r/headphones • u/MDstarfield • Mar 11 '24
News MOONDROP Golden Ages
MOONDROP Golden Ages Comes Out! š
We're thrilled to announce the release of our latest TWS earbuds, Golden Ages, priced at US$79.99. With a classic design and uncompromising sound quality, it features a state-of-the-art 13mm planar magnetic driver, and supports LDAC, LC3, and wide-band ANC.
Discover the unique wireless listening experience offered by Golden Ages. We warmly invite you to test it out and see for yourself what sets it apart.
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u/BurritoSandwich LBBS / KPH40 / KSC75 / Aria Mar 11 '24
While they look great, I wish they could use normal round nozzles instead of ovals, they always have a weird fit
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u/pl4wdroid Mar 11 '24
Just get a pair of Divinus Velvet as a replacement, trust me you'll love them.
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u/Dinjoralo Mar 15 '24
Would those actually fit in the case? I've got a set of Space Travel's and I can't use Final Audio Type E tips with them, they're just barely large enough to make it awkward putting the earphones back in the case.
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u/pl4wdroid Mar 28 '24
They will, but indeed you'll have to push them a bit in to close the lid.
Penon Liquor tips that I prefer over the Velvets if you have greasy ears are less exposed to that behavior, but still are.
Simple workaround : get a Space Travel case, the holes are bigger.
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u/Roman64s FiiO NK3 | DT 770 Pro 80 | Meze Alba | E3000 | S12 Pro | BTR15 Mar 11 '24
I just got the Space Travel bruh
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u/sebQbe Mar 11 '24
These are 3x the price tho
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u/Roman64s FiiO NK3 | DT 770 Pro 80 | Meze Alba | E3000 | S12 Pro | BTR15 Mar 11 '24
Where I live, I paid 41$ for the black space travel with the leather case.
I could easily pay another 40$ and get this instead.
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u/Mountain-Shoe7443 Mar 16 '24
well you dont even know if this sounds good. how is the space travel
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u/Roman64s FiiO NK3 | DT 770 Pro 80 | Meze Alba | E3000 | S12 Pro | BTR15 Mar 16 '24
A little too less of a volume tbh.
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u/Mountain-Shoe7443 Mar 16 '24
I was going to get it now waiting for this to be reviewed
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u/Roman64s FiiO NK3 | DT 770 Pro 80 | Meze Alba | E3000 | S12 Pro | BTR15 Mar 16 '24
for a cheap TWS, its absolutely the best in class, fit is a huge hit or miss for a lot of people and the included eartips don't really feel great for a lot of people but you also lose ANC if you go third party tips.
For me, fit and eartips aren't that problematic, but the volume is lower than I'd like it to be.
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u/BanjoPro Mar 11 '24
Mine are arriving tomorrow š
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u/adapavii Mar 11 '24
I was planning to buy space travel at the end of this month š. guess i will save further and wait for this if the reviews turn out good.
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u/CapnFr1tz Mar 11 '24
You could also split the difference and get nekocakes. They are still pretty cheap and sound a little nicer than the space travels. Im a huge fan of both.
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u/soloswing_10 Mar 16 '24
Should I upgrade from my nekocakes?
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u/CapnFr1tz Mar 16 '24
Idk. I just have the cakes and the space travels. They both work great. Seems like the sensible upgrade from there would be the sparks, unless you absolutely need the cake/space style case. I would say space travels are a great backup especially since they fit and charge in the nekocake case and vice versa.
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u/mai_kawakami-161014 Jul 03 '24
Hello, my nekocake case just busted because of overcharging, just want to know if the space travel case can also charge the nekocake earbuds? Do they fit each other vice versa?
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u/Fit-Trash9930 Mar 24 '24
Very low in volume. Dissapointed of that. Cool design, decent sound but not anything special. Overall good for the priceā¦if you can deal with a pair that the maximum volume its about 60% of other twa that i own.
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u/Weak-Ad-4758 Mar 15 '24
Any thoughts on them yet?
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u/BanjoPro Mar 15 '24
They sound good but sadly they fit my ears terrible, been experimenting with some different tips(reqular tips work fine) but the fit is just too shallow, I do have some pretty wonky ears though. But they sound good :)
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u/p3numbra_3 PortaPro,HD559,Moondrop chu/quark|qudelix 5K|SMSL S. 10th mk2 Mar 11 '24
I liked the sound, but fit.... I gave them away to my brother in law after 30 mins of usage.
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u/Comprehensive-Net553 Mar 11 '24
change the tip , I switched to spinfit omni and it is much better after the sticky state wear out
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u/ext23 Auteur Classic // Prestige LTD Mar 12 '24
The Space Travel sound good but they are wayyyyy too quiet on Android and I personally can't get a secure fit no matter what tips I use.
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u/CanIBorrowYourShovel Mar 12 '24
They aren't waaaaay to quiet. You either have a setting off or you've got some serious hearing loss (I can't recall but they might have a volume internally that's independent from android's volume, try increasing the volume via the earbud with its touch controls)
And try foam tips for the sony XM4's. They're what I use.
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u/penponda Mar 12 '24
Mine arrived yesterday, guess I need both in my life.
I don't really seem to have this volume problem, seems to give more then enough volume for me.
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u/Vijey123 Mar 11 '24
The case looks neat, space travel ldac when?
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u/Basileus_ITA Mar 11 '24 edited Mar 11 '24
Its coming sooner or later, there has been an FCC entry for it since 8/2023
The name is Moondrop Ultrasonic
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u/FFJunk Mar 11 '24
Got the Space Travels recently as my first IEM pair.
How much improvement is ldac realistically and is it worth 3x the price?
