Moondrop in-ear monitors Impressions Thread
Apr 16, 2022 at 6:24 AM Post #11,056 of 11,918
Before I went to sleep Moondrop's shop on Aliexpress had around 470 sold Chus. I woke up today and it is around 570 sold Chus. In less than 24 hours. From 1 shop.

PS: I bought mine slightly before that. Chu-Chuuu!
 
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Apr 16, 2022 at 4:12 PM Post #11,057 of 11,918
My Moondrop Variations experience have been ruined by HiFiGo after sales service.

Currently they are requesting multiple video for a simple DOA cable and takes at least a whole day to reply. I am on day 6 now! With no solutions in sight.

Have anyone dealt with HiFiGo support before? Is it's always like this?
I finally got the replacement cable in hand, pretty much took a whole month to replace a DOA cable.

If I didn't spend my own money to get another cable myself, I would be having a useless paperweight for a month now.

Ordering from China didn't have to be like that, I had a DOA DAC replaced within a week without issues with Shenzhen Audio
 
Apr 17, 2022 at 8:00 AM Post #11,058 of 11,918
Those of us who have the Aria may benefit from a bit of tip and cable rolling. I found the stock tips and cable limited the potential of the Aria. I have been using this cable:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B086JJXQ86?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
And KZ Starline tips (Original black ones). The Aria is really singing now. Much better fit and seal and isolation as well. They take some beating in their category.
 
Apr 18, 2022 at 2:26 AM Post #11,059 of 11,918
very strange that Moondrop used in your new CHU a old KZ cable :D

1650263157408.png
 
Apr 18, 2022 at 11:42 AM Post #11,061 of 11,918
Not usually much of believer in cable rolling, but just switched a 6N occ cable to a (cheaper) 5N single crystal copper silver plated on my Kato’s. Lots more detail, tighter bass and mids. I was going to rid of this pair, as I haven’t been happy with the sound since I got it. Now, I’ve been blown away when I paired it with my link2 bal this morning. Might be psychoacoustic, don’t really care. the difference is crazy though.
 
Apr 20, 2022 at 6:07 AM Post #11,062 of 11,918
Chu chu!
E0760901-6A8A-45BB-AEDE-FC5FD7F12465.jpeg

First impressions - well... I have not listened to budget IEMs for a long time, so maybe my expectations were too high.
As @Precogvision states in his video the bass is quite a bit weaker than the FR suggests.
As a result the upper midrange is very forward and clearly the main part of the signature. But it's smooth and treble is on the safe side.
I can also hear the metallic timbre somewhat.

I compared it against the JVC/Drop FDX1 with medium Filter.
They should have a similar signature, but the Chu is much brighter in comparison to the FDX1.

EDIT: A piece of 3M Micropore tape over the front vent boosts the bass somewhat and really helps with the tonal balance for my taste.
Still leaner than the FDX1 but now there is some foundation to balance the still bright leaning but smooth upper midrange.

Sources used: Chord Hugo2Go and Apple Dongle
1650450889636.png
 
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Apr 20, 2022 at 8:51 AM Post #11,063 of 11,918
Chu chu!
E0760901-6A8A-45BB-AEDE-FC5FD7F12465.jpeg

First impressions - well... I have not listened to budget IEMs for a long time, so maybe my expectations were too high.
As @Precogvision states in his video the bass is quite a bit weaker than the FR suggests.
As a result the upper midrange is very forward and clearly the main part of the signature. But it's smooth and treble is on the safe side.
I can also hear the metallic timbre somewhat.

I compared it against the JVC/Drop FDX1 with medium Filter.
They should have a similar signature, but the Chu is much brighter in comparison to the FDX1.

EDIT: A piece of 3M Micropore tape over the front vent boosts the bass somewhat and really helps with the tonal balance for my taste.
Still leaner than the FDX1 but now there is some foundation to balance the still bright leaning but smooth upper midrange.

Sources used: Chord Hugo2Go and Apple Dongle
1650450889636.png
Really wanna buy this but.....do you have DQ6 to compare with this? DQ6 is quite sibilant and piercing for me. Second, is this good for Metal & Rock? Thanks
 
Apr 20, 2022 at 10:00 AM Post #11,064 of 11,918
Really wanna buy this but.....do you have DQ6 to compare with this? DQ6 is quite sibilant and piercing for me. Second, is this good for Metal & Rock? Thanks
I have not heard the DQ6, but purely looking at the FR on Crinacle's site it does look pretty aggressive in the treble.

Independent from the DQ6, I agree with @Precogvision that the Chu has little impact in the bass and sounds more bass light than the FR suggests.
With the MP tape mod the Chu sounds more balanced to me but still has rather soft bass impact.
I'm not listening to Metal and only little to Rock, but I'd want more bass quantity and quality for those genres.
 
