Drop + NuForce MOVE Wireless IEM Review

Ships to Luxembourg though.

 

@purr1n can you test the mic for calls? These might replace my two headphones if it does well on calls too.

 

There's a mic? LOL. Didn't know that.

 

f**k it, preordered. These will probably replace both my Sennheisers and my Jabras.

 

The ergo is really good. They look bulky like they might stick out, but the fit feels good and secure using smaller diameter tips for a snug fit. There isn't much weight on the lateral face of the housing where the button is. Most of the weight seems to be centered around the bottom ear side where the nozzle meets the housing. The nozzle is short, so that helps the snug fit. The housing surfaces are smooth and rest comfortable on the concha.

They seem designed for activity and I didn't worry about them falling off when I was running hills last night. I wouldn't do this kind of activity with the CF IEMs or any of the big monster shell ones.

 

I have an early set of the Move true wireless iems. My thoughts are super limited to due to things going on in the family, so I'll hopefully post more detail in a week or so, particularly with compassions to AirPods (I own) and the Master & Dynamic MW07 (on loan).

My use case for true wireless is exercise- I try to walk several miles a day; preferably fast paced to get the heart rate up. Fairly easy to do in the hot Florida sun.

Move Pros:

• Lots of easy functionality: play/pause, next and previous, volume up/down, virtual assistant activation - all from how you tap or hold the big physical button that is the faceplate.
• Auto on/off when removing or placing in the charing case (this is how all true wireless should work, imo, for quick and easy use).
• Hard case; won't crush if you put it in your back pocket, forget and sit on it. Thankfully small enough to fit in a pocket.
• Clear, easy to hear voices on phone calls
• Clear and transparent signature. No wooliness; no masking of frequencies.
• Decently neutralish frequency response; just enough extra bass to compensate for noisy environs without getting lean. But still neutralish enough in quite environs. Solid resolution.
• No steely treble spikes. Nothing that makes you want to rip the earphones out.

Move Cons:

• Physical button click is loud to me. This is literally a physical sound. Slightly annoying when skipping a few songs in a row.
• BA timbre. This ain't no dynamic driver, so no natural, extended bass decay; typical armature treble timbre (do not confuse this with spiky treble; treble is not hot, resonant or spiky)
• Supplied tips suck.
• B/c the iem is a seal unit and with silicone tips (and perhaps my ear anatomy), my footfalls sound too loud in my own ears. Comply SPORT tips resolve this issue. Still not as silent as when using AirPods but nothing that seals completely will. Only downside to Comply SPORT tips is a hair less bass since you're not getting the same type of seal. SPORT tips last way longer than regular Comply squishy foam, which I'd never use for exercise in the Florida sun.

The AirPods sound more natural to my ears, with their dynamic driver. However the AirPods, depending on fit, can sound a bit too warm at times; also AirPods treble is shelved down a hair. It's too smooth at times. The Move sounds significantly clearer and livelier. I get zero footfall sounds with the AirPods but I also hear every little bit of surrounding noise, which can lead to higher volumes at times but may be somewhat safer walking near traffic. Airpods are lighter and pretty much disappear. However Move is not hard to fit. It's plenty comfortable; I can just never forget it's there.

Just received the MW07, so can't say much at the moment but I'm disappointed in the giant V tuning. Bass is bold and wooly; treble is very digital sounding and uncontrolled. It a unit that's been used, so not an out of the box issue. But it does sound rich, big in size and pretty damn dynamic. It's beautiful to look at and really, really comfortable. So much promise physically but an SQ let down. I haven't used it out and about just yet.

I've used some wired IEMs with the Earstudio ES100 or Fiio BTR1K for exercise. While I can get more premium sound that way, walking for a few miles and having a cable constantly tug at your ears and stick to your sweaty neck really sucks. True Wireless is the only way to go.