Moondrop Para 2 Planar Headphone Review

[Lastpixel]

I recently picked up the Para II headphones, and—no surprise—they sound amazing after a bit of EQ.
After using them for a while, I noticed an interesting phenomenon: when I place the palm of my hand near the outside of the earcup, the sound changes. With my hand positioned roughly 0–15 cm from the grille, it seems to reflect sound waves and create a noticeable resonance. I was genuinely surprised, as none of my open-back Sennheiser headphones behave this way.
Even more intriguing, at around a 10 cm distance it creates a sense of a wider soundstage, or some kind of lateral layering around the sides of my head. For me, this reinforces the idea that perceived soundstage is closely related to resonances in the mid-frequency range.
Has anyone else noticed something similar with open-back designs?

 

[Bernard23]

Yes, every pair of open backs I've owned, but usually closer than your pic. 2cm or so and it's noticeable.

 

[Zekbone]

I recently picked up the Para II headphones, and—no surprise—they sound amazing after a bit of EQ.
After using them for a while, I noticed an interesting phenomenon: when I place the palm of my hand near the outside of the earcup, the sound changes. With my hand positioned roughly 0–15 cm from the grille, it seems to reflect sound waves and create a noticeable resonance. I was genuinely surprised, as none of my open-back Sennheiser headphones behave this way.
Even more intriguing, at around a 10 cm distance it creates a sense of a wider soundstage, or some kind of lateral layering around the sides of my head. For me, this reinforces the idea that perceived soundstage is closely related to resonances in the mid-frequency range.
Has anyone else noticed something similar with open-back designs?
View attachment 498252

I have of course noticed it with other open backs, but yes this one is especially noticable.

 

[Zekbone]

Hi,

I got the Para 1 and then went to the Venus.
Probably one of the best headphones I've heard.

BUT I do not listen to the Venus anymore and I will not buy anythiing from Moondrop anymore.
Why ?
Simply put the headphone is much too fragile.
It dropped ONCE on the floor from about 1.2m height.
Result was a broken grill that pierced the foil that vibrates to provide sound. So one side not working anymore...

I've been in touch with Moondrop, was able to provide proof of purchase as a brand new item.
I asked if they could provide a new "earcuff" for the Venus (even without the earpad that I still have).
Reply (after several days) was : "Send the whole headphone back to China. We wxill repair it and charge for the repair and tell you the amount to pay once it's repaired".

So : fragile device + super bad customer service = no more Moondrop for me.
I'll stick to the headphone I still have... some of them also fell without any damage.
Maybe it is bad luck for the device. But I think the customer support is representative of some brands... Despite wanting to look cool, Moondrop is not :-(

That is to explain why I voted poor on a probably superb product...
I'll wait for the Fiio 7 and hoipe this will get measured also

Not even 2 hours after my last post, I managed to knock my pair onto the floor, and now the left earcup's 3.5mm jack has a loose contact (no sound unless you press the cable forward a certain way) so I guess I am also going to experience moondrop's support. Did you contact the seller or moondrop directly? I ordered from Shenzhen through their Amazon, and I'm not sure which one of these three I'm supposed to contact first.

 

[PenguinMusic]

Hi,
I would go with amazon first, then TradingShenzen and finally with Moondrop.
Regards
Fred

 

[Yorkshire Mouth]

So, I have a pair of Sennheiser HD600s.

I find Amir's review of their sound to be exactly what I'm hearing, including using EQ and its affect on the bass (a little distorted, but not unpleasant).

So this appears to be similar to the 600, only (Amir says) with better spatial qualities, lower distortion, better bass, and ability to EQ the bass without any distortion.

Just 'the same thing, only better'.

Would anyone who has, or has had, or has heard and compared both of these care to comment?

 

[migo77]

So, I have a pair of Sennheiser HD600s.

I find Amir's review of their sound to be exactly what I'm hearing, including using EQ and its affect on the bass (a little distorted, but not unpleasant).

So this appears to be similar to the 600, only (Amir says) with better spatial qualities, lower distortion, better bass, and ability to EQ the bass without any distortion.

Just 'the same thing, only better'.

Would anyone who has, or has had, or has heard and compared both of these care to comment?

Maybe this guy can help.

Moondrop HORIZON, PARA, PARA-II (fitted with the YAXI Comfort TH900 Leather or Alcantara Earpads), VENUS, COSMO (fitted with the ZMF Universe Lambskin perforated pads), LAPUTA/SKYLAND, DARKSIDE and MOONZERO (electrostatic). Discussion.

