Moondrop Chu II

Moondrop CHU 2 : Perfect for the budget!



Summary:

Launched in late July'23, Moondrop CHU 2 is the latest iteration of Single DD based IEM from Moondrop and a successor of their previously successful budget range CHU. It comes with a proprietary 10mm Dynamic Driver and comes at a very affordable price below $20.




Introduction:

Let's quickly dive into what the Moondrop CHU 2 has to offer. In pursuit of better sound for the price, the CHU 2 comes with new generation 10mm Single DD.
The CHU 2 is priced at $16.71



Design & Build:

The CHU 2 comes with a shell of metal alloy material - which is surprisingly comfortable and a perfect fit for most ears. I have tried it through long audio sessions, and it fared very well throughout. It is amongst the most comfortable IEMs in this price range that I have come across. Unlike Chu, Chu 2's nozzle consists of a separate brass CNC component.





The following features are mentioned on the website:

1. Aluminum-Magnesium Alloy Dome Composite Diaphragm, High-End Headphone Diaphragm Materials.
2. Alloy Casting Cavity, Ensuring Durability and High-Quality Texture.
3. The nozzle of the CHU II consists of a separate brass CNC component, offering higher precision and density.
4. CHU II incorporates a new generation of replaceable acoustic filters.
5. CHU II was tuned by senior acoustic engineers and audiophiles with rich knowledge and wide experience, and exhibits an excellent frequency response curve in line with the VDSF Target Response.
6. Ultra-low Nonlinear Distortion, Reproduction of Subtle Details.

Disclaimer: @shenzhenaudio had sent me the review unit for my impressions & views. The opinions below are based on my experiences with the unit and my own. I have tried to be as comprehensive & comparative as I could be - to give a complete picture to the audience.


Specifications:

The Moondrop CHU 2 comes at $16.71 price tag and specifications are as below:

https://shenzhenaudio.com/products/moondrop-chu-2-10mm-dynamic-in-ear-headphone






NOW LET'S TALK ABOUT THE SOUND....

Items Used for this Review:

DAC/AMP & Dongles: @Questyle M15 Dongle DAC/AMP, @Cayin RU7 Dongle, C9 Portable Amplifier
Portable Players / Sources : @Cayin N7, @Questyle QP2R
Streaming Source: QOBUZ



Tracks Used:

The tracks I have used can be found from the below playlist that I have used and generally use for most reviews...





Pairing Performance with different sources:

The CHU 2 had the great pairing with almost each and every dongle/DAC/DAP that I owned.
Best pairing was obviously with @Questyle M15 & @Cayin RU7 dongles, @Questyle QP2R & @Cayin N7 DAPs.



Ear Tips:

The default tips I found to be below par and ear-tips switching is necessary. I wish they inlcuded the SPRING ear-tips with this. Hence, I've tried tip-rolling with a variety of tips such as: @Final Audio E series red & black ones, JVC Spiral dots, Spiral Dots+, @SpinFit Eartip CP500, CP155. Out of all of these I have found the AZLA SEDNAFIT to be the best fit for my ears in terms of overall fit, isolation & comfort.



Moondrop CHU 2 Sound Impressions in Short:

The BASS:

The CHU 2 comes with a good & detailed bass performance for the price. Coming with a new Dynamic driver, the bass indeed comes with better details in the sub0bass region and enough kick & rumble in the mid-bass. In tracks like: "Fools Paradise (LP Version) – Donna Lewis" and "Chocolate Chip Trip - Tool" you can hear all the tiny nuances' of the sub-bass and very enjoyable slams from the mid-bass.

The MIDS:

The midrange comes with good clarity in the CHU 2 though a bit recessed. There is good amount of muscle and texture and the instruments sound very lively and enjoyable. Vocals are very immersive and both male and female vocals come with ample amount of details and feel very real. Transients are good with the new DD. In tracks like: "Anchor - Trace Bundy", "A dog named Freedom – Kinky Friedman" and "Ruby Tuesday – Franco Battiato" it’s really easy to get lost into the music as it comes with ample detailed transients, texture, excellent vocals and details.

The TREBLE:

The CHU 2 comes with enjoyable but non-fatiguing treble. The treble performance was quite enjoyable and Cymbals sound very life-like and real in tracks like “Chocolate Chip Trip – Tool”. The treble is quite engaging and energetic for a budget IEM.

