NF Audio RG15 Review

IEM brand partnerships like this are rare, but they tend to result in some interesting products. One of the most recent examples was the Moondrop Droplet, which was a collaboration with the popular IEM manufacturer and the “Three-Body Problem” series of books that is now a Netflix show. The RG15 is also a pair of Type C IEMs, but they’re designed for gaming, so it makes sense to partner up with a famous video game franchise. NF Audio has collaborated with the Assassin’s Creed series for their latest gaming IEMs, specifically the recently released Assassin’s Creed Mirage. Is this partnership just a gimmick, or is the RG15 a genuinely good pair of IEMs for gaming?

What You Get

• RG15 IEMs
• USB-C cable with 2-pin connectors
• XS/S/M/L Ear tips
• Drawstring bag with Assassin’s Creed Logo

Look & Feel

Collaborations like this can wield some inspired designs. The RG15 takes full advantage of using the Assassin’s Creed name to inform its appearance. The gold-finished shell, patterns, and insignia are very aesthetically pleasing and thematically tied to the setting of Mirage. You can’t compare it to any other pair of IEMs in its price range, and thankfully, that quality also translates to the fit. Even when its luxurious design, the physical shell is surprisingly small. This makes them easy to wear for long periods, however, their weight makes them lean a bit without the right-sized ear tips.

Design

The RG15 uses double-capacity dynamic drivers, but its most notable component is its MEMs microphone. While most other gaming earbuds have remote mics for voice chat, the RG15 has increased clarity thanks to this specific design. Plugging the RG15 directly into my laptop I was able to get a sizable output. It feels like having a good DAC/Amp without the need for any extra adapter. Although, it would have been nice to have an included 3.5mm cable.

Soundstage

Gaming IEMs require more soundstage to make sense of a game’s many sound elements, like dialogue, effects, and music. The RG15 succeeds there, with its strong scope and admirable depth. When listening to games and music, the sonic environment takes on the shape of a skinny oval. It’s wide from left to right and has enough black space to make each sound appear more physical in the mix. There’s a thin layer that makes all the instruments, effects, and voices stack on top of each other quite nicely. It rises just above a flat plain that makes a stereo field appear linear.

Instruments mainly stick to this linear pattern, but they’re still granted height when called upon. This makes the positioning of each sound easier to identify, which is important to hear in most games. While the soundstage lacks an open headspace, directionality, and specific angles of sounds remain mostly intact.

Low End

For gaming IEMs, the bass of the RG15 is surprisingly reserved. You won’t find a bass response full of texture and body like other gaming IEMs, and that might disappoint you. However, the bass still has a significant presence in that mix, which helps lift the sound signature more subtly. Certain sub-bass frequencies form a solid foundation that effects can reach. It feels very separated from the sound signature as a whole, but games can benefit from this cleaner separation. You still get some fun rumble out of the RG15, but it might not be to the level of thickness you’re used to for gaming earbuds.

Mids

Most of the RG15’s sound signature is occupied by midrange detail. The frequencies are very pronounced and pushed forward in the mix. It gives room for a lot of the busy sound elements to stick out properly, so as to not have anything pushed to the background. This works to the RG15’s benefit for the most part, as the timbre feels enriched by note hits, expressive sound effects, and commanding voice performances. Everything feels punctuated while playing games, especially footsteps and dialogue. Where things start to get shaky is the mid-treble, where there’s extra sibilance to some vocals.

Highs

The high frequencies have a solid presence in the mix, fulfilling instruments and effects with necessary artifacts and ticks that are presented without harshness. However, there a streak of accented brightness in the mid-treble that while not harsh, still doesn’t go down quite as smoothly. This is not a consistent response though, only when there are sharp sound effects like sword slashes or certain dialogue ranges that have a bright underline. For the most part, though, the highs are gentle with instances of light sparkle.

Summary

There are a lot of good IEMs out there for gaming, and the RG15 checks most of the boxes. It’s not just the Assassin’s Creed collaboration that verifies its gaming credentials, the sound does a lot of heavy lifting. While it might not satisfy you in terms of bass performance, the detail and soundstage get everything to fall into place, and it results in immersive game audio.

Find more from NF Audio on the website here.