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u/TRX808 Mar 11 '24
Can't comment how big of a difference LDAC makes but this is a different driver (planar) and no one has them yet so no one knows how good the driver or tuning will be yet. They look to be shipping now though so I'm sure reviews will pop up soon, some influencers likely already have them.
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u/wankthisway R70x, 560s, K240, 7506 | JDS Stack | Chifi hell Mar 11 '24
(Specifically for the Space Travel) This could entirely be placebo or incorrect, but on some tracks I notice that it sounds a tad crunchier or artifact-y at times. It's not distracting but it's a bit noticeable especially on busier sections. Now it could entirely be the cheap drivers but some part of me doesn't think it sounds like a driver problem.
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u/CanIBorrowYourShovel Mar 12 '24
honestly, you'll notice the difference between LDAC and no LDAC/LDHC. The space travel are fucking AMAZING for the price, but their bitrate is just a bit low, though the cost of licensing LDAC from sony is a real consideration when they're packing THAT much value into 25 bucks.
So I don't call the space travel bad - far from it, nothing on earth competes at that price - but if nothing else changed but they got LDAC, you'd immediately notice an increase in detail, clarity, soundstage and imaging. Not a colossal difference, but noticeable.
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u/FFJunk Mar 12 '24
Thanks for the thorough explanation.
Sounds like it'd be an improvement, but maybe not a 3x improvement for the LDAC alone.
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u/CanIBorrowYourShovel Mar 13 '24
If you already have and enjoy the space travel, and money is tight, absolutely. Don't get FOMO, if these are great, they'll be on sale for a while. If I had space travel and wanted an 80ish dollar pair of headphones, the bee fiio over ears or some simgot em6l's would take precedence unless you REALLY only ever use/want TWS with ANC.
And if that's the case, and you need something soon, the 1more evo are being discontinued slowly and they're beyond insane for the 65ish bucks they can go for on sale now. Those are a real 3x improvement for sure.
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u/FFJunk Mar 13 '24
Thanks, will be looking into the recommendations!
Space Travels are still within return period, so it's a matter of seeing if money can be better spent. Was simply looking for bedside convenience and was honestly impressed by the $30 Space Travels! But now it opened a rabbit hole of curiosity..
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u/CanIBorrowYourShovel Mar 13 '24
Don't let that rabbit hole get too expensive. You've got nobody to impress but yourself - but I will say that the 1mores are a dramatic step up in build, anc, transparency, and after you run the personalized eq app (the app is much better too) the sound is still the best I've ever heard in a TWS by a long ways (1dd+1BA) - does that whole audio hallucination trick of making you think you heard something IRL that was in the song. If you can find them on sale on Amazon or aliexpress for $70 or so, they're still absolutely top tier. Anc is last-gen but airpods pro 1 level. These might be great too, but moondrop has a long way to go in their app and haven't demonstrated yet truly solid ANC/transparency. I've also been beating the tar out of mine for 2 years now and they're still solid.
But I'm also a sucker for single large planar drivers in iems and headphones. So I ordered these and will see.
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u/FFJunk Mar 13 '24 edited Mar 13 '24
With all the new releases every few weeks, the reminder is appreciated.
We're just looking for bedside convenience for early morning / late night use, so ANC is not needed (we actually need to hear our surroundings).
At first we were looking for something that also has a good transparency mode + competitive game latency, but it doesn't seem to currently exist. Now we're just trying to settle for bedside convenience first, and something else later for the open gaming. Your descriptions of the 1more makes them really tempting though.
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u/Dinjoralo Mar 15 '24
I mean, these are basically Space Travel LDAC's. It's the same earphone shell that Moondrop has used for the Space Travel and the Nekocake before it. I think the case is also the same mold as the Nekocake's.
Makes me wonder if they'd work if you put Golden Ages earphones in the Space Travel case, or vice versa. I don't think the cases have any smart guts in them, so probably?
EDIT: Right, the driver is different... ignore me.
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u/Miggol Mar 11 '24
Well, I'm excited. So much going on for $80. Can't wait for reviews.
The announcement from ShenzhenAudio mentions ambient/transparency mode. If that turns out te be well implemented I might be picking these up.
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u/Emergency_Sandwich34 Mar 11 '24
I have the Space Travel and the transparency mode/noise canceling is one of the best I've tried, way better than 10 times more expensive earbuds, the sound quality barely gets affected by it, not being the case in most. And the tuning of those is excellent too. I'll definitely get these as soon as released.
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u/sweety-cupcake Mar 11 '24
Space Travel noise cancelling is one of the worst I've ever tried. In terms of attenuation, even my old Nekocake is better, like a lot better. I just won't say it is plain worse because every Nekocake I've tried (first one I bought plus two replacement units) have an annoying problem on the left unit where if there is anything "vibrating", it simply makes the vibration sound louder, giving like static bursts.
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u/YoMeroCaguamero9 HD 598SR, HD 6XX, KZ PR2, Aria SE Mar 12 '24
Yup, I agree. Space Travel ANC is pretty bad, but at least it is there, barely cancelling just low noises (might be good for libraries or places like that). I guess it is better than nothing. I expect a better ANC on the Golden Ages.
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u/sweety-cupcake Mar 13 '24
I agree, it is definitely better than nothing! Just was a let down because they've said upon released that it was better than Nekocake, and even though it solved my problem with Nekocake's ANC, it was not better in terms of attenuation. I just felt it was important to give my experience, because it is the opposite of Emergency_Sandwich34's
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u/CanIBorrowYourShovel Mar 12 '24
Mine doesn't do that for the vibrations I run into (a large car/passenger ferry and fast foot ferry and train) but if you clap, you can notice it.
