Introduction
On August 15, 2025, at the 19th Shenzhen International Audio Show held in Shenzhen, China, Moondrop introduced two new planar magnetic headphones. Moondrop is a brand widely known for its well-tuned, neutural sounding IEMs with cartoon child figures printed on the package of their products. However, in the field of over-ear headphones, they remain a nascent player. The objective of this article is to introduce the anticipated features and officialy claimed performance of their newly launched over-ear headphones.
1. Darkside: An Experimental Concept Headphone
The first model, named Darkside, is an experimental concept headphone featuring a 500nm diaphragm paired with a gold voice coil circuit. This configuration enhances the diaphragm’s extensibility and damping properties. The diaphragm is mounted on a glass-made PCB panel, leveraging the rigidity of the glass material to achieve lower distortion.
Fig 1. The exterior design of the Moondrop Darkside headphone.
According to Moondrop, the distortion of Darkside is extremely low. Distortion measurements conducted in their double-isolated free-field acoustic laboratory indicate that this headphone’s distortion is nearly indistinguishable from the ambient noise floor. This means that the headphones is suitable as a platform for EQ.
Nevertheless, without applying any EQ, the measured frequency response of the Darkside adheres remarkably well to the diffuse field curve (with a -1 dB roll-off per octave) (which is the target curve used by Moondrop), measured on a B&K 5128 head. It is worth mentioning that Moondrop’s headphone developers prefer using diffuse field target rather than the Harman curve for tuning, which might be due to the personal auditory preferences of the company's founder.
Fig 2. The distortion of Moondrop darkside (unknown output level, measured on B&K 5128). I apologize for the suboptimal image resolution. This is because the picture was taken at the press conference site, and Moondrop has not yet provided a clearer picture on their social media.
Fig 3. The frequency response of Moondrop Darkside measured on B&K 5128.
Achieving such technical performance requires premium materials and extra designing workloads, resulting in a high manufacturing cost. Consequently, the Darkside is priced at 19,999 RMB (approximately $2,786 USD, excluding shipping cost and tariff). The headphone is still under production, with sales expected to begin in the coming months.
2. Laputa: A high-end Model for Audiophiles
The second model, named Laputa, is a production-oriented headphone designed to replace the controversial Cosmo. The Laputa also employs the same 500nm diaphragm as the Darkside but utilizes a silver voice coil circuit and a standard PCB panel.
Fig 4. The exterior design of the Moondrop Laputa headphone.
Notably, this model seems to draw inspiration from the Susvara Unveiled, which features a fully open-back design that eliminates diffraction and interference caused by protective meshes over the drivers. However, this exposes the drivers, making them more susceptible to damage. To address this, the Laputa incorporates a specially designed circular metal mesh, which protects the drivers while minimizing diffraction and interference. This innovative protection system achieves nearly the same acoustic transparency as a fully open-back design.
The Laputa’s frequency response is also finely tuned, closely matching the diffuse field curve (with a -1 dB roll-off per octave), measured on the B&K 5128 head. However, the tonal balance is slightly brighter compared to this target.
Fig 5. The distortion of Moondrop Laputa (unknown output level, measured on B&K 5128)
Fig 6. The frequency response of Moondrop Laputa measured on B&K 5128
Priced at 4,999 RMB (approximately $696 USD, excluding shipping and taxes), the Laputa is set to hit the market soon, making high-fidelity planar magnetic performance more accessible to audiophiles.
Conclusion
With these two releases, Moondrop continues to push the boundaries of planar magnetic headphone design, catering to both enthusiasts and audiophiles who demand cutting-edge performance. Both Darkside and Laputa's adherence to diffuse field tuning provides an alternative to Harman-tuned competitors. The low distortion characteristic renders these headphones ideal for EQ applications, enabling better alignment with diverse audio enthusiasts' listening preferences.
On August 15, 2025, at the 19th Shenzhen International Audio Show held in Shenzhen, China, Moondrop introduced two new planar magnetic headphones. Moondrop is a brand widely known for its well-tuned, neutural sounding IEMs with cartoon child figures printed on the package of their products. However, in the field of over-ear headphones, they remain a nascent player. The objective of this article is to introduce the anticipated features and officialy claimed performance of their newly launched over-ear headphones.
1. Darkside: An Experimental Concept Headphone
The first model, named Darkside, is an experimental concept headphone featuring a 500nm diaphragm paired with a gold voice coil circuit. This configuration enhances the diaphragm’s extensibility and damping properties. The diaphragm is mounted on a glass-made PCB panel, leveraging the rigidity of the glass material to achieve lower distortion.
Fig 1. The exterior design of the Moondrop Darkside headphone.
According to Moondrop, the distortion of Darkside is extremely low. Distortion measurements conducted in their double-isolated free-field acoustic laboratory indicate that this headphone’s distortion is nearly indistinguishable from the ambient noise floor. This means that the headphones is suitable as a platform for EQ.
Nevertheless, without applying any EQ, the measured frequency response of the Darkside adheres remarkably well to the diffuse field curve (with a -1 dB roll-off per octave) (which is the target curve used by Moondrop), measured on a B&K 5128 head. It is worth mentioning that Moondrop’s headphone developers prefer using diffuse field target rather than the Harman curve for tuning, which might be due to the personal auditory preferences of the company's founder.
Fig 2. The distortion of Moondrop darkside (unknown output level, measured on B&K 5128). I apologize for the suboptimal image resolution. This is because the picture was taken at the press conference site, and Moondrop has not yet provided a clearer picture on their social media.
Fig 3. The frequency response of Moondrop Darkside measured on B&K 5128.
Achieving such technical performance requires premium materials and extra designing workloads, resulting in a high manufacturing cost. Consequently, the Darkside is priced at 19,999 RMB (approximately $2,786 USD, excluding shipping cost and tariff). The headphone is still under production, with sales expected to begin in the coming months.
2. Laputa: A high-end Model for Audiophiles
The second model, named Laputa, is a production-oriented headphone designed to replace the controversial Cosmo. The Laputa also employs the same 500nm diaphragm as the Darkside but utilizes a silver voice coil circuit and a standard PCB panel.
Fig 4. The exterior design of the Moondrop Laputa headphone.
Notably, this model seems to draw inspiration from the Susvara Unveiled, which features a fully open-back design that eliminates diffraction and interference caused by protective meshes over the drivers. However, this exposes the drivers, making them more susceptible to damage. To address this, the Laputa incorporates a specially designed circular metal mesh, which protects the drivers while minimizing diffraction and interference. This innovative protection system achieves nearly the same acoustic transparency as a fully open-back design.
The Laputa’s frequency response is also finely tuned, closely matching the diffuse field curve (with a -1 dB roll-off per octave), measured on the B&K 5128 head. However, the tonal balance is slightly brighter compared to this target.
Fig 5. The distortion of Moondrop Laputa (unknown output level, measured on B&K 5128)
Fig 6. The frequency response of Moondrop Laputa measured on B&K 5128
Priced at 4,999 RMB (approximately $696 USD, excluding shipping and taxes), the Laputa is set to hit the market soon, making high-fidelity planar magnetic performance more accessible to audiophiles.
Conclusion
With these two releases, Moondrop continues to push the boundaries of planar magnetic headphone design, catering to both enthusiasts and audiophiles who demand cutting-edge performance. Both Darkside and Laputa's adherence to diffuse field tuning provides an alternative to Harman-tuned competitors. The low distortion characteristic renders these headphones ideal for EQ applications, enabling better alignment with diverse audio enthusiasts' listening preferences.
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