[Precogvision]

Hey Precog! I have a question regarding audio terminology used in gear reviews:

I've often see the words wonky and honky to describe unevenness in the mids, do both words mean the same?

The last two terminologies I'm confused with is poofy and limp which are used to describe bass negatively. I'm guessing poofy means bass lacks texture? Have no idea what limp means.

Limp is perhaps the strangest terminology used to describe bass because I've only seen Crinacle use this word to describe the bass of two IEMs: Shure SE315 and NocturaL Eden.

Hey, these are how I would go about defining the words, but everyone has their own interpretation.

'Wonky' is just a catch-all descriptor for something sounding off. It doesn't specify any part of the FR.

'Honky' is usually used to describe the lower-midrange being overly forward, which I associate with a peak at around 1kHz. You can see this descriptor in this area on some FR charts. I find honky-ness can also occur with inadequate pinna compensation by (perceptively) pushing forward the lower-midrange more.

'Poofy' and 'limp' have similar meanings to me. 'Poofy' is a combination of when bass notes are perceptively big (usually from generous amounts of mid-bass), but they don't slam or have a sense of physicality behind them. So sure, bass notes like this usually lack texture too. Limpness is just the absence of slam.

 

[antdroid]

Hey, these are how I would go about defining the words, but everyone has their own interpretation.

'Wonky' is just a catch-all descriptor for something sounding off. It doesn't specify any part of the FR.

'Honky' is usually used to describe the lower-midrange being overly forward, which I associate with a peak at around 1kHz. You can see this descriptor in this area on some FR charts. I find honky-ness can also occur with inadequate pinna compensation by (perceptively) pushing forward the lower-midrange more.

'Poofy' and 'limp' have similar meanings to me. 'Poofy' is a combination of when bass notes are perceptively big (usually from generous amounts of mid-bass), but they don't slam or have a sense of physicality behind them. So sure, bass notes like this usually lack texture too. Limpness is just the absence of slam.

Wonky, Honky, Tonky, Donkey, Raunchy

 

[efftee]

Im excited to hear what these guys are up to with the Storm. The price tag is probably what will scare me the most, but I'm ready to listen.

So far, the Helios and the Triton, their other two projects, are quite solid IEMs, and so I have a lot of personal hype built-up for this Storm project.

I spoke with someone well regarded in the trade who had actually heard the Storm and said some pretty good things about it. I am also looking forward to its arrival.

 

[toranku]

Do we know the pricing yet?

Tentatively it's at $4599. It's set to compete at the very top; the STORM will sit in our TOTL product range (Embody).

We have also another upcoming product line (Essence) that will be positioned to compete in a lower-priced range.

Just checked out your Storm page. looks impressive! When's it launching?

Thank you for your support It is geared to launch somewhere within the next 2 months if supply chain issues do not crop up!

 

[NesoNewbie]

Hey Precog, I was wondering if you have heard the UM MEXT and how it compares to similarily priced iems?

 

[drewbadour]

We have also another upcoming product line (Essence) that will be positioned to compete in a lower-priced range.

Seems worth 4.5k but not something I personally can afford

But ... Essence seems more approachable depending on what lower-priced means? 3k? 2k? 1k? ~500?

 

[Precogvision]

Hey Precog, I was wondering if you have heard the UM MEXT and how it compares to similarily priced iems?

Yep, it's on the ranking list. I thought it was decent; however, the treble could run a bit too hot for me. It does have a unique tonality at least, so it's probably worth listeners giving it a shot even if I don't think it's quite competitive for its asking price.

 

[jlemaster1957]

Yep, it's on the ranking list. I thought it was decent; however, the treble could run a bit too hot for me. It does have a unique tonality at least, so it's probably worth listeners giving it a shot even if I don't think it's quite competitive for its asking price.

This seems very news relevant to me now as Musicteck is selling 10 MEXTs (as well as 10 MEST MKII’s) with blue and yellow shells and will donate 100% of the sales of those to UNICEF in the name of fans of MusicTeck and UM to help women and children in Ukraine's recovery efforts from the ongoing conflict.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

Tentatively it's at $4599. It's set to compete at the very top; the STORM will sit in our TOTL product range (Embody).

We have also another upcoming product line (Essence) that will be positioned to compete in a lower-priced range.

Thank you for your support It is geared to launch somewhere within the next 2 months if supply chain issues do not crop up!

Well, my top 3 IEMs are UM Red Halo FE, Aroma Jewel and Vision Ears EXT. You are going up against some might tough competition at that price. I am willing to listen to it and tell you if it can crack into my top 3. I would recommend signing up Musicteck as a dealer. They are my go to provider.

 

[HiFiHawaii808]

This seems very news relevant to me now as Musicteck is selling 10 MEXTs (as well as 10 MEST MKII’s) with blue and yellow shells and will donate 100% of the sales of those to UNICEF in the name of fans of MusicTeck and UM to help women and children in Ukraine's recovery efforts from the ongoing conflict.

Honestly, I don't like those colors or I would do it for the donation. But, I already donate directly to the International Red Cross.

 

[Hark01]

Hey, Precog! Could you review Sony IER-M7?

 

[Precogvision]

Moondrop Chu: Hypetrain go Chu-Chu...I guess

Price: $20
Configuration: 1DD
Unit kindly provided for review by Shenzhen Audio: https://shenzhenaudio.com/products/...-in-ear-earphones?_pos=1&_sid=53c1bead8&_ss=r

I tire of re-hashing my Moondrop single-DD reviews be it the KPE, Kanas Pro, KXXS, Starfield, Aria, Kato, KXXX, or Illumination. Yes, they've released that many (and more if you count, say, the Spaceship which the Chu is supposedly the successor to). These IEMs all sound pretty similar, and I'd say the Chu falls right along the lines of the solid tuning we expect from Moondrop. The Chu has the fabled "balanced", slightly more analytical tonality that no other IEM, to my knowledge, has managed to achieve for $20 yet. That itself is commendable; as far as I'm concerned, there are no outright dealbreakers sound-wise.

As for the ugly stuff, I definitely have more to talk about. Despite a 6dB bass boost and a reasonable level of control, the Chu has some of the softest bass that I've heard. I can hear the boost and I can tell the Chu's bass extends reasonably low, yet there's very little sense of excursiveness or air being pushed. A more minor issue I would point out - a tonality one, actually - is that the Chu's treble response comes across as splashy due to an excess of presence from 5-7kHz. There also seems to be some minor resonance at ~12kHz which exacerbates the aforementioned lack of control in treble. It should be noted that treble extension itself is impressive at least.

To go broader on the ugly bit, and into the usual no-no of commenting on the company instead of the product itself, Moondrop doesn't seem to know how to do anything else than work their way down the chain and re-hash the same IEM over and over at cheaper price points. I shouldn't be complaining...still, it's annoying knowing that whatever you buy today is going to be obsolete a couple months later at a cheaper price. Maybe that's not the Chu (as I can't really see how things can get much cheaper than this), but I'd like to see some higher-end stuff from Moondrop that pushes the boundaries of what's possible in terms of technicalities instead. Two and a half years (since the release of the S8, probably their best IEM) is a long time to be standing still for what once used to seem like such a progressive company.

Back to the Chu, though. In terms of its competitiveness, I think it's tacit that the Chu is "well worth it" and a good value. As I alluded to above, though, the jaded part of me is less impressed and there's a lack of soul to the Chu that's hard to put in words. I feel that the CCA CRA, for example, is more along the lines of the proverbial diamond in the rough. The CRA is still more technical to my ears and - in particular - it sounds like it slams way harder. It's just that the CRA's tonality is obviously not as balanced.

Score: 4/10

 

[ian91]

Score: 4/10

An extra set of Spring tips and a balanced sig, at this price...I'll take it. Even with the lacklustre bass.

Thanks for weighing in on the Chu!

 

[Gromu]

It seems the value is definitely there with Chu, but I have to agree with Precog that it's a little hard getting excited about recent Moondrop releases. They're all some level of good to great but they feel very iterative.

 

[WAON303]

I think Moondrop should focus on making a Blessing 3 or a revised S8 instead of making more single DD budget sets, I'm also tired of seeing single DD sets with a variation of harman, it's been done like a million times by now.

As for the Chu, the fact this comes with Spring tips makes it an arguably better value proposition than the CRA which doesn't even come with a case as is tradition with CCA IEMs.

The Chu strongly reminds me of the rather obscure Final Audio E500, in the sense that most people buy this set for the tips (Which are more expensive if you buy them separately.)

Also, rip Quarks. I see literally no reason to buy this set when the Chu completely blows it out of the water.