Moondrop Starfield

An entry-level earphone with its head in the stars, the Starfield is a value proposition by Moondrop, a company that seems to do no wrong (just yet). It’s time to dive headfirst into the universe of Moondrop’s enchanting tuning.

“Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket, never let it fade away.” You’ve heard of a star fall, but how about a moon drop? Moondrop is part of the brigade of “holy crap, there they are again” fast-rising brands in Chi-fi, along with Fearless, Tin HiFi and the like. I’m sure there are others, but these three brands release new stuff at such a breakneck pace, it’s as if their lives depended on it.

Established in 2015, Moondrop started off as a studio comprised of enthusiasts. Early on, they released earbuds with fancy names and peculiar nomenclature (ShiroYuki, Liebesleid, and most peculiar of all, Nameless) before dabbling with in-ear monitors (IEMs). Over the years they’ve flexed their financial muscle, and now have independent R&D and manufacturing arms.




You choose your travel agent, I choose mine.



Their IEM tuning is famously based on the Harman Target Response Curve. They take a can’t-fail, research-based tuning recipe, apply a few tweaks, scour the earth for drivers that do the best job for the price, before unleashing a full range of IEMs from entry-level to flagship. And here’s the thing, they are remarkably consistent in what they do. I’ve never heard a badly-tuned Moondrop yet.

Today we look at their entry-level model, the Starfield. Powered by a single carbon nanotube (CNT) driver (ok just a variation of the dynamic driver), the Starfield (rhymes with Garfield) is marketed as the musical, easy-listening complement to the incisive, reference-tuned KXXS. I’m always tickled by CNT drivers because it’s one letter away from the most offensive word in English.

It’s can’t. Can’t is a horrible four-letter word.

The Starfield is available via Moondrop’s official Amazon and AliExpress pages. I’d like to extend my sincere thanks to Moondrop for the review unit and their patient communication.

This review was first featured in Headphonesty.



Equipment Used:

DAP

1. Sony NW-WM1A “K” Modded, FW 2.0

IEMs

1. Moondrop Starfield
2. Tanchjim Oxygen

Albums

1. Aaron Neville – Warm Your Heart
2. Bruno Mars – 24K Magic
3. Fleetwood Mac – Rumours
4. Hozier – Wasteland, Baby!
5. Jill Barber Band – Mischievous Moon
6. Macy Gray – Stripped
7. Michael Jackson – The Essential
8. Taylor Swift – 1989
9. The Dark Knight: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard
10. The Eagles – Hell Freezes Over

Technical Specifications

• Driver: 10mm dual cavity Carbon Nanotube (CNT) diaphragm
• Sensitivity: 122dB/Vrms @1kHz
• Impedance: 32Ω±15% @1kHz
• Frequency Response: 10Hz – 36kHz
• Effective frequency response: 20Hz – 20kHz (IEC60318-4)
• Connector: 2-pin 0.78mm
• Cable Length: 1.2m
• Cable Material: 24AWG Litz 4N Oxygen-Free Copper (OFC)

This improper unboxing has Brad Pitt yelling “what’s in the box?” incessantly.



Packaging and Accessories

Well, I received the reviewer’s package, which is just a little baggie with the Starfield IEMs, cable, and 6 pairs of silicone ear tips of various sizes. The full retail package comes with delightful anime box art, and probably more accessories than you can shake a stick at, but I wouldn’t know.

The midnight blue cable looks like a variant of the generic Plastics One cable, with a handsome splitter of the Moondrop logo the only notable difference. I like the paint job, and at this price I shouldn’t complain, but I’d definitely like to see a thicker, higher quality stock cable.



Design and Build Quality

The Starfield is essentially the KXXS with a coat of woohoo paint. As a refresher, the shells are made of zinc/aluminum alloy, with a crease down the middle separating two halves. The angular faceplate exclusive to itself and KXXS, like brothers from a different mother. Wait, it’s the same mother. Being metal, they are heavy for their size, but are a joy to handle, and wins durability points.

