Moondrop Block

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Model: Moondrop Block
Price: MSRP approx. $20
Website: Moondrop
Review Reference: RC158

Manufacturer Specification:

• Brand: Moondrop
• Model: Block MD-TWS-030
• Driver: 13mm Composite Bio-Diaphragm Dynamic Driver
• Chipset: Bluetrum AB SDBC1600E
• Mic: 4 mics with beamforming ENC
• ANC: No
• Codecs: AAC, SBC
• App Support: No
• Multipoint: No
• Volume Control: No
• Gaming Mode: Yes (hold for 4s)
• Earbud Weight: 4.07g
• Earbud Dimensions: 32mm stem length
• Gross Case & Buds Weight: 35.53g
• Case Dimensions: 40mm (width) x 42mm (height) x 23.5mm (depth)
• Case Charge Capacity: 300mAh
• Quick Charge: Yes - No
• Wireless Charging: No
• Charge Time: 60 minutes (buds), 90 minutes (buds and case)
• Single Use Playtime: Up to 6 hours
• Playtime with Charge Case: Up to 21 hours
• Bluetooth Range: 10m advertised
• Bluetooth: Bluetooth® 5.4
• Bluetooth Protocols: BLE/ HFP 1.7/ A2DP 1.3/ AVRCP 1.5
• Water Resistance: Not certified
• Colours: White, Black, Pink

Includes:

1 x Pair Wireless Earbuds
1 x USB Type-C Charge Case
1 x USB Type-C Charge Cable
1 x Quick Guide: Chinese

YouTube Review:



Introduction & Unboxing

After the success of the Space Travel proved that there's room in the budget wireless segment for one of the IEM world's big-hitters after all, Moondrop have followed up with another couple of releases addressing very different markets - the Ultrasonic and the Block.

Whilst the Ultrasonic flex hi-res codecs, app support, and a more premium set of features and functions, the Block by contrast are a simple set of TWS that are focused much more on delivering balanced sound in a niche form factor at a competitive price, than wowing us with their capabilities. If you're a TWS user that has been frustrated with the lack of options for those of you who hate the invasive feel of silicone tips, or perhaps you like to give your ear canals a rest once in a while, and maybe you even suffer from silicone allergies, then read on, because you're in the select group that Moondrop was targeting with this release.

The unboxing isn't much to speak of, with the manual representing a couple of paragraphs that don't really give too much away. You do get a USB-C charge cable though, which wasn't necessarily a given in this very streamlined offering.

Currently, they're available for around £13 - less than a couple of pints of lager here in London - and in three colours - pink, black and Space Travel-esque cream, and whilst this review does cover a lot of things I'm perhaps a little disappointed that Moondrop either skimped on or left out altogether, it's still a very good value proposition for those of you dead set on this form factor.

Design, Fit and Comfort

(Left - Block, Right - Ultrasonic)

As per the intro, there are many users out there who don't like the invasiveness of silicone being stuck in their ear canal for long periods of time. Equally, I regularly read of users complaining they never get a good fit with in-ear buds, and in this age of portable audio obsession, there's an increasing number of people now finding out they have a previously undiscovered allergy to silicone. For them, the Block are of the style of earbud that could solve those issues due to the absence of a silicone tip - a bit of a rarity despite the popularity of the Apple Airpod.

Over here on head-fi, we all understand and recognise the difference between semi in ear or flat-head style earbuds and in-ear, but a lot of users simply aren't interested enough to absorb the pros and cons. In ear offerings will tend to offer a more immersive audio experience and augment technologies like active noise cancellation, buy they also tend not to perform well in giving you consistent situational awareness so you can hear your surroundings at all times - perhaps in an office or walking or cycling through a busy area - so there are benefits, outside the obvious fit solutions, that may outweigh the drawbacks depending on your perspective.



The Block are a flathead, something you don't normally see in true wireless and they're kind of like a cross between the Apple AirPods Gen 3 and the VE Monk. The large speaker outputs just rest on your ear without creating a seal, and whilst I appreciate everyone's ear anatomy is different (so fit is going to be different for everyone) I found them just unbelievably comfortable, easy to adjust too, thanks to the elongated stems.



