Excellent stuff @SenyorC.
2 Likes
Maybeā¦
Did I leave that impression?
2 Likes
I just realized that I didnāt include my measurements in the written review, only in the video.
The measurements are only valid to compare against other stuff I have measured personally, so it isnāt as though it is vital info for the review, however, if anyone wants to see my personal measurements of the Starfield, with a few comparisons, they can be found here: https://achoreviewsenglish.blogspot.com/2020/06/mediciones-moondrop-starfield-y-algunas.html
2 Likes
The latest model from Moondrop is the Super Spaceship Reference, otherwise known as the SSR. This new $39 In-Ear Monitor (IEM) is on the lower end of the Moondrop lineup and is a step up in price and quality from their popular Spaceship model.
First off, I was sent this SSR review unit by Shenzhen Audio, who are both an online retailer and distributor of Moondrop and other audio brands. You can find this product on their retail site at http://www.shenzhenaudio.com as well as their storefronts on Amazon and Ali Express.
Build & Accessories
The SSR is a tiny IEM which is made of aluminum and looks to be possibly die-casted. It also has some sort of enamel clear-coat on the outside giving it a glossy appearance and feel to it. The front of the shell has a large torx screw that may be mistaken for a vent in photos, however the vents are present but located on the ear facing side of the shell and next to the nozzle. The small appearance actually does fit very well in my ears and kind of floats in your ear making little to no contact, depending on your ear shape, and is pretty comfortable overall.
The IEM houses a single beryllium-coated dynamic driver and uses recessed 0.78mm 2-pin connectors. The cable that comes with the SSR is a silver-colored and silver-plated copper wire that winds up nicely and is surprisingly very easy to maneuver and handle, and doesnāt feel to springy and would be hard to knot up.
Sound
The Moondrop SSR can be described as a warm diffuse-field tuned IEM, which features a mid-bass focused lower end and a typical diffuse field type tuning which peaks up to 3KHz and gradually drops down and rolls off in the upper treble range. This IEM can be described as a possible reference tuning but it does lean a tad bright and possibly shouty with itās large rise in the upper mid-range.
The low end is quick, punchy, and very tasteful, while having enough of a bass boost to provide a warmer than neutral sound. It doesnāt stray towards the rich, thick, and gooey type sound in the bass and lower mid-range however, and I believe that is partially due to the upper mid-range rise. That said, I find that the low end is acceptable for most rock music, and has a nice bass response that falls in-line with how much bass I like. It paints a clear picture without bloat.
The mid-range is predominantly dominated by that 3K peak with vocals pushed rather forward and occasionally sharp, particular with female vocals by much more forward and slightly strained. I found this less of an issue when switching to foam tips, as those typically tame some sharpness in my experience and seems to work here as well.
When I listen to Chris Stapleton, whoās deep gritty voice is backed by his roots-style americana rock, I find his voice sounds well defined and with enough power to sound accurate to my ears. Guitars plucks do come across a tad forward perhaps, but nothing that Iād consider fatiguing or sharp.
Treble on the SSR is actually balanced and generally smooth, however still rises a little higher than I prefer, especially in the lower treble range. Some may find the 3K rise to be fatiguing due to shoutiness or being overly sensitive in that area, with singers like Alison Krauss and Lauren Mayberry as prime examples of female vocals sounding a bit too overly bright.
Chromeoās funky-dance songs are examples of music that can become fatiguing. They beats feature a lot of high-hat-type hits and snares that can seem a little too extreme for my ears. The bass lines do sound nice and clean, with punch, and the accentuated focus on the lower treble does make this song a little more exciting. The bass isnāt as powerful in the slam factor as songs like āMustāve Beenā deserves though.
My impressions on some of its more technical aspects are actually very positive for this $39 price tag. Like I mentioned before, the punchy and quick bass doesnāt seem to have any issues with muddiness and offers a clean bass representation that has some weight to it. The mid-range does steer towards the upper range however vocals and instruments do come in with good representation and clarity for this price point.