Apr 20, 2022 at 11:17 AM Post #11,065 of 11,918
Really wanna buy this but.....do you have DQ6 to compare with this? DQ6 is quite sibilant and piercing for me. Second, is this good for Metal & Rock? Thanks

The DQ6 does has a budget brother that is much tamer in the treble and does fine in the bass regions. It's called the ZEX (the original, not the "Pro"). It's a very mellow listen in comparison to most other KZs.
 
Apr 20, 2022 at 4:29 PM Post #11,066 of 11,918
Chu chu!


First impressions - well... I have not listened to budget IEMs for a long time, so maybe my expectations were too high.
As @Precogvision states in his video the bass is quite a bit weaker than the FR suggests.
As a result the upper midrange is very forward and clearly the main part of the signature. But it's smooth and treble is on the safe side.
I can also hear the metallic timbre somewhat.

I compared it against the JVC/Drop FDX1 with medium Filter.
They should have a similar signature, but the Chu is much brighter in comparison to the FDX1.

EDIT: A piece of 3M Micropore tape over the front vent boosts the bass somewhat and really helps with the tonal balance for my taste.
Still leaner than the FDX1 but now there is some foundation to balance the still bright leaning but smooth upper midrange.

Sources used: Chord Hugo2Go and Apple Dongle

EDIT 2:
I think I need to add a little less critical take on the Chu, after all they are 10% the cost of my cheapest set of IEMs, the JVC FD02...
Out of the box they are too bright for my taste, but they are smooth sounding without any nasty spikes. Even detail and resolution in the midrange is fine, not much to complain there. They also sound surprisingly clean without getting too congested in busy tracks.
So they sound too bright - but there's a simple tuning with vented DD IEMs - get a roll of 3M Micropore tape from your pharmacy and cover the hole closer to the nozzle with one or 2 layers of the MP tape. This elevates the bass to better balance the forward midrange and the result is really musical. The midrange is still forward and the overall balance is still slightly bright and at times just a touch sibilant, but with the smooth overall frequency response it's now a nice and clean sound.

EDIT 3: Tips
While I like the provided Spring Tips for over ear IEMs like the Moondrop Variations, they don't really provide a secure fit with the cable-down design of the Chu.
Went through my tips and the 2 best options are IMO the cheap Sony EPEX10AB which provide good fit and a further boost to the low frequencies. Also very good are the Final Type E which are firm and have a longer shape that also provide a good fit and good SQ. Now I am impressed for $20

Below measurements with a simple Dayton microphone, comparing stock and MP modded frequency response
This measurement cannot be directly compared to the calibrated systems like the one used by Crinacle, but it is good for comparisons.
Blue & Green = Stock, Orange & Light Blue = modded

134DF28C-637E-49D1-AB32-7AFF75A70233.png
 
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Apr 20, 2022 at 5:34 PM Post #11,067 of 11,918
EDIT 2:
I think I need to add a little less critical take on the Chu, after all they are 10% the cost of my cheapest set of IEMs, the JVC FD02...
Out of the box they are too bright for my taste, but they are smooth sounding without any nasty spikes. Even detail and resolution in the midrange is fine, not much to complain there. They also sound surprisingly clean without getting too congested in busy tracks.
So they sound too bright - but there's a simple tuning with vented DD IEMs - get a roll of 3M Micropore tape from your pharmacy and cover the hole closer to the nozzle with one or 2 layers of the MP tape. This elevates the bass to better balance the forward midrange and the result is really musical. The midrange is still forward and the overall balance is still slightly bright and at times just a touch sibilant, but with the smooth overall frequency response it's now a nice and clean sound.

EDIT 3: Tips
While I like the provided Spring Tips for over ear IEMs like the Moondrop Variations, they don't really provide a secure fit with the cable-down design of the Chu.
Went through my tips and the 2 best options are IMO the cheap Sony EPEX10AB which provide good fit and a further boost to the low frequencies. Also very good are the Final Type E which are firm and have a longer shape that also provide a good fit and good SQ. Now I am impressed for $20

Below measurements with a simple Dayton microphone, comparing stock and MP modded frequency response
This measurement cannot be directly compared to the calibrated systems like the one used by Crinacle, but it is good for comparisons.
Blue & Green = Stock, Orange & Light Blue = modded

134DF28C-637E-49D1-AB32-7AFF75A70233.png
The Chu are meant to be worn with the cable around the ears though?
 
