Interesting new Moondrop product- DSP equipped IEM cable

[Jimbob54]

The only other downside besides the app is the microphone. It is very quiet, making it pretty useless tbh... Also, why is there a chin slider when it can't pass by the microphone? Bizarre design choice there...

Was going to post about this just now. The May cable is actually even worse than the FreeDSP separate cable too (but has the same issue) as they have marginally shortened the length of the wire from 2 pin to remote compared to the Free. At least with the Free I could wrap one of those little velcro strips above the remote and create an upper chin woggle. But with the shortened length on the May cable it near garrotes me.

I love the idea of the DSP cable but I am really struggling with it in practice . The earhooks are too hard and wrongly shaped for me too.

 

[JimmyKing]

A hot air gun will let you sort out the ear hooks at least. They're only shrink-down sheaths - warm them up & reshape them to your preference.

 

[Jimbob54]

A hot air gun will let you sort out the ear hooks at least. They're only shrink-down sheaths - warm them up & reshape them to your preference.

Used the gas ring on the cooker but without a snug chin woggle they still flap around when not under a little tension if I move my head.

 

[asrUser]

Just cut them off.

 

[JimmyKing]

I'm really glad that I stuck with this as it's totally transformed my KATOs. We need more innovation like this, and preferably with open source software so that the community can carry them forward.

 

[CedarX]

I decided to sacrifice one my FreeDSP...

(sorry for the picture quality, that's the best I could do...)

Any idea what is this chip? An ARM-Cortex (25xx) SoC with integrated DAC-Amp? Note the two separate Mic wires are soldered on the other side (6 wires total).

 

[ehabheikal]

Has this been measured anywhere?

 

[staticV3]

Has this been measured anywhere?

Moondrop FREE DSP Review & Measurements

[TableOfContents] Introduction Video Review Design Software Measurements [End] Introduction The Moondrop FREE DSP is a cable that features an inbuilt DAC and amp to directly power IEMs without the need for a separate dongle, but most importantly, it offers the ability to load EQ profiles...

headphones.com

 

[CedarX]

Has this been measured anywhere?

You may also check @Phenoez8 review of the Moondrop MAY IEM, which uses what appears to be a variant of the FreeDSP cable:

Moondrop May USB-C Headphones Review

Hello! This is a review and measurements of the new Moondrop May headphones. This is my personal pair and it costs US $65. I have been browsing ASR for a while now, but I have never posted anything here. I decided to write my very first review on this budget friendly USB-C DAC and headphone...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[CedarX]

I noticed that @jaakkopasanen has added "Moondrop FreeDSP" as equalizer app. option in AutoEQ. Great !!! .......Except that the "AutoEQ" part has not been implemented yet . Work in progress? EDIT: it does work!

 

[jaakkopasanen]

I noticed that @jaakkopasanen has added "Moondrop FreeDSP" as equalizer app. option in AutoEQ. Great !!! .......Except that the "AutoEQ" part has not been implemented yet . Work in progress?

"AutoEq part"?

 

[CedarX]

"AutoEq part"?

My bad... For whatever reason, when I tested this yesterday, the actual Freq/Q/Gain parameters were not adjusting when I selected "Moondrop FreeDSP"... Not sure what happened, but it does work today!

FreeDSP (or the FreeDSP App) only accepts integer gains: is this something that could affect significantly the optimization and yield different-enough results? I would not worry too much about it, but was curious if it's something you had looked into...

 

[ehabheikal]

I got this, the cable sounds great. The app to control peq is terrible but works.The cable also looks amazing.

 

[CedarX]

Moondrop x Crinacle Dusk soon to be released, see: https://audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/moondrop-x-crinacle-dusk.53462/

I found Crinacle comments in his video interesting: Dusk has been tuned close to the proven Blessing 2 Dusk--the "analog tuning" / why changing something that has been praised by many. Crinacle also confirms they used a FeeDSP cable, included with Dusk, to get what he calls "the remaining 5%": these fine tuning adjustments they could not achieve as part of the base, "analog", tuning. That would be the "DUSK-default" setting in the Link app.

They also added 4 other DSP settings: a DUSK-V (named "DUSK" in the graph below), DUSK-Harman, Dusk-Bass+, DUSK-Diffuse-Tilted that could be used as starting point for any user personal adjustment:

So, despite all the technology used for Dusk--2 opposed DD, 2 BAs, and 2 (new!) micro-planars (they look like BAs but are not) and the cost, Crinacle himself acknowledges the benefit of embedding a cheap DSP (the $30 FreeDSP cable) to fine-tune a fairly high-end IEM to perfection. Quite a change from the usual audiophile take on DSP...

The DSP settings also somewhat settles the debate about IEM target curves: you get an "analog" tuning endorsed by Crinacle... but you are free (as in FreeDSP ) to use 4 other "relevant" targets and adjust from there.

What I don't quite understand in the end is is the true benefit of Dusk over something like Moondrop own May IEM: if the included DSP let you adjust whatever FR suits you, what do you get from Dusk you couldn't get from May? Is it only about technology and build quality ??? If they were to only offer a DSP version of Dusk, how far could they de-spec it (and lower the cost!) but yet still meet "Crinacle's stringent requirements"?

I continue to think FreeDSP & similar embedded DSP's are game changers in the IEM world...

EDIT: There is an updated version of the Link II Apk: 1.045c-240322. Not sure what is new/different (Moondrop needs to improve the app... but they also need to improve their App versioning management).

 

[Matias]

Moondrop Lab

I would rather have the Chu 2 DSP than the Chu 2 regular. For the extra £2 or so its a bit of a no brainer. So does the Moondrop App work better with the Chu 2 DSP than with the FreeDSP cable or is it effectively the same with the same limitations / bugs ? I have the Tanchjim One DSP which I...

www.audiosciencereview.com

 

[Karu]

My bad... For whatever reason, when I tested this yesterday, the actual Freq/Q/Gain parameters were not adjusting when I selected "Moondrop FreeDSP"... Not sure what happened, but it does work today!

FreeDSP (or the FreeDSP App) only accepts integer gains: is this something that could affect significantly the optimization and yield different-enough results? I would not worry too much about it, but was curious if it's something you had looked into...

So how would I proceed if I want the compatible parameters for the Kefine Delci? Or TE Zero Red? To the Harman target.

 

[Jimbob54]

So how would I proceed if I want the compatible parameters for the Kefine Delci? Or TE Zero Red? To the Harman target.

Absent of finding someone elses work using the parameters, you could use crinacle's comparison tool or the multitude of squiglink sites and play with the eq tools there. Also have a look at autoeq.app as you might be able to tell it the limited peak abilities of the free DSP.

 

[Karu]

I will wait and see then

 

[Jimbob54]

I will wait and see then

Just checked autoeq.app - if you select custom PEQ you can specify the number of peak filters available and max and min gain values- cant recall what the Free DSP restrictions are but if you set max gain as 0 it will give you negative peak filters to EQ to target.

EDIT- actually no that doesnt work- it doesnt like having max gain limits of 0db- doesnt get close to target. So you would have to model it manually on either squiglink or Crinacles comparison tools

 

[Karu]

Thanks a lot for checking!