NF Audio NM2 Review – Choosing The Right One

Pros — Comfortable, lightweight shells
– Rhythmic bass with above-average speed
– End-to-end extension
– Energetic midrange tuning is perfect for rock and pop genres
– Sparkly treble that’s not overdone
– Good micro and macrodynamics
– Good imaging, staging, and separation

Cons — NF Audio NM2 have cheap plastic shells
– Can get intense after long listening sessions
– Upper-midrange glare
– Treble can sound too forward at times
– Separation could be slightly better
– Stock cable has poor ergonomics

INTRODUCTION

I am not too familiar with NF Audio as a company, so I decided to take a shot at their NM2 single-dynamic model when they were offered. They claim to have years of experience in making “real” monitoring earphones, so their entry-level IEMs should showcase their expertise.

There is a plethora of sub-$100 IEMs these days and every other review will claim one of them to be the “best” under $100. NF Audio NM2 entered this crowded market with some established heavy-hitters already staring them down. Let’s see if these can carve themselves a niche.

Note: the ratings given will be subjective to the price tier. KeepHiFi was kind enough to send me the NF Audio NM2 for evaluation.

Sources used: Sony NW-A55
Price, while reviewed: $90. Can be bought from KeepHiFi.

PHYSICAL THINGS AND USABILITY

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES

Packaging of the NM2 is rather interesting with vinyl-like shapes abound. In terms of accessories, you get a bunch of eartips, a round carrying case (looks cool but a bit cramped), and a stock cable that has one of the worst memory wires in existence. The memory wire is so stiff that the IEMs pop out of the ear at times by itself.

Apart from the memory wire portion, the cable itself is good: supple, well-braided, and doesn’t carry much touch noise. You also get a 3.5mm to 6.35mm adapter, keeping true to the “studio monitor” status of the IEMs.
3/5

BUILD QUALITY

Build quality is the weakest point of the NF Audio NM2. I find the plastic shells cheap and they feel fragile. The finish is also subpar and reminiscent of $5 budget IEMs. Even the nozzle is plastic instead of metal, which some $5 IEMs nowadays have as well. It’s clear where NF Audio did their cost-cutting, but I wish they left the build quality somewhat passable for the price bracket.
2/5

COMFORT, ISOLATION, AND FIT

Comfort and isolation are very good, with the single vent near the 2-pin connectors not allowing much outside noise in. The plastic shell is ironically a help here due to their lightweight and skin-friendliness.
4.5/5

SOURCE AND EARTIPS

For the review, I used Spinfit CP-100+ tips and Sony NW-A55 DAP (MrWalkman firmware modded). The NM2 are fairly sensitive so won’t need much powerful sources.

DRIVER SETUP

NF Audio used a dual-cavity 10mm dynamic driver for the NM2, with the twist being that there are two rear cavities to further optimize the pressure behind the diaphragm. The driver is called MCL2-10, though I have no idea what that acronym stands for.

TONALITY AND TECHNICALITIES

NF Audio NM2 treads the fine line between “bright” and “energetic”. In loose terms, the NM2 can be categorized as “bright V-shaped” even though that description does them a disservice.

Bass response on the NM2 is very interesting. It has the sub-bass rumble and mid-bass punch, but lacks some of the mid-bass texture. This results in a bass response that is fast and (mostly) accurate while lacking the fullness of low notes.

Midrange is where the things can become divisive. The lower-mids could have done with a bit more body, but they don’t sound overly recessed as the mid-bass bump adds body to the lower-midrange. Upper-mids can be contentious due to peaking around 4KHz which adds intensity to guitar riffs and leading edge of hi-hats or cymbals.

Fortunately, the intensity is counterbalanced by the boosted sub-bass. In most tracks the upper-mid glare is masked by the sub-bass frequencies. Only in acoustic or vocal-oriented music do you notice the peakiness in that region.

Treble can be too forward on some tracks due to the aforementioned 4KHz peak but things never got sibilant or splashy. Treble is well-done here with adequate sparkle and good upper-treble extension. Triangles and cymbals decay naturally with their resonant frequencies being audible beyond 14KHz. Many IEMs in this range opt for treble roll-off and NM2 does it better than most here.

Soundstage is fairly wide but lacks the depth due to the forwardness in the upper-midrange. Imaging is accurate with good cardinal and ordinal placements of instruments (within the limitations of the in-ear form-factor of course).

