Audiophiles on a budget are spoiled for choice with plenty of excellent, affordable IEMs from various brands in China available in India. Many of these ‘chi fi’ brands come and go, but one particular brand has stuck around for a while and has consistently produced great, value-driven products. Moondrop is popular for its budget and mid-range audiophile IEMs, and its most recent launch is the Moondrop Chu, which has been the subject of some hype in audiophile circles.
Price Rs. 1,999 in India for the variant with in-line microphone and remote, the Moondrop Chu is a beautiful pair of in-ear monitors with 3.5mm wired connectivity, 10mm dynamic drivers and neutral tuning and detailed sound. Is this the best affordable audiophile-friendly pair of earphones you can buy right now? Find out in this review.
The Moondrop Chu comes with ear hooks and a small fabric carry case
Moondrop Chu design and features
Unlike many niche, audiophile products from China, the Moondrop Chu should not be judged by its unusual name. The earphones look pretty good for a product priced below Rs. 2,000, has an interesting leaf-like pattern with metal earpieces. The only product logo on the headset is on the plastic Y-splitter module on the cable, while the earpiece only has markings to indicate left and right channels.
The Moondrop Chu features a transparent, stable cable with an in-line remote and microphone, and a 3.5mm plug for connectivity to the source device. The three-button remote has controls for volume and playback. If you prefer, you can opt for the variant without the in-line remote and microphone, priced at Rs. 1,799.
I found Moondrop Choo’s fit to be a bit tricky, because of how long it takes to fit. The silicone ear tips offered a decent seal and hold, and the ear hooks (included in the box) let the cable slip and stay in place for safety, but adjusting the length of the cable under the ear hooks always took some effort and time. And put them in place.
It got a little quicker to do over time, but it’s definitely not as easy as the similarly priced Final Audio E1000C and KZ Audio ZSN Pro X. However, the Moondrop Chu feels much more solid and premium than the Final Audio and KZ headsets, and looks great.
The Moondrop Chu features 10mm dynamic drivers, a frequency response range of 10-35,000Hz, an impedance rating of 28Ohms and a sensitivity rating of 120dB. The specifications make it easy to drive and comfortable to drive with basic source devices like budget smartphones. Shanling UA2 Portable DAC. The sales package includes three pairs of silicone ear tips, rubber ear hooks and a small fabric carry case.
The Moondrop Chu comes in two variants – one with an in-line remote and microphone, and one without
Moondrop Chu performance
While Bluetooth headsets have become more affordable over the years while simultaneously improving audio quality, many prefer the convenience of wireless connectivity over wired headphones and earphones. However, the main benefit of wired listening is much better sound quality, and the Moondrop Chu delivers sound that’s arguably better than the best wireless earphones you can buy right now.
For this review, I connected the Moondrop Chu to the OnePlus 9 Pro (Review). Shanling UA2 DAC in the middle, and used Apple Music to stream high-resolution audio tracks. I also used an iPad mini (2019) as an alternative source, connecting the earphones directly to its 3.5mm headphone jack.
In both cases, I found Moondrop Chu to be too loud; I found a 60 percent volume level on the iPad to be generally adequate, but didn’t dare exceed 50 percent with the Shanling UA2 DAC when driving earphones. Sound sounded rich and tonally excellent as the earphones managed to keep up with powerful input signals without any audible issues. With a good fit, the sound was engaging, revealing and full of energy.
With hold back love from Dutch funk trio Crack and Smack, the beat sounded deep and impactful, thanks to tight, responsive bass on Moondrop Choo. The track’s mid-tempo allowed for a lot of detail to be heard, along with subdued instrumentals in the background, and notably a clean, coherent and realistic sound beyond what I’ve heard on any other entry-level. Audiophile earphones.
Switching to more melodic styles, I listened to Psapp’s cover of Cozy In The Rocket by The Chillout Airlines Crew. The sound was detailed, while the soundstage was spacious and rich, delivering the kind of precise, immersive sound that only a good pair of IEMs can do. Everything in the track sounded rich and full of character, from the soft vocals on Moondrop Choo to the playful tunes. Although the tight bass caught my attention, I found the midrange to be refined as well.
At times, I found the treble a bit harsh on the Moondrop Chu, especially at higher volumes where the earphones were already pushing hard. At the same time, the aggressive bass can cause listener fatigue in some bass-centric tracks, such as Look Around Limp Bizkit. Like many IEMs in the audiophile-focused range, the Moondrop Chu has a tendency to get overwhelmed by fast, punchy tracks and excels with mellow, progressive music, especially house and soft rock genres.
The Moondrop Choo is a musical pair of earphones at its core, but the microphone gives it some flexibility with use. Performance on calls was good indoors, and I used the earphones on one occasion to record a long audio clip in a quiet room, to good effect. Oddly, using the Shanling UA2 DAC seemed to completely disable the microphone and in-line remote, but it worked fine when the earphones were connected directly to my iPad.
judgement
For an audiophile-grade IEM at Rs. There are some better options for less than that. 2,000, but nothing I’ve had the chance to try has been as fun as Moondrop Chu. Although the process of putting them on is time-consuming and difficult, this is a well-built pair of earphones that makes up for its shortcomings with its performance, especially when paired with a good DAC and high-resolution audio track.
There are small audio flaws, but they’re completely forgivable considering the Moondrop Chu’s price and its reasonable capabilities as a hands-free headset. Overall, this is probably the best starter IEM I can recommend right now, and an impressive showcase of what can be achieved on a shoestring budget, in terms of sound quality.