But here the star (sic) of the show is the “special painting tech” which coats the Starfield in a glittery navy blue/purple gradient. The colors change as you rotate the earpiece, and sparkles under a light source. The Starfield reflects a lot of light thanks to the angled faceplate, highlighting the intricate, innate beauty of the shells. This is vanity of the highest order, and I love it! They should market the Starfield with Coldplay’s “A Sky Full of Stars”, because those words describe their looks best.




“Do you happen to know the way to infinity and beyond?”



Fit, Isolation and Comfort

The Starfield softly whispers in my ear.
“I’m going to slide in now, ok?”
“Will it hurt?”
“No. Trust me.”
“Sure thing, sweetheart.”
“I forgot to bring lube!”

And in goes the small but sturdy earpiece into my ears. The faceplate might have all the funny angles, but the inner surface of the Starfield is smooth and seamless throughout. They fit comfortably, and despite being made of metal, stay put most of the time. The stock tips provided an excellent seal, top marks for that.

The Starfield has two vents on each earpiece, but despite that, isolate better than expected. I thought I would hear my colleague chew from across the room, or the randy cats outside the office, even with music at full blast. But lo and behold, the Starfield was able to block out as much as 70% of external noise, even the cats. This might be because the vents are at the inside surface of the shells.


Sound Quality

The Starfield is but a blip in a sky of budget Chi-fi IEMs, so what matters most is the sound, for a good tuning echoes in eternity. Or more accurately, rides the hype train a while longer.

Overall Sound Signature

According to Moondrop, Starfield’s tuning is based on the Harman target response curve, but with a few adjustments. What I hear is a fuller midbass and lower mids section compared to the other Harman-neutral IEMs, essentially making this a warm Harman, if such a term exists. I’ll call it the Warman Harman.

This particular beast veers close to L-shaped territory, owing to the boosted sub-bass and midbass, mildly elevated upper mids and lower treble, and a neutral mids response. Put together though, it’s a fun and agreeable tuning with emphasis on round, full-sized notes, with a soft and delicate touch.

This will not scrutinize nor slice through your music with the exactness of a paring knife, the Starfield is more like a big spoon that stirs all musical elements into a big pot for a harmonious broth. The best part is, the soundstage is large enough so the music doesn’t blend into a mess, like when you mix more and more colors and eventually everything becomes brown. A space oddity this is not.



Listening Conditions

Critical listening was done after 50 hours of burn-in, breaking down this stubborn CNT and rendering it a submissive, blubbering mess. I hear no difference after burning in though, so make of it what you will. The main review rig is Sony’s NW-WM1A Walkman modded by Project K, using the stock cable and stock medium tips.




Subtle purple is my proper people.



Bass

Across the universe, the stars crash and collide… in star wars. I’ve always wanted to say something epic and cheesy. The bass likes to think in grand proportions too, settling for nothing less than thick, full and rounded notes ad infinitum. The sub-bass reach is impressive, delivering boisterous and ballsy blows. It’s a welcome rush to the ears whenever the sub-bass bellows in full glory.

The midbass doesn’t shy away from the action either, and carries on the foundation laid by the sub-bass. It starts with rounded-off attacks, followed by a hefty note body, and finished with a smooth, lingering decay. Notes are punchy and physical, delivering might and fury whenever needed. It’s Thickasaurus time, all right!

Predictably, you know where this leads. The bass is heavy-handed, bloaty, and at times overwhelming. Bass speed, texture, detail and layering all take a back seat to the almighty full-on bass attack. This is not your textured, layered bass, but a fun, take-no-prisoner boom-boom Becker bass, that bleeds unapologetically into the mids after one too many drinks.



Mids

Picture a geyser, a waterfall, or a virgin gir… scratch that. The Starfield mids are so fluid, they might as well be wet. The calm, assured flow of one note to the next is so buttery and eloquent it’s like Bruce Lee standing next to you saying “be water, my friend”.

The after-effect of the midbass hump is a plump, luscious lower mids section. Male vocals have a bellowy, weighty edge, while bass guitars and cellos have an authoritative body. The middle to upper mids leave me spellbound, with sufficient richness to sound luxuriant, yet enough air to sound ethereal. Strings and female voices affect me as if they were real.