Treble in tracks like: "Paradise Circus – Massive Attack", "Mambo for Roy – Roy Hargrove” and "Saints and Angels – Sharon Shannon" feel smooth & creamy with the right amount of air and texture and just feels very buttery smooth.

The SOUNDSTAGE:

The Staging capabilities of the CHU 2 is the quite good and above average for price range. It comes with the right amount of width, height, depth and is well defined and just as much as the track requires. Tracks like: “The Secret Drawer – Bela Fleck and the Flecktones” or “She Don’t know – Melody Gardot” or “Bohemian Rhapsody (live aid) – Queen” sound amazing & enjoyable.

Separation & Imaging:

Imaging is quite spot on and location of each instrument can be felt quite clearly on the CHU 2. Tracks like: “Rotterdam (Or Anywhere) - The Beautiful South “or “Hello Again - Howard Carpendale & The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra” just shine through. Separation is also good for the price-range.



Comparisons:

I used TANGZU Princess Chang Le for the comparison. It seemed to be the perfect match for the CHU 2 coming at similar price range with Single-DD architecture.




Moondrop CHU 2 vs TANGZU Princess Chang Le:

Price: Moondrop CHU 2 costs $16.71 while the Chang LE is only $15. Chang Le gets the leverage here.

Build, Comfort & Features: Both IEMs are well built and comfortable. But the Chang Le comes with fixed cable. Hence, CHU 2 gets leverage here.

Bass: While the Bass is better on the CHU 2, it packs far more details and muscle than the Chang Le.

Mids: Though both are bit recessed - the midrange on the CHU 2 seemed to have better texture better than the Chang Le.

Treble: The Chang Le treble seemed a bit peaky at times and the CHU 2 overall is significantly better.

Soundstage, Imaging and Separation: This is where the CHU 2 goes miles ahead of the Chang LE.

The CHU 2 is hence is better than the Change Le in terms of overall performance.




Conclusion:

The Moondrop CHU 2 is a great all-rounder IEM for the price range and with almost perfect price to performance ratio which makes it easy recommendation. This time Moondrop seems to have hit the right spot.... almost perfect for the price.

INTRODUCTION AND DISCLAIMER:​

The Moondrop Chu II is an in-ear monitor (IEM) with one 10mm aluminum-magnesium composite alloy diaphragm dynamic driver in each housing. It is a sequel release to the Moondrop Chu and now features a removable 2-pin cable. The Chu II retails for $18.99 at ShenzhenAudio. I received the Chu II from ShenzhenAudio in exchange for my review.

MUSIC:​

I tested this device with FLAC local files and Spotify Premium streaming. Check out my last.fm page to see what I’m listening to:
XenosBroodLord’s Library | Last.fm

PACKAGING AND ACCESSORIES:​

The Moondrop Chu II arrives in a rectangular grey cardboard box with a lid adorned with an anime waifu illustration. Technical specifications and a frequency response graph for the Chu II appear on the back. Within, the Chu II earpieces are secured in a black sheet of foam. The package includes three pairs of generic silicone eartips (S, M, L) and the same small Moondrop-branded black pleather storage pouch included with the Moondrop Jiu. Unfortunately, the Chu II does not include Moondrop Spring Tips like the Jiu and the original Chu. Also inside the box are a quality control pass chit, user manual, and contact card linking to Moondrop’s Tencent QQ account.

BUILD QUALITY AND DESIGN:​

The Moondrop Chu II is similar to the Moondrop Jiu and the original Moondrop Chu in appearance:
The Chu II’s finish is smooth with a shiny luster…The faceplates are oval-shaped…“L” and “R” indicators are also printed in copper adjacent to the cable entry sites. There are two pinprick circular vents on the interior face of the IEM body.
Unlike those two IEMs, the Chu II has a detachable cable. The cable connector housings are forward-swept at the same acute angle as the Jiu and Chu. The connector ports are recessed below the housing.
The Chu II has replaceable screw-in nozzles which contain the filter material. In the few weeks that I have had the Chu II, the finish on these nozzles has tarnished noticeably. The nozzles have a lip to secure eartips. The nozzles have saucer plate-style mesh coverings.
The cable is unbraided and uses a soft transparent sheath. The Y-split hardware is a simple translucent rubber cylinder. There is no chin-adjustment choker and the cable is mildly tangle-prone. The cable does have preformed earguides. The 3.5mm jack uses an L-shaped housing with significant strain relief. There is no strain relief at the Y-split.

