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Massdrop Plus Universal IEMs

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Massdrop Plus Universal IEMs

Name: Massdrop Plus Universal IEMs
Brand: Drop
SKU: massdrop-plus-universal-iems
Price: 150 USD
Availability: OutOfStock
Rating: 4.165049 (206 reviews)

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Product Description

The first in-ear monitor tuned by Massdrop from the ground up, the Plus features a novel sound signature that combines aspects of a number of community-favorite IEMs. With three Sonion balanced-armature drivers per ear, it delivers extended bass, clarity, and a sound that leans toward full and fun Read More

Customer Reviews

4.2

(206 reviews)

(118)

(46)

(15)

(12)

(15)

70% would recommend to a friend

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Tbone519

May 17, 2019

Verified Buyer

I've been a personal audio enthusiast all my life, and here goes my first review. I've always preferred IEMs to cans due to my wide head, clamping force has always steered me away from cans. First off the unboxing, I can appreciate elaborate packaging that makes you feel like you bought something expensive, but in the end its all about the music. These come in a very simple package, and in this day and age its very enviromentally friendly. So with the unboxing I guess I will start with the negatives; the cable is garbage. i've received better cables from IEMs that cost much less. lots of microphonics, lots of memory. The pelican case is too small. winding these up into the case the cable remembers it was wound up into a tiny circle and wants to keep that shape when youre wearing them. Also the case is not as water resistant as I would like. I dropped it into a full sink, scooped it out immediately and there was water inside. Fit is always user dependent, but none of the stock tips worked for me. In my never-ending quest for the perfect IEM I have come to realize I have tiny ear canals, and these things go deep, very deep. I bought JVC spiral dots and I would recommend you do the same. The S/M fit me perfectly. Once you find tips that work, isolation is superb. Highly recommended for on the go usage, on public transportation you wont hear anything but the music. Now to the most important part, the sound. I listen to primarily rock and heavy metal, with a sprinkling of electronica and hip hop. Soundstage is as wide and deep as any IEM in this price range, while accuracy, detail and separation are superb. I am not a basshead by any means, but I grew up in an era where everyone had a subwoofer in their trunk, so I probably prefer more bass than the average listener. these do sub-bass better than any IEM ive heard. Listening to Angel by Massive Attack is a revelation. Having only a single BA for both the mids and highs I was worried, especially about the mids. My worries were quickly alleviated as the mids are surprisingly good. Guitar solos by the likes of Animals as Leaders are more up front than I expected. vocals sound fantastic. Eddie Vedder is my usual litmus test when it comes to male vocals, and he is front and center, while sounding powerful as usual. I dont know what it is about female vocals but I find them intoxicating. After purchasing the Massdrop Plus i listened to Dog Days by Florence and the Machine on repeat endlessly. The highs are crisp yet delicate. Extension is great, with no sibilance to speak of. Ive owned the Massdrop Plus for over a year now, and have well over 1000 hours listening with them. They are easy to drive and sound great out of any source with less than 1 ohm impedance. Whether its my Fiio X5ii, Cayin N5ii, Shanling M0, or Samsung S6, these sound fantastic. Having small ear canals and wanting to try a CIEM I recently joined the drop for the AAW A3h (3 driver hybrid 1DD, 2BA). Build quality and fit were superb, but there was too much mid bass emphasis, not a fan of the thump of a kick drum, and I found the highs to be harsh. So I poached the aftermarket Null Audio cable off of them and switched back to the Plus. Other IEMs I own which I prefer them to are the Shure se315, LZ A4. Ultimate Ears 900, Moondrop Kanas Pro, and the Campfire Comet, although I thoroughly enjoyed the Campfire sound and was very impressed with what they did with a single BA. I hope this much longer than expected review helps. I would knock half a star off if i could due to the terrible cable, but I dont think the sound of the Plus can be beat in this price range.

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Pantomime

Feb 10, 2020

Tbone519How does these compare to the ER4XR? I am debating between the two.

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NachoMama

Keyboard Club Member

Mar 26, 2019

Verified Buyer

Before the Massdrop+, I primarily used a set of RHA T20i IEMs and occasionally used a pair of Beats headphones.

I didn’t have a good first impression unboxing the Massdrop+. The packaging was no frills, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I expected a little more from a $300 purchase. I was a little worried holding the Massdrop+ in my hands for the first time because they are light as a feather compared to the point where they felt cheap. The wire that comes with the Massdrop+ looks and feels nice but the mircrophonics are pretty bad without clipping it to your shirt. Unfortunately a shirt clip isn’t included, so I used the clip from my T20i’s.

