[sponzi]

Hi, so I recently got the Moondrop Kato and for the most part they are great. I've been comparing them a lot to my Airpods Pro and I kinda feel like the airpods have a nicer punchier bass which makes the Kato almost sound tinny and lacking sometimes (They are fitted properly). I also used the Sennheiser Game One for a long time, which I thought had relatively little bass (but now feels bassy after trying them out again).

I'm posting this to ask if it's just because I'm used to having a lot of bass or if the Kato really is just not very bassy. I've read and watched many reviews on the Kato and most of them say they are slightly bass emphasized, but it doesn't feel like that to me. I listen to a lot of bass heavy music like EDM and groovy funk stuff, so I really want some nice bass but of course not bleeding into higher frequencies.

This is being super picky, and I know that I'm overall getting great audio with all of these, but I just wanna have DA BEST you know?

So am I just accustomed to having more bass or is the Moondrop Kato just not very bass emphasized?

Thanks!

 

[earmonger]

Crinacle's graphs actually show more bass for the Kato.
https://crinacle.com/graphs/iems/graphtool/?share=IEF_Neutral_Target,Kato_Steel,AirPods_Pro

You can do some simple listening tests on your own with the tones at Audiocheck.net .
https://www.audiocheck.net/audiotests_index.php

Make sure you're testing at the same (perceived) volume; one IEM may be more sensitive than the other.

 

[baskingshark]

Hi, so I recently got the Moondrop Kato and for the most part they are great. I've been comparing them a lot to my Airpods Pro and I kinda feel like the airpods have a nicer punchier bass which makes the Kato almost sound tinny and lacking sometimes (They are fitted properly). I also used the Sennheiser Game One for a long time, which I thought had relatively little bass (but now feels bassy after trying them out again).

I'm posting this to ask if it's just because I'm used to having a lot of bass or if the Kato really is just not very bassy. I've read and watched many reviews on the Kato and most of them say they are slightly bass emphasized, but it doesn't feel like that to me. I listen to a lot of bass heavy music like EDM and groovy funk stuff, so I really want some nice bass but of course not bleeding into higher frequencies.

This is being super picky, and I know that I'm overall getting great audio with all of these, but I just wanna have DA BEST you know?

So am I just accustomed to having more bass or is the Moondrop Kato just not very bass emphasized?

Thanks!

If you are listening to EDM and bass forward music genres, I am afraid the Kato is not the optimal IEM for these genres.

The KATO has bass just slightly north of neutral and they aren’t a basshead set. The Kato's bass focuses on quality over quantity, with a nimble and tight bass, with great texturing and timbre and no mid-bass bleed.


If you want a midFI set with big bass (good quality and quantity), perhaps you can read about the IKKO OH10 or the Sony XBA N3.

 

[dan3952]

Hi, so I recently got the Moondrop Kato and for the most part they are great. I've been comparing them a lot to my Airpods Pro and I kinda feel like the airpods have a nicer punchier bass which makes the Kato almost sound tinny and lacking sometimes (They are fitted properly). I also used the Sennheiser Game One for a long time, which I thought had relatively little bass (but now feels bassy after trying them out again).

I'm posting this to ask if it's just because I'm used to having a lot of bass or if the Kato really is just not very bassy. I've read and watched many reviews on the Kato and most of them say they are slightly bass emphasized, but it doesn't feel like that to me. I listen to a lot of bass heavy music like EDM and groovy funk stuff, so I really want some nice bass but of course not bleeding into higher frequencies.

This is being super picky, and I know that I'm overall getting great audio with all of these, but I just wanna have DA BEST you know?

So am I just accustomed to having more bass or is the Moondrop Kato just not very bass emphasized?

Thanks!

I've had Kato since Dec 2021, and I suggest that if you haven't already, make sure you have a good seal before deciding to stop using them over their perceived lack of bass. This can be a lot of work, and you may have to try five or more of them. At least, Moondrop's provided tips are a cut above that of more expensive IEMs, and are, in fact, quite remarkable at their price point. The differences are greater than with other products I had, which seemed to be more about marketing than real audible differences. They had provided something that's unique, and different. The foam ones they had provided may comparable in quality to that of the expensive Comply ones I had just ordered. Not sure which ones give the best bass yet.

There's IEMs that would give you better bass below $600, but the Katos aren't markedly worse than the $500 Shanlings I had. I would say it's average for a DD, and clean. People keep complaining about how BA bass doesn't measure up to that of a good dynamic driver, even with IEMs that are over $1000. I had just listened to The Prodigy and The Crystal Method through the Katos, and though the bass hadn't rocked quite as much as with the Shanlings, there's a fullness that hadn't been there with any open back set of headphones I've had (though they're admittedly not directly comparable) We are getting into physics here, and the differences between open and closed enclosures in reproducing certain frequencies.

Comparison was interesting with the Apple product: the drivers are about the same size between the two products. Knowing Apple, they will want control over everything, and use uniquely sized tips so that you can't use aftermarket tips.

 

[bassdad8]

The Katos have bass. I’m a closet basshead. I say that I want balance, but when good, strong, clean bass hits me, it just kinda makes me smile. I’m a fan of sub bass rumble too. So if anyone is still paying attention to this thread, for the Katos (and many other IEMs), it’s about tip and fit. I put propeerly sized Spinfit 145s on them and they sounded terrible. Better, but not much with Comply. The eartips they came with beat all until I threw the Dunu SS tips on them. Bass, soundstage, separation and everything else became much better. And I barely feel like I’m wearing them. The SS tips run small though, so be aware. I use mediums for most tips, but needed the large SS to get a good seal.
No matter which ear tips I used, however, the Katos never lacked bass. They are the perfect example of why a tight seal is so important.
Hope this helps… someone.