[ChristianM]

I cancelled my order of Mele during Aliexpress anniversary sale due to some reasons. but there's another sale coming in three days with as good discounts as anniversary sale and wanna order either Mele or T3 Plus. I'd appreciate if you guys can help me decide which one to get this time. as I mention above I mostly listen Metal (death, black, Nu, Industrial. etc.) & Rock and some pop, hip hop. Thanks

 

[ChristianM]

Sorry double posts.

 

[r31ya]

Received moondrop chu yesterday. Surprising small iem to me.

I have the same reaction when i got my Aria, its surprisingly small compared to the promo photo.

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.

If Chu is close to Aria which some review said it does,
It will be great with pop vocals but if you want some impactful bass and thick guttural male vocals, this is not for you.
Aria have great sound but for some metal track its a bit lacking. Still good, its just not visceral enough to be great.

 

[jmwant]

Moondrop Chu Impressions

 

[ian91]

Just received my Chu. This almost certainly fills a gap in the ultra-budget market. Tonally there are very few missteps. Vocals are weighted well and have good clarity and in general instruments have good timbre and are revealed with good detail. To be critical, there's some glare to the uppermids that when compounded by the lighter noteweight makes some piano notes sound unnatural. I think some tip rolling might control this. Other than that I struggle to grumble at a $20 markup. I might even get another pair for backup.

Not a set for bass lovers but if you want a clean midrange with air and decent technicalities at less than $20, this is the go-to.

 

[Alex May]

Now that everyone seems to be obsessed with Chu, I found my old KZ ATE in the closet with suspiciously identical cable. It used to be priced even less and is also very good sounding for the price if paired with similar eartips... it also suspiciously vanished from ShenzhenAudio right before the Chu came in. It somehow escaped the hype at the time. Probably because a hype train was not common in those days. BTW it has a really good bass. Just saying

In the meanwhile, I'm still exploring my Kato and just wanted to share something about the nozzles. Can someone confirm that the brass nozzles can sometimes emphasize sibilance? For example, when I listen to the following track, some s-sounds become really offensive with brass nozzles (1:43 "...under the spell of SSoft SSumer rain"):

Spoiler: Elcho - Lazy Summer Days

I've got it in hi-res FLAC. The steel nozzles seem to mitigate that issue. I also perceive them as fuller and richer sounding but I know a few people who prefer brass nozzles. Just wondering how many Kato owners use their steel nozzles instead of the brass ones?

 

[ian91]

it also suspiciously vanished from ShenzhenAudio right before the Chu came in.

What are you suggesting? I'm intrigued...

 

[RikudouGoku]

I found my old KZ ATE in the closet with suspiciously identical cable.

 

[emperor22]

Now that everyone seems to be obsessed with Chu, I found my old KZ ATE in the closet with suspiciously identical cable. It used to be priced even less and is also very good sounding for the price if paired with similar eartips... it also suspiciously vanished from ShenzhenAudio right before the Chu came in. It somehow escaped the hype at the time. Probably because a hype train was not common in those days. BTW it has a really good bass. Just saying

In the meanwhile, I'm still exploring my Kato and just wanted to share something about the nozzles. Can someone confirm that the brass nozzles can sometimes emphasize sibilance? For example, when I listen to the following track, some s-sounds become really offensive with brass nozzles (1:43 "...under the spell of SSoft SSumer rain"):

Spoiler: Elcho - Lazy Summer Days

I've got it in hi-res FLAC. The steel nozzles seem to mitigate that issue. I also perceive them as fuller and richer sounding but I know a few people who prefer brass nozzles. Just wondering how many Kato owners use their steel nozzles instead of the brass ones?

I use the steel ones, and yes, I found the brass nozzles accentuate the upper midrange quite a bit, which resonates with your finding I think. I also read someone describing the emphasis in the upper midrange caused by the brass nozzles as increased resonance, which I'm not sure I can tell from a boost in that area.

By the way, you have the Timeless right? If you don't mind me asking, what do you think of the Kato when compared to it? Also, what tips do you use on your Kato?

 

[jmwant]

Is it easy to drive?

Just received my Chu. This almost certainly fills a gap in the ultra-budget market. Tonally there are very few missteps. Vocals are weighted well and have good clarity and in general instruments have good timbre and are revealed with good detail. To be critical, there's some glare to the uppermids that when compounded by the lighter noteweight makes some piano notes sound unnatural. I think some tip rolling might control this. Other than that I struggle to grumble at a $20 markup. I might even get another pair for backup.

Not a set for bass lovers but if you want a clean midrange with air and decent technicalities at less than $20, this is the go-to.