Imaging is at least better than average to excellent in this price point and is one of the better imaging IEMs Iāve heard under $100. This probably helped by the SSR having a decent soundstage and some depth. I was able to pick out instruments across the soundscape that wasnāt just in my head and instrument separation is actually a strong suit for this IEM even when I threw on songs with buzzing guitars and a lot of noise, like Sonic Youthās Sonic Nurse record.
Comparisons
So where do I put this in the Moondrop Lineup? Without ever hearing the Crescent and Starfield, itās a little hard to really compare it against the closest in itās price range outside the ultra-budget Spaceship. In that case, the Spaceship is clearly outdone by the SSR and this marks a similar but improvement upon the $20 Spaceship. While the general tonality is similar, the SSR has a more balanced sound to it with less muddy midrange and improved fit makes getting seal a lot better. The technical capability is much improved with the change to the Be-coated driver and the new housing design.
I think the SSR is still a step or two below the KXXS and Kanas Pro though. Those two IEMs have a much easier to appreciate tonality that will cover most genres and individual preferences more so than the brighter tuned SSR. In addition, I think the shell design is better with an overall better package.
That said though, when comparing this IEM to itās peers, I find this to fall somewhere in-between the V-shaped BLON BL03 and the diffuse-field targeted Tin T2. The SSR has a little bit warmer and punchier bass signature than the T2 but doesnāt get to the occasional muddy and elevated nature of the BL03. The SSR actually may be brighter than the T2 and the BLON however, but doesnāt have sibilance issues that I find occasionally present in the T2 and BL03, as itās treble is tamed down a bit in the areas that I find most sensitive to sibilant consonant sounds.
Wrap-Up
In general, this SSR is a nice addition to Moondropās lineup and also a nice addition to the budget-tier IEM market. It has its own unique flavor that I donāt think any IEM in this price range currently has, in that itās a punchier and warmer T2, which is still quite unique at this price range, even today, a few years after its initial release.
The biggest knock against it is that it does have a large emphasis in the upper mid-range and lower treble that may not appeal to some, and thatās a legitimate thing to be wary about, and it doesnāt necessarily extend that well down to sub-bass and upper treble range, but it works decently for most music.
Finally, I think the SSR is definitely well priced and can compete against others, with consideration for each individualās personal preferences and tastes. Either way, itās a nice little package that fits well, has a unique design and good build, and really comes ready to use.
10 Likes
The Moondrop Super Spaceship Reference (SSR) is a $40 in-ear monitor using a beryllium-coated dome diaphragm dynamic driver.
My subjective experience with the SSR has been different from both my own measurements and those of others. I perceive much more bass than measured, presumably because of my ear anatomy and the insertion depth I listen to the SSR at. I have small ears and insert the SSR as deeply as possible. Other reviewers with access to measurement rigs have found that blocking the SSRās vents significantly increases its bass response. My guess is that these vents are mostly blocked when I listen to the SSR.
Reviews of the SSR have been mixed in large part because of its polarizing midrange emphasis. I used the Moondrop SSR exclusively with Moondropās MIS tips, which bring the upper-midrange even further forward than my measurements indicate. Despite this, I only perceive the SSRās midrange as shouty under specific circumstances, such as when vocal harmonies and gang vocals that are panned to the sides overlap with instrumentation.
The Moondrop SSR stands apart from most IEMs at its price point because it is clear just from looking at its frequency response that its tuners had a specific target in mind for it, as opposed to shoving a mishmash of drivers into a shell and pushing it onto the market. That target may not be to everyoneās taste, but some measure of intentionality counts for a lot. If one is sensitive to upper-midrange āshoutā the SSR should be avoided. If not, the SSR is a surprisingly technical monitor that is well worth its price.
My full review is available on my blog: https://medium.com/@darmanskirata1136/moondrop-ssr-review-914188a84895
4 Likes
Really good writeup.