The block measure around 33mm in stem length, so are a medium in length - nothing too obtrusive. They are super stable, staying in my ears when I was on the treadmill, which I really wasn't expecting, and even more surprising was that they became the first and only set of non-in earbuds to pass the 100 jumping jacks test, outperforming Soundcore Liberty 4NC and the Realme Buds Air 5 Pro for example, both of which have got silicone tips. Sadly, you might have to limit gym use, though, as there's no documented IPX rating - one of the many corners that Moondrop have cut in order to keep the cost down.



Whilst there's lots to like and maybe even love about the design, I think it's fair to say that the controls isn't one of them. The Block feature capacitive touch controls which are activated at the top of the stem, and this makes them much less prone to accidental touches than the Space Travel were. Whilst the control scheme is simple enough, unfortunately there's no volume control and there's no support for the Block in the Moondrop Link app either so you can't customize the controls in any way, which is a real disappointment.



Whilst Moondrop have dispensed with the waifu voice prompts this time around, they have continued the tradition of a semi-open case which always runs the risk of getting lint in there and preventing your buds from charging.

There is a single LED at the front and this will light up when you replace the buds in the case to show that the buds are charging. There's no wireless charging, it's just a USB-C socket on the base. When you plug it in the LED will turn red to show that it's recharging and then turn white when it's finished. Sadly the case doesn't have a 'quick charge' feature, and it only recharges the buds an additional two and a half cycles. I got just over 5 hours playtime from a single charge which isn't too bad as far as semi-in earbuds go, but for some users that still might be a little short.



At 40mm (width) x 42mm (height) x 23.5mm (depth), this is Moondrop's smallest and most compact case yet, but like with the Space Travel, it can be a little bit fiddly getting the buds in and out. Whilst when you shake them, you'll see that the buds don't come flying out, for whatever reason sometimes I'd find the case in my bag with the bud at an angle like this, obviously not charging - a bit of an annoyance to say the least.

Features



The Block are, as we've established, a proper low budget set of earbuds, but even at this price point we usually see at least some premium features creep in, such as wear detection, multipoint connectivity, custom controls and EQ (or at least presets) and maybe even (as was the case with the Oppo Enco Air3) spatial audio. Sadly, you're getting none of that here, and whilst for some the simplicity might be welcome, I can't help feeling Moondrop maybe cut things a little too close to the bone.

The Block do support Bluetooth 5.4 and I found connection to be on the whole very stable. There's also a low latency mode which is activated by pressing either the touch controls 4 times.



Whilst this is a pretty rudimentary test, it does at least show you that there was a big improvement in terms of latency when I activated it. Being in my 40's and having better things to do (at least some of the time anyway!) I don't think you could call me a particularly big gamer, but I did give it a go for the purposes of the review and found the latency to be very good. If you're playing a game where positional audio is important personally I would just stick to using IEMs, as the staging on the Block is rather constrained.

Audio & Sound Signature



Moondrop have used 13mm composite biodiaphragm dynamic drivers here, with a focus on minimizing bass leakage, a real problem with open earbuds. They've also used a B&K 5128 HATS ear simulator to get the tuning absolutely spot on and this coupled with their audio engineering expertise left me quite intrigued as to how the Block were going to sound.

The graph isn't always the biggest indicator of what to expect, but I think it pretty much demonstrates the Block down to a tee. Many budget semi-in earbuds are incorrectly tuned with an in-ear mindset, often manifesting with overly-bright and fatiguing trebles, shrill vocals and a bass impact that is either gone by the time it hits your auditory senses, or distorts badly. The Block flies in the face of that approach, giving a slightly warm neutral relaxed sort of sound that controls both the lower and upper frequencies, and to be honest, everything in between. It's a testament to Moondrop's experience and expertise that they understand both the constraints and capabilities of the drivers in this form factor, and have tuned the Block accordingly - whether you like or dislike the sound, for me it's 'the right sound' and it fits with the whole ethos of this release.

The bass isn't particularly prominent or visceral, but there's a mild thump to it - certainly in the mid bass - to remind you that it's there. It adds some welcome warmth to the sound, something you rarely find in this form factor.

The midrange, as you can hear in my YouTube review (which includes binaural sound samples) is pretty transparent, with instruments and vocals sounding very natural. Vocals are reasonably clear and prominent, but they don't step forward from the rest of the arrangement too much, and this combined with the rolled off trebles gives the Block a very balanced, relaxed and non-fatiguing sort of sound profile that is going to be good for long listening sessions, and will appeal more to those who are treble sensitive and those who like something on in the background while they're doing something else that they're particularly focusing on.

