Expectations fall flat from such a hyped collaboration.
The recently launched Moondrop x Crinacle: Dusk in-ear monitors (IEMs) have come under fire due to reported channel imbalance issues. The findings, first reported by The Headphone Show, have led another reviewer to cancel his order and refrain from reviewing the product.
The Headphone Show’s Findings and Moondrop’s Response
The Headphone Show, through their reviewer Resolve, found a big difference between the left and right IEM in their Moondrop Dusk. This shows a nearly 3 dB difference at 100 Hz and even bigger differences in the high-end treble area.
Resolve mentioned that the channel matching issue was present in analog mode, which can be seen as the basic tuning for the Dusk.
When The Headphone Show contacted Moondrop about the issue, the company responded that the imbalance was within their margin of error.
Resolve emphasized that the channel matching issue is a Moondrop problem and not a Crinacle one.
Despite this, Resolve also described the Dusk’s tuning in analog mode as reasonable but not exceptional. According to him, the bass was solid, punchy, and engaging, without being too much or getting in the way, though the mid-range was a little bit forward.
While the upper treble boost was too much for Resolve, he acknowledged that some people may like it and find it better than the original Dusk, which they may have found a bit dull in comparison.
“I mentioned this in my recent First Impressions live stream of this IEM that I did, that the upper treble kind of jumped out at me a bit. I called it like a ‘crunchy kind of sound’, and I think that’s still how I would describe it.” he shares.
“It’s not overly harsh or anything like that. It’s just that the upper edges of certain tones get enhanced a little bit, almost like there’s kind of like an outline being drawn around those tones.”
Cancellation of Dusk Review
In response to the quality control concerns, the Scientific Audiophile has canceled his order for the Dusk and stated that he will not review the product.
The Scientific Audiophile specifically mentioned that his decision had nothing to do with Crinacle nor the curve that Crinacle set, but with the quality control from Moondrop.
He then showed a screenshot of the frequency response graph from The Headphone Show to illustrate the channel imbalance.
User Reactions and Debates
The comments section showed a range of reactions to the Dusk’s quality control issues.
Some users expressed disappointment in Moondrop.
“Moondrop may be one of the pioneers of Chi-fi, but their QC sucks. My Moondrop Variations (ironic name) has some build quality and driver issues, let alone the differences in the target curve across the same models.” says one user.
“Similar issues have been widely reported with the Kato and Chu. Many obscure brands have way better QC than Moondrop.”
The importance of a 3 dB channel imbalance was also a topic of debate. Many users have explained that the 3 dB difference can have a huge impact on the overall listening experience.
“3 dB is double the power, but 10dB is needed to appear double the loudness in the midrange, which is 10 times the power. 10 Watts appears twice as loud as 1 Watt.” another user explains.
“At low bass and high treble, though, 3 dB has more impact on the perception, according to the Fletcher-Munsen curves, which bunch-up at the extremes.”
However, some claim that the issue was being exaggerated.
Potential other reasons for the difference in the measurement were also discussed. Some pointed out that the Headphone Show’s use of the B&K 5128 means it’s very easy to get inconsistent measurements while others pointed out that foam tips could be responsible for the difference.
Despite the varying opinions, the general feeling among commenters seemed to be that Moondrop’s quality control needs improvement, especially for a highly anticipated release like the Dusk.