Thankfully, that’s pretty much where the negatives end. The light weight of the Massdrop+ that I wasn’t used to quickly changed from a con to a pro. I find the Massdrop+ to be a lot more comfortable to wear and a lot less likely to fall out due to their weight compared to my T20i’s.

The clarity and soundstage of the Massdrop+ is superb. I was really surprised at how much clearer the Massdrop+ is. The T20i’s I’m used to have great clarity, but while auditioning several songs with both IEMs, subtleties in the audio that I had to pay close attention to pick out in the T20i’s simply presented themselves with the Massdrop+.

The superb clarity can actually be a gift and a curse though. I listen to music primarily from Tidal (HiFi or Master quality), but I happened to play an episode of Rick and Morty on Netflix with the Massdrop+ on and it was terribly obvious I was listening to compressed audio. If things sound really bad, I encourage you to experiment with your audio chain including the audio source.

I did have some concerns with the audio quality at first, but in the end it just didn’t pair well with the Audirect Beam DAC I was listening through. It made the mids sound muddy. Plugging it into my iPhone through the dongle or directly into my iMac or Macbook gave it a sound much closer to the reference sound that I prefer.

I just received an Audeze Cipher lightning cable and am pretty pleased with how the Massdrop+ sounds through its DAC. It’s great because it can be EQ’d with the Audeze app and the settings get written to the DSP.

For anyone interested in using the Audeze cable with the Massdrop+, it’s important to know that it may not physically fit without slight modification. I had to file down the sides of thr plastic part that the pins are connected to in order for it to fit into the Massdrop+, so if you end up ordering a Cipher cable, it may be a good idea to make sure you have a jewelers/hobby file to modify the cable as needed.

Overall I’m really happy with the Massdrop+. It’s expensive, but worth it. Quality is heavily influenced by the DAC and the audio source, and that, to me, says that the Massdrop+ does its job brining out the best (or worst) in the audio chain.

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t3fla

Feb 6, 2019

Verified Buyer

This is my first pair of "good" IEM's and after ~50 hours of listening I'm very happy with the purchase. Background

My best IEM's prior to this where RHA MA750's.
My normal home listening setup is HD600 w/ CTH amp + Schiit Modi 2 OR Philharmonic Audio AA+ Speakers +SMSL AD18 amp/DAC. Source is FLAC files I've collected over the years.
Setup for Massdrop + has been IPhone XS -> apple dongle -> Massdrop Plus

First Impressions: Packaging is super underwhelming. Would've expected better at this price-point and most brands do deliver better. Honestly though, if that's where costs are cut to make the IEM better, I guess I'd rather see them made there. Build quality looked good. Everything felt solid. Cable was robust, included eartips were of good quality, I ended up opting for the small double-flange ones for the best seal. Listening: I don't have a base of comparison in terms of other IEM's in this price range but in a word—excellent. I was most impressed by the soundstage. Obviously no IEM can come close to a mid/high end open-back headphone but the Massdrop Plus comes closer than I realized IEM's could. Clarity is a strong point, I can't say I've done an A/B test or anything but they may just be more detailed than the HD600s, that really impresses me. Sound profile is pretty balanced and neutral. I wouldn't mind more mids but honestly I don't notice anything really lacking here. YMMV depending on your preferences, personally neutral is always my preference so I love these. Comfort: I wear these for 6+ hours everyday at work and I don't experience any discomfort or fatigue. It took a day or two to find the perfect position that created a good seal and was 100% comfortable but now I can wear them all day with no issue. Other details: I'm not jogging or exercising with these but I'm not having any issues with the cable as others have reported. No issues with things disconnecting when they shouldn't or seeming flimsy. Cable microphonics are present, but minimal, much better than most IEM cables I've experienced. 2020 Update: I've subtracted a star due to the poor quality cable. After ~1 year it has become discolored (less of an issue) and occasionally cuts out (more of an issue)--I will need to replace it soon. These headphones are babied and are only used at work for me. Plug them in, sit at my desk and use them, they see very little movement. Definitely a bit disappointing.

(Edited)

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EdgeRunner

Oct 17, 2020

Verified Buyer

I love the Plus!

