Moondrop LAN Review

[markanini]

I keep coming back to the Lan. EQ-ing a 2dB boost below 200Hz gives me a similar response to Truther Red. The difference is that the mids and treble are more transparent, letting through more texture and spatial content, which I enjoy. At the same time the treble remains smooth enough that I can crank the volume when I want to. I'm sure Lans quality of tuning is why it was featured in Super Reviews Yearphone segment along side much pricier, and more recent sets.

The BEST of 2023: Yearphone Award

2023 is in the books, and it might have been the BEST year for IEMs yet. But which were my 5 favorite IEMs of the year? And which were YOUR favorites? There'...

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[Matias]

I keep coming back to the Lan. EQ-ing a 2dB boost below 200Hz gives me a similar response to Truther Red. The difference is that the mids and treble are more transparent, letting through more texture and spatial content, which I enjoy. At the same time the treble remains smooth enough that I can crank the volume when I want to. I'm sure Lans quality of tuning is why it was featured in Super Reviews Yearphone segment along side much pricier, and more recent sets.

The BEST of 2023: Yearphone Award

2023 is in the books, and it might have been the BEST year for IEMs yet. But which were my 5 favorite IEMs of the year? And which were YOUR favorites? There'...

www.youtube.com

Are you Mark Ryan from Super Reviews? Or just a coincidence in names?

 

[markanini]

Are you Mark Ryan from Super Reviews? Or just a coincidence in names?

I'm not Mark Ryan, LOL.

 

[Dazerdoreal]

The audio world is surprisingly small though, you can find many "audiophile celebrities" here.
I am also always surprised how easy it is to contact someone like Sean Olive on Twitter, considering how many people own a headphone and how hard it is to reach pro gamers, for example.

 

[Matias]

We have Crinacle, Oratory, Sean Olive, Resolve and many others on board here on ASR. Why not Mark Ryan quoting his own video, right?

Anyway, sorry, just a different Mark then.

 

[Jimbob54]

Well, got a pair of these. Agree with @markanini , add a bit of a bass lift and you are good to go. Pair them with a Moondrop FreeDSP cable and the right tips and you are set.

 

[markanini]

Well, got a pair of these. Agree with @markanini , add a bit of a bass lift and you are good to go. Pair them with a Moondrop FreeDSP cable and the right tips and you are set.

A treat for the ears, enjoy.

EDIT: Try a small boost to the top treble after adding the bass boost. Moondrop does something like that on their DSP products, for bassy presets, and it works well with the Lan IMO.

 

[markanini]

BTW the stock tips don't do the Lan justice IMO. The best aftermarket tips out of the ones I tried are KZ Starlines.

 

[Chromatischism]

One More EQ with 2 fewer Biquads (total 5) for those with more limited EQ resources.

Moondrop LAN Harman Redux EQ
May302023-153111

Preamp: -7 dB

Filter 1: ON PK Fc 31.39 Hz Gain 3.27 dB Q 0.41
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 797.84 Hz Gain -2.76 dB Q 0.21
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 659.45 Hz Gain 3.11 dB Q 0.87
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 3411.87 Hz Gain 2.89 dB Q 1.8
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 6442.12 Hz Gain 7.3 dB Q 2.6

Interesting exercise and I always enjoy your speaker EQ, but the Lan already shows a bright tilt so adding that much gain to the treble would be murder for me.

https://arn.squig.link/?share=Crinacle_Neutral_2023_Target,Truthear_HEXA,Red,JD7,Moondrop_LAN

 

[markanini]

Interesting exercise and I always enjoy your speaker EQ, but the Lan already shows a bright tilt so adding that much gain to the treble would be murder for me.

https://arn.squig.link/?share=Crinacle_Neutral_2023_Target,Truthear_HEXA,Red,JD7,Moondrop_LAN

My manual Lan EQ sounds balanced to me. Coincidently matches some reviewer targets post-EQ.

Squiglink - IEM frequency response database by Paul Wasabii

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

pw.squig.link

Preamp: -2.0 dB
Filter 1: ON LSC Fc 250 Hz Gain 2.0 dB Q 0.47
Filter 2: ON HSC Fc 7000 Hz Gain 0.5 dB Q 0.47

 

[markanini]

Many do not know about target curves made from Diffuse field + Harman preference adjustments. A target like that scored highly in a test by Dr. Sean Olive for the B&K 5128. For an IEC 711 equivalent, Moondrop Lan is the closest match I've seen so far. Of course, the bass is overestimated because the missing bass effect is not accounted for.

 

[Tangband]

Again, I bought those earplugs and Im sorry to say they are uncomfortable and the sound is clearly inferior to the much more expensive Apple airpod 2.
There might be something wrong with my Moondrop LANs but then I wonder about the quality control. If they are as they should, then the Harman target is clearly wrong for headphones - they dont sound at all as my Genelec SAM monitors. Way to little bass , and to much energy in the upper midrange. Stay away

 

[markanini]

Again, I bought those earplugs and Im sorry to say they are uncomfortable and the sound is clearly inferior to the much more expensive Apple airpod 2.
There might be something wrong with my Moondrop LANs but then I wonder about the quality control. If they are as they should, then the Harman target is clearly wrong for headphones - they dont sound at all as my Genelec SAM monitors. Way to little bass , and to much energy in the upper midrange. Stay away

Have you tried EQ on the master buss? I have a simple setup used for tracking, collaborators that heard the Lan say it's very balanced after my light EQ. OTOH I'm not saying what you hear is wrong, this might be another case of where an IEM frequency response can vary substantially from person to person.

 

[markanini]

Some more evidence of Moondrop Lans objective excellence, the deviations could be considered legitimate preference adjustments.

Source for the target: https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/1aur2dn