• WANTED: Happy members who like to discuss audio and other topics related to our interest. Desire to learn and share knowledge of science required. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

Moondrop x Crinacle DUSK

All this talk about the DSP, but has anyone mentioned the fact that being stuck with a DSP cable in order to get the desired sound is far from ideal because it completely eliminates the user’s ability to utilize a separate DAC?

This silly DSP cable ends up being the DAC, no? Has the Moondrop Free DSP cable been tested here at AMR? Is it any good at all compared to modern ultra-high measuring DACs?

-Ed
 
All this talk about the DSP, but has anyone mentioned the fact that being stuck with a DSP cable in order to get the desired sound is far from ideal because it completely eliminates the user’s ability to utilize a separate DAC?

This silly DSP cable ends up being the DAC, no? Has the Moondrop Free DSP cable been tested here at AMR? Is it any good at all compared to modern ultra-high measuring DACs?

-Ed
Not sure I understand your logic here…

You’re free to use whatever DAC/Amp you want with the analog cable. They give you the option of a USB-C cable that also happens to have a DSP… but you don’t have to use it. You can use, say a Qudelix 5K with the analog cable and have DSP, or a phone app with DSP and whatever dongle you want.
Oh, and if you don’t want to use the FreeDSP cable with Dusk, you can recycle it and use it with another IEM.
 
All this talk about the DSP, but has anyone mentioned the fact that being stuck with a DSP cable in order to get the desired sound is far from ideal because it completely eliminates the user’s ability to utilize a separate DAC?

This silly DSP cable ends up being the DAC, no? Has the Moondrop Free DSP cable been tested here at AMR? Is it any good at all compared to modern ultra-high measuring DACs?

-Ed
Because it's incorrect. You can use the included 3.5mm cable and provide your own DSP solution.
 
Because it's incorrect. You can use the included 3.5mm cable and provide your own DSP solution.
And @CedarX My point is that in an ideal scenario, the thing should sound right with the analog cable and not rely on any DSP. Does nobody agree with me on this?

-Ed
 
And @CedarX My point is that in an ideal scenario, the thing should sound right with the analog cable and not rely on any DSP. Does nobody agree with me on this?

-Ed
There can be numberous reasons why DSP is used as a final step for the tuning of an IEM. But if you are just looking for people to agree with you no matter what you say that's kind of weird, even more so when the majority of IEMs are non-DSP and you are free to choose any IEM you want.
 
Last edited:
And @CedarX My point is that in an ideal scenario, the thing should sound right with the analog cable and not rely on any DSP. Does nobody agree with me on this?

-Ed
Respectfully disagree. If DSP proves optimization corrections that are not feasible to apply electromechanically, why wouldn't I use the dsp?
 
Respectfully disagree. If DSP proves optimization corrections that are not feasible to apply electromechanically, why wouldn't I use the dsp?
Because it is EQ and you can use it always, basically with any IEM, you will not be able to eliminate all resonance in practice, but with most IEMs it will work just fine and be better than a noisy DSP cable with a DAC we don't know much about (yet). If EQ is a crutch, a DSP cable is a wheelchair.

The question remains, if it sounds really good only with the DSP cable, why spend so much money? You can get the May instead or use any cheap, competent IEM with EQ.
 
DACS are a solved problem. Even a $10 dongle is transparent.

A better example is an EQ is like a turbo and DSs is like a rocket booster.
 
DACS are a solved problem. Even a $10 dongle is transparent.
Yes, the Apple dongle is. This cable is reportedly noisy. So if DACs are a solved problem, a notion I in principle agree with, Moondrop did not come up with the solution here.
A better example is an EQ is like a turbo and DSs is like a rocket booster.
A rocket booster which ties you to a special cable, more like a tether.
 
But you are not tied to only using the DSP cable. Crinacle released all the settings for the EQ profiles: https://crinacle.com/2024/04/10/moondrop-x-crinacle-dusk-eq-dsp-values/
You have been untethered. Fly rocket man, fly.
Oh great, what an Innovation! Firstly, as was reported, Moondrop did not want to release the settings and did so only after being pressured. And secondly and most importantly, in case you don’t know, you can EQ any IEM, not just the Dusk 2. So it is the most trivial thing ever.
 