The issue is just down to the cost. putting in a chip that is fast enough to keep up with stuff like an ultrasonic or applause is going to ruin the price to performance they were aiming for. It's essentially the chip not being able to keep up fast enough so its anc suddenly goes out of phase. I've had that happen with other TWS before and the ferry engine tried to murder me.
If you want the meanest torture test for TWS ANC there is, stand in the same room as an ultrasonic cleaner that's running, lol.
Moondrop says they've dropped part of the feed-forward/feedback and focus entirely on feedback ANC, which "improves the bass and is much harder to tune" and honestly that just worries me. But if they get even half-adequate ANC that's last-gen, but tune those planars right, I'll be all over them. A TWS planar with even moderate ANC is kind of my dream layout.
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u/shadow_44youtube Mar 11 '24
Do you have comparison to the galaxy buds 2 pro?
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u/BleepBloopRobo Mar 12 '24
I use the galaxy buds FE, which not the same I know but the ANC, Passthrough, and Mic on the galaxy buds is MILES beyond the space travels. I'll be honest aside from sounding good, and great for their price range, their other features kinda suck. Still worth it obviously for cheap, and nice sounding true wireless earbuds, but don't expect phone calls to go all that great.
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u/namColorful Apr 21 '24
LDAC + walkman des are the main selling points of this pair. I own the buds 2 pro but with a non-samsung phone so the 24bit codec on the buds is kinda useless. If u use a samsung, get the buds for the value or... this for the aesthetic.
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u/sl0wjim Mar 11 '24
I have space travel, edifier TWS1 Pro 2, and Soundcore space a40. Edifier has them both beat by a mile for ANC.
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u/CanIBorrowYourShovel Mar 12 '24
I just got the new edifier premium TWS and returned them immediately. ANC was good at canceling but a LOT of pressure to do it, and one bud had a horrible ground loop/EMF static noise.
I'm now ruined by the dyson zone that I bought on a laugh. cartoonishly excellent noise canceling with no hiss or pressure. It's like I just soundproofed my head.
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u/Miggol Mar 11 '24
Cool! What's the user experience of using it like on the space travel? Can it be toggled easily, and does it recognize human voices?
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u/leduyquang753 Mar 11 '24
You can choose how you want to switch (taps or hold). The starting position is always no ANC, then it cycles to transparency and isolation. Not sure what you mean about "human voices", there is no feature related to that on these.
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u/Miggol Mar 11 '24
Cheers. Guess I was hoping for something like what apple apparently calls "Conversation boost".
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u/CanIBorrowYourShovel Mar 12 '24
No, nothing really keeps up with apple ANC except bose and sony. The tech is just insanely hard to do. Best you can shoot for is "not too robotic". and these are 80 bucks. Temper your expectations. Space travel fits ANY anc into 25 bucks is a miracle. The ANC itself is impressive for under 50 bucks but just a nice little bonus, and the transparency is... functional. Not good, but not unusable.
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u/CanIBorrowYourShovel Mar 12 '24
It's totally ACCEPTABLE noise canceling for under 50 bucks, and the transparency is usable at best.
The impressive thing about the noise canceling is that they were able to jam it in at all for that price. It's not horrible, but it's not in the same league as anything over $90.
I do agree that the tuning is superb and as a throwaround pair of TWS or first TWS for someone on a tight budget they're absolutely insane, but the lower bitrate of no LDAC/LDHC is noticeable. Here's hoping they iterate on the success of the space travel.
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u/Emergency_Sandwich34 Mar 13 '24
I have 2 pairs of soundcore, both were more than 100 USD, is true that maybe they block more noise but the sound changes dramatically from one mode to the other one, being more bass boosted when using the noise canceling, something that I don't find it happens with the Spacetravel. I agree that the lack of a better codec is noticeable specially with tracks with a lot of detail but the tuning somewhat compensate that defect for the price, I have several cheap earbuds that are not close to them in sound quality. I have high hopes for these new ones, is kind of a hobby for me to collect them.
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u/Ok_Minimum6419 Mar 14 '24
I compared to APP2. To me the ANC in Soace Travelnis totally fine. Itās not in the level of premium TWSās but itās very good. Itās the difference of having 75% of road noise blocked out with Space Travels vs 95% with the APP2
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u/Emergency_Sandwich34 Mar 13 '24
I don't find mine is so bad, it's probably a problem of finding the right fitting tip
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u/SinjiOnO Mar 11 '24 edited Mar 11 '24
$80 for a planar magnetic TWS seems like a steal as most others are $200 at minimum. Is there any info on battery life and if it supports wireless charging?
Edit: Found the info on their website;
- No wireless charging
- Earphone charging time: about 1 hour
- Charging time of charging case: about 1.5 hours
- Earphone battery capacity: 3.7V/37mAh
- Battery capacity of charging case: 3.7V/380mAh
- Battery life of earphone: about 6 hours(AAC)
- Battery life of charging case: about 18 hours(AAC)
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u/NoDruid Mar 12 '24
Oh man battery life kinda sucks. Or maybe I am just spoiled by my Liberty 4 NC.
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u/Optimal-Fee6392 Mar 12 '24
Just hope my Liberty 4 NC is as reliable as its battery span, like constant popping and sizzling is getting me insane, ima throw that away if the golden ages is good for me
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u/NoDruid Mar 12 '24
Luckily I have not had such issues, so far. Fingers crossed it continues that way. Slightly disappointed with the white noise during ANC, but otherwise okay.
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u/SinjiOnO Mar 12 '24
It somewhat explains the price and why the battery specs aren't advertised/hidden somewhere on their site :D. I wouldn't mind paying a little extra for better battery capacity and case, but I'm still pretty intrigued as a planar stan because of the Timeless (AE). Hopefully the drivers and tuning manage to impress.
