if it really was ideal, would have the rise in sub bass we see, flatter mid bass, to low mids and mids, which have a wide dip I'd again say doesn't match our natural hearing sensitivities, ie. the Fletcher Munson curve. Ideally it would be highest at 10-20 hz, going down a bit to flat about 100 hz into the low mids, a dip from 600-800 hz out to 5 khz, and a slow rise after that with its peak in the low to mid teens, and flat or rolled off, in the high teens. The developers of that curve would have meant well, but given how many have hearing loss in the high mids / low highs, it may speak to their wanting to compensate for it. My hearing is more flat, less dips, so it would not agree with me as much.

 

[Zachik]

I have had the pleasure of auditioning the Stride (thanks @CEE TEE !) and can second @jude opinions:

• Great value - for $75 I doubt you can find better sounding BT IEMs! To be honest, @CEE TEE did not tell me the price before I auditioned them, and I was (pleasantly) surprised to learn their price is only $75...
• Very enjoyable bass and mids - I think those IEMs are great for Rock music
• I strongly prefer headphones over IEMs (not in the gym, though), but once using the foam tips - I got a very good fit and seal. An hour later, I realized I totally forgot I am wearing IEMs... very comfortable.

I think Massdrop got (yet another) winner here.
Easy recommendation!

 

[CEE TEE]

Wow, coming soon and BT 4.1? No thanks. Had that type of remote with the JVC ET50BT. Can you have the buttons stick out more? They like to have one sheet covering the buttons to help with the IPX rating but feeling for slightly raised small symbols is just not good for a sports oriented model. I want buttons that are evident and easy to identify more quickly. You'd do better with this to buy the stick on rubber/silicone dots and put it on over the play button.

Little bit late to the party for me for design and features. With CES 2019 here we will see all new stuff. We already have this design with built in MP3 players and on board EQ even with aptX for much cheaper.

Believe this is just an existing Nuforce model so read your Amazon reviews on them. As usual do you usual homework

Hey jant71,

Thanks for the interest, questions, and recommendations. I've been using the Stride for quite a while now and I can share that the buttons on the control pod are spaced out enough and raised enough that you can tell what they are and operate them accordingly. I have also used some control pads where the buttons were too close or you can't tell the "+" from the "-". (Part of what makes it easy to control is that the "+" is closer to the ear- once you know that, you don't even need to feel the difference between "+" and "-".)

The Massdrop x NuForce Stride has a different sound signature, different control sounds (created by Massdrop to be non-intrusive- at production we will remove volume up & down increment sounds), as well as a slightly simpler control set. We also changed the button presses to activate voice assistant to make it harder to accidentally activate (need to press both the + and the - at the same time).

I'll be at CES shopping for everyone and am always hoping for exciting new stuff. What makes the Stride special to me is the overall quality in fit, finish, comfort, usability, sound signature, practicality, and price. Something that I can recommend to anyone/everyone and that I already use a ton myself.

Cheers!
Christian

 

[CEE TEE]

A bit off topic but the Harman curve above intrigues me. We are most sensitive from 1-5 khz. The higher peak is right in that range, with it rolling off as it goes higher, which ironically is how our hearing rolls off as you go higher. I had thought the curve, if it really was ideal, would have the rise in sub bass we see, flatter mid bass, to low mids and mids, which have a wide dip I'd again say doesn't match our natural hearing sensitivities, ie. the Fletcher Munson curve. Ideally it would be highest at 10-20 hz, going down a bit to flat about 100 hz into the low mids, a dip from 600-800 hz out to 5 khz, and a slow rise after that with its peak in the low to mid teens, and flat or rolled off, in the high teens. The developers of that curve would have meant well, but given how many have hearing loss in the high mids / low highs, it may speak to their wanting to compensate for it. My hearing is more flat, less dips, so it would not agree with me as much.

Hi Mark Up,
One thing that may throw a couple of people off- Jude is now creating only RAW graphs for IEMs. Since IEMs bypass the pinnae, there may be less effect and there is not a consensus on compensation curves. Traditionally, you would see more of a dip in the area you mention if there was a compensation curve applied. Does that help?

 

[Mark Up]

Hi Mark Up,
One thing that may throw a couple of people off- Jude is now creating only RAW graphs for IEMs. Since IEMs bypass the pinnae, there may be less effect and there is not a consensus on compensation curves. Traditionally, you would see more of a dip in the area you mention if there was a compensation curve applied. Does that help?

It helps a bit. My issue was the Harman Curve in general. Having taste in cans similar to Tyll, I thought the Harman Response Curve he spoke of would be an inverse of the Fletcher Munson Curve (anyone can Google to see). It would be shaped similar actually, since the FM curve shows how much louder we need low bass and higher highs to be, and how little we need in level for high mids.

 

[CEE TEE]

It helps a bit. My issue was the Harman Curve in general. Having taste in cans similar to Tyll, I thought the Harman Response Curve he spoke of would be an inverse of the Fletcher Munson Curve (anyone can Google to see). It would be shaped similar actually, since the FM curve shows how much louder we need low bass and higher highs to be, and how little we need in level for high mids.

Ah, there is a little bit more to this Harman Target In-Ear Monitor curve that is new. From chatting with Jude, Harman has performed a lot of testing for IEMs in particular...there is some difference from headphones in order to make up for bass body feel and impact plus bypassing ear pinnae. This is a customized new target for IEMs only.

 

[Mark Up]

Ah, there is a little bit more to this Harman Target In-Ear Monitor curve that is new. From chatting with Jude, Harman has performed a lot of testing for IEMs in particular...there is some difference from headphones in order to make up for bass body feel and impact plus bypassing ear pinnae. This is a customized new target for IEMs only.

Correct. Upon doing more research, and Inner Fidelity putting up the latest updated curves, the Over and In Ear graphs are slightly different. Still, both have the rising sub bass (great), but the low mid to true mid dip is a bit much, and the 3 khz peak is just ridiculous. Any in / out / over and done headphone with that response is going to hurt. The Fletcher Munson pretty much explains why. That peak and a huge roll off as our sensitivity to highs diminish above it literally makes no sense. 3 khz should be lower, and it should rise above it, not it roll off quickly after.

 

[ejong7]

Hi Everyone. If anyone is interested in some Q&A of the IEM prior to making a final decision as we approach the closing of the drop window.

I'm trying to get the review up as soon as possible but please let me know if you want to clear any queries on it now, Hope I could help!

 

[ejong7]

For those interested in a review of these bad boys, here is my freshly posted one. Enjoy!