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NiceHCK EBX21 Flagship Earbuds Review: Transparent & Smooth!!

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Earbuds are something that I prefer for a nighttime relaxing listening session at home. I love how open, how smooth they can sound without hitting hard on the pocket at…
NiceHCK EBX21-12

Earbuds are something that I prefer for a nighttime relaxing listening session at home. I love how open, how smooth they can sound without hitting hard on the pocket at all. Today I am gonna present to you my review for the latest NiceHCK EBX21 Flagship pair of earbuds.

NiceHCK is a China-based HiFi audio equipment manufacturing brand. They specialize in high-quality earphones and cables that enhance the listening pleasure of users. They have widely acclaimed products such as the NX7 series of IEMs, and the EBX series of earbuds. I have previously owned their NiceHCK EBX earbuds that I actually liked a lot for their open, wide sound signature. A few weeks back the brand released their latest flagship pair of earbuds, the NiceHCK EBX21. I received the unit of EBX21 from HiFiGO a week back, today I am going to share my in-depth review for this pair of earbuds.

NiceHCK EBX21-1

Disclaimer:-

This unit of NiceHCK EBX21 earbuds is provided to me by HiFiGO. I am not paid or affected by any means to write positive or negative about the pair. All impressions in this review are completely my own based on my usage with the pair. You can buy the EBX21 from HiFiGo from the link below.

Package & Contents:-

NiceHCK EBX21-2

To avoid any unnecessary customs charges I requested HiFiGo to send me the unit without any outer packing. So I just received the pair with its carry case, connector cable, and few pairs of donut and full foam covers. You can check out the unboxing video of EBX21 on HiFiGo’s YouTube channel from the link below. Please note that they unboxed a 4.4mm terminated cable variant of the EBX21. I got with 3.5mm termination.

Contents That I Received:-

>NiceHCK EBX21 earbuds.

>MMCX connector cable.

>Denim-textured Carry Case.

>Two pairs of Full foam covers.

>Two pairs of donut-style foam covers.

>Silicone rings(two pairs).

>Cable Organiser.

Design & Build Quality:-

The NiceHCK EBX21 is one of the best-looking pair of earbuds that I have ever seen to date. And yes that includes their previous flagship EBX earbuds and several others that I have owned and used till now. The earpieces have an MX500 style similar design and feature a premium build with CNC machined aluminum alloy material. They feature a silver matte finish with a pointy, edgy design on the top. On the bottom, we have MMCX connectors. We also have NiceHCK logo along with R and L printed on the side of the earbuds for the Right and Left sides respectively. Being metallic the pair does carry some weight when compared to other plastic earbuds. In terms of design and build quality, the EBX21 provides a rich matte look with a sturdy metallic build.

NiceHCK EBX21-3
NiceHCK EBX21-4

The included cable is also of very good quality. It features two cloth-sleeved wires with a metallic Y-splitter and a 3.5mm termination plug. The termination plug also has NiceHCK logo printed on it. It also has Red and Blue colors on the connectors to denote the Right and Left sides respectively. I have heard that this cable itself costs about 100$, well I guess a flagship pair surely requires such a good quality cable. The included carry case is again of very good quality. It has a rich denim-textured finish with NiceHCK logo on top of it. It secures the pair easily with the cable and foam covers.

Fit & Noise Isolation:-

The earpieces here sit firmly on the outer area of my ear. They don’t go too deep into my ears and are really good for long listening sessions. I find them very comfortable for my medium-sized ears, no fit issues as such. Though being an earbud the Noise Isolation is not good or anywhere comparable to IEMs.

Driving the EBX21:-

The NiceHCK EBX21 is a very easy to drive pair. It can easily be powered right off a smartphone such as Samsung Note 9 or even an entry-level Bluetooth DAC/AMP such as the Hidizs H2. For the purpose of this review, I used the pair with Samsung Note 9, Hidizs H2 Bluetooth DAC/AMP(With iPhone 11), Cayin N3 Pro, and Topping E30+L30 Desktop combo. Here are my findings with these pairings.