These aren't the most exciting, energetic or immersive sounding TWS, and the staging is fairly moderate, but if you like a well-controlled, warm-neutral sort of sound, then the Block should certainly appeal to you.

Comparison to QCY HT10



On the graphs, while the QCY has a deeper and more harder hitting bass, because of the shape of the QCY that bass does dissipate a little bit and it affects the overall presentation with vocals sounding a bit like they're being sung through a can. On the flip side, it does give you a slightly more open sound. Both of these sound profiles have their pros and cons and the one that you like better will be purely down to personal preference.

Where the Block do fall a little way short of some of their competitors - like QCY - is that you can't customize the sound in any way because the Block aren't supported by the Moondrop Link app. If you want to tweak the sound you have to use a third party EQ like Wavelet. That's if you're on Android - if you're on iOS then you're not going to have any option.

Call Performance

In the marketing material Moondrop talk about 'dual-mic beamforming ENC', whatever that is! In reality, whilst it isn't the cleanest calling experience, the Block didn't do too bad for a budget set. I tested in a variety of different scenarios (you can hear them in the YouTube review) and in both busy outdoor and indoor scenes, there's a decent balance of noise reduction and not muffling your voice altogether. Your voice does come through reasonably clear, if a little bit thin, and as you would expect, it clipped a little bit as soon as you got some wind coming through, but this is completely normal for a budget set and certainly passable at the price.

vs QCY Ailybuds Pro Plus

Moondrop's competition at this sort of price point as we mentioned previously is the QCY Ailybuds Pro Plus. The QCY model do give you additional features like customizable controls, app support, custom EQ and basic active noise cancellation but typically these are between 40 and 50 percent more expensive so you have to weigh up if that extra cost is worth it to you. In terms of ergonomics, I found the Block to be a bit more stable in my ear, but the QCY offer IPX4 water and moisture resistance, giving you a little extra piece of mind if you expose them to the elements. The charge case is preferable on the QCY, and you also get longer overall battery life through the case.

If you're going for a primary set, you might probably favour the QCY, but if you want a backup set that just does the job, the Moondrop are a cost-effective alternative without all the bells and whistles.

vs Oppo Enco Air 3



The Oppo Enco Air 3 are also similarly priced, again a little bit more expensive but only just, and they give you a couple of extra features like spatial audio and multi-point. However, whilst they also give you added moisture resistance (IP54), they have an odd fit with the driver output pointing perpendicular - not conducive to great stability unless you have very small ears. Audio on the Oppo is surprisingly nice, with the midbass accentuated and the trebles rolled off similarly to the Block to give you a slightly more engaging out-of-the-box sound, but unlike the QCY you don't get a great deal of customisation through the otherwise excellent app, although it's still more than the Block. One minor drawback is that the Air 3 aren't available through Oppo's store on AliExpress - you'd have to get them through a third party, a risk you might not be willing to take.

vs Moondrop Space Travel

And what about against an in-ear product like something like the Moondrop Space Travel for example? Well, for me I think you would only go for the Block if you're looking for this particular form factor. Both of these products are tuned with their design in mind. With the Space Travel it's a much more immersive and open sound, the bass is more tactile and the upper mids are more forward, front and central. But no matter how good it sounds and how many features it has, if you're one of those people who doesn't like a silicone tip you'll go for the Block every time. The Block do have one other minor advantage - slightly longer single use battery life.

Neither the Block nor the Space Travel are particularly loud. Bear this in mind if you're planning on using them in especially noisy environments.

Summary

As I mentioned earlier and several times throughout this review, the Block are all about simplicity, good sound and an affordable price in a form factor where the number of credible options is rather limited. The lack of features will be welcome to some users who perhaps get a little bit confused by all the different button presses and different things that you have to activate in the app and maybe they just want a good sound and a comfortable fit, and the Block do definitely achieve that.

For many used to the plethora of features even with budget sets, however, especially as a primary option, the absence of even basic functionality like volume control, customizable EQ and quick charge might mean that Moondrop have cut this a little bit too close to the bone. That said, if you hate the invasiveness of those ear tips in your ear canal or maybe you're looking just for a secondary set that doesn't cost a lot and can give your ears a rest from the silicone, then the Block have definitely got their merits, and at the price it's really hard to argue with at least having them as your backup pair if all else fails.