(This review was originally published on my blog)
Moondrop. I wonder what it might mean…
Nonetheless, Moondrop made a name for themselves with their fantastic Moondrop Blessing 5-driver hybrid that targeted the Harman Curve, aka the “reference” frequency response that an In-ear monitor should have. While I personally believe that Harman target response’s 3K peak is too much for me, many find such a frequency response rather pleasing.
Enter Moondrop Crescent, Moondrop’s second-lowest offering as of now (lowest being their budget earbud: Moondrop Nameless) and one that also tries to adhere to the Harman target. Unlike its bigger brother, it has to do with “just” a 6mm micro-dynamic driver. There are other compromises as well (lack of detachable cable, sparse accessories etc.). Read on.
(Note: the ratings given will be subjective to the price tier. Definitely the expectations from a $15 IEM won’t be the same as a $150 one, and that’s the approach taken while assigning scores. I bought this unit with my own money for testing purposes. Disclaimer)
Sources used: LG G7, Yulong DAART Canary, Fiio E07K, iPhone SE
Build: The housing is apparently made of brass, and I believe them because of the sheer weight of these IEMs. Man, they’re heavy, heavier than many multi-BA hybrids. The cable is unfortunately fixed and doesn’t have a separate rubber strain-relief (the strain-relief is built into the housing). However, I don’t mind the actual quality of the cable. It’s pliable, not too thin/thick, doesn’t tangle too much, and even though the cable noise/microphonics can be annoying, an over-the-ear fit solves that.
4/5
Accessories: For a $30 IEM, Moondrop didn’t skimp too much on the packaging contents at first glance. There are three pairs of eartips, a carrying pouch, and a shirt-clip. A hard-case would’ve been nice but it’s not too shabby.
However, where they completely drops the ball — those crapshoot eartips. Absolutely terrible. The first thing you must do after getting these IEMs is to either use tips from your other IEMs, or just get a pair of Spinfit/Final E-series tips alongside. Do note that the nozzle is thicker than average and thus many eartips didn’t fit properly (Ostry’s OS series tips, for example).
3/5
Comfort: Due to the heavy housings, this thing isn’t the most comfortable of IEMs. You definitely notice that they’re in your ears, and throughout the first week or so I had to constantly adjust and readjust them. Eventually I opted for an over-the-ear fit and it’s been pretty decent since then. Also, changing eartips do wonders in terms of comfort (I am using Final E-series tips) so that’s another thing to keep in mind. Isolation is also not the best, since the housings are vented on the back (notice the three vent-holes).
3/5
Now, on to the sound:
Lows: Bass here is slightly accentuated, but mid-bass bloom is kept well under control. Bass notes aren’t the tightest or the fastest, but they don’t lose much of their texture, so bass-heavy tracks sound rather pleasing. Sub-bass response is good enough for most, though I miss the rumble of the lowest registers. Most importantly, the bass can hit hard if that’s how it was recorded in the original track, and this kind of faithfulness in sound is rare in such budget IEMs.
4/5
Mids: Midrange has a slight dip in the lower-mids, and this robs male vocals of some “fullness”. Case in point: Chris Cornell’s vocals in Audioslave’s Like a Stone sounds a bit more strident and thin than it should be. Upper mids can also be a bit shouty in certain tracks (due to the 3KHz peak), so be mindful of that.
However, rest of the midrange is just blissfully engaging. It’s transparent without much coloration, and full of micro-details. Amidst the barrage of muddy/completely outta whack midranges of certain IEMs *cough* the KZ ones *cough* Moondrop Crescent stands out with a (mostly) neutral midrange that is true to the source and doesn’t have any timbral issues.
4.5/5
Treble: Treble is delightfully portrayed. It’s not too heavy handed (no weird peaks around 8KHz, at least for me) and cymbals sound crisp without being splashy (a mistake many BA-driver-based IEMs do). E.g. Chris Adler’s drum track on Lamb of God’s Redneck sounds just as it should, with the ride cymbals sounding crisp and each hit on the splash cymbals having a satisfying shimmer. It’s also well-extended, reaching up to 14KHz and that adds some air to the treble notes. All-around fantastic performance.
4.5/5
Soundstage: Soundstage is rather wide, thanks to those venting holes at the back. It extends halfway to the shoulder-length on both sides, but the Z-axis extension (height) isn’t as good as top-end IEMs. Compared to the other IEMs in this range though — exemplary.
