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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:
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
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