Moondrop Lab

[Jeromeof]

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 like allot and I might get the Chu 2 DSP for a bit of a comparison. But I also bough the FreeDSP cable which just seemed to be badly implemented.

 

[Jimbob54]

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 like allot and I might get the Chu 2 DSP for a bit of a comparison. But I also bough the FreeDSP cable which just seemed to be badly implemented.

I dont use it for DSP but a quick look says its marginally better (it lets you visualise the EQ curve) . Same limitations etc .

If you have a good dongle and can EQ , get the 3.5mm but I just like the idea of not having to find a dongle just to listen to a cheap pair of IEM so got the DSP version. The output power seems stronger than the One DSP btw.

 

[sharock]

Lan vs Chu 2? Using EQ for both.

 

[Jimbob54]

Lan vs Chu 2? Using EQ for both.

The LAN is "smoother" whatever that means! Is it 2x the price smoother? YMMV

EDIT- that's subjectively "smoother" to my ears - not, as Static shows below, a smoother FR. I can just add a bass shelf to the LAN and be happy. The Chu2 has enough bass but I need to pull some of that down and put a filter or 2 in the mids.

 

[staticV3]

Chu 2 graphs smoother and should be easier to EQ:

 

[SalutaryGraveness]

Chu 2 graphs smoother and should be easier to EQ:
View attachment 350978
View attachment 350979

The FR of the CHU II looks great, until the > 10kHz mark with that sore ~10db peak

I suppose that a narrow bore ear tip can tame it, right?

 

[markanini]

Chu 2 graphs smoother and should be easier to EQ:
View attachment 350978
View attachment 350979

You may have confidence in the graphs, but I tried 6 IEMs below $50 in the last six months. None sounded better than Moondrop Lan and I'm burnt out on trying new IEMs just be unimpressed. FWIW YMMV Those who know the caveats of IEM measurement technology already know.

 

[rexbinary]

I just picked up the Aria 2 and I don't like it as much as my FiiO FD11 or CHU II first pass. I am very new to IEMs so I most likely need to spend more time with the Aria 2 and all of them really.

The FD11s are my favorites. They sound 'alive' with good bass and treble. There is no mistaking which IEMs I have on with the FD11s. The CHU2 sounds particularly good, very solid. Nothing sounds thin or flat. They are very serviceable. The Aria2 sound thin. Little bass and thin treble. At first, I thought they might be defective. But the more I listen to them the more they seem 'balanced' but extremely low key, or subtle?

I am using all of these with a FiiO KA5 DAC/AMP. Both running balanced cables except for CHUII. I am using the included ear tips with all of them.

I am starting to wonder if I have a proper fit for all of these? I am using medium tips with all of them as large hurts my ears. They seem snug enough. On the FD11 I am using the 'balanced' tips and not the 'bass' tips. The balanced tips on the FD11 look like CP100 maybe? All the other tips are the dark grey style. Could it be the tips on the FD11 that make them sound so good to me? Should try some CP100s on the Aria2 and CHU2?

Sorry, bit of a rambling post. I hope my sound descriptions make sense.

 

[Dazerdoreal]

The Aria 2 has less bass than these IEMs by design. So if you perceive them as a bit "flatter", there is nothing wrong with you. Many people, including myself, prefer a more "neutral" sound.

Squiglink - IEM frequency response database by Super* Review

Compare hundreds of frequency response graphs between IEMs and earphones from manufacturers like Moondrop, Sony, 64 Audio, Fiio, and more.

squig.link

That said, fit is important, so if the difference is to a degree that it sounds "wrong", it might be the case. According to your description it sounds more likely to me that you are just not used to that kind of sound or that it does not suit your taste. It might also be that you are listening on quieter volumes than the average person (that would be good).

https://www.makeuseof.com/headphones-sound-signatures/

 

[rexbinary]

The Aria 2 has less bass than these IEMs by design. So if you perceive them as a bit "flatter", there is nothing wrong with you. Many people, including myself, prefer a more "neutral" sound.

Squiglink - IEM frequency response database by Super* Review

Compare hundreds of frequency response graphs between IEMs and earphones from manufacturers like Moondrop, Sony, 64 Audio, Fiio, and more.

squig.link

That said, fit is important, so if the difference is to a degree that it sounds "wrong", it might be the case. According to your description it sounds more likely to me that you are just not used to that kind of sound or that it does not suit your taste. It might also be that you are listening on quieter volumes than the average person (that would be good).

https://www.makeuseof.com/headphones-sound-signatures/

I have no doubt that my biggest issue is my perception and learning my preferences. I have warmed up to the Aria 2 more already. They do remind me of my DT 880 headphones where the FD11 reminds me of my DT 990 headphones. I tend to prefer the DT 990 most of the time. I do try to limit the volume as well, so you are right about that. Also, I think I will experiment with some different ear tips. Thank you for your feedback.