I just got a pair of Starfields. I had heard a pair of KXXS a while ago and wasnāt immediately wowed, but with all the positive impressions of the Starfields and their lower price, I thought Iād give them a shot. First impressions are goodā¦
- Build is very nice and despite being all metal, theyāre not too heavy and are more comfortable than my Andromedas
- Despite some peopleās complaints, the cable seems good enough, though I would have liked a chin slider
- The sound didnāt immediately grab me, but itās growing on me and doesnāt have any major faults (kind of like my HD58X)
- Vocals are a bit recessed and the high frequencies are a bit tizzy (not peaky or sibilant, just a bit edgy), both made worse by the stock tips. Oddly after trying a bunch of different tips, I settled on some old KZ silicone tips that came with a ZST or something else cheap. They have a medium bore that strikes a good balance between bringing the vocals forward a bit and not boosting bass or treble the way that narrow or wide bore tips would.
- Like many IEMs, these sound great with crossfeed, which smoothes out the treble and tightens up the bass a bit, while bringing vocals forward to what I would consider a more neutral level.
6 Likes
Great impressions @pwjazz. I have yet to sample any of Moondropās offerings. I need to remedy this.
2 Likes
I know I said 100ā¬ was my limit for IEMs but I am starting to realize how much use I actually give them in comparison to overear headphones. It is just so damn hot here for so many months of the year and spending the last couple of weeks with over ears (for review) has been pretty horrible, even though I prefer the comfort and sound.
Anyways, the reason I am posting here is that the Starfield is currently my favourite IEM so I am thinking of picking up the Blessing 2 (which is still not an expensive IEM per se, but is still 3 times what I said I would spend 
)
For those of you that have heard both, how would you (briefly) rate the step up from one to the other?
3 Likes
Review of the Moondrop SSR
As always, this review can be found in Spanish on Youtube and on my blog, links are available in my profile.
Introā¦
I have had the Moondrop SSR sitting at the side of me now for a while but havenāt really had a chance to try them out until this last week or so.
I actually avoided purchasing the SSR for a long time due to the graphs that I saw when they were first released. After a few people whose opinions I trust said they were decent, I finally decided to give them a whirl.
As you may know, if you follow the channel or blog, the Moondrop Starfield is my favourite IEM under 100ā¬ and I am still wanting to pick up the Blessing 2, so the SSR is a lower priced option from a company that I am generally fond of.
Presentationā¦
The Moondrop SSR is presented in a white cardboard box with a lift off lid and a anime drawing of a singer on the front. According to the box, SSR stands for Super Spaceship Reference, which to me seems a weird name for some earphones but who am I to judge.
On the back of the box there is a photo of the components of the IEMs, along with a graph that sort of matches the graphs that made me hesitant to purchase them when they were released.
Upon opening the box, we find the IEMs sitting in a velvet covered foam cutout with the cable attached. At the bottom there is a small black cardboard (or thick paper) that contains a small drawstring bag and a few extra sizes of silicone tips.
Underneath these there is the typical warranty card and user manual. So, really there isnāt anything exciting in the box except for the IEMs themselves (well, there is a bag that could be handy, but itās not exciting).
Build, aesthetics and comfortā¦
The SSR are tiny. They are slightly larger than the RE-400 or RE-600S that I recently reviewed by Hifiman but not by much. They are small enough to sit flush inside your ears, allowing you to lay on your side if you wish, however, they are not as comfortable as the Hifiman offerings I just mentioned and this is largely the fault of the connector and built in ear hooks.
Now, the cable is not that bad, as far as specs are concerned, although it is rather cheap looking and feeling. It is completely covered in transparent rubber (or silicone) from end to end, with connectors on each end that seem to be covered in the same material. The connectors protrude from the IEMs and while I complained about the Hifiman offerings not having replaceable cables, in the case of the SSR, the protruding connectors increase the size of the IEM by a fair amount and mean that you are limited to wearing them in a specific orientation. This does decrease slightly the comfort side of things but they are still quite comfortable, at least for my personal anatomy.
The shape of the IEMs is different to the majority of offerings that are popular in the budget category at the moment, they sort of resemble something that would be released by Campfire audio than the usual brands found in this price category.