I would have put money on the Cosmo being your fave reading this thread:)

www.head-fi.org

 

[Oldson]

this is a very interesting headphone for me.
recently sold my only planar (edition xs) which i thought was great for the cost (£269) but a few things niggled me ......
i was not a fan of the pad material as it use to squeak on my glasses with the slightest of movements, headband was a tad uncomfortable and i found the treble to sound far from smooth.
have been looking for some time for an alternative planar, not that i NEED another headphone.
i kind, of ruled out the egg shaped hifimans as i assume pads will annoy me.
considered a used LCD-X or similar but, i remember years ago when i had an original LCD-2 that the clamp force/ weight was a slight issue.
not ruled out totally as i know the later models have improved headband, but would be a gamble on the comfort front.

another that has had a lot of good press is the Fosi i5, but i have reservations about their pad system (velcro). have seen they have had to mod this with a rubber ring inside to improve seal. not sure what i think of that?
the Fiio ft7 has headband issues reported, again a mod can fix, so not completely ruled out.

reviews of the Moondrop Cosmo have me interested, much prefer their pad fixing system, drawback on this is cost.
the Verum 2 looks tempting from the reviews (some think its ugly, but i really like the look) , so it was top of my wishlist until........

i stumbled on this review of the Para 2. dont know why i had overlooked this headphone in th past but i did.

i do have a general question or 2 regarding the Para 2 in comparison to the Cosmo, when using eq would there be much advantage in spending more on the Cosmo?
"no" is the answer i would like
would a poor seal due to glasses reduce or increase the bass response?

 

[syhooo]

对我来说，这是一款非常有趣的耳机。
最近卖掉了我唯一的平板耳机（XS版），我觉得它性价比很高（269英镑），但有些地方让我不太满意……
我不太喜欢耳垫的材质，因为它稍微动一下就会摩擦我的眼镜发出吱吱声；头带有点不舒服；而且我觉得高音听起来也不够柔和。
我一直在寻找一款替代的平板耳机，并不是说我非得再买一副耳机。
我基本排除了蛋形Hifiman耳机，因为我估计耳垫会让我不舒服。
我考虑过买一台二手的 LCD-X 或类似产品，但我记得几年前我用原装 LCD-2 的时候，夹持力/重量是个小问题。
虽然我知道后来的型号改进了头带，但舒适度方面还有待观察，所以不能完全排除这种可能性。

另一款评价很高的产品是Fosi i5，但我对其衬垫系统（魔术贴）有所保留。我看到他们为了改善密封性，在里面加了一个橡胶圈。我不太确定该怎么看待这种做法。
据报道，Fiio ft7 存在头带问题，不过可以通过改装解决，所以不能完全排除这种可能性。

Moondrop Cosmo 的评测让我很感兴趣，我非常喜欢他们的垫片固定系统，缺点是价格昂贵。
从评论来看，Verum 2 看起来很诱人（有些人觉得它丑，但我真的很喜欢它的外观），所以它一直是我最想买的东西，直到……

我偶然看到了这篇关于Para 2的评测。不知道为什么我之前一直忽略了这款耳机。

关于Para 2和Cosmo的比较，我有一两个一般性的问题：在使用均衡器时，花更多的钱买Cosmo会有很大的优势吗？
我想要的答案是“不”。
眼镜造成的密封不良会降低还是增强低音响应？

Moondrop Para II review: where’s the upgrade?

Intro: Despite feeling a bit too bright for my taste, I still enjoyed the original Moondrop Para when I reviewed it. It offered excellent value for money with its technical performance and flexibil…

unheardlab.com

 

[Oldson]

having seen some reviews, to me , the biggest flaw on this headphone has to be that awful headband

 

[Zekbone]

this is a very interesting headphone for me.
recently sold my only planar (edition xs) which i thought was great for the cost (£269) but a few things niggled me ......
i was not a fan of the pad material as it use to squeak on my glasses with the slightest of movements, headband was a tad uncomfortable and i found the treble to sound far from smooth.
have been looking for some time for an alternative planar, not that i NEED another headphone.
i kind, of ruled out the egg shaped hifimans as i assume pads will annoy me.
considered a used LCD-X or similar but, i remember years ago when i had an original LCD-2 that the clamp force/ weight was a slight issue.
not ruled out totally as i know the later models have improved headband, but would be a gamble on the comfort front.

another that has had a lot of good press is the Fosi i5, but i have reservations about their pad system (velcro). have seen they have had to mod this with a rubber ring inside to improve seal. not sure what i think of that?
the Fiio ft7 has headband issues reported, again a mod can fix, so not completely ruled out.

reviews of the Moondrop Cosmo have me interested, much prefer their pad fixing system, drawback on this is cost.
the Verum 2 looks tempting from the reviews (some think its ugly, but i really like the look) , so it was top of my wishlist until........

i stumbled on this review of the Para 2. dont know why i had overlooked this headphone in th past but i did.

i do have a general question or 2 regarding the Para 2 in comparison to the Cosmo, when using eq would there be much advantage in spending more on the Cosmo?
"no" is the answer i would like
would a poor seal due to glasses reduce or increase the bass response?