Notes have the right thickness, and decay with a gentle flutter. The texture is fine as silk, with nary a hint of grain. Transient response is, predictably, a bit sluggish, but coherence is just about perfect from the lower mids to the upper. Aided by the Harman curve or not, the mids are tuned wonderfully and a worthy highlight. It’s time to yield and be healed by the majesty of the Starfield.




Behold! The color gradient in all its radiant glory!



Treble

Like dipping your French fry in ice cream, the Starfield treble is a crispy snack wrapped in layers of creamy smoothness. Like the rest of the signature, the treble is playful with a side of mischief. With a nice bump in the lower treble, notes are quite energetic and airy. Cymbals and hi-hats have an audible crunch and good shimmer, with details to spare.

At the same time, there is a fullness to the notes that prevent the treble from sounding brittle or too airy. The solidity and smooth flow of the notes dial back the flippancy and adds a dash of seriousness, like putting glasses on a toddler. Before the notes take flight in a flurry of sparkle and air, gravity and weight make sure the notes are well-fed at the start.

The extension is alright, with a dip starting in mid-treble. Some treble-heads might want a dangerous, strident treble with more glory and panache, but for the most part, the Starfield is executed well, with musicality and agility in equal measure, if a bit too safe.



Soundstage and Imaging

Space… is as big as it gets. You think of the planets, the cosmos, the reaches of the sky we have yet to discover… I’d like to say Starfield’s soundstage is like its namesake, but that’d be an outright lie. But still, it’s quite good, better than many in its price range, with a width that’s more appreciable than its depth and height.

Importantly, notes have space to play and breathe, and a good amount of air tails behind. Except for the midbass, you’ll never accuse the Starfield of sounding congested. Imaging does its job, with well-defined cues in all three axes. You relax and drift away as the music envelops you and unfolds naturally. It’s like sitting in the front row of a performance, not as engaging as onstage, but you won’t miss anything either.





The Starfield is so attractive, he’s forming his own solar system.



Comparisons

Tanchjim Oxygen

As you may know, Oxygen was a hit-or-miss, save for the brilliant mids. But does that mean I dislike the Harman tuning as a whole? This then, is the litmus test, a tale of two Harmans. We might never know what a verbatim Harman tuning sounds like, since Sean Olive and company came up with the frequency graph but left the IEM-building to other manufacturers.

So implementation of the graph becomes paramount, and Oxygen’s hollow lower mids and treble bluntness killed most of my love for it. Still, Starfield, at less than half the price of the Oxygen, seems to have a mountain to climb. The Starfield already has a leg up with a more attractive design, scratch resistance, and better fit, but it’s all about the sound.

Comparing the two, you hear similarities in tone. The boosted bass, forward mids and natural, realistic timbre are the main selling points of both, but there are many differences to be had as well. Although both are tuned to be smooth and tuneful, Oxygen on the whole is more resolved and immediate, while Starfield is more open and laid-back.

Oxygen is better extended in the sub-bass with a more visceral response, while Starfield has a much meatier and engaging midbass, sometimes to its detriment. Oxygen’s main weakness, the recessed lower mids robs male vocals and plucked strings of body and presence. Starfield glides through this area effortlessly, with a fullness that Oxygen can only be envious of.

The highlight of both IEMs are in the mids, and are equals in tone, note density, and lushness. However, Oxygen is more aggressive and forward, and can be shouty and raspy especially in the upper mids. Starfield is more controlled and refined throughout, with an airy finish to the notes that’s never harsh.

Starfield’s playful treble is shimmery with plenty of air, while you already know I don’t like Oxygen’s. Crucially, Starfield has a much larger soundstage, lending a more spacious and calmer presentation. I can wade through any musical mess with ease, while Oxygen just sounds suffocated at times. It seems you have to look to the stars for answers, and to me it’s clear. Starfield is simply a better-tuned IEM.




Sights firmly set on the Woodywood Walk of Fame.



