Moondrop Spring tips

I lost time this weekend. Like any good hobby, this one gives you so many things to obsess over; iems, sources, cables………….ear tips. Yes, the little rubber, dome-shaped thingys with a hole through them. This isn’t my first time going down the ear tip rabbit hole but hopefully will be my last at least for a while. This hobby has a way of luring its unsuspecting victims into its time-sucking earhole vortex only for them to emerge to a flooded backyard (I forgot to turn the sprinklers off) and an angry spouse…….I digress. I don’t expect this will generate much interest as talking about ear tips is about as exciting as sitting in traffic. That being said, I couldn’t help but notice the buzz around the Moondrop Chu and its included Spring tips so I had to see what the fuss was all about for myself. And while the reception of the Spring tips has been mixed, the Chu is quickly gaining the reputation as being one of the best iems in its price range.

The Spring tips are $13 if you purchase them by themselves so it only made sense to spend the extra $7 and get the Chu too. Initially, I just wanted to see how they stacked up against some of the other tips and leave it at that. Someone had commented on one of my posts that their iems would lose a substantial amount of bass when paired with the Spring tips making them unusable. While others claimed they were great and even rivaled some of their favorite tips. This dramatic dissimilarity in opinions piqued my curiosity prompting me to dig a little deeper.

Disclaimer: This is just my opinion. Obviously, how I perceive the sound of an ear tip may be different from the way others perceive it. I don’t have any testing equipment and I am not an ear tip expert. I’m just very curious and want to help others by sharing my experience.

I have way too many tips and iem combinations to try and cover everything so I’m only going to concentrate on the Spring tips themselves. I will be comparing the Spring tips only to other silicone tips and will be limiting comparisons to my top five. My focus will be on the sound and versatility of the Spring tips. However, I will also rate fit, isolation, and comfort.




My Top Five (most used) Ear Tips in no particular order are:
- Acoustune AET07 and AET08
- AZLA SednaEarfit Xelastec
- Final Audio Type “E”
- SpinFit
- Moondrop Spring Tips


IEMs
- Moondrop Variation - Nuetral
- Moondrop Blessing 2 - Neutral
- Moondrop Blessing 2 Dusk - Harmen Neutral
- Moondrop Chu - Neutral
- Dunu SA6 - Neutral/Warm
- UM Mest MK2 - Neutral/Warm
- Thieaudio Monarch MK2 - Neutral/Warm
- Campfire Andromeda 2020 - Neutral/Warm
- Fiio FH7 - V-Shaped


Music
Bored to death - Blink 182
I’m bored - Iggy Pop
Wake me up - Wham
I go to sleep - The Pretenders
Goodbye, goodnight - Andra Day
Aja - Stelly Dan
Why can't we live together - Dr. Lonnie Smith
Litmus test - Gabriel Mark Hasselbach
Trapezoid - Lettuce
Two suns - Tor
Loop theory - Tor
Kora - Cornelius Remix - GoGo Penguin
Atomised - Machinedrum Remix - GoGo Penguin
Innocence - Hoff Ensemble - Polarity - An Acoustic Project
Dance - Tingvall Trio
Sunlit Sea - Brian Simpson
Montana Skies - Brian Culbertson




Comfort and fit are important especially if you use iems for long durations. And for me, it doesn’t matter how good they sound if they aren’t secure or cause ear pain. There is nothing more frustrating than being on a walk or stuck behind drums and constantly having to adjust your in-ears because of improper fit or ear pain. Of course, ear tips aren’t always to blame. Poorly shaped shells or overly wide nozzles can also cause discomfort and contribute to poor fit regardless of the ear tips.

The Moondrop Spring tips run small. Moondrop just announced the XL version of the Spring tips however they will probably closely resemble your average large. When comparing the large Spring tips to the large Acoustune AET07 and AET08, AZLA SednaEarfit Xelastec, Final Audio Type “E” and Spinfits the Spring tips were slightly smaller. I typically have to use large ear tips to get a proper seal so I thought that might be a deal breaker. But when I inserted the Spring tips all the way in, I was able to achieve a proper, stable fit and seal with all of my iems.

The domes of the Spring tips are constructed of very soft silicone and have a slightly sticky texture, similar to the Xelastecs but less sticky. No doubt the slightly sticky texture helps to keep them secure. The Moondrop Spring tips fit my ears great during long sessions at home or on stage. Because of the high-quality soft silicone, the comfort is excellent and ranks the best of all of my ear tips.