May as well use this as my first post since nobody else is chiming in. I can't really answer the comparison but...
The >12khz spiciness in analog 'mode' is very very unpleasant to me. Bass is thunderously good but you have to almost squint to get past the spiciness.
Conversely, with the DSP default eq setting, which i think is a straight up correction the Dusk sounds absolutely beautiful. I've compared to the zero 2s and all i can say is i enjoy the dusks more.
However, my (because i'm sure this may be a QC issue) cable is noisy at times. Digital squelchy unpleasantness. I'll be very interested in how it measures.
Hope that helps.
Sounds like the dusks are worth checking out either with the dsp cable or the replicated EQ settings. Really appreciate you sharing your listening impressions.
 
I'll be very interested in how it measures.
See @Phenoez8 review of Moondrop MAY—most likely the same cable—here:
https://audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/moondrop-may-usb-c-headphones-review.52396/

…and Headphones.com review of FreeDSP here:

Measurements are not perfect, but “good enough”…

I do get some weird noise from time to time with MAY or FreeDSP, but it is very occasional and appears to be random. It occurs mostly at the beginning of a track or after a long pause. I suspect it is some kind of USB com. problem.
 
Of anyone is interested, I've built an EQ to tune the Simgot EA 500 LM (Bronze Nozzle) to the Moondrop x Crinacle Dusk 2. As follows

Preamp: -2.3 db

Type Fr Gain Q

Low shelf 200 1.0 .71

Analog bell 525 1.5 1.5

Analog bell 2800 -3.0 2.0

Analog bell 5000 -4.0 1.5

Analog bell 8000 -3.4 2.0

The low bass shelf will add more bass than Crinacle's tuning for the Dusk 3, but I like it anyway. But it's more accurate to omit. If you are elderly and challenged to hear above 10k, a 5db high shelf at 10k might be the ticket.



When I got my pair of EA 500 LM's this was the EQ I came up with by just accident. It sounds dynamite with the Simgot single DD, IMHO. When the Crinacle Dusk came out and I saw the tuning, I decided to compare the Crinacle DSP with my tuning and to my surprise, what I had landed nearly atop the Dusk Default DSP except I dialed in more bass, and my EA 500 LM are clearly spiking above 10k compared even to the spike in the Dusk. I truthfully don't hear it as I'm 71 YO and those frequencies are just a memory.

In any case if anyone has a pair of LM's, you might want to give this EQ a shot.
 

Attachments

  • Simgot EA 500 LM_EQ vs Dusk 2 Def DSP.png
    Simgot EA 500 LM_EQ vs Dusk 2 Def DSP.png
    369.5 KB · Views: 80
Last edited:
Why would one get these Dusks instead of something way cheaper but still really good IEMs like the Zero 2?
 
Why would one get these Dusks instead of something way cheaper but still really good IEMs like the Zero 2?
I have both. The differences in sound and comfort are subjective. A person could easily like one over the other. I personally find the bass quality to be somewhat better on the DUSK (whether using DSP cable or passive). A big practical (but subjective) difference is that the DUSK is way more comfortable. Unfortunately, the 7Hz Zero 2 and even moreso the Truthear Zero RED have very thick nozzles which irritate my ears and become unbearable after an hour or so. In addition, the outer casing on the 7Hz Zero 2 rubs against my ear causing discomfort as well. The ergonomics on the DUSK are much better for me. I can wear for hours without issue, and they're shallow enough I can even sleep with them in.

The sound difference IMO is not worth the price difference at all. If the ergonomics of the 7Hz work with you, absolutely go with that. But since the ergonomics were such an issue for me with the other Crinacle collab IEMs, this was a good purchase for me.
 