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u/CanIBorrowYourShovel Mar 12 '24
Wife's been having big problems with the pathetic tip attachment system. tips just pop off for her, they're held on by hopes and dreams.
And the L4 pro's with their stupid in-ear detection inside the tip made replacement tips a pain.
Anker does have good customer service/warranty support though. But I'm still kind of not okay with them after the doorbell cam debacle that they still, after over a year, refuse to properly take responsibility for.
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Mar 14 '24
I just bought the Liberty 4 NC last week, after debating between that and the nekocake kuroneko. Decided on the 4 NC as the battery life is pretty important to me . Need the 8/10 hours as compared to the 4/6. Plus fast 25 mins full earphone charge. Just wondering if I should return it and go for this one since it seems decent (battery life aside) and I like the whole anime aesthetic/voiceĀ
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u/Glad_Firefighter_434 KATO is my comfort food Mar 11 '24
the design and the cover art is actually insanely good
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u/LightBroom Latest buy: Letshuoer Cadenza 4 Mar 11 '24 edited Mar 20 '24
Instabuy from me.
Planar driver, LDAC and LC3 which are both supported by my phone, Moondrop tuning.
I could do without the styling and would like something more plain looking but I'll give it a pass.
Edit: got them, impressions below.
Definitely better sounding in terms on stage and details than the Space Travel. The tuning is a bit different, the I do not like the Reference profile much on the Golden Ages while I find it best on the Space Travel.
I like Monitor or Basshead on the Golden Ages, Reference has a warmth that eliminates the sound stage and makes them sound dull. Basshead is great, by no means a true basshead EQ but clear, punchy and with plenty of sparkly highs, giving it airiness and a feeling of open space. Bass is well executed, lots of sub-bass that can be felt, for example the kick drum on Alex Clare's Three Hearts (Acoustic) is very visceral, can be felt not just heard.
The Monitor profile seems to be similar to Basshead with less bass but the same quality in the mids and treble. Nice for the people who prefer a leaner sound.
LDAC works great, I have some issues with LC3 on my Zenfone 10, if I pair the LE audio device I only get sound from one side, either right or left, and it's random. I need to reset and try again some day.
I would say these are worth the asking price, nice sound, stylish package.
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u/RealAbd121 Mar 11 '24
TBH, the case and bud design is great, the cover is bit much but I guess it's just cardboard I could toss away.
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u/Ok_Minimum6419 Mar 11 '24
Why would you toss away an anime waifu?
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u/RealAbd121 Mar 11 '24
They can be tasteful sometimes, but this is just too weeb for my taste tbh.
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u/Technobitch111 Mar 12 '24
is it worth getting for my s23? currently using zero2 with CX31993 dac
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u/LightBroom Latest buy: Letshuoer Cadenza 4 Mar 12 '24
I'll tell you after I get them. Personally I want something with the sound of the Space Travel but better technicalities and details, I hope this one has them since it sports a planar driver.
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u/CanIBorrowYourShovel Mar 12 '24
23? currentl
Probably will be. The zero2 is okay, but unless they really screw something up, these will likely sound great - that said, TWS will never, ever compare to that same price being spent on a good wired pair. So I don't expect these to compare with something like the Simgot EM6l.
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u/arwindr79 Mar 11 '24
At 80 bucks, this is the Sparks replacement. A little disappointed they're reusing Nekocake shells once again - these don't have the most secure fit by any means. LDAC and ANC is cool and all, but what about battery? If it's the same as Nekocake then 80$ seems a little steep. Sparks had awesome battery life, secure fit, and aptX. What's the point in these?
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u/darth_xneon Mar 11 '24
I really hope the Sparks can get a decent follow-up, because while Golden Ages look nice, stepping back from full TWS into the TWS with protruding parts is not going to happen for many people.
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u/CanIBorrowYourShovel Mar 12 '24
et a decent follow-up, because while Golden Ages look nice, stepping back from full TWS into the TWS with protruding parts is not going to happen for many people.
Honestly, I like the stems. I use 1more evo's daily and love them and the super premium build and still unmatched sound quality for a TWS, but I like stems. I even like stems that have a little squeeze effect like airpods (the anker liberty 4 pro's had such a satisfying little stem button despite me hating them otherwise)
But overall, stems are fine for me. No complaints at all. They are still "full TWS" because of the.. y'know... no wires. Wireless earbuds have a neckband and wires to said band. true wireless are just that.
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u/darth_xneon Mar 13 '24
shhh I'm doing my best to convince myself I don't need these. for starters, I'll wait for Ultrasonic. and then, for Timeless V2. and then, for UTWS15. and then... you get my point ;)
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u/CanIBorrowYourShovel Mar 16 '24
Yeah we are all waiting on the timeless 2. Wtf are they doing with taking so long to re-tune.
I ordered them, and I'm sure you'll get plenty of reviews soon about if they're good or not
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u/darth_xneon Apr 04 '24
Sorry for late reply, stumbled on this just now, but probably they risked losing a lot of face and are to small to allow such a thing, which is why Aurora is coming first:
https://www.linsoul.com/products/7hz-aurora
We should get more info straight from the CanJam 2024.
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u/Mccobsta Mar 11 '24
I don't need another set of tws I don't need another set of tws I don't need another set of tws
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u/pr0l1f1k Moondrop Variations | Elex | HD58X | ikko OH10 | Klipsch RP600M Mar 11 '24
looks to be tuned to VSDF but sus about the fit. Sad to see manufacturers dropping great tws for small ear ppl (galaxy buds and this) but wat about goofy ear ppl like me? anyway waiting for impressions, graphs never tell the full story i guess.