I love the Plus. No question about it. They sound amazing and are my favorite iems to date. The shell is probably as close to custom fitting for me that I have found in any earphones. I would place them as a smaller earphone, tho not as small as the EDC/EDC3. The Plus fits your ear flush so if you like to sleep with your earphones on, you will have no problem with these. ( I sleep in them quite often. 😀 ) I wear them for hours on end in my daily work and never feel fatigue at all. The comfort is obviously great. ( I had my first pair of Plus iems about two months before they grew legs and left me. I had no problem with the shell casing as others have noted. I go through serious clumsy days and dropped them at least once a week, if not more, with no damage occurring. So I don’t think the problems are across the board. It’s probably like any product where there will always be a few that don’t meet up with expected quality. Since I love the Plus, I ordered another pair and just received within the last week. They look to have the same quality as my other ones. If I find out differently, I will update my review. I say this so that if you are thinking of ordering them, my suggestion is to go ahead and experience these wonderful iems. Even with some new reviews where the person had problems, I didn’t hesitate at all placing another order for the Plus. I missed them terribly and had no issues at all with the construction of them. ) I found that putting some of the provided tips on and some I had also... to be a task requiring a lot of patience. Some of the tips were so hard to get on. I thought I may lose it and throw everything across the room! If you find you have the same problem, hang in there. The tips will go on. I ended up using my favorite tips which are Tennmak Turbo Whirlwind Silicone tips. The cable is just ok. I managed to knot it up every time I took the iems off. I am not a fan of this type of cable that has a very plastic feeling and much prefer a sleeved type of cloth feeling cable. So I replaced the provided cable with the Tanchjim IEM cable that has a black sleeving. This cable affords the same quality sound as the provided cable but offers better manageability for me. The Plus is a fun exciting iem to me. They truly sound fantastic any way you measure them. I am not a bass head but I want to hear some and you definitely hear it but it doesn’t overwhelm the rest of the sound. I’d say the overall sound signature leans warm as compared to the EDC3’s that have more of a reference sound to me. Now I do like the EDC’s, but I use the iems differently. I tend to use the EDC3’s when I want clarity in the vocals. The Plus’s vocals are heard with clarity as well but they have so much more depth in their sound signature it would be a waste to use them as I do the EDC3’s. I feel the soundstage has a good width offering up a great deal of separation of instruments and vocals. Honestly, I find it so terribly hard describing how iems sound. So I’ll stop trying and say that the Plus’s have an incredible sound signature. In any area, whether it is the treble, bass, mids , soundstage etc.. you will find that the Plus does it all well. I don’t hesitate to recommend these because I feel they are well worth the $200 price tag. I have some iems that cost a good bit more than these and really like them. But the Plus’s are my choice of daily driver. They are that good! ( I rarely like the included accessories for an iem so the stars I award are for the iem only. Occasionally I do run across a cable or case I like and will add points for them. For the Plus, the stars I awarded are for the iem only. )

Recommends this product? Yes

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metalmatty

Dec 12, 2019

Verified Buyer

Great sound, garbage build. Dead driver after ~50 hours of use, no support.

First of all, these sound excellent. They punch WAY above their weight for $300. Comfort for my ears with the larger foam tips was outstanding. But, these positives are meaningless when the product doesn't work. Buyer beware, reliability is atrocious and if these go dead for no reason, Drop won't help you. 12 months warranty is not nearly enough for these time-bombs. Maybe with a 5-year warranty I would recommend these to a friend. I used these very infrequently over the 14 months that I owned them. Maybe 1-2 hours at a time, a couple of times a month maximum. They were handled carefully, kept in the case, not exposed to moisture, etc. While sitting in the case overnight, one the low frequency driver on the left earbud went dead. I contacted support and was told that because it was over 12 months since my purchase, there was NO warranty of any kind. No option to repair. No option to pay to replace just the left earbud. Just SOL - thanks for being a customer. After being a regular MassDrop customer, I was a bit stunned by the response. I've not bought anything since and will not buy anything here in the future. It reinforces that one should be extremely careful as an early adopter. Build quality and warranty is a real factor when purchasing any audio product...and these won't hold up.

Recommends this product? No

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Repli

Feb 18, 2020

metalmattyCan you proof your accusation? I've had nothing but good experiences in terms of repair/refund within the first year for any kind of defects.

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metalmatty

Jun 9, 2020

RepliYes I can prove this. I too, had many good experiences with massdrop prior to this, which is why it is so frustrating. To be fair, this was NOT within the first year. It was 14 months - 2 months past the warranty. Massdrop had no legal obligation to help me. But, the amount of use was far below what one would normally achieve in 12 months. I have various IEMs ans simply did not use these very frequently. I hoped that massdrop would give me some kind of pay to repair or replace option, but was told they would do nothing for me by support. I have the emails if anyone cares to see such an unhelpful and scripted response. The MD Plus went in the trash the same afternoon and I have not bought a massdrop product since. My TH-X00 and 6XX headphones and many other pads cables etc purchased from massdrop continue to work great. I stand by my review as honest and fair. Drop got my 1500 bucks plus as a customer, but has lost me after this one.