In my case the IEMs are white with a gold coloured screw, and while I like the colour scheme, upon closer inspection the paint does not scream high quality. The paint seems to be a rather thick coat and looks like it could have been applied with a brush. The screw appears to hold the backplate on to the shell but I am not convinced that it is not actually glued together with the screw serving more for aesthetics than actually holding the unit together, but I have not tried to remove it so I donāt know.
My general impression is that the overall build and aesthetics are mediocre, they are not terrible but they certainly donāt scream high quality.
Soundā¦
Of course, in the sub 50ā¬ bracket, my main focus is on sound and whether they are an IEM that offers performance above what we usually expect in this category.
As I said at the beginning, I refrained from purchasing the SSR for a long time due to the graphs I saw and only proceeded to do so when I was told by multiple people that they sound better than they look. On a graph they certainly looked like an IEM that would be bright and lack bass but after reviewing the two RE models lately, I found that I donāt actually mind that sound signature (with certain music) and I think that the graph of the SSR looks very similar to the way I heard the Hifiman offerings.
This is one of the graphs I am referring to:
(graph courtesy of AudioDiscourse.com)
The IEMs use a beryllium-coated dynamic driver with a PU suspension ring and an N52 High Density Magnetic Circuit. Now, I am not going to explain what that means as I honestly donāt have enough knowledge about it, letās just say that itās supposed to be good and it actually is.
Donāt get me wrong, I am not about to rave about how these are amazing IEMs that cost 40ā¬ and rival those at 1000ā¬, but what they do well, they do very well. Itās just a shame that they donāt do more things well.
In the bass department there isnāt a huge amount of sub-bass but there is certainly enough to appreciate the low rumble on tracks like āNo Mercyā by Gustavo Santaolalla. It isnāt an IEM that is going to rumble your jaw but at least it is not missing those low notes.
In the remaining bass frequencies, it handles them very well. There isnāt an excessive amount of bass but the bass that is present is detailed and held together very well. There is plenty of speed in the low notes and kick drums are very realistic. I am a fan of dynamic drivers especially in the low notes and these donāt dissapoint. While not an IEM for a bass head, they are fast and resolve complicated bass lines and drums very well in this range. I would say that they are a little warmer than neutral in the bass frequencies and certainly warmer than I expected.
Moving into the mids, in the lower mids there is enough presence to assist the lows in providing that warmer sound. It is not overly warm and avoids feeling loose at all times, giving a great tone to bass lines that are played on the typical electric P-Bass. I spent some time listening to some older AC-DC, Police and even some Ramones, all with enjoyable bass lines that are nicely presented on the SSR (yes, I know Iām a bass guitar freak!).
There is a slight dip in the center of the mids that isnāt overly recessed, helping emphasize that slight warmness of the lows without making you feel that the mids are missing at all. Voices are clearly defined in all their ranges and donāt leave you with the impression that they are hiding behind instruments, even their lower notes are clearly defined. The song āMake Noiseā by Busta Rhymes and Lenny Kravitz is recorded in a way that the voice of Busta Rhymes is always overshadowed by bass and the guitar of Kravitz, and while the SSR does not fix this, they are one of the IEMs that does the best job of making his voice intelligible.
At the high end of the mids there is a clear rise, starting around 1k and peaking at 3k before starting to roll off through the highs. This obviously gives voices a very good presence but can result in IEMs being shouty. In the case of the SSR, some songs can have a little too much presence but again it is not as bad as it should be by looking at the graph. The song āDown To The River To Prayā by Alison Kraus is a track that can sometimes become shouty when the presence is overly done, but in the case of the SSR, it doesnāt become shouty and maintains a nice separation between the various voices. āHallelujahā by Pentatonix can seem a little thin when only one voice is singing but pulls itself back together once the harmonics kick in.
In the case of classical instruments, they are again well defined and while I am no classical music expert, āAdagio for Strings, Op. 11aā performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra was pleasurable and didnāt become too bright or harsh, although there were parts of the piece where I feel it was missing a little bit of warmth on the strings.