 

[Jimbob54]

I just picked up the Aria 2 and I don't like it as much as my FiiO FD11 or CHU II first pass. I am very new to IEMs so I most likely need to spend more time with the Aria 2 and all of them really.

The FD11s are my favorites. They sound 'alive' with good bass and treble. There is no mistaking which IEMs I have on with the FD11s. The CHU2 sounds particularly good, very solid. Nothing sounds thin or flat. They are very serviceable. The Aria2 sound thin. Little bass and thin treble. At first, I thought they might be defective. But the more I listen to them the more they seem 'balanced' but extremely low key, or subtle?

I am using all of these with a FiiO KA5 DAC/AMP. Both running balanced cables except for CHUII. I am using the included ear tips with all of them.

I am starting to wonder if I have a proper fit for all of these? I am using medium tips with all of them as large hurts my ears. They seem snug enough. On the FD11 I am using the 'balanced' tips and not the 'bass' tips. The balanced tips on the FD11 look like CP100 maybe? All the other tips are the dark grey style. Could it be the tips on the FD11 that make them sound so good to me? Should try some CP100s on the Aria2 and CHU2?

Sorry, bit of a rambling post. I hope my sound descriptions make sense.

Try this https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...crinacle-zero-2-iem-review.50534/post-1898283

 

[rexbinary]

Just to follow up I installed some DUNU Candy medium eartips on my AIRA 2 and they sound wonderful now. I just wasn't getting along with the stock eartips it seems.

 

[Matias]

Today if all days not sure if it's real or April fool's but Dusk pre-order had been announced.

MOONDROP x Crinacle DUSK 2DD+2BA+2Planar In-ear Headphone

Pre order till 15th. Apr

shenzhenaudio.com

 

[Jimbob54]

Today if all days not sure if it's real or April fool's but Dusk pre-order had been announced.

MOONDROP x Crinacle DUSK 2DD+2BA+2Planar In-ear Headphone

Pre order till 15th. Apr

shenzhenaudio.com

I got the Shenzhenaudio email today

$359 2xDD 2xBA 2xPlanar

2 cables - one looks like the Free DSP or May cable (will no doubt have Dusk presets on it) and a regular dumb cable

Pre-orders only until 15th April

Personally, going to wait for the review hype to die down, see some measurements and wait until Black Friday or similar sale event.

At nearly £300 UK in today's IEM space this is no longer a must have. Looks nice though.

 

[MacClintock]

I got the Shenzhenaudio email today

$359 2xDD 2xBA 2xPlanar

2 cables - one looks like the Free DSP or May cable (will no doubt have Dusk presets on it) and a regular dumb cable

Pre-orders only until 15th April

Personally, going to wait for the review hype to die down, see some measurements and wait until Black Friday or similar sale event.

At nearly £300 UK in today's IEM space this is no longer a must have. Looks nice though.

View attachment 360542

Sure, it is nicely designed and has a decent tuning. But a decent tuning have many, much cheaper, IEMs nowadays, while the original Blessing 2 Dusk was somewhat groundbreaking, this one is not. And even Crinacle admits that the DSP cable is very flimsy with the App (no shelf filters). So in 2024, with excellent cheap IEMs and EQ around, a rather outdated, overpriced product.

 

[Jimbob54]

Sure, it is nicely designed and has a decent tuning. But a decent tuning have many, much cheaper, IEMs nowadays, while the original Blessing 2 Dusk was somewhat groundbreaking, this one is not. And even Crinacle admits that the DSP cable is very flimsy with the App (no shelf filters). So in 2024, with excellent cheap IEMs and EQ around, a rather outdated, overpriced product.

Yup. My thoughts exactly. A more competent eq set up advancing on the free DSP cable that's been out already a few months might have made it a game changer.

 

[Matias]

I am not saying that it is bad, I am sure it sounds awesome. But I am so happy with his Red that I find it VERY hard to justify spending that much on an incremental upgrade.

 

[MacClintock]

I am not saying that it is bad, I am sure it sounds awesome. But I am so happy with his Red that I find it VERY hard to justify spending that much on an incremental upgrade.

It is not only the Red, but also the 7Hz Zero 2. Funny that crinacle himself made his luxurious IEM kind of superfluous with his budget ones.

 

[Somafunk]

At nearly £300 UK in today's IEM space this is no longer a must have. Looks nice though.

I was nearly at the stage of ordering it at £300 but import tax brought it up to £411 which is a nope from myself, I may try it later on in the year when it’s available from other sellers but I’m more interested in the new Symphonium Titan

 

[IAtaman]

I'd rather have them add an iPhone app for the DSP cable. I have 2, can not use them

I wonder whether they are not doing that because they realized the can of worms they opened with a cable that can change the tuning of the IEMs they are selling?