Disclaimer
I got this product as a review unit from NF Acous previously known as NF Audio. Except from the review unit I did not receive money or any other necessities to influence the review in anyway. This is my honest and unbiased opinion on NF Audio RA15. My likes and dislikes on this IEM are based solely on my own personal experience. If you’re interested in buying RA15 check out AliExpress.
Design & Build Quality
The design of this IEM is quite minimal and it looks bit stylist in my opinion. As I like silver accessories like watch, ring, bracelet and so on. It has a dark silver tone, with a bit matt texture. The size of the shell is quite small, and it’s rare to find such IEMs with compact form factor. NF audio’s signature logo’s on the center of the faceplate, or rather the outer part of the shell. The center of the shell is pressed down in the middle, which makes me wanna think like, “Did they really heat this thing up just to press it down again in the center? How else am I supposed to think?”
Jokes apart, the inner side look really well finished and carefully designed. On the inner side of the shell, just below the 2 pin connector, they’ve used “L” & “R” as indicators. I’d rather prefer red and blue color, which makes it easier to find the right one, before shoving the opposite one in and regrating while putting it back again! However, without the colorful it helps the shell to look as minimal as possible!
The nozzles are definitely worth giving attention. They’ve provided 2 different types of nozzle. One of them is just silver like the color of the shell and the other one has a golden tone. They’ve pretty well built as well.
The cable doesn’t seem to be anything special. But personally I really liked the feel of it. It’s not too robust yet durable. And it’s totally memory free. I often used the stock cable over my aftermarket ones. It takes the “W” with it’s look and comfort.
I’ve seem IEMs over $500 providing eartips that are not worth using. Where the RA15 comes with such high quality eartips costing less than one fifth of the price. But get your hopes too high. They don’t actually pair well at all. So you still have to stick with the aftermarket ones.
The carrying pouch isn’t really that practical, yet quality wise it’s really good. I’ve never seen this type of leather carrying pouch before. Maybe Truthear Gate is similar, it’s better and looks cooler.
Comfort
As you might expect from it’s tiny size, it’s pretty comfortable for long time usage. It creates a decent seal, not amazing but not bad either. The shell size is so small that it might be too small for people with large ears, although I don’t think giants still exist with one or two exceptions. I thought twice about mention two of them I know and end up not mentioning. I’d like to like bit long, so let’s not do that.
Even for long time usage I didn’t feel any discomfort or any type heat generation despite being metal built. I’m glad for the fact that I’ve covered this review before winter, I don’t have any doubt that it’ll feel like an ice cube in my ears, during winter. What a relief!
Sources
• EPZ TP30
• Moondrop Dawn Pro
• Ibasso Dc04 pro
• Fosi Audio Ds1
• HIDIZS S8 Pro Robin
I highly suggest you to pair it with a warm sounding source, neutral is also fine but never pair it with anything bright or digital like Questyle M15, unless you wanna give up on your ears to achieve the full potential of sixth sense.
Packaging
- RA15 drivers
- 4 pairs of MS42 silicone tips (XS, S, M, L)
- SPC Cable
- Leather carrying pouch
- 2 pairs of tuning nozzles
Specifications
Pairings
Eartips
- Stock
- DDHIFI ST 35
- Final E (Black)
- Spinfit CP100+
- Tri Clarion
- Kbear 08
- Dunu Candy
Having high quality stock tips out of the box seems like the start of a new Era. But soon as you plug in your player and play a music for less than 6 seconds, you’d immediately realize that the pairing is terrible with the particular IEM. I’ve saved mine to use them with other IEMs. But for RA15, I liked ST35 and Candy. I believe some things will never change, though I hope they do!
Cable
- Stock
- Kbear (Inspiration C) 4 core copper
- NiceHCK mixPP
Upgrading cable does changes the sound to some extent, but the sound with the stock cable is already good, if you already have an upgrade cable, it should be worth a try. But no need to buy a separate one.
Sound Quality
NF Audio RA15 is an IEM with neutral tonality, shows somewhat flat response on most graphs I’ve checked. The signature is really ideal for editors or people who works on studios or anything related to audio monitoring. As someone who once were serious about gaming, I can assure you these will exceed your expectations.
Anyways, the two nozzles provided with the box seemed useful. They quality of the material seems great, yet be careful while using them, as they might get dent in case you drop the drivers from the 2nd floor. Also make sure to keep them away from kids and pets.