FInal Words

Starfield, high yield, a stellar earphone is now unveiled. If you’ve ever wanted a taste of the Harman tuning on a budget, this is an outstanding example. Starfield has many things in its favor to illuminate the price bracket, particularly the luscious, warm signature that soothes the soul. The marvelous starstruck design is just the cherry on top.

Sometimes though, there is no happy ending. The Starfield, as good as it is, might get lost in a tsunami of similarly-priced Chinese-made IEMs, especially when dozens are rolled-out every month. The worst part is, the standard of budget has been raised for some time, and it is harder to find a genuinely bad IEM these days.

What Starfield has going for it is Moondrop’s name recognition, spotless reputation, and tuning mastery to weather through the Chi-fi storm. The Starfield will appeal to many with its pleasing, mellifluous tuning, but is that enough to stand out and last beyond flavor-of-the-month (FOTM) status? Only time will tell.

The MoonDrop Starfield is a new $110 single dynamic driver offering from MoonDrop that boasts a carbon nanotube diaphragm. Full disclaimer: I was sent the Starfield as a review unit from HiFiGo in exchange for my honest opinions. Edit: HiFiGo has provided a $5 coupon for the Starfield. The code is HIFIGO5.

The Starfield has a glittery deep blue shell with asymmetrical designs on its faceplates. Under the right lighting conditions, it's rather aesthetically pleasing. The shell has a decent amount of heft to it and is made fully out of metal. It's very comfortable in my ears, though the nozzle bore is on the larger side. It comes with a supple braided blue recessed 2-pin cable that matches the shell's aesthetic.

The box additionally comes with a few other goodies such as 2 extra sets of S, M, L tips, a small case, and oddly enough, tweezers and nozzle filters. I'm not exactly sure how to replace these filters but it's comforting to know that it's there.




Sound

Overall Sound Signature:
The Starfield is a full-sounding, bassy IEM with a generous amount of warmth and a very polite treble response. It would excel in many modern bass-heavy genres with a special mention of electric guitar tracks.

Bass:
Unashamedly bassy, the Starfield is coherent in the low frequencies with excellent bass note definition and solid sub-bass rumble. Bass guitar lines are clear, distinct, and nuanced. The Starfield trades quick transients for a heavier (and fatter) impact with a slight trailing decay that accentuates the full thump of the kick. It attempts to re-create that body-impact of a live room and does so with limited success. The trade-off is that the bass can sound "rounded-off" as if the skins on the drums are just a little loose. Even though the bass is elevated significantly, the Starfield does not bloat much into the mid-range. I have no issues with the timbre here; the Starfield proudly boasts a quality dynamic driver nature. If you love the feel of a thick, full bass response, especially a rolling bass guitar, the Starfield will satisfy.

Mids:
The lower-mids are the name of the game here. They are undoubtedly thick, contributing to the warm, full-bodied sound the Starfield embodies. At times, the Starfield can get overwhelmed in complex passages with too many instruments occupying the lower mids. There, the Starfield starts to blend notes and becomes a touch muddy, though this is rare. The tonality of instruments is quite good; there wasn't anything I could pick out as being off in any way. Vocals on the Starfield lean towards the warm and thick side of things, with enough upper mids to stand out from the mix without being recessed. Otherwise, the vocals on the Starfield isn't too special; don't expect any haunting female voices from it any time soon. Interestingly enough, electric guitars are what stood out the most for me in the mids. The tuning of the Starfield somehow managed to lend great body and a superb tone to the electric guitars. It's awesome if you listen to gritty rock.

Treble:
The Starfield's treble is polite. Too polite. It is never harsh nor sibilant to me. There is a good amount of lower treble that allows for the crisp attack of hats/cymbals and definition in the upper harmonics for acoustic guitars. However, the treble does start to slowly recess past that point, taking along with it the delicate decay of the cymbals or the airiness of the track. On occasion, I felt that the Starfield was almost suffocated or even choked (particularly in the vocals) due to the lack of treble, especially when coming from a more neutral IEM. This feeling went away over time as I got used to the Starfield's tuning. While the Starfield keeps a polite treble to craft a non-offensive experience for everyone listening, I can't help but feel that it partially compromises greatness for mere goodness.

