The Moondrop Chu is the latest entry-level IEM from the Chinese manufacturer. Moondrop has quickly become a force to be reckoned with in the IEM world thanks to its affordable yet exceptionally performing products.
The Moondrop Chu is the successor to the Moondrop spaceship, which we had looked at in the past and which we were generally impressed with, at least in terms of sound. The Chu comes at the same price of $ 20, which is nothing in the current IEM landscape, with products going for 100 times that price. But Moondrop has a reputation to uphold, which means that even if you’re paying the absolute bargain price, you can still expect good performance.
That said, let’s see how well the new Moondrop Chu fares.
Packaging
The Moondrop Chu comes in pretty decent packaging despite the $ 20 price tag. Along with the earbuds, you get three pairs of Moondrop’s premium Spring Tips. These tips cost $ 13 on their own, so it’s pretty amazing they’re included in the box.
In addition to the tips, you also get a pair of ear hooks. The Chu cable has no built-in ear hooks, so you’ll have to manually connect the hooks if you want that functionality. There is also a small velcro strap provided to bind the earphones.
Finally, a rather useless case is provided. This thing is basically wide enough to fit a single credit card and can’t fit comfortably in earbuds. Even if you manage to push them in, you will never be able to close the latch. The material also looks like recycled cat hair. Not sure why they bothered about this.
As previously mentioned, the cable is attached to the earbuds, so obviously there is no cable in the box unlike most other IEMs out there.
Design and comfort
The Moondrop Chu has a very simple and minimal design. The earbuds are quite small and fit completely in the ears. On the back there is a simple gold pattern on a black body. It is the only color option available.
The earbuds are made entirely of metal, which gives them a very durable yet lightweight feel. Realistically, these aren’t much sturdier than plastic buds for everyday use, but they do feel a little nicer.
The Chu comes with Moondrop’s spring tips. These are custom designed silica gel tips with a particular waveguide structure. Moondrop claims that this design and material make Spring Tips more reliable, more comfortable, and provide a better seal. They also claim to attenuate high-frequency resonance, providing a smoother treble roll-off.
Of course, I wasn’t particularly impressed with these tips over your regular garden silicone tips. I found them harder to insert and easier to take out and the sticky texture was not pleasant. Also, I found no difference in audio quality when using them compared to regular earphones. I just think they look prettier and that’s it.
However, the grommets are forgivable and, most importantly, replaceable. What is not replaceable is the fixed cable, which I believe is the biggest weakness of the Moondrop Chu.
Unlike the Moondrop Spaceship, the Chu earphones are designed to let the cord come out of the top and curve around the ears. However, the cable has no built-in kinks to hold it in place. Moondrop provides ear hooks in the box which you have to attach manually but they are not that comfortable to wear. And without the hooks, the thick cord struggles to stay in place around the ears and requires constant adjustment.
Fortunately, the cable itself isn’t terrible. By far the worst thing about the spaceship was the cable, which had atrocious microphones that turned the whole thing into a stethoscope. The Chu cable is significantly better. However, I would like the possibility to replace it.
While I have the standard model here, for an extra $ 2 you can get the one with a microphone built into the cable.
Once you get past the cable, the overall comfort of the Moondrop Chu is pretty great. They are very light and quite small, so you don’t even feel like you’re wearing something. It’s really just the cable that keeps bringing the earbuds to your attention.
Audio quality
The Moondrop Chu has excellent audio quality for the price. The overall hue is fairly neutral with a slight upward trend.
The bass performance is exceptional. The frequency response follows for the most part close to the reference line, with no swelling in the low, mid and highs. There is some audible bass boost in the bass, but it’s usually not noticeable on most tracks and when it does emerge it’s a pleasant surprise, with a deep rumble that just adds that touch of oomph to the sound.
The mid-range performance is also quite good. The mid region sounds slightly pulled back towards my ears, which pushes the vocals back into the mix and gives a very faint V-shaped tonality to the sound, but is still very even overall and goes strong in the treble range.
Treble performance can make or break these earbuds for you. While the lower treble performance is good, the sound takes on a harsher, shimmering tone in the upper ranges. It almost feels like the audible equivalent of applying a sharpen filter to an image, giving an extra flair and sizzle to voices and instruments.
Depending on the source, I found it more or less tolerable. However, there are tracks where the treble response produced a very nasal and metallic vocal timbre, which doesn’t sound very pleasant. For example, Drake sounds more nasal in all music than he does, but this can be easily fixed by listening to better performers.
In terms of technical performance, the Moondrop Chu performs well for a pair of $ 20 IEMs. The level of detail in the sound is good; not necessarily $ 100 + good, but you do get a level of transparency and resolution in the sound that would have been hard to find in this price range in the past.
The picture and sound stage are less impressive. The sound is quite boxed in and lacks the sense of space or the articulate placement of more expensive earbuds. These wouldn’t be my first choice for gaming headsets, but in a pinch they’re just fine. Moondrop SSRs are still the best IEMs in this respect.
Overall, I am very impressed with the sound that comes out of the Moondrop Chu. While it’s not impossible to hear where it lags behind the more expensive IEMs, they still sound fantastic for the price. Despite the very cheap price, the sound is suitable for an existing or budding audiophile. This also means that if you are a more casual listener, you may not like the neutral sound and would probably want to look elsewhere.
Conclusion
Despite the competitive nature of the current IEM market, it appears that Moondrop is often competing with itself due to the quality of its products. The Chu is yet another colossal win for Moondrop, this time for just $ 20. The only complaint I have is with the cable; I wish the product cost $ 25 instead and came with a suitable detachable cable.
Other than that, I really don’t have much else to say about the Chu. For the price, it’s a great way for someone to dive into the world of audiophile IEMs or a good second, third or fifteenth pair for someone already into the hobby and want another cheap pair without compromising on sound.
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