Apr 22, 2022 at 12:25 AM Post #11,068 of 11,918
Moondrop Chu review :

IMG_4909.jpg


Introduction :

I would like to thank Shenzhenaudio for sending this out to me for an honest review, Please be assured that whatever I say in this review is my own opinion and it's unbiased and honest even though it was sent out to me. Link to product : https://shenzhenaudio.com/collectio...ms-wired-dynamic-driver-hifi-in-ear-earphones

IMG_4910.jpg


Packaging :

The Moondrop Chu comes packed with a silicone ear hook and a set of spring tips. Please note that the set of springs tips alone already cost $13USD. And to top it off, Moondrop also provided a pouch in the package and of course the IEM themselves. So I would say for this package for $20 its value for money. I'm really amazed by the value that Mooddrop has bring to the community at US$20 and at this type of tuning the Moondrop Chu has got close to Harman tuning it's pretty hard to find in the market at this price point.

IMG_4917.jpg


Box

The box is nothing fancy but it’s got a nice picture of a female Anime girl on the front, on the side itself it's got the Moondrop branding and at the back of the box itself it’s got the specs stated out so I would say the box of the Moondrop Chu is minimalistic.

IMG_4920.jpg



Build quality :

The Moondrop Chu is a single dynamic driver IEM. The shell of the IEM is made of metal alloy and if I'm not wrong is injected into the mould and formed into the shape of the IEM it is pretty unique and it comes in a small form factor type of design and the cable that it comes with is attached to the IEM and it's not removable. There are two options you can choose the one with the microphone or without the microphone cable so please choose carefully as the cable is not removable or exchangeable. Overall the build quality is really solid and value for money.

IMG_4921.jpg



Sound Signature :

The tuning on the Moondrop Chu is close to the Harman target and I really like the tuning on this IEM as it is easy and soothing to listen to. The Harman target is popular for a good reason that most people are a-tuned to this target. I'm glad that Moondrop choose to tune the Chu close to the Harman target as it is a pretty safe tuning whereby you will not get overly excessive bass or overly excessive treble so I would say that the tuning is just nice and is suitable for most people.

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Sub-bass :

As you can already tell the sub-bass is not overly excessive and the extension and resonance of the sub bass is pretty far reached, but the rumble is not a strong and present rumble. The quality of the rumble is very good and you can feel that the rumble is just nice at the sweet spot not overly done and not underwhelming. But one thing I wish was that the tone and timbre of the Sub-bass would have been heavier and warmer.

graph-10.png


Mid-bass :

The Mid-bass is pretty impactful noting a pretty subtle sub-bass presence. The slam and punch of the mid-bass is pretty good and controlled and it does not bleed into the mids. If you look at the graph the mid bass of the Moondrop Chu just a bit above the Harman target so I would say that this compensates for the lack of rumble with impact and slam.

Mids :

Transition into the mids from the mid bass is very smooth and instruments in this region sounds very natural and light. Piano, Violins and trumpets sound natural with a light tone and timbre. Easy listening is the key to the mids and the instruments sound just pleasing to the ears which is pretty forward in the mix. Both male and female vocals sound very natural on these iems. Male vocals do have a lighter tone and timbre and lacks authority in the mix. Female vocals on the other spectrum shines with a bit of sparkle in the mix. Again, this is a very safe tuning where by the vocals don’t sound excessively harsh, sibilant or shouty and the same time sound muddy or dull.

graph-12.png


Treble :

Treble is nicely tuned to extend far with good roll off. Cymbal strikes sound natural and female vocals sparkle and shine thanks to the well controlled and extended treble.

graph-13.png


Technicalities :

I am amazed by the technicalities of the Moondrop Chu being the fact that it is only $20. The Sound stage is nice and wide with good depth. Imaging is to the point with the instruments, percussions and vocals well seperated. Detail retrieval and resolution are fantastic with nice and clear production of sound.

Conclusion :

So without a doubt I will recommend this Moondrop Chu to anyone who likes a natural to neutral listening experience without overemphasis on the bass. This is a $20 budget IEM that you should get in 2022. If you listen to mostly vocals, instrumental, classical and jazz I would strongly recommend this IEM. I wouldn’t say that Moondrop Chu is suitable for every genre of music so if you like listening to EDC, Techno, Hip Hop and Heavy Metal or any genre of music that is more bass emphasis then this IEM is not really suitable for you.

Youtube Video : Click here

Thank you so much for reading my review.
 

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Apr 22, 2022 at 3:53 AM Post #11,070 of 11,918
So CHU is not good for Metal (death, black, Nu, Industrial. etc.) & Rock genres? I only have experience with KZ IEMs and I think I like V-shape sound, some nice bass and decent treble with some details but not piercing treble like DQ6 have.
 

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