 

[lowrider007]

vs

My Aria's arrived today and I noticed a very small thing that seems different on mine, as you can see the circled section of my cable is completely cylindrical, all others I've seen are flat, does this denote some kind of revision or cable change?

Aside from that I'm absolutely loving these, most comfortable IEM I've owned thus far, I didn't think you could beat the Blon BL-05s for comfort but these are better, exceptionally well tuned, very linear which I like, not fatiguing at all but at the same time you can still connect with the music emotionally, it's something I've not really been able to do with my HD6XX's. I much prefer the tuning over the Blessing 2, yes the blessing sounded better 'technically' but I prefer the flavour of the Aria, they sound a lot more natural rather than clinical, only critique I would say is the treble which I think be a little more refined, but really for the price that is asking a lot, these are ridiculus value for money, they must be one of if not the best price to performance IEM's out there.

 

[G777]

vs




My Aria's arrived today and I noticed a very small thing that seems different on mine, as you can see the circled section of my cable is completely cylindrical, all others I've seen are flat, does this denote some kind of revision or cable change?

Aside from that I'm absolutely loving these, most comfortable IEM I've owned thus far, I didn't think you could be the Blon BL-05s for comfort but these are better, exceptionally well tuned, very linear which I like, not fatiguing at all but at the same time you can still connect with the music emotionally, it's something I've not really been able to do with my HD6XX's. I much prefer the tuning over the Blessing 2, yes the blessing sounded better 'technically' but I prefer the flavour of the Aria, they sound a lot more natural rather than clinical, only critique I would say is the treble which I think be a little more refined, but really for the price that is asking a lot, these are ridiculus value for money, they must be one of if not the best price to performance IEM's out there.

How does that cable feel? That new splitter looks better than the old one IMO.

 

[Alex May]

By the way, you have the Timeless right? If you don't mind me asking, what do you think of the Kato when compared to it? Also, what tips do you use on your Kato?

Surprisingly, they are pretty similar despite different driver technology. There are a few minor differences. Kato has slightly more forward and warmer mids including the upper midrange, therefore more accentuated female vocals that sometimes can get too forward and shouty to the point of masking the rest of the mix. At the same time I don't have to EQ the frequencies above 10K since they don't cause me pain with every hat and shaker attack. This area is exactly as it should be. Didn't find any major difference in bass presentation. Maybe some more prolonged trailing ends of tones and more natural transients as characteristic of dynamic drivers. But otherwise very similar sound signature. I really have to nitpick here because Kato sounds really good overall.

I use the same AZLA Xelastec eartips as on my Timeless. Any other tips simply ruin the sound to my ears making it shouty in the upper midrange and/or lean in bass. I tip rolled a dozen eartips including the stock Spring ones, the Easytips SS20, Symbio, several foams and so on. The only tips that sounded right were the Xelastecs. And this is very unfortunate for me because they are extremely sticky and therefore the hardest to fit in and get out of the ears. However, the sound is the highest priority for me, so I stay with my Xelastecs. If you find any other eartips with the same configuration of the bore and stem, please, let me know (wide bore, long duct, and relatively massive stem). In the meantime, I've ordered some Softears UC, looking forward to try them (if they manage to send them from China despite their restrictions). However, some people say it's not night and day difference in how they stick to the skin compared to the Xelastec tips. But I haven't found any other alternative.

 

[emperor22]

If you find any other eartips with the same configuration of the bore and stem, please, let me know (wide bore, long duct, and relatively massive stem).

Frankly, I found the spring tips to be the best sounding ones on the Kato, at least when compared to the other two I've tested (Spinfit CP145 and Acoustune AET07). The spring tips give warmth to the mids and make the upper midrange and treble smoother and more natural, but it does reduce the mid bass and emphasize the subbass, which I think contribute to the sense of space that spring tips have compared to the other two.

The CP145 increase the bass and upper midrange and make the sound quite congested. The AET07 is a wide-bore and it emphasize the mid bass at the expense of subbass I think. It also boost the upper mid and mid treble making cymbals more sparkly which I love, but also at the same time less balanced and less natural sounding. What I don't love about them is the reduced soundstage and sense of space and the lack of warmth and body in instruments and vocals. Both of these make the Kato sound more detailed, although somewhat artificially, at least to me.



In this track, the other two tips make the guitar sound considerably more forward. The vocal is warm and soothing and bodied on the spring tips. The spring tips clearly reproduce pursings of the lip and the breath intakes of the vocalist, which are almost missing on the other two tips.

Basically, the spring tips are what make the Kato sound special to me.

 

[WAON303]

Interesting discovery, the ATE is like from 2016? I think it's one of the first IEMs KZ released, a time when just about everyone was on the infamous 1more Triple Driver hype train.