Massdrop x NuForce EDC3

Foreword: The EDC3 is NuForce's (and Massdrop's) solution to a neutral IEM in the $100 bracket, a position that that really has only been tapped by Hifiman and their lower end RE series and Etymotic's HF/MK series. Special thanks to @CEE TEE for graciously providing me a sample upon my request.

Frequency Response

• Mostly neutral tuning, following a pinnae compensation more-or-less as opposed to diffuse-field/HRTF.
• Treble doesn't sound as prominent as on raw IEC, but also not as rolled off as the anti-resonance coupler would suggest. @purr1n's graph is more accurate in this regard.

Impulse

(Still trying to get as much data as I can on impulse response, but so far there seems to be a correlation between impulse and supposed "cleanliness" or "speed" of the sound output.)


CSD

• No time domain coherence issues here.

THD

• Ignore the bass weirdness on the left channel, there's some roadworks outside just as I swapped channels.
• Strong third harmonic dominance, as expected. The EDC3 in particular has a strong plasticky crispy timbre (BA timbre for the uninitiated) to my ears, which doesn't really make it the most natural sounding IEM in my collection right now.

Impedance Reactivity

• Should be relatively unchanged by system output impedance. Tested with my 75ohm resistor adapter; definitely sounds different but it's nowhere near as drastic as other sensitive IEMs.

Additional notes:

• Staging is a glaring weakness in the EDC3. Everything is in-your-face and 2-dimensional, it's not going to be a good match for orchestral genres that's for sure.
• As mentioned above, slight timbre issues. Vocals dominate my music library so this is probably more sensitive for my kind of use cases.
• HOWEVER, its kind of neutral presentation is unique in its price range. It sits in a nice niche position against Hifimans (bright-neutral) and the cheaper Etymotics (diffuse-field neutral).