(Edited)

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Disappointed121

Aug 14, 2020

Verified Buyer

They WERE great for 4 months

So, I loved the sound of these, and they were great for isolation. However, I ignored the notes about them having poor build quality and being fragile, thinking that was just people who weren't taking care of their headphones. For the 4 months I've had them, they stayed in the case except for when I wore them. These fell onto the ground ONCE and the shell on the left earbud lost a large segment of outer covering. I contacted customer service, and they said that accidental damage is not covered. I've owned several dozen pairs of headphones and I've never had a pair so fragile that it breaks easier than most glass phones... Honestly, this makes me likely to no longer waste any more money on this website when the support is so poor for one of their own products.

(Edited)

Recommends this product? No

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Hoodini6822

Sep 30, 2020

Disappointed121Yeah...gonna pass. Thanks for the detailed review my dude.

hifizone

Aug 19, 2020

Verified Buyer

Poor quality construction

Never had a $300 IEM break on me back to back for the same problem. As a background, I've owned IEM's from Westones, UE's, Shures, Hifimans, AKG's, RHA's, etc etc. But hands down the worst construction. 1st pair. I was replacing the stock cable. When removing the cable, the two pin connectors broke off and stayed inside the contact points. As far as I'm concerned that was the end of the IEM's life. 2nd pair. They sent me a second pair. Same thing here. Tried replacing the cable, the entire assembly came off including the internal cables. All I did was try to gently remove the cable....FFS Warranty is up so that's that. No matter the sound quality which is about what you expect at this price point, I cannot recommend this product to anyone.

Recommends this product? No

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nand

Jul 23, 2020

Verified Buyer

Shell cracked within seconds

I'm not sure if they arrived with a manufacturing fault or if the shell is just that brittle, but it seems I applied pressure along a slightly unintended axis causing the shell to immediately fault. Subjectively it also feels very thin and brittle, especially compared to my previous IEMs which had a much, much stronger/thicker shell. Would never buy them again. I'll attempt seeing if I can repair them with some form of glue but I'm skeptical.

Recommends this product? No

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Balugasnap

May 23, 2020

Verified Buyer

Poor quality

Cable broke Right iem broke Only 1 year warranty Won't buy again

Recommends this product? No

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ignarukih

Nov 28, 2018

Verified Buyer

The good: The earphones sound brilliant. I'm not an audiophile by any stretch, but they leave my Shure SE215s and 425s for dead. To me it sounds like the difference between a very low bitrate mp3 and a lossless format.

The bad: The design of the connectors between the earphones and the cables is absolutely appalling. Every single time I take the earphones out of their case or my pocket, one or both of them have disconnected. This means I can't use them anywhere but at home, and there is no possibly of them being real IEM for professional use - they're a total liability when I'm constantly worrying about losing one of the ears. Super disappointing for such a nice sounding pair of IEMs.

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ridhuankim

669

Jan 22, 2019

ignarukihI thought the cable was alright until, like you say, the cable came off the IEM. So I went through a whole bunch of the cables I had and chose the 2.5mm TRRS cable which I got from MONK IE from VE Clan. I still don't like the MONK IE but the cable worked very well with MD+. The cable does not come off the IEM, feels secure enough.

Unfortunately, this cable is not listed on veclan website for purchase. The adapter you are seeing is from FIIO which allows me to connect to 3.5mm when needed.

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jack1369

Nov 14, 2020

ignarukihHello. I was a manufacturing engineer for electronic cable company for years. From reading several reviews of your headphones, I can tell that the connector and socket is just very poorly made. There is only one fix that I can come up with is as follow: Mix either five or one minute epoxy, and put little bit of it in to inside of the socket. Also, apply epoxy around outside of the connection. Epoxy will not disturbed the signals coming from the cable to the earphones. However, with my fix, you will not be to disconnect the cable again. I hope this will help. Jack.

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Recent Activity

Kdog248

JVC Spiral Dots work really well.

liontooth

Mine died today after 3 years. Just randomly lost the right connection and I don't think I can get a replacement because they're out of stock and extremely difficult to find used. Would not recommend. Cable dies or BA dies, pick your poison.

marekman

Do these drivers die? I'm new to IEM's and all of a sudden one day noticed I was getting no lower end on both my R and L. I tried another cable as well. These have seen minimal use. Any ideas or suggestions as to what I can try or am I SOL?