The stainless steel nozzle seems to be the spicier one among the two. Has more air and sparkle on treble. Bass decays faster. Where brass nozzle have more sub bass depth and a bit more Mid-bass impact. More note weight as well. I’ve personally liked the brass more, as it was more balanced among the two and less bright.
Here’s a graph for reference-
Stainless Steel: Blue || Brass: Orange
Sub-Bass
Quality wise the Sub-Bass is there with the good devices. Quantity wise, it’s way below average. RA15 definitely has rumble, which it hard to feel. The Sub-Bass has good depth, if paired with the right tips. Overall the bass performs decently on genres like pop, folk, classical and few others. Not an ideal option for metals and rocks in general.
Mid-Bass
Quantity wise, the Mid-bass seems to have more presence compared to Sub-Bass. Really detailed, lacks body. Lacks a bit of impact on certain scenarios like rock and metals. The texture was adequate, a bit rough on the edges but it was good overall. The Mid-bass is quite speedy on RG15. Definitely nowhere close to a bassy set, but if you’re looking for something close to neutral/flat sounding, RG15 might be the best bet for considering the price.
Mid-range
Initially the mid-range feels super clean and detailed. Every instruments on this region sounds accurate. No noticeable bass bleeding, even with the brass nozzle. Sounds neutral overall. The mid-range isn’t particularly thin or thick either. But depending on source it might sound just a little thin if paired with the wrong DAC/source.
Male Vocals
The male vocals on RG15 is quite detailed. It’s not a sweet or warm welcoming vocals, it focuses more on details and accuracy. I can feel the lack of Sub-Bass most of the time. The separation between vocals and instruments were decent.
Female Vocals
Unlike the male vocals, the female vocals seems to have a lot more energy and clarity to it. Sometimes feels sharp depending on track, but it provides a really energetic and powerful female vocal. Tracks like “Again” by Beverly sounds majestic on them.
Treble
The treble section of RG15 is quite spicy. Guitars and high hitting instruments sound true to life. Really detailed and sounds bright. From my personal experience, the treble seems more bright than usual. Pairing with a warm sounding DAC might be mandatory here. The upper treble is really airy. Feels quite open.
Instruments
Instruments on mid-range and treble feels true to life. Guitars have amazing sparkle. Ukulele, violin and any string instrument sound really well. Piano and harmonica sound accurate, lacks a bit of warmth. Drums seem to have low impact, fast decay.
Soundstage & Imaging
Soundstage of RG15 is really wide. It is well rounded on both width and height. Has good depth. For the price the soundstage feels exceptional. The imaging is quite accurate.
Mobile Gaming
In PUBG and COD mobile, the RG15 performed really well. Foes firing location can be located pretty easily with them. Even from long distance, where I can not aim without 4X on assault rifle, I was able to get my enemies exact location. Footsteps are pretty easy to notice, whether they’re infiltrating from sides, front or back. Grandes after effect sound doesn’t stay for long, having a fast decay. Makes it easy for locating footsteps. Whether you’re playing causally or competitively, you wouldn’t feel the need of having a pricier set.
Why should you consider it
- If you prefer neutral sound
- If you like clean mid-range
- If you like energetic vocals
- If you’re a treble lover
- If you’re a gamer
- If you’re planning on using it on studio
- If comfort is in your priority
Why should you look elsewhere
- If you’re a bass lover
- If you like warm mid-range
- If you’re treble sensitive
- If you don’t like energetic vocals
- If you have a purely neutral or bright DAC
Comparison
Here are some comparison between NF Audio RG15 and similar priced IEMs.
Kiwi Ears Singolo
Singolo is a much more safer and musical option if you’re buying a device for that purpose. Has better bass, warm mid-range and pleasing vocals. However treble is better on RA15 only if you can tolerate it. Gaming experience is much better on RA15 compared to Singolo. For something like editing and studio work I’d highly recommend RA15.
Verdicts
All in all, NF Audio RA15 is a really great IEM for the price if you’re looking for something for your studio, editing or professional gaming. You wouldn’t get disappointed. If you’re looking for a device just for listening to music, I recommend look for something else.
As always thank you for your attention! Let me know your thoughts on this IEM.
Until then,
Keep on listening ·͜·♡
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