Regarding this and Syhoo's comment, unheard is the only one I've seen with measurements on a rig like Amir's. Interestingly, the Para 2 has an identical frequency response as the Cosmo until 3khz with deviations above 3khz, but it experiences a minor bass boost to counter rolloff with leakage, whereas the Cosmo experiences purely a ROLLOFF with leakage... The Para 2 has the same pads as the Cosmo, so that suggests driver and chassis differences are to blame.

It's actually really frustrating reading subjective reviews from someone who makes graphs so similar to Amirs. In the cosmo review, he praises it for value(!) while the Para 2 is "where's the upgrade" when the Para 2 is a cosmo at half the price.

 

[migo77]

this is a very interesting headphone for me.
recently sold my only planar (edition xs) which i thought was great for the cost (£269) but a few things niggled me ......
i was not a fan of the pad material as it use to squeak on my glasses with the slightest of movements, headband was a tad uncomfortable and i found the treble to sound far from smooth.
have been looking for some time for an alternative planar, not that i NEED another headphone.
i kind, of ruled out the egg shaped hifimans as i assume pads will annoy me.
considered a used LCD-X or similar but, i remember years ago when i had an original LCD-2 that the clamp force/ weight was a slight issue.
not ruled out totally as i know the later models have improved headband, but would be a gamble on the comfort front.

another that has had a lot of good press is the Fosi i5, but i have reservations about their pad system (velcro). have seen they have had to mod this with a rubber ring inside to improve seal. not sure what i think of that?
the Fiio ft7 has headband issues reported, again a mod can fix, so not completely ruled out.

reviews of the Moondrop Cosmo have me interested, much prefer their pad fixing system, drawback on this is cost.
the Verum 2 looks tempting from the reviews (some think its ugly, but i really like the look) , so it was top of my wishlist until........

i stumbled on this review of the Para 2. dont know why i had overlooked this headphone in th past but i did.

i do have a general question or 2 regarding the Para 2 in comparison to the Cosmo, when using eq would there be much advantage in spending more on the Cosmo?
"no" is the answer i would like
would a poor seal due to glasses reduce or increase the bass response?

My 2c here... Cosmo is not worth that price difference IMHO, out of the box tuning of Cosmo is unusable with some PEQ is sounding very good, but lacking bass impact of Para2. All comparison done with stock erapads.

I've applied this PEQ setting to make Para 2 sound like Cosmo (with PEQ applied), especially in treble area, where Cosmo is really good:

With this PEQ I'm VERY happy and listening with Para 2 to good recorded music is really extraordinary experience for me.

Here is PEQ setting I've used for Cosmo to sound excellent:

 

[noisey]

I like the headband. It's way more comfortable than the Hifiman Sundara's headband, for example. It's almost unnoticeable even.
If the headband is the Para IIs biggrst flaw, then that makes it even more of a winner I geuss.

 

[Oldson]

I like the headband. It's way more comfortable than the Hifiman Sundara's headband, for example. It's almost unnoticeable even.
If the headband is the Para IIs biggrst flaw, then that makes it even more of a winner I geuss.

i take your point, but for a heavy headphone is it not unstable on your head with the lack of clamp force?

this issue was implied in Resolve's review and that of Super Reviews.
i would not know if it would pose a problem to me until i buy it, unfortunately.

the old original LCD-2 i had years ago was heavy, but steady due to the clamp force. unfortunately i found this to be too uncomfortable and sold it.
it appears the Para 2 would be too far the other way, if that makes sense.
i did note in the Super Reviews review that he inverted the strap. this makes the adjustment fit a wider range of heads but not sure if this improves the clamp force at all.
bending the steel band seemed to have little to no effect.

i may contact a couple of UK dealers and find out their returns policy before committing to buy.

