The Moonriver 2 DAC is released after the wait.
- Thread starter MOONDROP
- Start date
AlexCBSN
1000+ Head-Fier
Got it last night from the mail, so far tried it with my 2 daily drivers. I can tell right away it's one of the most neutral dongles I've heard. Though there's something about it that makes every frequency stand on its own. Note decay it's quite fast, soundstage ain't that wide but height stands its ground, reminds me of W2 in the attack and dynamics.
I think that for any @MOONDROP headphone (coming from memory of kxxs) this is a great add since i can foresee this neutrality adding to the harmanishhh signature, making it go to 11
Things that I'm experiencing:
The led light as @corgifall said it's a flash light, a dimmer would be greatly appreciated
The volume buttons doesn't work with my phone, though lately oneplus has been quite ... Buggy in many departments, I keep my faith on em since they got green light to go back to oxygen os without so much color os influence. both buttons are for volume, being the down volume shorter (I thought it was a gain toggle... Tried to toggle it for like a minute then to realize, I know I know, check the instructions...)
High gain its the default ootb, both high and low gain has amazing dynamics I was really impressed by it, coming from some other dongles or DACs where there's a sensibility loss in between each mode. I'm sticking with lo gain though.
About the gain, high is the default, each time it restarts. No way to keep it in low, not a deal breaker but still.
Even though the design is odd, it's quite comfortable and the size form it's perfect
The build is all metal, I really love that
Bundled cable it's quite cool, I fancy the transparent looks
Aaaah I almost forgot, huge thumbs up to moondrop for packing this in recycled paper, that's a huge thing for me since Im fond of companies making an effort, the moment I noticed I actually thought that it was one of the coolest features already.
I know this might be too much but the only thing that would make this dongle one of my top 3 would be a way of toggling the dac filters. Just something to play around the bass decay. If you ask me, the one ootb reminds me of the NOS or Brick wall filter in the W2 and the shaling ua2, the W2 having more features (and being more agressive with the phones battery) and the ua2 WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY more warm than this.
The unit gets hot while using it, although I understand since using dual DACs and an amp it's quite a work load.
Battery usage it's ... It's almost on par with W2, I'm ok with it. I'm already used to charge my phone if needed due to my audio usage
Overall 9 / 10 for me
Being W2 a 9.3 and the e1da g3 10 in SQ
In other note, I got the MD spring tips, and I'm quite amazed by em, fit it's a bit funny cause I'm used to stiffer tips, but I love how they play with bass mainly, letting enough sub bass rumble where it's needed and keeping all the other frequencies clean.
I think that for any @MOONDROP headphone (coming from memory of kxxs) this is a great add since i can foresee this neutrality adding to the harmanishhh signature, making it go to 11
Things that I'm experiencing:
The led light as @corgifall said it's a flash light, a dimmer would be greatly appreciated
The volume buttons doesn't work with my phone, though lately oneplus has been quite ... Buggy in many departments, I keep my faith on em since they got green light to go back to oxygen os without so much color os influence. both buttons are for volume, being the down volume shorter (I thought it was a gain toggle... Tried to toggle it for like a minute then to realize, I know I know, check the instructions...)
High gain its the default ootb, both high and low gain has amazing dynamics I was really impressed by it, coming from some other dongles or DACs where there's a sensibility loss in between each mode. I'm sticking with lo gain though.
About the gain, high is the default, each time it restarts. No way to keep it in low, not a deal breaker but still.
Even though the design is odd, it's quite comfortable and the size form it's perfect
The build is all metal, I really love that
Bundled cable it's quite cool, I fancy the transparent looks
Aaaah I almost forgot, huge thumbs up to moondrop for packing this in recycled paper, that's a huge thing for me since Im fond of companies making an effort, the moment I noticed I actually thought that it was one of the coolest features already.
I know this might be too much but the only thing that would make this dongle one of my top 3 would be a way of toggling the dac filters. Just something to play around the bass decay. If you ask me, the one ootb reminds me of the NOS or Brick wall filter in the W2 and the shaling ua2, the W2 having more features (and being more agressive with the phones battery) and the ua2 WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY more warm than this.
The unit gets hot while using it, although I understand since using dual DACs and an amp it's quite a work load.
Battery usage it's ... It's almost on par with W2, I'm ok with it. I'm already used to charge my phone if needed due to my audio usage
Overall 9 / 10 for me
Being W2 a 9.3 and the e1da g3 10 in SQ
In other note, I got the MD spring tips, and I'm quite amazed by em, fit it's a bit funny cause I'm used to stiffer tips, but I love how they play with bass mainly, letting enough sub bass rumble where it's needed and keeping all the other frequencies clean.
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It looks pretty cool!Yup!
Good dynamics in both low and high gain? Now this is impressive.