Staging and Imaging:
The Starfield does a good job here. I'd classify it as an all-rounder. Not extraordinary but a good and competent effort. Good width and depth to the soundstage. Imaging is equally solid with more nuance beyond the 3-blob phenomena.

Resolution and Separation:
The Starfield earns major points here. It has fantastic resolution in spite of a light treble response. In particular, the lower-mids and bass regions are very well resolved. Both the electric and bass guitars benefit greatly from the Starfield's dynamic driver and are beautifully rendered in most tracks I tried. Instruments have a nice separation without feeling congested, though as noted above, they sometimes do step on each other's toes when passages get too dense with lower-mid energy.




Comparisons

I chose the Tin Audio T4 to compare the MoonDrop Starfield to as both IEMs hover around the ~$100 mark and represent a new generation of Chi-Fi monitors. In addition, ever since I first reviewed the T4, it remains my standard for comparisons for budget IEMs due to it's neutral tuning and solid technical foundation for the $100 mark.

When A/Bing, the tuning differences are immediate. The Starfield is thick in comparison to the T4's lean nature, with significantly upper-bass to lower mids that make the Starfield sound fuller. The recessed treble in the T4 is apparent against the T4's unashamed treble response; while the T4 carries the delicate drawn-out shimmer of the cymbals better, the attack of hats/cymbals can sometimes sound harsh compared to the ever polite Starfield. Conversely, the mid-upper treble in the T4 is a breath of fresh air to the Starfield lack thereof. Surprisingly, both have a comparable amount of sub-bass response, with the Starfield edging it out slightly. Technicalities wise, the Starfield is a quarter step above the T4, mostly due to a well-rounded staging presentation than the T4's flatter stage and strong resolution in the face of heavy low-mids emphasis.

Between the two, I think most customers would be better served with the Starfield. It has a much more forgiving and fun tuning compared to the T4's analytical slant without sacrificing technicalities. Fit is also better with the Starfield and the 2-pin connection tends to be more reliable than an MMCX. Congratulations MoonDrop. I thought it would be a while before another ChiFi IEM comes along to meet or exceed the $100 standard the T4 set but here is the Starfield less than half a year later.

Should you buy it?

Yes. For $110, the MoonDrop Starfield is an IEM that has no major flaws while sporting a consumer-friendly tuning for popular modern genres. Price tag aside, I think of the Starfield as a solidly mid-fi IEM that few would complain about. Its thicker nature and lack of airiness in the treble may be a little off-putting initially to those coming from more neutral IEMs but likely that feeling will go away with time. For most people, the Starfield will be a superb good starting point into the world of IEMs as you'll need to start spending quite a bit more to solidly beat them. I'll be interested to see how the IEM scene develops as companies like MoonDrop make better and better products at very competitive prices.

Disclaimer:
The unit reviewed is my own personal unit that I bought locally, so I'm in no way affiliated with any store or the Moondrop company. All of the written below will purely come from my own experience with Starfield after a week and I'll try my best to provide the most honest, unbiased review as I can.

Disclaimer #2:
This is going to be my first full-length review since I joined this community last year (I usually only give out short reviews on a few threads here and there). So please do forgive me if this review is not going to be as detailed/technical as the pro-reviewers'. However, if you need more information that I didn't mention here, you are very welcome to comment or PM me about it .

Introductions:
Moondrop has become one of the widely known audio brands from China at the rise of the Chi-fi trend these last few years with their Harmanish-tuning IEMs such as the Kanas Pro, Kxxs, and Blessing. Thought that was the case, I personally never had a chance to try any of them yet, so Starfield is pretty much my first encounter with Moondrop.