With Samsung Note 9:-

NiceHCK EBX21-10

To no surprise, the EBX21 is powered really well at like 10/15 volume level on the Samsung Note 9. At full volume(15/15) it becomes unbearably loud. The clarity and details are pretty good, no muddiness in this combo.

With Hidizs H2(iPhone 11):-

NiceHCK EBX21-5

A pretty solid combination here. The pairing sounds natural and cleaner than the Note 9 Pairing. For volume, I hardly had to go above 80% on the iPhone 11.

With Cayin N3 Pro:-

NiceHCK EBX21-5

There are two modes with the N3 Pro. With its such high sensitivity, it becomes really loud with Tube amplification, so I used it with Solid State combination here. The pair sounds really clean and outstanding, the extensions and clarity here is just amazing.

With Topping Desktop Stack:-

Well not surprising but this much power is not at all required here. I listened at -9dB gain and about 30% volume on the L30 for this pairing. It is really clean with a neutral sound approach. Detailing and clarity are similar to the N3 Pro combination here.

So, even if you only have your smartphone with you, don’t worry you will get the best out of the EBX21. Though it is suggested to use Hi-res players for better signal decoding.

Sound Quality:-

NiceHCK EBX21-7

The NiceHCK EBX21 has a neutral sound tonality with a wide soundstage presentation. The soundstage really goes from one corner of my mind to the other, when eyes closed it really provides the feel of a huge hall full of performers just only for me. Really a great listening pleasure. It presents a very clean background with all the different sources I connected it with. Another thing that impressed me with the EBX21 is the smooth transitions and natural tonality of the musical instruments as well as the vocal artists. Both the male and female vocals are a pleasure to listen to with their rich tonality and clarity. The only drawback with this pair is that being an earbud it lacks sub-bass rumble extensions but that is the case with almost all earbuds. Here’s the frequency-wise sound description.

Lower-End:-

The bass response of the EBX21 is focused primarily on the mid-bass section. It produces some decent mid-bass slams that are extended quite well. Drum kicks in Rasputin hit deep and precise. Though the pair shows some lack of extensions in the sub-bass portion, though that doesn’t actually bother me at all as I prefer it for relaxing music sessions. The lower-end shows good control, it is controlled well-within its region with no bleed to the other frequencies.

Mid-Frequencies:-

The mid-frequency response is where I love the EBX21 the most. It sounds natural and airy with high-clarity among acoustic instruments and vocals. Both the male and female vocals are transparent and carry a natural tonality to them. They don’t get harsh, shouty, or fatiguing even at louder listening levels. The pair presents a pleasurable listening experience it doesn’t get tiring even after long listening sessions.

NiceHCK EBX21-8

Treble-Frequencies:-

The NiceHCK EBX21 has a natural, detailed, non-fatiguing treble frequency response. It retrieves good detailing even from complex tracks such as Down With Sickness By Disturbed. The cymbal crashes in Dreams by Fleetwood Mac extend quite well and show good treble extension capabilities of the pair. The main attraction here is that with such high-grade detail retrieval there is no harshness or sibilance, it’s always a pleasure to enjoy music with the EBX21.

Soundstage & Imaging:-

In terms of soundstage & Imaging, the EBX21 is a stellar pair. It provides a super-wide soundstage experience with outstanding instrument clarity and detailing. Different musical instrument placement is precise and easily noticeable.

Final Impressions:-

NiceHCK EBX21-9

In my experience with the EBX21, it is a solid performer with a natural sound approach. It presents crisp, clean output with lovely vocal clarity and smooth detailing throughout the frequency range. I find none of the frequency being too overpowering or taking control over my usage period of over 50-60 hours for this review. If you are looking for something smooth sounding with a fatigue-free experience, the NiceHCK EBX21 can easily be your next pair of earphones!! Once again I would like to thank HiFiGo for providing me with this review sample, you can buy the EBX21 from their store here.

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