Disclaimer: The NC Audio 2DD 5BA was sent to me by NC Audio for review. As always all thoughts and opinions remain my own and they have not requested I do or say anything.
Personal preferences in audio gear may vary. This review is based on my own subjective experience.
If you prefer to watch a video review you can watch mine here
Pros –
- Very relaxed tuning
- Bass and Mids sound full and are presented nicely
- Treble sensitive people shouldn’t have an issue
Cons –
- Unboxing/Accessories are lacking
- Treble is quite recessed
- Not an all rounder
Gaming:
Pros –
- Lack of treble may benefit some games
Cons –
- Missing treble region makes cues hard to pickup and general sound to feel off
Build, Fit & Accessories:
The NC Audio 2DD 5BA is priced at $130
These come in a pleasing blue shell and have a nice blue wood faceplate. These IEMs are using an MMCX connection, I do find these comfortable for longer sessions.
This set arrived in just a normal soft zipper case storing the IEMs and accessories, the cable is a decent MMCX cable that is good for this price point and the included tips are a bit odd because you get a different type of tip for each size. The experience could be heightened by having a more traditional setup and having a box that displays everything nicely.
Equipment Used:
- FiiO K11 on Windows
- FiiO Q11 on Windows and Android
- MusicBee on Windows 11 with FiiO ASIO drivers for local FLAC and DSD files
- Tidal Music Streaming
- Hidizs AP80 Pro Local FLAC and DSD
Test Tracks used:
- Test Tracks (Work in Progress)
Sound Quality:
The NC Audio 2DD5BA uses just that two dynamic drivers and 5 balanced armatures I find the tuning to be extremely odd with the driver setup as bass and mids are very full and well defined but parts of the treble are extremely recessed almost sounding missing. That most likely sounds odd but if you are quite prone to sibilance or are treble sensitive this might be an extremely good set for you as the mids and bass are very well balanced considering the treble drop off.
Bass:
The bass on this set is strong and well defined but oddly balanced especially considering the lack of high end. Mid bass attack has a good sharpness to it and sub bass hits have a good rumble. The low end is quite resolving and detailed as well considering this price point.
Midrange:
The lower mids are fairly rich and detailed and are separated quite nicely. Guitars are present and sound great, upper mids are slightly less energetic, not completely relaxed sounding but energetic enough to make instruments still be present and hold their ground while continuing to sound detailed.
Vocals:
Vocals are actually quite nice on this set I don’t have much issues with them and I found that kind of surprising due to the treble but yet again they sound full and balanced with correct timbre for my library.
Treble:
The treble is the odd place in this set and the section that gives it a very strange but what I eventually learned to enjoy relaxed sound. At first it came across quite jarring and the treble is so recessed in parts you miss out on some cymbals or high hats almost altogether unless you are really focusing on them. After using this set for a few days I more or less got used to this odd feeling and found my self just using this set to relax to, nothing in your face about it in the upper end.
Technicalities:
The soundstage has a good amount of spaciousness width wise to it I assume by the lack of treble, Imaging is actually quite good at this price point. This is a pretty well resolving and dynamic set with good details except in the treble. This isn’t the most in your face tech head set slapping you with details across the board or anything but for the relaxed tonality I think it does a great job here.
Gaming Performance:
This is not a set I would recommend for gaming on, for a full gaming experience The treble just has too much missing and leaves a hole on the world unfortunately.
FPS Gaming:
Escape From Tarkov has most of the audio cues extremely recessed and just wasn’t a good experience here. The imaging and soundstage were good but it was extremely noticeable that the treble region was very recessed and even running into trees was quite muted.
Immersive Gaming:
Elden Ring just sounded off, the sizzle behind the impacts was gone and the ambient music sounded off. Not the best presentation here.
Comparisons:
Not necessarily compared in price but more in tonality this set reminds me of the ND-001 ($50) The 001 comes across much darker with a bigger stage with more detailed treble although still veiled but the mids and bass detail of the NC Audio 2DD 5BA are much more present and the overall tonality comes across more balanced despite the treble being more recessed than the ND-001. If you are treble sensitive I think both of these are good options and this is a potential upgrade path if you are looking for another set that is tame on the treble but more correct sounding overall.
Conclusion:
This is a very odd set to me especially considering the amount of drivers in it, I was initially expecting a more generic tuning heightened with the amount of drivers being used here. But this is a quite unique special experience that grew on me after a few days. If you are sensitive to treble or just want a unique experience this is a set I would keep an eye on. This is a very niche tuning and definitely not one I would generally recommend for the masses that being said.
Thanks for reading this review! Feel free to ask any questions if you have any. Also feel free to share your experience if you have been able to try NC Audio 2DD 5BA.
If you are interested in the NC Audio 2DD 5BA it can be purchased at the links below.
Cheers!