However, unlike its predecessors, Starfield doesn't feature the Diamond-like Coating (DLC) Diapghram inside their beautifully painted housing. Instead, Starfield is equipped with the Super-sequential Carbon Nanotube (CNT) Diaphgram, the same transducer that was adopted on the much-hyped Blon-03, Tanchjim Oxygen, Tin Hifi T4 and last but not least, the retired Semkarch CNT-1. With that said, according to Moondrop, Starfield will produce more loose, delicate yet soft and stretched sound in contrast to the Kxxs's sharp, wide, accurate sound and super clear analysis.

Retailed at $109.9

Basic specifications:
Driver: Carbon Nanotube diaphragm- 10mm Dual cavity dynamic driver
Detachable cable standard: 24AWG Litz 4N OFC
Interface: 0.78 2pin
Sensitivity: 122dB/Vrms(@1khz)
Impedance: 32Ω±15% (@1khz)
Frequency response: 10Hz-36000 Hz (free field. 1/4 inch MIC)
Effective frequency response: 20Hz-20000 Hz (IEC60318-4)

Unboxing:



The box was clearly simpler than its predecessor, the KXXS. It was a rectangular shaped box with an outer sleeve that features a silhouette of an anime girl staring at the star-filled sky as the front cover and the dissection of the dynamic driver used on the IEM at the back.



Behind the sleeve, you'll meet blue-themed stiff cardboard with a pretty big new Moondrop logo on the middle of it. And once you are inside, you'll see two compartments, one was to house the IEM itself, and the other was for the accessories.




At this price point, the included accessories here was rather a bit too simple, in my opinion. As they only include 6 pairs of silicone tips with 2 pairs for each size, a small-sized black Eva case, a tweezer and 3 pairs of replacement grills. They could have included some foam tips or wide bore tips and a better storage case for the IEM just like their direct competitor such as the KBEar Diamond that was currently retailing for $80 (at the time of writing). I hope I didn't ask too much.


Build & Fit:



Housing
"They are beautiful as heck!" Is all I can say about the Starfield.

I think they are the most eye-catching universal fit IEM I have ever seen since I joined this community. It had caught my attention since a member of the community here reposted the Starfield's picture from the Moondrop's boss back at the end of October/early November last year and since then, I never wanted to miss a single update on them.

Utilizing the same material and shape as its brother, the KXXS, Starfield may look pretty heavy to the ears for some users. However, in my case, I never felt that way. They are very comfortable and sit very well on my ear without any problem including driver flex issue. I had tried to wear them as long as I could & I still didn't get any fatigue from it. This is because they would just disappear into your ear and you'll not notice them much after that like the resin-based housing IEMs. They also seal pretty well once you insert them to your ear since their shell is medium-sized and they'll not protrude too much from the ear.

But what I liked the most was the coating Moondrop did on the housing. It made them look like a gem. The glittery blue coating that could changes colours when you exposed them to the light is just gorgeous, and not to mention, the big gold star on the left piece and their name on the right.



Cable and Eartips
For the stock cable, it was another one of the shortcomings that I have on Starfield aside from the lack of accessories. It wasn't because of the colour, but rather from the quality of the cable that was pretty much under-qualified for this price range.

The supplied cable is very thin and light, as well as the use of plastic for their jack and the 2-pin's male housing that made them feels very fragile. The absence of a chin slider may also become one of the factor people will not use the stock cable when they received their starfield even when the colour matches very well with the IEM.

In term of the provided ear tips, they were okayish to me. Still usable but because they are narrow bores tips, which it'll have the tendency to add some boost to the bass frequency and lower the higher frequency, I decided to use the short SednaEarfit Light instead.


Sound Analysis:

My gear in this review:
- Source: Shanling M6
- Eartips: SednaEarfit Short
- Cable: ISN Audio S8 SPC with 2.5mm
- Playlist: Korean Pop, hip-hop, neo-soul, jazz, orchestral, BGMs, Jpop, dance, R&B

Starfield is a single dynamic driver IEM that adopts a 10mm Carbon Nano Tube driver with dual cavity. Their tuning is based on Moondrop's house sound signature, the VDSF, which is their own variation of diffuse field target. On Starfield, however, the VDSF is leaning closer to the Harman target with the tendency of bass boost with slightly less upper mid.