COMFORT, FIT, AND ISOLATION:​

The Moondrop Chu II is identical in comfort, fit, and isolation to the Moondrop Chu. The Moondrop Chu II is intended to be worn cable-up. The nozzles have a shallow insertion depth. Given the relatively small size of the earpieces, the Chu II is very comfortable to wear for extended periods, but secureness of fit and isolation are slightly below average. The Chu II has worse driver flex than the original Chu or the Jiu.

MEASUREMENTS:​

My measurements of the Moondrop Jiu can be found on my expanding squig.link database:
Moondrop Chu 2 — Squiglink by Bedrock Reviews

SOUND:​

Unlike the Moondrop Jiu, which was essentially a minor refinement of the original Moondrop Chu, the Chu II has a noticeably more V-shaped sound signature compared to the Chu.
The Chu II has more bass presence than the Chu down from the sub-bass to around 400 Hz. The Chu II sounds more full and impactful as a result. Thankfully, this bump is moderate enough to continue to avoid bass bleed. The Chu II’s bass is more resolving, textured, and sharply articulated than the original Chu’s.
The Chu II has greater contrast between its upper and lower midrange regions than the Chu. Due to the increased bass presence, this does not negatively impact the overall tonality. The Chu II actually has much better timbre than the Chu. The Chu sounds thinner and more compressed, particularly with respect to analog percussion. Midrange clarity and instrument separation are excellent. However, I do feel that the Chu II has too much presence. This is most evident when listening to distorted electric guitars, which take on a buzzsaw-like quality on some tracks. Female vocals are more prominent compared to male vocals and enjoy slightly better clarity, but both sound full and intelligible.
The Chu II not only retains the Chu’s prominent lower treble emphasis but has a hair more energy in this region. This did not bother me, but treble-sensitive listeners may want to approach it with caution. The Chu II also shifts some energy from the upper treble to the mid-treble, which helps provide some of the sparkle that the Chu lacked. The upper treble remains well extended. The Chu II has superior overall detail retrieval and improved soundstage height compared to the Chu.

CLOSING WORDS:​

While I may take issue with its presence region and mourn the absence of Spring tips included in the package, I think the Moondrop Chu II’s tuning is going to be well received by the average listener. More importantly, Moondrop has once again raised the bar for what is possible in terms of technical performance in a $20 IEM with the Chu II’s new dynamic driver. This is a great starting point for a budding audiophile.
Finally, while the Chu II is a marked improvement on the Chu, I still recommend saving for a higher tier IEM instead of replacing one with the other.
The Moondrop Chu II can be purchased below:
MOONDROP CHU 2 10mm Dynamic Driver In-ear Headphone (shenzhenaudio.com)

Overview:
Moondrop chu 2 is a sequel of the previous Chu. It is a $20 single dynamic driver iem with impedance of 18ohms and sensitivity of 119db.

In the box it comes with:
Eartips, average quality
Case, average
Cable, cheap

Build and Fit
The shells are made of metal like the previous one. The updated Chu 2 now has a 2pin connector, which is a nice upgrade in my opinion. These are small and light weight thus giving a comfortable fit. It sits flush and stable. Iems itselft is made quite well for the price but , cable is not good. Feels cheap, tangles easily and the pre formed ear hooks are not that comfortable.
Sound

Bass:
Bass is slightly and tastefully elevated. It has good texture compared to competition in its price range. It has satisfactory level of punch and slam for general people but not bass head level. Mids is not effected by the bass.

Mids:
Midrange is tuned well although nothing extra ordinary in my opinion. There is an elevation in the upper mid region.
Male vocals are relaxed and fairly smooth. Female vocals are effected by the elevation in the upper mid. Some tracks sound a bit sibilant due to this issue.

Treble
Treble is good, nothing extra ordinary. There is decent amount of detail and air present for the price, but slightly lacking in the micro detailing. Sibilance is not really an issue here, although a bit more extension would have been nice.

Technical capabilities:
Soundstage is average
Imaging is good
Resolution is average

Conclusion
This is a solid one in the $20 range. I would recommend this to anyone getting into the hobby as it provides really good value over all. Although this is not an upgrade from the other popular $20 sets such tangzu wan er and 7hz zero, it surely a side grade.
Resolution slightly above average
Used with:
Source used: ak sp1000m, fiio btr5, shanling ua2, ifi hip dac.
Tips used: stock tips, sping cp100, cp 145, final e series tips.
Cable used: stock cable, **** 8core cable, letshour kimera