NiceHCK EB2S

disclaimer:  The EB2S was sent for purpose of review by NiceHCK.  I have no financial interest in NiceHCK, any of its suppliers or distributors, nor have I received any guidance or payment for this review.  If you have an interest in the EB2S please visit NiceHCK’s Facebook or Aliexpress page.

 

Unboxing / Packaging:

So yet another manufacturer is now putting waifu on the packaging as the new NiceHCK EB2s joins the trend.    The majority of the front of the packaging is the character and although she does appear to be wearing the EB2s in the drawing, one would be forgiven for not immediately noticing that or realizing this was indeed an earphone.  the wording does list the contents as the NiceHckDB1 in-ear, but is enough smaller than the drawing that it isn’t likely to draw your attention.  The rear of the box is much more typical with specs in English and Chinese and color photos of the DB1 in both black and blue finish with check-boxes to indicate color and presence of a mic.   Lifting the lid reveals the earpieces in a foam surround at top with the cable, foams,  carry bag, and manual hiding behind a panel that covers the lower half the box.

 

Build/Fit:

While this model uses the EB2 name, the shape has been updated considerably.   Both sport metal cone shaped shells with large grills for the drivers.  On the original model the cable entry points  did not go through the cone and penetrate out the top as it does now.   The rear of the main housing was more rounded and came to a point rather than having the rear flat of the EB2s and the venting at the rear of the housing.    One the original, vents were at top and bottom of housing just behind the driver face, while on this revision the upper vent is deleted and a pair of vents at the very rear of the housing added.   The blue and red banding on the top of the stems goes make indexing quick which is a nice touch.   I found the EB2s easy to wear comfortably for extended periods with no physical fatigue even with the tip-down style of wear.   As with any bud with a large driver, those with small ears may want to audition them before purchase.

 

Internals:

The Drivers used in the EB2s are e15.4mm dynamic drivers utilizing N50 magnets, a copper clad aluminum wire voice coil, and a liquid crystal polymer diaphragm for rigidity and lightweight.    Nominal impedance is listed as 32Ω with a sensitivity of 112dB/mW so while the impedance is a touch higher than a lot of in-ears today, so is the sensitivity and the result is an earbud that works perfectly well when paired with a wide variety of sources.   I had no issue getting good dynamic range and potency out of the EB2s when paired with dongles, phones, and tablets.  Moving up in y

 

Cable:

The cable is non-removable as it passes through a metal sleeve at the northern end before reaching the bud instead of offering a bi-pin or mmcx connection type.  This is both an advantage and a potential weak point.  The upside is it is far less likely than mmcx to lose connection.  The potential problem is, if it does lose connection, its permanent.    The cable itself is well thought out with a 90º housing from the 3.5mm jack to the cable exit and a proper strain relief.   The cable is two side by side strands from the jack up to the splitter and then single strands to either ear.  The casing is a light brown transparent plastic that shows the oxygen free copper strands off.  The splitter is a small metal barrel style matching the jack housing, and a rubber chin slider is provided above that.

 

Sound:

All of my listening notes are done without any foams installed.  If you use the EB2s with foams, except some differences between my notes and your listening experience.

Bass:

As expected sub-bass is a bit light due to the lack of seal.  What is present has good speed and cleanliness, it just is not emphasized.   Most of the bass present is mid-bass where it does have a bit of emphasis and delivers enough slam to keep the low end from sounding too thin or washed out.   The mid-bass does have some bleed into the lower-mids that contributes some warmth to the overall sound but doesn’t obstruct the lower mids.    Overall, very typical ear-bud bass with minimal sub-bass and an emphasized mid- bass to compensate, but done more cleanly than some as the driver seems a bit faster than the original.

 

Mids:

Lower mids have good weight and some warmth contributed to by the mid-bass.  This helps give lower vocals a bit more note weight than their upper counterparts.   Guitars have good growl with enough sharpness to sound realistic as well.  Strings have good energy and their is a bit of an upper-mid push that helps lift violin and gives it excellent dynamics.   Higher vocals cut through the mix and stand a bit forward of their lower counterparts but don’t share quite the weight of those same lower voices.

 

Treble: 

The upper-mid lift falls back in the lower-treble which keeps the EB2s from becoming fatiguing or harsh while retaining enough energy to deliver details well.    Snare rattle is good if just slightly blunted and cymbals have a little less energy than I’d like as they don’t quite get there.  Overall the tuning errs on the side of polite and pushing the treble harder for the sake of better cymbals with EQ does expose some harshness and may well explain the reason for not doing so natively.     Roll-off seems to be around 13kHz as I hear a step back but the EB2s retains great stage and air at the top.