In the treble, there is a roll off that continues down from the 3k mark, although there are a few little steps along the way. In general it does avoid sibilance but I found that a few of the āSā by Lana Del Rey in āHope is a Dangerous Thingā were overly present. Now, this is a song that can become irritating pretty quickly on sibilant earphones and this was not the case with the SSR, it was just a couple of āSā at the intro that were a little too present.
The roll off in the treble does sometimes leave me wanting a little more āairā, as was the case also with āAdagio for Stringsā and other songs that I feel needed a little more space to breath in the highest registries.
As far as soundstage, it is another IEM that I donāt find to be very wide. It is probably around average or slightly better but is a long way from the ZAX that I reviewed recently. The placement of images is decent and the transition between left and right are smooth and consistent, tested with āLetterā as always, but they are nothing to write home about.
The speed and detail of these IEMs are though, I didnāt find them to lose control at any point, no matter what I threw at them, and the details always seemed to be there even if they didnāt make a point of focusing on them. The timbre is pretty realistic on acoustic guitars and similar instruments, although I did find it a little off with violins and celloās etc.
Conclusionā¦
I am sort of lukewarm about these IEMs. I am impressed by some of the things they do but they donāt seem to be able to excite me in anything they do.
The overall sound signature is quite pleasant and is not what I expected but it is not something I would choose most of the time. The details are good but are again not exciting it seems that some details stand out and others you have to look for. The details are there but donāt jump out at you.
The speed and definition of bass is probably my favourite part, although it could maybe have been increased by a couple of dB to be more to my liking. The mids and highs are very pleasant but once more are far from exciting.
While listening to these IEMs, I would get the feeling with one song that they were great and then feel a little let down on the next song.
At the end of the day, I donāt really have any complaints about these earphones, nothing is terrible, but they are something that I wouldnāt miss if I didnāt have them in my collection.
11 Likes
Another great review @SenyorC. They sound a bit mediocre looking at your review. Especially when there are lots of better ones about in this price range.
2 Likes
I always enjoy Moondropās packaging, with the Anime / Manga styled illustrations. The characters that show in the upper right corner on the SSRās box ;
Mizu ( Water)
Tsuki ( Moon)
Ame (Rain / Rain Drops)
Or āMoondropā.
Mark Gosdin
2 Likes
I have the Moondrop Illumination in for review at the moment, so I thought Iād share my thoughts here:
Moondrop Illumination Frequency Response using GRAS RA0402 coupler that dampens the 8khz resonance. Not comparable to RA0045 equivalent:
Technical performance
- Soundstage is a bit too intimate - music all around you rather than in front of you
- Detail is average, really good in treble, decent in mids, not so good in bass
- Excellent dynamics across the board, it has a wonderful physicality that you donāt typically get from multi-BA setups (leaving aside some of the Sonion woofers that Iām currently testing as well).
- Timbre is spectacular, good enough to make me dislike BA timbre more.
Tuning
- The best tuning for a single DD IEM so far
- Mostly neutral
- Slight bloom to upper bass and lower mid
- Slightly forward in upper mids, ear-gain is a bit too much in my opinion
- Smooth but well-balanced treble - keep in mind the RA0402 resonance dampening going on (8khz is actually much more smooth there than it looks).
- Very much like a Sennheiser HD650 in terms of tuning
Comparisons
- Thieaudio Monarch
- Monarch has better detail, better sub-bass, better sense of space
- Illumination has better timbre, more natural sounding, sense of weight to everything that only a DD can give
- KXXX/Starfield
- Illumination has the better tuning, better treble - where these other two are less balanced and coherent in the treble.
- Illumination has better technical performance - except in the bass
Conclusion
- In some ways the Moondrop Illumination is like the Sennheiser HD650 of IEMs, with the same strengths and weaknesses. This is one of the best tuned IEMs, period - with the downside of not having quite as good technical performance in terms of soundstage, depth, and bass texture as the competition. The flips side is how amazing the timbre is.
- If youāre someone who hates BA timbre - cares a lot about timbre - this IEM is for you.