Lows
The low frequency of Starfield can be considered pretty neutral. They are not a lot, but also not too less for someone who's coming from mostly V-shaped IEMs in the past. The speed and decay are not too slow nor too fast, but because of the quantity, they end up becoming slightly bloaty and bleeds into the mid a bit.

However, even with their neutral-ish nature, they are still able to deliver satisfying punch and rumble with good amount of body, when I'm listening to the bass-heavy track with them. They also have decent texture and definition, plus good timbre, making them one of the most natural-sounding bass IEM I've ever tried so far (at the time of writing).

Mids
Another thing that amazes me the most here is how good Starfield presenting the vocals. Because even though it has a hint of mid-bass bleed, the vocal still stays quite forward and sounds clear and transparent to my ear. They also don't sounds overly thin and have a good amount of body to it, which makes them very good with male vocals and electric bass.

The tonality and timbre here are also surprisingly close to accurate for me, despite the warmth they have. They didn't have many colorations or whatsoever like other IEMs in the same price range that I had encountered, so most instruments or even vocals will sound as close as what they should be here.

Highs
The treble on Starfield is quite safe and smooth, so they will never going to sound harsh, piercing or even sibilant. This might be a good thing for some people who are treble sensitive or those who are looking for tuning with the relaxed treble. But for those who aren't, they'll wish Starfield to have more treble and extension.

It's still capable to produce enough details and clarity to satisfy your ear. Cymbals/high hats also still have some crispness and air on it. But just that, it'll sound kinda splashy sometimes, and when there are a lot of instruments playing, they tend to get congested and muddy, making them less enjoyable for orchestral pieces.

Soundstage & Imaging
To me, their soundstage is within the average to slightly above average, while the imaging is also pretty solid for the price. They have a good balance between both height and width with decent expansion to make them sound open and spacious. Though, the depth is slightly lacking, causing them to be a bit flat/less 3D.

Resolution & Separation
For the price, the resolution on Starfield is solid. They are not the most analytical due to the lacks of some treble, but you'll still get all the details from the songs you are playing. Separation, as I had mentioned before, also decent for the class even though on some busy tracks, the instruments tend to get mixed up a little sometimes.

Drivability
Starfield falls under the relatively easy to drive IEM as I can drive them with my low powered sources without a problem.


Comparison:

TFZ No. 3


Being in the same price range, TFZ No. 3 is also a single DD IEM that adopts the DLC driver with transparent housing made of resin. It may look a bit plasticky but it's quite thick and solid.

In terms of tuning, TFZ no. 3 is clearly a V-shaped sounding IEM with a lot of boost on both bass and treble with recessed mids, unlike Starfield that is tuned to Harman-ish sound signature.

From the lows, you'll know right away that No. 3 is an ultimate bass head IEM. Unlike Starfield that has semi-tight bass, the bass on No. 3 can extend as low and deep as you want with a much more powerful impact and fuller body. They also have slightly longer decay but similar in attack speed with Starfield, making them sound far more bloaty.

The vocal on No. 3 also noticeably sounds thinner and recessed, which are typical for a V-shaped IEM.

For treble, No.3 has more boost in that area than Starfield, but they sound harsher and peaky, which will cause fatigue to those who are treble sensitive. They are also pretty detailed as Starfield, but because of the huge amount of boost on the lower frequency, it ends up kind of overshadowed.

The soundstage on No.3 also much more intimate and closed sounding than Starfield, so instruments will sound more congested and full in your head.


Verdict:
Are they worth it for $110? Definitely. They don't just look beautiful outside, but they do sound beautiful too. I didn't regret that I had to wait for almost a month to get my hand on them. Moondrop is really setting the bar high for its competitors with Starfield.

For someone that just experience the Moondrop for the first time through Starfield, I can't praise them enough for the quality that they provide here. Although, I know very well that Starfield isn't the most perfect IEM in the price range due to the lack of treble, for example. With their non-offensive tuning, timbre, solid technicalities, and overall packaging for a sub $100 IEM, they are definitely going to be in my favorite IEM and recommended list.