 

Soundstage / Imaging:

Soundstage is very good with a bit more width than depth while a sense of height is present as well. Instrument separation is very good and the EB2s had no trouble seating the orchestra with no major gaps or overlaps.  This is partially due to good layering as well with little congestion or smearing as tracks become more aggressive and complex.  Imaging is quite good with positions in space well defined and movements easily traced around the space.    There is something about an earbud and its non-sealing nature that gives the stage a more feel even though it doesn’t necessarily expand it beyond what is found with in-ears.    I found stage size is similar to things like the Astotec 850mk2 but it feels larger due to lack of seal.

 

Comparisons:

vs NiceHCK EB2

Build Quality – Both are very similar in construction materials with similar cables.  Neither has a detachable cable and both fall into roughly the same price class.  One can think of the EB2 as a kind of rounded off Nameless as angles and edges are sharp on the nameless and more beveled on the EB2.

Sound –  The Nameless is darker and than the EB2 and both have an almost forced warmth that contributes to that odd tonality in the mids.  Overall, these two are similar in that both have odd issues in the mids, with similar extension and tunings otherwise.

 

vs Moondrop Nameless

Build Quality – Both are aluminum construction but the nameless is a bit more angular and sharper edged while the EB2s has more rolled edges and feels a bit more polished.   Neither has a detachable cable so both are similar there too.

Sound –  The Nameless is darker than the EB2s and has an odd tonality to the mids that the EB2s betters.   Overall, these two have similar end to end extension, but the EB2s has cleaner mids and mid-bass with a more natural tonality.

 

vs Smabat ST-10

Build Quality –   The ST-10  is a bit higher in build quality with a more solid feel and removable cable but due to the design cannot be worn tip down so like the EB2s is only usable in a single orientation.  The anodizing on the ST-10 looks a bit more high-end and it should with the differences in price between these two.

Sound –  Bass extension and quantity is better on the ST-10 while the mids take a bit more of a backseat compared to the EB2s.  The EB2s has good lower mids which can be a bit overshadowed by the mid-bass on the ST-10.   Really from the mids north, the EB2s is at least the equal of the ST-10 and often betters it.   The tonality favors the EB2s and the top end extension and clarity both favor the EB2s.   The ST-10 will please bassheads but everyone else may want to grab an EB2s first.

 

vs ToneKing To200

Build Quality –  The To200 has a removable cable and more polish than the EB2s again as expected for a more expensive earbud.   The big advantage to the design of the T0200 is that it can be worn tip-up or tip-down as needed as the design doesn’t prevent one or the other option like every other bud in this comparison.

Sound – The To200 takes a lot more power to drive adequately but rewards the user with a more natural, more neutral performance.     Bass hits a bit lower and harder on the To200 and the top end is a bit cleaner and livelier without getting fatiguing in the process.    The To200 remains one of my favorite earbuds due to its combination of price and performance.    That having been said, the EB2s is substantially easier to drive and less expensive so those with low powered sources and those looking for a budget model will be well served to check out the EB2s.

 

Thoughts / Conclusion:

I think it is probably telling that the orginal EB2 was a value edition of the EBX earbud, but when it came time for a second generation, the EB2s came out first.     I remember writing that the EB2 was 95% of the EBX and 45% of the cost and I think EB2 sales were probably more brisk than EBX sales for exactly that reason.     There were a few issues with the EB2 that kept it from being an all-out “go buy this now” recommendation, the biggest of which was some odd tonality in the mids that kept the EB2 from sounding wholly natural.   Thankfully, the redesign of the EB2s and the updated driver both seem to work in tandem to address that and the mids are a good bit more organic sounding on the newer version.    Sub-bass is always going to be a struggle for non-sealing designs and the EB2s still struggles there as expected so bassheads will be better served by something like the Smabat ST-10 that focuses more energy there.    For the rest of us, the EB2s makes for a good listen while allowing a degree of situational awareness not found with most in-ears.    I am glad to see NiceHCK hasn’t forgotten the earbud as earbuds were a staple of most makers product lines through about 2019 but have largely been ignored since as makers focused on TWS models.    The earbud segment deserves more attention than it has gotten in the last few years so its good to see that they have not been forgotten entirely.     For the price, the EB2s is my current earbud to beat and I encourage earbud lovers to pickup an EB2s and encourage NiceHCK to continue earbud development.