These are especially adept at locating the position of the microphone relative to the speaker or singer. As a result, while live recording with a stereo mic you can notice if the singer is singing off-center.

Macrodynamic punch is above-average but there are other IEMs that do it better. The lack of mid-bass fullness somewhat dampens the impact here. Microdynamics (subtle gradation in volume) are excellent though as you can track the subtle shifts in volume even in busy tracks.

Separation is good when it comes to mids and highs but the recessed lower-mids can make some low-notes smear into each other. Timbre is mostly good with a hint of metallic sheen to some higher-pitched notes. In general, the NM2 are excellent for acoustic or live music and also suited for live microphone monitoring.

Bass: 4/5
Midrange: 4/5
Treble: 4/5
Staging: 4/5
Imaging and Separation: 4/5
Dynamics and Speed: 4/5

FREQUENCY RESPONSE GRAPH

SELECT COMPARISONS

vs Dunu Titan S, Moondrop Aria, Tin T3 Plus

So, I somehow ended up with all three of the contenders for the “best under $100” tag, namely: Dunu Titan S, Moondrop Aria, Tin T3 Plus, and of course: NF Audio NM2.

I will go about it a bit differently this time around, and rank each of the IEMs based on a specific aspects.

Build: Titan S = T3 Plus > Aria >> NM2

Titan S with their metal shells and T3 Plus with the resin shells – both have excellent build. Aria’s paint tend to chip off and NM2 has the build quality of $5 QKZ IEMs.

Accessories: T3 Plus = Titan S > Aria > NM2

T3 Plus got a good cable and decent tips but the carrying case is poor. Titan S got a great carrying case (better than many expensive IEMs come with) and good tips but meh cable. Aria got horrible cable and meh eartiops and case. NM2 got the worst cable of the bunch, replacement recommended.

Bass: Aria = Titan S > NM2 > T3 PlusAria has slightly denser bass whereas Titan S has more “neutral” bass tuning. Both are fast with good texture. NM2 can sound thin in mid-bass at times and T3 Plus lacks texture.

Mids: NM2 > Titan S > T3 Plus = Aria

Both T3 Plus and Aria have issues with lower-mids. NM2 handle lower and upper mid pretty well, so does the Titan S. However, Titan S tended to get slightly shoutier.

Treble: Titan S > NM2 > T3 Plus > Aria

Aria has the weakest treble response among these. T3 Plus has a bit more energy in lower-treble. Titan S and NM2 both got good treble extension but the NM2 has more focus near lower-treble which can be fatiguing. If you like higher amount of treble: NM2 for you.

Soundstage: Titan S > Aria > T3 Plus = NM2

Perceived stage is widest and deepest on Titan S. Aria comes second though the margin between Titan S and Aria is sizeable. T3 Plus sound congested, whereas NM2 can sound too forward at times.

Imaging: Titan S > NM2 = Aria > T3 Plus

Separation: Titan S > NM2 > T3 Plus > Aria

Dynamics: Titan S = Aria > NM2 > T3 Plus

I am bit torn here. Microdynamics are superior on Titan S whereas Aria has better macrodynamics (e.g. sudden bass drops). NM2 does both better than average but doesn’t exceed the performance of the benchmarks.

Overall, I think the Titan S ticks most of the boxes. It’s got good technicalities coupled with a neutral bright tonality that works well. NM2 is the most technical among them and will cater well to those who need more information up top.Aria meanwhile got the best timbre and has the smoothest signature here. T3 Plus is more of a mixed bag due to the odd-sounding bass.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

NF Audio NM2 are primarily let down by their uninspiring design and cheap build, which is a shame. The tuning is unconventional and offers something unique among the myriad of Harman-target doppelgangers. This gives rise to a “nice” problem – there are a number of good choices for the end-user and it becomes confusing to pick the right one.

While the NM2 nails technicalities, tonality could have been better or smoother for general listening. However, the intended purpose of these IEMs are studio monitoring and for professional applications there is usually some presence-region emphasis. On that front, the tuning choices are justified.

The NF Audio NM2 earns my recommendation for studio monitoring purposes, and will suit those who prefer an energetic and engaging listen.

MY VERDICT

4/5

NF Audio NM2 will cater to those looking for an energetic, technical tuning.

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