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AlexCBSN
1000+ Head-Fier
Yeah, its quite something. It has a couple of caveats which I'll update in my post, but overall, for the price I'm super impressed
H T T
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No problems at all, even on the single ended 3.5 connection
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Today we look at the Moondrop Moonriver 2 on Headfonia! A review by @Aerosphere
https://www.headfonia.com/moondrop-moonriver-2-review/
https://www.headfonia.com/moondrop-moonriver-2-review/
Mhog55
Headphoneus Supremus
I really need to hear this if the tuning is that neutral. I have two other devices with the same CL dac chips, and both are quite warm to say the least. Not sure how I feel about the footprint/form factor. Seems a bit odd, but I also appreciate that it stands out from the pack.
Not sure if I want this or the RU6. I lean towards a slightly warm and dark flavor, but nothing crazy. I wonder if anyone can compare this to the original Hiby R5, which doesn't get much use from me since I purchased the Shanling M6 Pro.
Just received my Moonriver 2. This... is a very interesting dongle.
I recently got myself a W2-131 after listening to my friend's W2, enjoying it a lot, but having a lot of hesitation bringing it outside due to the bulk and the screen's fragility. So, I was in the market for something that is simpler, lighter, and sturdier (preferably cheaper), which this MR2 kinda ticks. Xduoo Link2 Bal was also in my consideration, but since I have W2-131, I don't feel the need to get another dual CS43131 dongle.
My first impression was the build quality. The machined aluminium body is excellently textured, light, and kinda giving a cyberpunk-y vibe. I really dig it. Also, one of the rare dongles that I would use the stock cable with. The volume buttons kinda rattle a bit, but it is a bit nitpicky.
Upon listening, the power is pretty impressive. My guess is that stripping off extra FPGAs, screen, and other features (when compared to W2) kinda allows Moondrop to pump all the extra power headroom into the output. I think it is slightly more powerful than my W2-131. I do feel that MR2 is like a W2 stuck at one tuning and one filter. The tuning is very neutral, close to the tuning 01 in W2 or W2-131 with fast filter. So far, I paired it with my Hifiman Edition XS and Moondrop Variations, both driven enough even on low gain.
I'll put some updates after I try it out with more gears, but so far, amazing piece!
I recently got myself a W2-131 after listening to my friend's W2, enjoying it a lot, but having a lot of hesitation bringing it outside due to the bulk and the screen's fragility. So, I was in the market for something that is simpler, lighter, and sturdier (preferably cheaper), which this MR2 kinda ticks. Xduoo Link2 Bal was also in my consideration, but since I have W2-131, I don't feel the need to get another dual CS43131 dongle.
My first impression was the build quality. The machined aluminium body is excellently textured, light, and kinda giving a cyberpunk-y vibe. I really dig it. Also, one of the rare dongles that I would use the stock cable with. The volume buttons kinda rattle a bit, but it is a bit nitpicky.
Upon listening, the power is pretty impressive. My guess is that stripping off extra FPGAs, screen, and other features (when compared to W2) kinda allows Moondrop to pump all the extra power headroom into the output. I think it is slightly more powerful than my W2-131. I do feel that MR2 is like a W2 stuck at one tuning and one filter. The tuning is very neutral, close to the tuning 01 in W2 or W2-131 with fast filter. So far, I paired it with my Hifiman Edition XS and Moondrop Variations, both driven enough even on low gain.
I'll put some updates after I try it out with more gears, but so far, amazing piece!
Interesting dongle indeed. After S1 and the RU6, I might be in the party for this piece of equipment
radiocalm
100+ Head-Fier
Hello, I just ordered this and am excited to start using it. I find dongle dac’s ideal for how I usually do headphones…Hey guys:
After a prolonged time of research(faff around ), we are excited to announce a thought after successor to the Moonriver dac , The Moonriver 2.
Take a look at this CNC precision milled little thing:
Moonriver 2 is a small portable DAC with dual CS43198 cirrus logic chips that runs either on your phone or a USB port, no battery required.
PCM format support goes from 44.1kHz/16bit up to 384kHz/32bit(I don't think there's any recordings in that way though)
DSD format support goes up to DSD256.
This little thing connects with USB-C/ lightning(cable sold separately, anything that's lightning to usbc is fine) to fulfill the need of our IEMs, and delivers with either a 3.5mm single-end, or a 4.4mm balanced connector, at the SNR up to 131dB(A-weighted) and up to 4Vrms of output power.
Now in stock at multiple retailers at MSRP of 189.99$.
I have a question, I am an iPhone user, I read in this post that any cable with usb c on one end and lightning on the other will work… is that the case? Some of these require you to have a otg cable… which is hard to come by. And if it needs to be otg or specialized in some way, do you sell the cable for iPhone users? Thanks so much.
Anything cable with usbc termination that’s mfi verified should be fine.
On 2022 otg is mostly an android thing because manufacturers tweak their connector here and there with different algorithms, iphone stays relatively unified.
radiocalm
100+ Head-Fier
Cool, that’s good to hear. Excited to hear the moonriver. Should be here in a couple days. Thanks so much for the quick response. Cheers.
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