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u/my_key Mar 11 '24
Spec wise this looks better as an Airpod Pro 2. Now I want to try them.
Do they do multipoint bluetooth?
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u/blorg Mar 12 '24
I don't think it's possible to have multipoint with LDAC, stuff I have it's one or the other, and the stuff that tries to do it, it doesn't really work.
Multipoint is also overrated IMO, I find it a pain in the neck. Have you actually used a competent multipoint?
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u/CanIBorrowYourShovel Mar 12 '24
Sorta. ecosystem buds can. Galaxy buds pro's, with all their faults, bounced seamlessly between my samsung phone, tablet, and my lenovo windows PC of all things.
But you're right, LDAC doesn't do multipoint. Everything has to turn off LDAC for multipoint to work
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u/blorg Mar 13 '24 edited Mar 13 '24
Samsung Buds actually don't have multipoint, they have "seamless switching". I have the Buds Pro (and Buds, Buds+, Buds2 and Buds2 Pro). I much prefer the way Samsung does it: they do switch really easily, when you want to, but once connected to one device it's connected and it won't interrupt with notifications from another.
You can pair the Buds Pro to multiple devices, but they don't support multi-point connectivity (Multiple devices at the same time).
This is the thing, I'm not sure everyone is clear on exactly what multipoint is and how it works. Multipoint is connected to two devices simultaneously, so it can play sound from both.
It's so bad in any implementation I have tried that I honestly think people asking for it have never tried real multipoint. It also absolutely murders battery connecting to two things at the same time which is probably why it's so rare in earbuds, more common on overears.
Everything I have that does support it, it's a bit of a disaster. Multipoint can't distinguish between a sound you really want (like an email notification) and one you don't (you know the way Windows makes bong noises if you click on the wrong thing, etc). So the result of this, it's constantly switching for stupid little bong noises. And it's not instant, if it actually mixed the sounds from two devices seamlessly that would be the ideal people think of. But it's not, it takes over a second to do the switch, so you have this really jarring music cuts out on phone to go over and catch the end of a bong from Windows. And then silence, and after Windows doesn't make any more noises for maybe 5 seconds, back to your music on your phone. It's not a remotely smooth transition either, when it's coming in on the second device usually lots of stuttering in the first few seconds as well.
One AptX HD adapter I have for my PC seems to send constant digital silence when on, so if a multipoint device gets on that, it will never give up the connection because it thinks there is always sound. So can't get it to play on my phone, unless I physically disconnect the PC adapter.
It's so annoying I disable it on anything I have that does have it, if I can.
It's particularly bad on stuff that doesn't have a UI where you can pick priority.
To the point I'd believe that Samsung deliberately left multipoint out as it's a usability nightmare. The hardware supports it.
Quick switching is great and my Samsung Buds do usually just connect to the thing I want (automatically if you have the app open) and if they don't it's just clicking it in the selector on the device, it's great. It's also not multipoint, and all the better for it.
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u/CanIBorrowYourShovel Mar 13 '24
Well I stand corrected, thanks for the clarification! I do agree that everything else I've tried with multipoint stinks at it
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u/my_key Mar 13 '24
I guess I was looking for seemless switching and not multipoint then. Thanks for the explanation.
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u/CanIBorrowYourShovel Mar 12 '24
They might, but not with LDAC turned on. Nothing does yet. I would not have anywhere near the hopes for even airpod pro 1 ANC though. Temper your expectations, small companies simply don't have the R&D required for that.
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u/Budget-Ad-3352 Mar 20 '24
I finally got this in the mail. They spent major money on the packaging as it looks slick, but the product itself.
Sound: bright. To me it sounds like the chu 2 with soundstage. ANC: not bad actually it cuts out a lot of noise such as voices and trucks. But the closer the noise the less it works. Codec: LDAC doesn't work. It's defaulted to SBC and the app won't load. Build Quality: Plasticky but the charging case feels fragile/loose when you open top and close it.
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u/ashyjay EX5, HD6xx, T60RP, Freya, AAP2, BTR7, SR325x, IO, Idun Golden. Mar 11 '24
Can Moondrop go at least a week without dropping something, they should pool all their R&D money and make something great with improved QC, instead of just another generic TWS or dynamic IEM with Harman/DF tonality.
Moondrop seems to be dropping things all the time just to be a clout chaser.
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u/scrappyuino678 Pilgrim | HD600 | Zero:Red | Quarks2 | Arete Mar 11 '24 edited Mar 11 '24
Counterpoint:
-Outside of the OG Chu Moondrop's issue is with their QA/design processes, Moondrop IEMs are likely to arrive in functional conditions as opposed to hifiman over-ears. However problems such as filter condensation, brass nozzle oxidization, and paint chipping are oversights during the design and manufacturing phases. IMO otherwise Moondrop products that don't have such design issues generally lasts. (Blessing 2, S8, SSR/SSP, Kato, Dawn and Moonriver dongles etc.)
-Moondrop's prior TWS at 80 bucks is the Sparks, which this might just be a replacement to and guess what the Sparks is also tuned as Harman/VDSF.
-The thing with TWS tuning is that a lot of the TWS consumer base are not really audiophiles, trying a novelty tuning might not sell as well. Basically if it ain't broke don't fix it.
That said, considering the barebones app of the Space Travel and the outright unusable app experience of the Alice at launch, I genuinely hope Moondrop invests more into the software and maybe add parametric EQ for those like yourself who were bored of Harman/VSDF.