- My only wish is that this had a bit more sub-bass presence, and maybe slightly less energy at the ear-gain region, but for āneutralheadsā this tuning should fit the bill.
Hereās the video review:
11 Likes
@Precogvisionās excellent review of the Moondrop S8 is now live on the headphones.com main page here:
7 Likes
My review of the Moondrop SSP is up on my blog:
Moondrop Super Spaceship Pulse (SSP) Review | by Alec | Bedrock Reviews | Dec, 2020 | Medium
4 Likes
Moondrop x Crinacle B2: Dusk Review - A Worthy Successor
Introduction
Moondrop. Progenitor of the perplexing dynamic that is waifu and high-fidelity audio; one of the most distinguished Chi-Fi brands in the IEM world thanks to their calculated approach to tuning. They made waves earlier this year with the Blessing 2 (āB2ā), an IEM that many - myself included - would deem the de-facto $300 benchmark. But what happens when you put the tuning of the B2 into even more competent hands? The Blessing 2: Dusk (āDuskā) is a re-tuned B2 with popular IEM reviewer, Crinacle, at the helm. It aims to address some minor tonal issues with the B2 and to bring a collaboration piece to the masses at a (relatively) affordable price. Given the smash-success that was the original B2, needless to say expectations are higher than ever. Letās see if the Dusk has what it takes to meet them.
This unit was kindly loaned for review by Super* Review - thank you! You can find him on YouTube here. At the end of the review period it will be returned, and as always, what follows are my honest thoughts and opinions to the best of my ability.
Source and Driveability
Like the original B2, the Dusk may require a little more juice to drive than some other hybrids, but I had no issue running it off my mobile devices. I did not experience any hissing. As usual, all critical listening was done off of an iBasso DX160 and A&K SP1000M with lossless FLAC files, the stock tips, and the stock cable.
The Tangibles
This is a loaned unit, so I donāt have the original packaging. The accessories have not changed from the original B2 though, and you will receive the following:
- Soft-carry case
- Airline adapter
- Silicon tips (s/m/l)
- Copper 2-pin 0.78mm cable
Like most Moondrop IEMs, the cable is a bit of a letdown. There is a tacky, plastic Y-splitter, and the hardware is somewhat janky. Itāll work fine in practice, although Iād consider picking up an upgrade cable if this sounds like a concern to you.
The build quality of the Dusk itself is good. There are no surface inconsistencies to either the acrylic shell or the stainless steel faceplate. The faceplate is a glued-in, press-fit and it sits perfectly flush with the acrylic shell. A small indication of quality I like to look for with this stuff is actually the engravings. Sure, it doesnāt go strictly hand-in-hand with the overall quality of the build, but itās a good indicator. Moondrop appears to be using a laser engraving process, and the amount of detail and clarity to the inscriptions is impressive.
And yes, the elephant in the room. Thereās no getting around it (and for some with smaller ears this will be quite literal), the Blessing 2 are big bois. Theyāre larger than most IEMs, and fit issues are only exacerbated by an enormous 6.5mm nozzle. Suffice it to say that fit is whatāll probably make or break these IEMs for most people. Itās particularly vexing because thereās clearly a lot of open space in the shell thatās just been filled in with acrylic material. My own ears manage to fit them, but theyāre right on the cusp of being too large, and given the 100+ hours I probably have on my personal B2, I suspect my ears have simply adapted at this point.
Sound Analysis
Frequency response measured off of an IEC-711 coupler. There is a resonance peak at 8kHz; as such, measurements after this point should not be considered accurate.
Might as well kill two birds with one stone by comparing the Dusk with its brother, the B2, right? The original B2 follows a leaner, neutral-reference sort of tuning, but as the name Dusk might imply, the Dusk is a warmer, darker IEM - only by comparison, of course. Independently, Iād probably classify the Dusk as something along the lines of āneutral with bass boostā.
