The audio here is more sculpted than the previous model. This means the mids are reduced, while the bass and treble are emphasized with the default tuning, which Nothing calls Balanced. In this mode, the buds can produce deep and powerful bass.
On a track like The Knife’s “Silent Shout,” this means they do a commendable job at producing the deep sub-bass of the kick drum and the bass synth. At times, the bass is slightly overpowering, but not excessively so. The mids are missing, though, and it’s easy to notice.
(Credit: Christian de Looper)
The overly boosted bass is plainly audible on Kendrick Lamar’s “Loyalty.,” which has a sub-bass line through much of the track. With the default tuning, the earbuds excel at reproducing the bass line, playing even the lowest notes, something many other pairs fail to do. Lamar and Rihanna’s vocals sound rich, and the percussion, while somewhat overshadowed by the bass, is crisp enough.
Bill Callahan’s “Drover” would benefit from a more neutral tuning. The kick drum, which drives much of the track, is emphasized slightly, but not excessively. While it conflicts with Callahan’s deep vocals, I still found them rich and present. The midrange acoustic guitar gets a little lost in the mix, and while it’s crisp, it could use more depth. The higher-frequency percussion, such as cymbals, sounds crisp and bright, which helps round things out.
On orchestral tracks, like the opening scene of John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary, the earbuds produce a decent response, but overemphasize the lower-frequency instruments, like the bass and cello, at the expense of midrange instruments, like violins and brass. I was able to pick out each section well enough, and the vocalist cut through the mix fine; however, a more balanced curve would help a lot here.
The earbuds feature a personalized tuning option designed to compensate for any hearing gaps. I found that this tool makes the sound worse, overemphasizing bass even more at the expense of other frequencies. They also have spatial audio, which doesn’t sound as good as that of competitors. It’s too echoey, so I kept it off most of the time.
(Credit: Christian de Looper)
The good news is that the app-based EQ lets you fine-tune the sound enough to tone down the bass and highs while restoring the mids, thereby imparting a more neutral audio response. After some tweaking, I created an EQ curve that dramatically improved the audio. The drivers are capable of producing well-rounded audio, but only when tuned properly. You may need to spend some time refining the EQ.
The microphones are acceptable. My voice sounds full and natural enough for calls. The Super Mic built into the charging case, meanwhile, is slightly better and delivers a more rounded sound with improved bass. It’s not enough of an improvement, however, that I want to take the case out of my pocket to use it during a call.
Although the Super Mic itself is excellent for calls, I found it gimmicky rather than useful. Since you have to wear the earbuds for it to work, you might as well take calls directly through them.