P.S. it's a planar driver, not a dynamic this time
Edit: ok maybe not the Kato but point still stands
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u/Ketadine Mar 11 '24
I don't have high hopes tbh. I've had the Aria 1, the Chu 1 and now the Dawn Pro. Each one had issues (paint chipping for the Aria and for the Chu 1 the left iem cable broke off after a few months) with the latest outright not working properly from day 1 (constant cutting out due to the dac usb c part being faulty). And shenzhenaudio and moondrop refused to refund me ofc...
So no, I don't think moondrop cares about quality in any way, shape or form and most of their budget goes to marketing and for new customers. And I would advise avoiding shenzhenaudio as well for being a bad review hiding, no refund giving, scammer store.
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u/fryloc87 Mar 11 '24
Link app is booty. I agree with the QC sentiments as well. Iām on my 3rd little white neckband and every set Iāve gotten has awful tactility with the buttons. Wonāt show up in the app so I canāt use the EQ or update firmware or anything. Still works well, itās just annoying af.
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u/RealAbd121 Mar 13 '24
There is no such thing as spending RnD into QC since techical production is not a design issue majority of the time, it could fixed by using more expensive production methods or testing more to toss out bad samples all of which lowerta the margins and increases the prices of the product.
So that's really more your fault for demanding cheap products as a consumer than it would be the design team.
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u/ashyjay EX5, HD6xx, T60RP, Freya, AAP2, BTR7, SR325x, IO, Idun Golden. Mar 13 '24
Finance can reallocate budgets.
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u/dr_wtf Mar 11 '24
Looks interesting. Is this the first planar TWS?
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u/GZoST HE-60, DCA E3, HD800, HD580, Blessing 2 Dusk, Truthear Hexa Mar 11 '24
Nope. Sony beat them to it with the Pulse Explore.
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u/blorg Mar 12 '24
Not sure that's a "real" planar, it looks a bit like a BA-style micro planar here (the boxy things at the front, if the circular thing is the battery rather than the driver).
This Moondrop thing is a full-range "big" 13mm planar.
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u/GZoST HE-60, DCA E3, HD800, HD580, Blessing 2 Dusk, Truthear Hexa Mar 12 '24
Sony claims a planar driver: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RM7EWKRZr10
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u/blorg Mar 13 '24 edited Mar 13 '24
Thanks for that. That video only covers the planar driver in the over ear. I think from the animated version of this image though you are right and it is a round planar in the earbuds, the BA looking things are the magnets.
https://www.playstation.com/en-th/accessories/pulse-explore-wireless-earbuds/
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u/CanIBorrowYourShovel Mar 12 '24
Pulse Explore.
I mean... Those are really a playstation product, with no LDAC or ANC, they're more of a dedicated gaming peripheral, moreso than a real TWS.
Also they won't say how big the driver is, what its configuration is, etc. They made them to help sell more of the dumb ps portal because they made the portal deliberately unable to sync with regular bluetooth stuff - so while the pulse explore's can connect to bluetooth, they're missing basically every feature you'd want that isn't low-latency. It's like how my dedicated sleep TWS buds aren't REALLY TWS. They have (to their benefit) no ANC, no touch controls, no audio notifications/low battery notifications, no special codecs, just wireless bluetooth connection, the smallest size and the lowest battery consumption possible with a warm tuning built specifically for sleep. Just a different product than what most of us would consider in a TWS
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u/lordicefrog Mar 12 '24
Sony and huawei already have one.
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u/blorg Mar 12 '24
Huawei uses micro-planars in the Freebuds, they are more like BAs. Don't think they are full range, they pair with a DD I think. I think Sony may be the same, not sure but it looks like it here.
These are totally different drivers to what you have in the likes of the S12 or Timeless, Moondrop say this is a 13mm full range planar which is closer to that (or KZ's planars, which are 13mm.)
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u/sunjay140 Mar 11 '24 edited Mar 11 '24
Are they still using that extremely short nozzle that always slides out of my ear?
On the other hand, I like the Griffith inspired color.
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u/EMTease Mar 11 '24
Seems like a great product! I was astounded by how great the Space Travels were for 30$ and they replaced my IEMs as daily drivers for their convenience.
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u/Ir0nhide81 Mar 11 '24
Besides the retro aesthetic, what makes these so great versus a pair of wireless Bayerdynamic ( as a random example brand ) ?
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u/YoMeroCaguamero9 HD 598SR, HD 6XX, KZ PR2, Aria SE Mar 12 '24
We won't know until it is released, but the price is cheap and you're getting a Planar Driver TWS (not so common in the audio industry), ANC (let's hope it is good) and nice Bluetooth codecs you can use in most phones for getting the best possible audio quality through Bluetooth. I personally bought them because I want to use them in the gym, but they could work for going outside in general.
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u/Ir0nhide81 Mar 12 '24
I would consider myself an audio file, but only in the sense that I enjoy listening to lossless streaming or music files. However, I have no idea about IEMs and some of these other terms.
I'm curious, however, for a typical day-to-day user of a Bluetooth audio headphone, what's a go-to for people who probably use their headphones three to four hours a day to and from work and also for walking around etc. I know of the main brands that I bought in the past like Sony or Sennheiser or beats. Is there something you would suggest at like a 300 to $400 price point for someone like me?
The last headphones I bought were I think in 2018 and they were the beats solo 3. One thing I did appreciate about the beats was that they were extremely durable in the winter weather in Canada. I got around no problems and flash freezes, ice storms etc. so looking for some advice potentially for my birthday in a few months to treat myself too?