 

[migo77]

i take your point, but for a heavy headphone is it not unstable on your head with the lack of clamp force?

this issue was implied in Resolve's review and that of Super Reviews.
i would not know if it would pose a problem to me until i buy it, unfortunately.

the old original LCD-2 i had years ago was heavy, but steady due to the clamp force. unfortunately i found this to be too uncomfortable and sold it.
it appears the Para 2 would be too far the other way, if that makes sense.
i did note in the Super Reviews review that he inverted the strap. this makes the adjustment fit a wider range of heads but not sure if this improves the clamp force at all.
bending the steel band seemed to have little to no effect.

i may contact a couple of UK dealers and find out their returns policy before committing to buy.

Bending the steel band worked for me. You need to repeat it until you fell it is enough. Clamping is OK now for me.

 

[ObjectiveSubjectivist]

There is major difference between Cosmo and Para II.
Para II when the seal is not perfect is going to has bump in bass.
Cosmo not. Cosmo is going to have bass drop.
Keeping in mind that loose fitment is the thing with Para/Cosmo... that's something to consider.
Personally I would not pay more for Cosmo.. on my head it would sound worse considering less than perfect coupling to my head.

 

[solderdude]

I recently picked up the Para II headphones, and—no surprise—they sound amazing after a bit of EQ.
After using them for a while, I noticed an interesting phenomenon: when I place the palm of my hand near the outside of the earcup, the sound changes. With my hand positioned roughly 0–15 cm from the grille, it seems to reflect sound waves and create a noticeable resonance. I was genuinely surprised, as none of my open-back Sennheiser headphones behave this way.
Even more intriguing, at around a 10 cm distance it creates a sense of a wider soundstage, or some kind of lateral layering around the sides of my head. For me, this reinforces the idea that perceived soundstage is closely related to resonances in the mid-frequency range.
Has anyone else noticed something similar with open-back designs?
View attachment 498252

Measured it for you (and other readers) using a Sundara which should be quite comparable in effect.

Here's what I did: measured the Sundara with the side unobstructed.
Then measured the response with the Sundara box standing on various distances.
Put some of them in a single plot.

Not much happening up to 20cm distance.

From 15cm there is some influence and at 10cm distance there is a change of several dB in the 2kHz-5kHz range.
This is also where many of the 'directional clues' are.

At increasingly small distances the differences start to become much more noticeable with nulls and peaks over 5dB.
Very noticeable.

At very close distances it is very noticeable. It also is indicative of why a flat response with a closed headphone is so difficult to get right.

Of course a hand differs a lot from a cardboard box.
Below some comparisons between (roughly) the same distance objects (hand versus flat surface)

Explained in plots why this happens and that it is not a mystery but totally measurable.
It just isn't measured that often (if at all).

 

[Yorkshire Mouth]

Okay, I'm thinking of buying these. They tick all the boxes, their FR is pretty close to target, and distortion is extremely low, so will take EQ to get them even more accurate withiout issue.

But they're £500, and the original Para is £200 less.

Can anyone comment on the original Para? Is it close to target, too? Is the distortion as low as these? Any other factors to consider?

Bottom line, if I'm going to EQ them anyone, is there a reason to pay £200 more for the Para 2?

Oh, and if the answer is to buy the Para and EQ them, does anyone have details of the necessary PEQ filter settings?

Thank you.

 

[Oldson]

Okay, I'm thinking of buying these. They tick all the boxes, their FR is pretty close to target, and distortion is extremely low, so will take EQ to get them even more accurate withiout issue.

But they're £500, and the original Para is £200 less.

Can anyone comment on the original Para? Is it close to target, too? Is the distortion as low as these? Any other factors to consider?

Bottom line, if I'm going to EQ them anyone, is there a reason to pay £200 more for the Para 2?

Oh, and if the answer is to buy the Para and EQ them, does anyone have details of the necessary PEQ filter settings?

Thank you.

i know Super reviews compared the 2 models.
he initially implied that "Para 2 may be just a Para with Cosmo pads!"
but later in the video he does state there is a difference in sensitivity specs, so drivers must be slightly different.

they seem to be out of stock in UK atm.
i have messaged Elise audio for an eta on pre-order.

 

[Yorkshire Mouth]

i know Super reviews compared the 2 models.
he initially implied that "Para 2 may be just a Para with Cosmo pads!"
but later in the video he does state there is a difference in sensitivity specs, so drivers must be slightly different.

they seem to be out of stock in UK atm.
i have messaged Elise audio for an eta on pre-order.

Cheers, do you have a link to that review, and/or measurements?

Many thanks.