4/5
Imaging: Let it be known that I am a sucker for good imaging. Let it also be known that Moondrop Crescent is an absolute boss at it. Yosi Horikawa’s Crossing sounds enveloping, with the motorbikes and cars speeding along the left to right channel in a smooth, unfettered motion. Front and back separation is also impressive. What it does lack though is cardinality, i.e. I don’t get that “top-right, top-left” sensation that certain other IEMs provide e.g. Meze 11 Neo. This is nitpicking at this point, however, and I am very surprised at how well these IEMs can reproduce directionality.
4.5/5
Bang-for-buck: Through the roof. Yet to find another IEM at this range that sounds so balanced and can lock heads with much pricier IEMs (and come on top, more on that later)
5/5
Select Comparisons:
vs TinAudio T2: T2 is currently the chi-fi darling of many people, so Moondrop Crescent has its work cut for it. Firstly, T2 has the upper hand in terms of build quality due to the replaceable cable. However, Bass response is where Crescent blows it away (unmodded T2, that is). No contest.
Midrange is a different story though. T2’s midrange is even more detailed, and sounds noticeably brighter. The notes are also thinner in size, which might be a good or a bad thing depending on your preferences. Treble can be a bit hit-or-miss with T2, since it doesn’t play nicely at all with poorly mastered tracks. Crescent is little less fussy, and while the treble sounds compressed in such tracks, they don’t sound like a pair of garden shears.
For me personally: I prefer the Crescent, but only because of the (slightly) better imaging on them, as soundstage is mostly similar in size.
vs Meze 11 Neo: Meze 11 Neo has been my commute-IEM for over 3 years now. It is yet to die on me, so one can guess that it has a special place in my heart. Firstly, the inline mic makes 11 Neo much more suitable for portable use/on-the-go use, along with the much lighter housings. Bass on 11 Neo is bigger, but also has quite a bit of mid-bass bloom so it doesn’t sound very refined in quiet environments. However, when out and about, the outside noise does tune that bass out a bit and you can appreciate the (very) musical mids and less-accentuated but accurate treble more. Soundstage is more intimate on the 11 Neo, but imaging is even better. Drums also sound better on them surprisingly, perhaps due to the way they can simulate the heavy hits of kick/bass-drums. The $30 price premium you have to pay for it though might not be worth it to many, since treble is better and mids are more detailed on the Crescent.
vs 1More Triple Drivers: 1More triple drivers have a much more comprehensive packaging and the build looks and feels even more solid. It also has better bass response than the Crescent. However, Crescent has the upper hand in everything else: mids, trebles, overall tonality and timbral accuracy, imaging. About time for 1More to bring out something that’s worth it, since the Triples have been well outperformed by something that costs less than half.
vs Final E5000: This is a comparison I did out of sheer curiosity. E5K costs ~10 times more than the Crescent, but just the price tag should not be a barrier while comparing things in the audio world, IMO. Either way, E5K has better soundstage, fuller, more engaging mids, and an insanely hard-hitting bass that reaches so low you really have to hear to believe. Treble response is a bit laid-back on E5K though, so Crescent has more noticeable cymbal hits and splashes. However, E5K has great upper-treble reach, so the cymbals, while not the most authoritative, sound just as good if not better than on the Crescent.
Overall, E5K does perform as well as that price-tag would suggest, but it obviously doesn’t sound 10 times better (well, maybe the bass/mids does sound that much better). Most importantly, I never felt that Crescent was completely falling apart in comparison — which is no mean feat!
Conclusion:
Refreshing — the word I think best fits Moondrop Crescent. It’s refreshing in this current market where a new IEM is getting released every time you drink a glass of water. It’s hard to get noticed in this cut-throat competition, even more so to stand out — and Moondrop Crescent does it with aplomb.
If you want a balanced signature that has the right amount of bass, and isn’t too uncomfortable with wearing them cable down and changing the eartips — Moondrop Crescent is the answer. I am not saying “if you’re on a budget” because frankly, even those with high-end IEMs should try this one just to see how far chi-fi has come.
It’s a home-run, and then some.
#Recommended (as long as the stocks last, or Moondrop decides to continue production again)
Test tracks (as YouTube playlist, often updated):
Moondrop. I wonder what it might mean…
Nonetheless, Moondrop made a name for themselves with their fantastic Moondrop Blessing 5-driver hybrid that targeted the Harman Curve, aka the “reference” frequency response that an In-ear monitor should have. While I personally believe that Harman target response’s 3K peak is too much for me, many find such a frequency response rather pleasing.
Enter Moondrop Crescent, Moondrop’s second-lowest offering as of now (lowest being their budget earbud: Moondrop Nameless) and one that also tries to adhere to the Harman target. Unlike its bigger brother, it has to do with “just” a 6mm micro-dynamic driver. There are other compromises as well (lack of detachable cable, sparse accessories etc.). Read on.
(Note: the ratings given will be subjective to the price tier. Definitely the expectations from a $15 IEM won’t be the same as a $150 one, and that’s the approach taken while assigning scores. I bought this unit with my own money for testing purposes. Disclaimer)
Sources used: LG G7, Yulong DAART Canary, Fiio E07K, iPhone SE
Build: The housing is apparently made of brass, and I believe them because of the sheer weight of these IEMs. Man, they’re heavy, heavier than many multi-BA hybrids. The cable is unfortunately fixed and doesn’t have a separate rubber strain-relief (the strain-relief is built into the housing). However, I don’t mind the actual quality of the cable. It’s pliable, not too thin/thick, doesn’t tangle too much, and even though the cable noise/microphonics can be annoying, an over-the-ear fit solves that.
4/5
Accessories: For a $30 IEM, Moondrop didn’t skimp too much on the packaging contents at first glance. There are three pairs of eartips, a carrying pouch, and a shirt-clip. A hard-case would’ve been nice but it’s not too shabby.
However, where they completely drops the ball — those crapshoot eartips. Absolutely terrible. The first thing you must do after getting these IEMs is to either use tips from your other IEMs, or just get a pair of Spinfit/Final E-series tips alongside. Do note that the nozzle is thicker than average and thus many eartips didn’t fit properly (Ostry’s OS series tips, for example).
3/5
Comfort: Due to the heavy housings, this thing isn’t the most comfortable of IEMs. You definitely notice that they’re in your ears, and throughout the first week or so I had to constantly adjust and readjust them. Eventually I opted for an over-the-ear fit and it’s been pretty decent since then. Also, changing eartips do wonders in terms of comfort (I am using Final E-series tips) so that’s another thing to keep in mind. Isolation is also not the best, since the housings are vented on the back (notice the three vent-holes).
3/5
Now, on to the sound:
Lows: Bass here is slightly accentuated, but mid-bass bloom is kept well under control. Bass notes aren’t the tightest or the fastest, but they don’t lose much of their texture, so bass-heavy tracks sound rather pleasing. Sub-bass response is good enough for most, though I miss the rumble of the lowest registers. Most importantly, the bass can hit hard if that’s how it was recorded in the original track, and this kind of faithfulness in sound is rare in such budget IEMs.
4/5
Mids: Midrange has a slight dip in the lower-mids, and this robs male vocals of some “fullness”. Case in point: Chris Cornell’s vocals in Audioslave’s Like a Stone sounds a bit more strident and thin than it should be. Upper mids can also be a bit shouty in certain tracks (due to the 3KHz peak), so be mindful of that.
However, rest of the midrange is just blissfully engaging. It’s transparent without much coloration, and full of micro-details. Amidst the barrage of muddy/completely outta whack midranges of certain IEMs *cough* the KZ ones *cough* Moondrop Crescent stands out with a (mostly) neutral midrange that is true to the source and doesn’t have any timbral issues.
4.5/5
Treble: Treble is delightfully portrayed. It’s not too heavy handed (no weird peaks around 8KHz, at least for me) and cymbals sound crisp without being splashy (a mistake many BA-driver-based IEMs do). E.g. Chris Adler’s drum track on Lamb of God’s Redneck sounds just as it should, with the ride cymbals sounding crisp and each hit on the splash cymbals having a satisfying shimmer. It’s also well-extended, reaching up to 14KHz and that adds some air to the treble notes. All-around fantastic performance.
4.5/5
Soundstage: Soundstage is rather wide, thanks to those venting holes at the back. It extends halfway to the shoulder-length on both sides, but the Z-axis extension (height) isn’t as good as top-end IEMs. Compared to the other IEMs in this range though — exemplary.
4/5
Imaging: Let it be known that I am a sucker for good imaging. Let it also be known that Moondrop Crescent is an absolute boss at it. Yosi Horikawa’s Crossing sounds enveloping, with the motorbikes and cars speeding along the left to right channel in a smooth, unfettered motion. Front and back separation is also impressive. What it does lack though is cardinality, i.e. I don’t get that “top-right, top-left” sensation that certain other IEMs provide e.g. Meze 11 Neo. This is nitpicking at this point, however, and I am very surprised at how well these IEMs can reproduce directionality.
4.5/5
Bang-for-buck: Through the roof. Yet to find another IEM at this range that sounds so balanced and can lock heads with much pricier IEMs (and come on top, more on that later)
5/5
Select Comparisons:
vs TinAudio T2: T2 is currently the chi-fi darling of many people, so Moondrop Crescent has its work cut for it. Firstly, T2 has the upper hand in terms of build quality due to the replaceable cable. However, Bass response is where Crescent blows it away (unmodded T2, that is). No contest.
Midrange is a different story though. T2’s midrange is even more detailed, and sounds noticeably brighter. The notes are also thinner in size, which might be a good or a bad thing depending on your preferences. Treble can be a bit hit-or-miss with T2, since it doesn’t play nicely at all with poorly mastered tracks. Crescent is little less fussy, and while the treble sounds compressed in such tracks, they don’t sound like a pair of garden shears.
For me personally: I prefer the Crescent, but only because of the (slightly) better imaging on them, as soundstage is mostly similar in size.
vs Meze 11 Neo: Meze 11 Neo has been my commute-IEM for over 3 years now. It is yet to die on me, so one can guess that it has a special place in my heart. Firstly, the inline mic makes 11 Neo much more suitable for portable use/on-the-go use, along with the much lighter housings. Bass on 11 Neo is bigger, but also has quite a bit of mid-bass bloom so it doesn’t sound very refined in quiet environments. However, when out and about, the outside noise does tune that bass out a bit and you can appreciate the (very) musical mids and less-accentuated but accurate treble more. Soundstage is more intimate on the 11 Neo, but imaging is even better. Drums also sound better on them surprisingly, perhaps due to the way they can simulate the heavy hits of kick/bass-drums. The $30 price premium you have to pay for it though might not be worth it to many, since treble is better and mids are more detailed on the Crescent.
vs 1More Triple Drivers: 1More triple drivers have a much more comprehensive packaging and the build looks and feels even more solid. It also has better bass response than the Crescent. However, Crescent has the upper hand in everything else: mids, trebles, overall tonality and timbral accuracy, imaging. About time for 1More to bring out something that’s worth it, since the Triples have been well outperformed by something that costs less than half.
vs Final E5000: This is a comparison I did out of sheer curiosity. E5K costs ~10 times more than the Crescent, but just the price tag should not be a barrier while comparing things in the audio world, IMO. Either way, E5K has better soundstage, fuller, more engaging mids, and an insanely hard-hitting bass that reaches so low you really have to hear to believe. Treble response is a bit laid-back on E5K though, so Crescent has more noticeable cymbal hits and splashes. However, E5K has great upper-treble reach, so the cymbals, while not the most authoritative, sound just as good if not better than on the Crescent.
Overall, E5K does perform as well as that price-tag would suggest, but it obviously doesn’t sound 10 times better (well, maybe the bass/mids does sound that much better). Most importantly, I never felt that Crescent was completely falling apart in comparison — which is no mean feat!
Conclusion:
Refreshing — the word I think best fits Moondrop Crescent. It’s refreshing in this current market where a new IEM is getting released every time you drink a glass of water. It’s hard to get noticed in this cut-throat competition, even more so to stand out — and Moondrop Crescent does it with aplomb.
If you want a balanced signature that has the right amount of bass, and isn’t too uncomfortable with wearing them cable down and changing the eartips — Moondrop Crescent is the answer. I am not saying “if you’re on a budget” because frankly, even those with high-end IEMs should try this one just to see how far chi-fi has come.
It’s a home-run, and then some.
#Recommended (as long as the stocks last, or Moondrop decides to continue production again)
Test tracks (as YouTube playlist, often updated):