Ranking for Comfort and Fit
#1 Spring tips
#2 Final “E”
#3 Xelastec
#4 Spinfit
#5 Acoustune




No seal, no bass…… know seal, know bass. Okay, that was dumb but you get the idea. Achieving a proper seal is imperative to achieving the best sound possible. Even the slightest opening will dramatically reduce bass. I can’t tell you how many times someone told me (usually on stage) that they don't have any bass in their iems only to find out they didn’t have a proper seal. Isolation or lack thereof can make a huge difference in the quality of your listening experience. Whether on a plane, train, or just at home trying to find a little tranquility. The ability of an iem or ear tip to block outside noise can be the difference between total escape or totally irritated.

The Moondrop Spring tips offer below-average isolation likely due to the very soft silicone used for the dome. And while I was able to achieve a perfect seal, the thinner than average silicone dome allowed noticeable noise bleed. Not a problem in my home listening environment but not great for stage use especially for acoustic drums. Also, if you're traveling or in a noisy environment, these may not provide you with your desired isolation level.

Ranking for Isolation
#1 Acoustune
#2 Spinfit
#3 Final “E”
#4 Xelastec
#5 Spring tips




This was the focus of most of my testing. The Moondrop Spring tips are designed with an acoustic waveguide structure that Moondrop claims to reduce the resonance of the mid-treble frequencies while maintaining good treble presence and extension. The Spring tips borehole has a double radius support system that reduces the likelihood of collapse ensuring free flow of sound. The boreholes of the Spring tips are the largest of the five tips I tested. Resulting in increased treble and upper mid presence. The bass is also reduced as a result of the soft silicone dome structure. These factors seem to be the primary source of contention surrounding the Spring tips and are also what aroused my curiosity. So, how severe is the bass reduction? And do the increased high frequencies result in an unbalanced presentation? The short answer is……..well, there is no short answer. But I’ve been typing for a really long time and my eyeballs hurt so I’m going to try and give the shortest long answer possible. And while the answer may be long it’s not complicated.

As always with any audio-related product, it comes down to preference. The spring tips are no different than any other in that you must take into consideration your sound preference, the tuning of your IEM, and your music library.

My music library is eclectic but most of my personal listening time is dominated by Jazz, Electronic, and classic rock.

My sound preference is neutral to warm, with a proclivity to warm. So I prefer a slightly more mid-bass and bass-focused sound. If it’s too warm, the highs and mids can be overwhelmed resulting in an overly smoothed or dark presentation. As importantly, It can also reduce an iems technical capabilities. I prefer both warmth, and high technical capabilities. However, if one has to be sacrificed it would be technicalities. Most of my collection meets both of those requirements so thankfully I don’t have to sacrifice either.

Sometimes my sound preference changes. No, I don't always necessarily want to listen to the same tuning over and over again. And my iem collection reflects that. Hence the FH7 and Campfire Andromeda.

In regards to my iem collection, most of my IEMs fall into the “neutral” or “warm-neutral” category. And depending on what genre I’m listening to I will choose an iem and tip accordingly. If I’m listening to music with a bass dominant mix like electronic or pop, I may choose a tip with a wider bore and softer dome that tones the bass down. And vice-versa, if I’m listening to music that might be lacking in bass like classic rock or jazz I may choose a tip with a narrower bore and stiffer dome that increase bass presence.

Okay, let's get down to the nitty-gritty. My two primary questions are: Does the soft rubber dome and large boreholes result in an overly thinned bass, treble-heavy presentation? And: Are the Spring tips versatile? Obviously, the former dictates the latter. Again, It depends on your sound preference, IEMs, and music library. For me, the Spring tips while not being in my top 3 still work well enough with my music library and iems to justify having them in my regular tip rotation. For my preferences, the Spring tips sounded best on the Monarch MK2, Mest MK2, Dusk, Variation and SA6. And as for stage use, They work fine if I’m using any of the aforementioned iems on an electric drum kit. However, they don't isolate well enough to be used on an acoustic kit, and even on an electric kit aren't my first choice.

Ranking for Sound and Versatility
#1 Acoustune AET07 and AET08
#2 Spinfit
#3 Final “E”
#4 Tie between Spring tips and Xelastec




To some, tip selection may barely factor into the equation but for others, it is no less important than any other component. For me it's important. And based on the size of some of my fellow audio enthusiast ear tip collections it’s important to them as well. The bottom line is the Spring tips are good and while they may not be my first choice they still made my top five which is well……good! Now, go check your backyard.