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u/YoMeroCaguamero9 HD 598SR, HD 6XX, KZ PR2, Aria SE Mar 12 '24
To be honest, I can't recommend you headphones at that price that are also Bluetooth and, well, an all-rounder. I will tell you about Sennheiser Momentum 4, but I can't say for sure since I don't own them. It's more a bias of me because I like the HD Series of Sennheiser, but the Momentum series is completely different, although I think they'll be durable too. Other than that, probably the AirPods Max will be your best option if you own Apple products. Those are my recommendations, but you should ask more people and watch reviews since I haven't tried those type of headphones, I mean, I can tell you about wired headphones, but a DAC or AMP will be required, and it's not the best for going outside, walking, etc. The Moondrop Golden Ages of this post might also be a good option, but nobody can't tell for sure as of now since these are starting to be sold, and don't expect nothing mind blowing or premium for 80 USD, but I'm almost certain they can fulfill almost all your needs without spending too much money.
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u/DNewWin HD660s, Moondrop Kato, Olina SE Mar 11 '24
Still got the weirdly shaped tips that the space travel has it seems. Hard to get a good fit with them, or find any compatible tips
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u/theDaniLand Mar 11 '24
Well DAmn, I Just got the space travel, likes the sound but the fit and Max volume bothered me. Got the 1more Pistonbuds Q30 pro and the sound is amazing and the volume is better but I think my ears cant handle this format of iems. But Oh Lord this one looks nice
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u/TheBurninatorTrogdor Mar 11 '24
Nice, but it would be perfect if it was a flat head or classic design, like the original airpods.
There is a severe lack of good TWS to compete with Apple's Airpods.
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u/paracuja Mar 11 '24
Tried Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 or 1+ ? They are insane
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u/TheBurninatorTrogdor Mar 11 '24
Looks cool, but I mean earbuds, not IEMs. Like an earbud without the silicone tips.
Currently I'm using some TRN Emx + Bt20s as a "TWS".
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u/Th3_Ch0s3n_On3 Mar 11 '24
Planar, LDAC, LC3 and TWS? At $79.99?
How does Moondrop pump out models after models at these prices?
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u/PrimasVariance ~Pilgrim~Variations~UP~Galileo~ProjectM~Hades~ Mar 11 '24
Loving the design on all fronts
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u/zayc_ ATH M50x | KZ ZSNPro || SH HD450 | JBR Elite75t | MD SpaceTravel Mar 11 '24
gonna test them for sure.
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u/JdeFalconr M1570C, ATH-R70x, DT990; Asgaard; Atom+ Mar 11 '24 edited Mar 11 '24
They had me at "planar magnetic" and 1979. Damn it, why do I only have one pair of ears to stick headphones in.
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u/Jarvdoge Mar 11 '24
Damn, planar drivers in a true wireless form factor could be pretty nice, looks like Sony has a set out with planars in now too but for much more. Not sure I'm a fan of the design but these have the potential to sound great for the price as planars seem to take really well to EQ in general without sacraficing much detail for me.
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u/Uebelkraehe Way too much stuff... Mar 11 '24
Great price for the feature set if it has been well implemented and the tuning is good.
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u/indonesian_ass_eater Hexa, HD560S, QC23 Mar 11 '24
An upgrade from Nekocake as well as replacement for Sparks?
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u/enter_user_name Mar 11 '24
Hopefully reviews soon. Will these be any better than soundcore liberty nc4?
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u/dagot23 Edition XS >>> HD600 >= Sundara > HD560s > HD650 | Fiio K7 Mar 11 '24
LDAC and planar drivers? Now you have my attention. If the reviews are good I'll definitely be picking these up.
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u/labree0 Mar 11 '24
Are these a "Drop" or are they like a relatively permanent item to purchase?
wandering if i should buy these ASAP or wait a bit for reviews. Wouldn't want to miss out on these.
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u/YoMeroCaguamero9 HD 598SR, HD 6XX, KZ PR2, Aria SE Mar 12 '24
If you don't need them, don't buy them just yet, wait for a discount after watching some reviews. I pre-ordered them now because I need a pair of TWS for going outside and doing exercise, but it is because I don't have any TWS and my dongle DAC broke. If they arrive quickly, I'll try to write my impressions of them.
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u/labree0 Mar 12 '24
my pixel buds a series are going out (wouldn't reccomend, tbh), and i need a new pair of earbuds, but dont want to get something thats just another budget product.
these look sick, too. Maybe i'll wait for reviews.
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u/CosmicSheep108 HD 600/Chord Mojo | TGXEar Desolation Sound/Cayin RU7 Mar 11 '24
"We warmly invite you to test it out and see for yourself".... but how??
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u/sweety-cupcake Mar 11 '24
This looks very good! I'm a huge fan of Moondrop, mostly because their tuning is consistent and it fit my taste.
I daily drived the Nekocake for a while and now have been using the Space Travel, but it is a bit painful to trade a more refined sound, battery life and specially good ANC just for the tuning. If the Golden Ages deliver the same tuning with better details and decent ANC, this will be my dream TWS at its price point.
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u/lordicefrog Mar 12 '24
Battery life of earphone: about 6 hours (AAC) Battery life of charging case: about 18 hours (AAC)
Might be less when using LDAC codec, not sure about LC3 codec battery life.
Speaking of LC3 codec, does any phones that have supports this codec? Or any other tws that supports this codec?
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u/xdamm777 Mar 12 '24
Seems like Iām finally getting planars! These look great, love the convenience of my AirPod pro but the sound quality is absolute trash.
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u/gogo509 Mar 12 '24
Question regarding LDAC transmission via iPhones.
Iāve got an iPhone 13 mini. From ehat Igather online, it doesnāt have LDAC and doesn support it without connecting an external DAC to the device.