Now the big reveal. I bought the Dusk, and I absolutely love them. I changed ear tips to AZLA Sedna Ear Fit Lights and I use the Dusk DSP Default tuning exclusively. I did find that tuning benefitted with some additional shelves, so using my USB Audio Player with its parametric EQ, I found I could add a +2db bass shelf at 200 hz and another +1 db shelf at 50 hz, and I also shelve everything above 400 hz down by half a db. In other words I added these shelves on top of the eq already on the cable by using the EQ program on my phone.

Doing that, the result is absolutely stunning. They just sound right to me--extremely detailed, great dynamics, powerful bass and zero harshness. The USB cable seems more than adequate for powering them, and I detect no issues with noise at all. Everything seems completely transparent.

I also bought a Hidesz S9 Pro Plus (Martha) from Ali Express. As of now, I can't duplicate the DSP tuning I'm getting using an analog cable and parametric EQ. Everything just seems a little off, but I'll keep experimenting.

My other two IEMs are the Simgot EA 500 LM and the Truthear x Crinacle Reds. Both of them are very good, but even with the eq's, neither sound as good as the Dusk. I'm using highly rated ear tips (Devinus Velvets for the Reds, and again Azla Sedna Lights for the LM's), and powering them with the Hidesz and using the EQ on USB Audio Player Pro. Again, they just both seem to fall short of the Dusk in resolution and natural tonality. Perhaps it has something to do with how they all fit in my ear, but I very clearly prefer the Dusk over both of the other two. Though none of them have a proper sound stage (they're IEMs, after all), I find the Dusk does have much more focused images. The images on the Red, in particular, seem notably diffuse.

I am also finding the Dusk seems to be able to play everything I want to listen to. I have no need to have one IEM for Jazz, a second for Classical, and a third for Rock. The Dusk just sounds correct and convincing on everything.

I don't know exactly why they seem to sound this correct to me. I'm sure if they were tested, they would do very well. I am, however, uncertain that the test results would shed much light on why I so strongly prefer them over my other two very good IEMs.

But I do.
 
@phoenixdogfan can you comment on fit and comfort compared to the Reds? And how much time did you spend on EQ before determining you can't get them to sound like the DUSK?

The main things I don't love about my Zeros is that they stick out a bit and rely entirely on the earhole. Also the cable ear loops don't stay put over my ear. Minor gripes as I have them dialed in and haven't changed the EQ in over a year and can listen to them for hours. Like you, it's one IEM for all content.
 
@phoenixdogfan can you comment on fit and comfort compared to the Reds? And how much time did you spend on EQ before determining you can't get them to sound like the DUSK?

The main things I don't love about my Zeros is that they stick out a bit and rely entirely on the earhole. Also the cable ear loops don't stay put over my ear. Minor gripes as I have them dialed in and haven't changed the EQ in over a year and can listen to them for hours. Like you, it's one IEM for all content.
Believe it or not, I found that I can get the Zeros to sound close to the Dusk just by keeping the standard tuning and just using the two shelves at 200 and 50 hz on the Reds. With it, they do sound very good, and I think I do get a very good fit with the Devinus Velvets on the Reds, it's just that the Reds sound more diffuse and less focused in their imaging, and I don't know how to rectify that. Personally, I have big ears and the width of the Red's nozzles really don't bother me at all. I get better coupling with the Velvets than with the AZLA's on the Reds. It's the other way around with the Dusk which seem to work better with the AZLA's.

Maybe there is something to this "technicalities" business because if I were a YouTube reviewer (thankfully, I'm not), I might imagine one of them talking about the better "technicalities" of the Dusk's over the Reds and even the LM's. I'm not going to worry too much about it. I still use the Reds on my daily trips to the gym and they work just fine when I get on the treadmill or the bike, so I still enjoy them and get a lot of use out of them. It's more that in quiet time when I read before bed that I reach for the Dusk's. At the barrista parlor I reach for the Simgots which seems the least fussy. I'm pretty convinced I can get them most of the way to the Dusk because they seem to image much better than the Reds. The Reds do work quite well for larger orchestral pieces where the overall "wall of sound" effect is more important than imaging specificity.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom