Moondrop U-2 Review – Budget Earbuds With Good Sound
Moondrop U-2 is a new pair of flat-head earbuds developed with a 14.8mm large-sized dynamic driver unit. The pair has been designed with years of research and development in the earbuds category. They have used a specially developed Composite Paper diaphragm, the same material used in Professional Speakers. It has the same suspension-cone-dome diaphragm structure as found in full-frequency speaker drivers.
Ever since Moondrop debuted in the industry, the brand has focused and done a dedicated R&D in the field of Earbuds. They have multiple successful models in the Earbuds category such as the Vx, Nameless, Shiroyuki, VX pro, Chaconne, etc. They have developed the latest U-2 with full R&D in the field to deliver a captivating and immersive listening experience for the users.
Moondrop has equipped the U-2 with a large-sized 14.8mm dynamic driver unit. The driver adopts a high-quality composite Paper diaphragm, it is the same compressed pulp paper material found in professional speakers. Combined with a strong N52 magnetic circuit and CCAW voice coil, the pair gets an astonishing sound quality performance.
Moondrop has designed the shells of the U-2 with a classic product design. The structure is optimized and improved based on modern manufacturing technology, It has optimized the resonance effect of the brass tube on the timbre and also controlled the effect of Air Viscosity in the bass region.
Moondrop U-2 features a non-detachable cable design. The stock cable is a twisted silver-plated cable that ensures stable and reliable sound signal transmission. With a standard 3.5mm single-ended termination plug, the Moondrop U-2 is compatible with mainstream audio devices out there.
Unboxing
Features
- HiFi Flathead Earbuds.
- 14.8mm Large-Sized Dynamic Driver Unit.
- Compressed Composite Paper Diaphragm.
- Strong Magnetic Circuit with N52 Neodymium Magnets.
- CCAW Voice Coil with Lightweight Suspension System.
- Controlled Resonance Architecture With Air Viscosity Damping.
- High-Quality Twisted Silver-Plated Stock Cable.
- Dedicated Scientific Research For Powerful Sound.
Specs
- Driver: 14.8mm.
- Impedance: 30Ω±15%.
- Sensitivity: 116dB/Vrms.
- THD+N: ≤0.1%.
- Price: $34.99
I would like to thank Shenzhenaudio for providing me with the review sample of the Moondrop U-2 Earbuds.
Sound
The Moondrop U-2 delivered a lot more than I expected in every single category. Bass, soundstage, imaging, resolution. And most importantly, tonality. While you feel like you’re wearing a pair of in-ears with the Moondrop U-2, the sonic presentation is much closer to a pair of open-back headphones. The soundstage is wider and deeper compared to IEMs and you are thankful from the first moment you put them on because it affects the whole experience in a very good way. I think this comes with the earbud design style as the driver sits far from your ears compared to IEMs.
The Moondrop U-2 has an extremely smooth and natural sound. Its stand-out feature is a vivid and wonderfully textured mid-range that is forward without being shouty, and which puts vocals and instruments front and center. The Moondrop U-2’s tone makes it great-sounding, but what makes it special-sounding is its very good sense of space and imaging. A genuine out-of-head experience. The decay on the reverbs is amazing coming out of a 35$ earphone.
Moondrop U-2’s bass is impressive considering its style, being an earbud. You aren’t going to find the levels of bass that you might get from a well-sealed pair of IEMs, but it’s considerable in terms of both extension and texture. Moondrop U-2 creates some genuine bass heft when called upon, and because of how flat-head style earbuds are designed, the bass level can be increased by twisting them inwards and pointing the drivers directly into your ears. It’s not head-rattling but it has a very nice reproduction of bass texture.
The mid-range is very much the star of the show here. I’m not exaggerating when I say that the Moondrop U-2 gave me one of the most realistic and natural musical performances in a while reviewing lots of IEMs lately. The way the Moondrop U-2 dissects the instrumental parts and places them around you is amazing.
I’m a bit of a treblehead and I like a bright, detailed upper-octave that doesn’t shy away from revealing top-end information. The Moondrop U-2 doesn’t disappoint in this regard and provides clear, transparent, and snappy highs. These earbuds easily dispatch the fast and busy passages without ever breaking into sibilance or harshness.
The Moondrop U-2 is a success regarding sound quality and performance. However, it’s certainly not an all-rounder. The Moondrop U-2’s talents are best suited to acoustic, instrumental, and vocal music. It will sound ok in more low-end-heavy types of music like EDM and hip-hop, but real bass heads may find themselves wanting more.
Sum-Up
Moondrop U-2 is perfect for genres that show off its lovely textures and incredible imaging and spatial abilities. U-2 achieves an impressive sound performance with deep-hitting bass response, excellent treble energy, natural timbre, and a spacious soundstage. It also provides very good clarity for vocals and instruments.