More subjectively? The Dusk is one of the most well-tuned IEMs Iāve heard. I adore the bass-shelf which closely follows the curve of one of my favorite IEMs, the 64 Audio U12t. Like so, itās largely subbass oriented, sloping out at 200hZ relative to the B2ās more linear response. This is important because you can āpushā sub-bass a good deal. Itās mostly when you start curving an IEMās bass shelf with more of a mid-bass emphasis, or past 200hZ, that you run the risk of delving into bloat; this is what Crinacle has aptly avoided with the Duskās tuning.
My main issue with the original B2ās midrange - the excessively thin, borderline shouty notes - has also been rectified. Youāll notice that the Duskās lower-midrange is actually leaner than the B2ās, but here, graphs can be deceiving: It sounds thicker in practice to my ears. This is likely a result of also cutting the ear compensation a few dB; this balancing act lends itself to a slightly thicker note-weight. Some listeners might still find the Duskās midrange a tad thin; nonetheless, the midrange exhibits a level of tonal accuracy Iāve not heard in the $500 bracket - scratch that, perhaps even in the kilobuck bracket (only one other IEM, the venerable Hidition Viento, comes to mind).
The last thing I want to do is sling around fancy-shmancy words though, and you might be wondering what I mean by tonal accuracy. When we think of a headphone as being tonally accurate we are implying neutrality. However, because everyone has their own HRTF, unique hearing physiology, and individual perception of neutrality, there is no ātrueā neutrality. In this vein, the Duskās midrange simply produces sound faithful to what I have personally heard in my limited experience with real instruments, what I would largely expect to hear. Suffice it to say the Dusk has nailed it yet again, at least for my preferences, and hopefully this lends some transparency to where Iām coming from.
The only region where the Dusk stumbles is the treble, but this is to be expected. The Dusk is largely lower-treble oriented, quickly rolling off post-10kHz and not quite reaching 18.5kHz in the sine sweep tests I ran. Itās important to remember that most IEMs in this price range - heck, even many in the flagship price range - do not exhibit good treble extension, or at least not what I would qualify as good extension, so this is perfectly acceptable by my standards. Those who heard the 6kHz peak on the B2 (which never really bothered me) will also likely hear the same on the Dusk.
Technical Performance
While not necessarily a technical specialist, the original B2 was quite the competent performer for its price. And because the Dusk and B2 share the same material components, youād expect the Dusk to be comparable technicality-wise. This holds true for the most part, but there are definitely small differences. For example, Iām pleased to hear that some of the BA timbre - specifically grain - in the midrange and treble seems to have been cleaned up (or masked), likely a result of more warmth. And like its brother, the Duskās imaging is still quite good, bordering on breaking the headstage and rendering positional cues above average.
But perhaps most surprisingly, the Duskās resolution is comparable to - if not better than - the B2ās. This is notable because the B2 ācheatsā by virtue of its tuning which contrasts a more subdued bass response with strong upper-midrange presence, lending to the perception of a crisper, brighter midrange. On the other hand, a thicker note-weight like what the Dusk exhibits generally corresponds to a loss of resolution. Maybe itās a consequence of the more incisive bass shelf, or maybe itās my infatuation with the Duskās midrange skewing my assessment; while Iām not sure how it was achieved, needless to say Iām not complaining!
Unforgiving Explication
Of course, youāll also want to know what the Dusk does not do so well. Iāve already cited the treble extension (a limitation of the driver setup that I believe Crinacle himself has acknowledged), but Iād be remiss if I didnāt have a couple, personal nitpicks of my own.
- An aspect of the original B2 which I grew increasingly critical of was the bass. Intangibly, whatever dynamic driver Moondrop is using is simply not very good. It handles transient attack fine (likely a result of the excellent bass tuning on both IEMs) but struggles to articulate note texture and density. Thereās an overly dry tactility to it, and while I wonāt go so far as to drop the dreaded āone-noteā label, it frequently rings static and fails to scale macro-details.
- In a similar vein, I quite enjoyed the original B2ās overall macrodynamic ability. This is the extent to which an IEM is able to scale quite-to-loud gradations in a track. The Dusk, while by no means compressed, scales dynamic transitions more sluggishly, and said transitions donāt exhibit quite as good contrast. Overall macrodynamic ability is still good enough that Iād seat the Dusk in āabove averageā territory.
