Moondrop Little White Review – Cirrus Logic DAC Neckband
Moondrop is a leading HiFi audio brand from China with a huge collection of premium HiFi audio gadget catalogs. The brand deals in high-resolution in-ear monitors, portable USB DAC/AMPs, TWS, and more. Lately, Moondrop has introduced a brand new premium Bluetooth neckband cable, the Moondrop Little White. The name is quite strange for a Bluetooth Neckband, but the cable comes equipped with opt-quality features that make it an appropriate choice for wireless users. The Moondrop Little White comes equipped with a premium Cirrus Logic DAC chipset, Qualcomm’s latest Bluetooth Chipset, that enables performance with stable Wireless Bluetooth V5.2 connectivity and high-definition signal transmission & decoding.
To provide stable, lag-free Bluetooth connectivity with the Little White, Moondrop has equipped this premium neckband cable with Qualcomm’s latest QCC5144 Bluetooth chipset. It enables Bluetooth V5.2 connectivity which offers a stable wireless connection with the source device with a lag-free solid connection over a wide coverage area (up to 15m). The Little White supports leading high-definition transmission protocols including LHDC?, AptX HD, AptX Adaptive, etc. It simply offers top-quality sound signal transmission over Wireless Bluetooth connectivity. Moondrop Little White adopts CS43131, a high-performance 32-bit DAC chipset that enables high-resolution audio signal decoding on the go.
With the help of a built-in DSPD profile, the Little White follows Moondrop’s VDSF target response curve. The cable is fully integrated with Moondrop Link Application. The VDSF DSP profile can be switched using this application. It also allows the user to adjust the output with the PEQ equalizer function, OTA updates, and access many more features on the neckband. Moondrop has featured two MEMS microphones in an optimized position to create the Beamforming effect. Beamforming is an efficient way to implement ENC (Environment Noise Cancellation) for crisp voice pickup and transmission.
The Moondrop Little White features standard 2-pin 0.78mm connectors. It can be connected to a wide range of IEMs that adopt a 2-pin connector design. You can use your favorite IEMs wirelessly with the Moondrop Little White. It has a long battery life of up to 12 hours (depending on the codec, the impedance of the IEM attached, and volume levels).
What’s in the Box & Moondrop Link App
Specs
- Premium CS43131 DAC Chipset.
- Latest-Generation Qualcomm QCC5144 Bluetooth Chipset.
- Supports High-Definition LHDC?, AptX HD, and AptX Adaptive Transmission Protocols.
- Bluetooth V5.2 Connectivity.
- Moondrop Link Application Support.
- Optimized Tuning Based on Moondrop VDSF Target Response.
- Customizable PEQ Settings.
- Clear Voice Calls with ENC (Environment Noise Cancellation).
- 0.78mm 2-pin Universal Connectors.
- USB Type-C Charging Port.
- Extended Battery Life (Up to 12 Hours).
- Charging Time: About 2 hours
- Weight: 45.4g
- Frequency Response: 20Hz-20kHz±0.5dB
- THD+N: 0.001% (1.7Vms/100KΩ/LHDC)
- SNR: 120dB (aptX HD)
- DNR: 120dB (aptX HD)
- Impedance: <1Ω
- Price: $89.99
I would like to thank Shenzhenaudio for providing me with the review sample of Moondrop Little White (non-affiliate link).
About the Moondrop Link App
First of all the App looks like it’s not finished. The PEQ settings section is still not translated into English and the UI looks bad. The Tuning configuration section means sound/tuning presets of other Moondrop IEMs. You can choose between no EQ or the models that you can see in the list. When you chose a model you can see its PEQ values later under the PEQ section and you can alter them. You can only define 5 bands. That’s all you can do with the App, there is no custom EQ mode or what so ever. To be honest, I had high hopes, but the quality of the App is nowhere near as FiiO or iBasso in that manner.
I also wasn’t able to put the Little White in LHDC mode, the highest codec I was able to use was the aptX Adaptive (80ms latency, 420kbps maximum bitrate). Btw my phone supports LHDC and works fine with my OPPO Enco X2 in LHDC mode. So the promised LHDC support is not present on the Moondrop Little White, maybe later with a firmware upgrade.
The Little White had good connection values while I was testing. I had no drop-offs or glitches in the sound while I was in the range. The optimum range is about 10 meters indoors.
Sound
I used Moondrop Lan IEM for my testing. Out of curiosity, I measured the Moondrop LAN attached to Little White, and as you can see there isn’t even a minor change. Little White does a great job of conveying the sound signatures of the in-ear monitors you pair it with and does not saturate or color them.
Lows
The bass region is fast, agile, and has a good texture. The quantity of the sub-bass is sufficient, it feels agile and recovers fast, which contributes to the sense of speed, hence, enhancing the technical capability of the Little White. The control is very good here also, so there is no section overlap of any kind and the transition between bass and mids feels smooth.
Mids
The low mids have a good body, are adequate, does not feel too thick or too thin. The Little White is quite balanced in this regard. The timbre feels accurate, the presentation feels neutral and transparent. It does not feel like it’s throwing details in your way, more like it presents them and you are welcome to pick them out. What I mean here is that the presentation does not feel forced or artificial, it is rather detailed, articulate, and transparent in a natural way. The vocals are brilliant with great resolution. The transition between subregions is seamless, the mids feel coherent and they do a great job of carrying the emotion hidden in the tracks. The upper mids have impressive energy and extension and follow the steps of the impressive treble.
Highs
The top-end spectrum is quite nice. The Little White has great treble energy. It is not particularly aggressive or bright. The quantity feels accurate and the quality is impressive. The definition and extension are great also, highs have good attack/decay and feel dynamic. Lots of space, good air, and spacious positioning on the stage. As I said before, Little White reflects quite accurately.
Sum-Up
I have mixed feelings for the Little White. Sound-wise I have no complaints, it does the job well. This Bluetooth neckband has a transparent, clean, and resolving sound. The onboard Cirrus Logic DAC definitely makes a difference and having the option to change the attached IEM is a big plus. And I like the neckband style more than the ear hook style that’s for sure. There is much less pressure on your ears and controlling is easier too.
But on the App side, I didn’t find what I was looking for. Hopefully, Moondrop releases a new version with more features soon. Other than that if you are looking for sound quality and in search for a Bluetooth neckband check the Little White out.