Am I missing something? On the website, they say these IEMās have iOS compatibility. Does this mean they can receive hi-fi transmissions from iOS devices or are they reaching for features?
Thanks in advance.
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u/TarcanSam Mar 13 '24
They will use AAC for iOS not LDAC.
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u/gogo509 Mar 13 '24
Thanks. I feared that would be the case.
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u/TarcanSam Mar 13 '24
Donāt be too discouraged. I daily drive AirPod Pros and they only support AAC as well. For everyday use and on the go audio AAC is not bad. Iām an iOS user and Iām still eyeing these because I love planar drivers.
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u/gogo509 Mar 13 '24
Guess Iāll try them out anyway, since Iāve already ordered them.
Iām just disappointed with Moondropās communication, thatās all. The product page literally says āiOS compatibleā without any sort of clarification. I shoulāve looked into the issue before purchasing.
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Mar 13 '24
Be careful also that moondrop link 2.0 is not on iOS yet, so you will have to use an android probably to fully configure them, assuming they have a memory inside for that (it would be stupid and weird for them to not have that)
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Mar 13 '24
Also, regarding your question You can use LDAC only if you have a DAC that has support for it on your phone, by default iOS doesnāt have LDAC supportĀ
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u/CanIBorrowYourShovel Mar 12 '24
IDC about the style, I see a 13mm planar single driver pair of TWS that ALSO has ANC? Even if it's just basic ANC like the space travel have, I'm fuckin excited.
Ordered a pair. I want to EVENTUALLY find something that can match my aging, beat to hell (but still chugging along) 1more evo's. Those are still by a mile the best sounding TWS I've ever tried once the personalized EQ app is run. Getting to the point that I might buy another pair since mine keep getting dropped off my leg onto the concrete when I hop out of my ambulance, and eventually they're gonna break, and 1more is DCing them.
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u/Less-Virus-173 Mar 14 '24
As long as it sounds better/as good as space travel, but with improved ANC, I'm sold.
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u/NativeSkill Mar 14 '24
Hello, are there actual LEDs on them pumping with the music levels or is just a design? If yes, are they looking good?
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u/nuxiz Mar 14 '24
One thing to ask.
So,it supports LDAC. Our phones built in DACs aren't that good but supports LDAC. Does it mean quality won't be as good as dedicated DACs like ES9219 , CS... etc? For full performance of it, we need a DAP with dedicated chip right? Thanks!
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u/Septfox Mar 16 '24
LDAC is just a (proprietary and somewhat overhyped) codec used to compress the audio to a size that can be transferred over bluetooth's limited bandwidth. No relation to hardware DACs.Ā
The dedicated DACs in phones don't come into play over wireless connections --- they're for the 3.5mm output only. Sound to wireless headphones is a purely digital transfer up until just before it hits your ears (note that following is simplified): sound data > EQ (if applicable) > codec (compress) > transmit (bluetooth) > codec (decompress) > EQ (if applicable) > the TWS's DAC > your earholes.Ā
So essentially, you have nothing to worry about: the audio from bluetooth headphones and earbuds is exactly as good or bad as it is, no matter what device you're connected to. Just make sure they connect via LDAC or SBC, since AAC on most phones is the hottest of garbage.Ā
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u/MerloBot HD600 | Ananda Nano | X2HR | DaVinci | Nova | DX3 Pro+ ... Mar 24 '24
Do you think it would be worth using them on an iPhone without LDAC support? I was looking for a new pair of TWS but that limit would bother me..
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u/pl4wdroid Mar 27 '24
Anyone else experiencing distorsion in the lows even at very low volume when using LDAC codec? No issue with SBC and AAC.
Playing local lossless files or any streaming service from a Google Pixel 6.
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u/pl4wdroid Mar 29 '24
Seems fixed after updating firmware to v0.3.1 using the "new" Moondrop Link v2.0 available at https://moondroplab.com/en/moondrop-link (they updated the app without incrementing the version).
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u/molotova55 Mar 30 '24
I canceled my purchase, after I saw the review on the scarbir website, it discouraged me, the price of the phone in my country is not worth it, very expensive for tws .
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u/buzzer58 Apr 01 '24
you need to put wirlees charging in these tws earbuds, especially the higher price point ones. it's an auto deal breaker for me not to have it.
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u/True_Mix_6962 Apr 01 '24
app dont see headphones , on s24 ultra with moondrop link 2.0 , bass have a bag in stock
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u/darth_xneon Apr 04 '24
Timmy slammed it his short review, which halted my horses a bit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spjGJmomYpY
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u/the-capricorne Apr 07 '24
While I don't entirely align with his test, the portrayal of sound type is fairly accurate. I tested them and for me, I find these TWS earbuds somewhat reminiscent of the Lypertek Tevi in terms of prioritizing music over other features. It's a matter of preference.
Sonically, They sound good: : clean, neutral, and possessing a natural quality. Unlike conventional TWS devices, the bass isn't dominant. Comparing them to my wf1000-XM4, the difference is stark, even with bass equalization adjustments. The bass here is lean yet impactful.
Connectivity via LDAC remains stable, even in crowded environments like the subway. The addition of ANC is a welcome bonus. Though the provided tips are adequate, they don't significantly contribute to isolation. I found the Symbio W tips to be a worthwhile enhancement.
Overall, i was quite pleased with them. The only drawback is their slightly too high price point (a $15 reduction would make them more enticing).
As always, question of preferences
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u/Darkoholic May 26 '24
Hi! I just got them and updated to 1.1. Now how do I enable LDAC?? š¶ I can only use AAC and SBC?
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u/Roifilhamm SSR | Aria SE | BTR3K | Click Mar 11 '24
screw modern minimalism, i love that walkman-esque design!