- I canāt knock the feeling that the original B2 might image every-so-slightly better, particularly in terms of positional accuracy. Again, make no mistake that weāre still in better-than-average territory.
Youāll note that these are predominantly intangible flaws - that is, flaws largely devoid of frequency response. You canāt always have your cake and eat it, and given the price point, the intangibles expectedly remain the bottleneck to what is an otherwise terrific IEM.
Select Comparisons
Letās do a little round-up of the Moondrop line-up. Unfortunately, I have not heard the Solis or the Illumination, but I have heard most of the companyās other IEMs.
Sound differences between these three IEMs are negligible, and Iāll refer to them collectively as the Starfield for simplicity. The Starfield follows a more Harman-oriented tuning with a less incisive sub-bass shelf and more upper-midrange presence. The treble on it is more rolled-off, gentle, particularly in the lower-treble. Those looking for an upgrade from the Starfield should gravitate toward the Dusk. If you are coming from the likes of the Moondrop SSR, though, you might prefer the regular B2 instead.
You might be wondering, where does the original B2 stand now? Well, in my opinion, itās right where it should be. Despite the complete clickbait title of this review, and my tonal preferences being largely in favor of the Dusk, the original B2 has by no means been deprecated. For the price, I think it still presents a very compelling option that will appeal to listeners who enjoy a leaner, brighter tonality.
The S8 is the B2ās older brother that quickly went overshadowed thanks to the latterās meteoric rise to fame. Nonetheless, it remains one of the most solid IEMs in the kilobuck bracket. Like the normal Blessing 2, it favors a leaner, more upper-midrange oriented sound, but stacks on a bass shelf akin to the KXXS, bringing it something closer to Harman. Listeners who enjoy a technical-heavy sound will revel in the S8ās technical performance and excellent treble extension. In a lot of respects, itās an apt foil to the Dusk which prioritizes a heavier, darker sound relative to the S8ās dryer, more clinical presentation. Donāt like the Dusk? Give the S8 a shot.
The Verdict
We are seeing the landscape of the IEM world shift at an alarming rate. Some very good IEMs have been hitting the market lately, largely the product of adhering to established target curves. While Iām certainly not going to pretend that measurements and frequency response are the end-all-be-all to qualifying a good IEM, frankly, I canāt remember the last time I enjoyed an IEM so much. The Dusk irrefutably demonstrates the merits of tuning with calculated, deliberate precision. If the B2 set a precedent for the $300 bracket, then the Dusk is one of the extremely rare IEMs, the few and far between, that I dare say is almost unfairly good. This is one of the most tonally pleasing IEMs on the market - words I donāt sling lightly - and one that should be on your radar.
Reference Tracks
- Aimer - Hakuchuumu
- David Nail - Let It Rain
- Dreamcatcher - Silent Night
- Illenium & Excision - Gold
- Girlsā Generation - Galaxy Supernova
- Joe Nichols - Sunny and 75
- Keith Urban - Defying Gravity (2009)
- Sabai - Million Days
- Sawano Hiroyuki - Best of Vocal Works Remastered (2020)
- Taeyeon - My Voice (2017)
- Tiffany - I Just Wanna Dance
- Tom Day - Where Were We
15 Likes
A really excellent review as always @Precogvision. I really enjoyed reading it. I shall have to try to listen to these at some point.
2 Likes
Great review @Precogvision, I really like your simple but concise approach to reviewing stuff.
I have been planning on a B2 for a while now but still havenāt gotten around to it, now I am debating whether to just go for the Dusk.
2 Likes
What a great review, it is easy to understand the pros and cons of the Dusk.
I have been reluctant to get the B2 bc I have the S8, but with the Dusk out it might be hard to not get it. I really love my S8, so Moondrop is high on my list, but I now better understand the difference and why it can make sense to get the Dusk.
Edit: Dusk is ordered 
3 Likes