>>I am brazilian and I speak portuguese, so forgive my english, I’ll use translation tools to help<<
INTRO:
Moondrop is looking to fully enter in the fight for True Wireless earphones, and after launching some TWSs, the company has completely ‘dropped’ the price and brought us its newest entry-level wireless earphone, the Moondrop Space Travel.
The Space Travel was tested with a Motorola Z3 Play, and a DAP FiiO M11S.
Price: $24,99 USD
Colors: White/Transparent, Black/Orange
Model used: Black/Orange
MOONDROP Links:
https://amzn.to/484Q7YR (Black)
https://amzn.to/3NBl7az (White)
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DlPfxWh
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DDwVf1r
SPECIFICATIONS:
– (1) 13mm Dynamic Driver Titanium Plated
– THD: ≤ 0.1%
– Touch Control
– Bluetooth 5.3
– Codecs: AAC, SBC
– Bluetooth Profile: HFP, HSP, A2DP, AVRCP
– ANC – Active noise cancellation
– Signal range: 10 meters
– Voice assistant: Mitsuki Yuki
– Moondrop Link 2.0 App – 3 EQ modes
– Low latency mode: Music/Game
– Battery life: 4 hours (earphones) + 12 hours (case)
– Compatible OS: Android and iOS
– Charging time earphones: about 1h
– Charging time case: about 1.5h
– Earphones battery: 3.7V/37mAh
– Case battery: 3.7V/380mAh
– Charging via cable (USB-C)
– USB-C power supply: 5V 1A input
– Case size: 4.2cm [H] × 5.3cm [W] × 2.5cm [D]
– Weight: 4.2g (one side)(with tips)
– Case weight: 42.2g (with earphones)
– Total weight (box, earphones, etc): 102.9g
– Packaging size: 9cm [H] x 7.2cm [W] x 3.5cm [D]
UNBOXING:
PHYSICAL ASPECTS:
First, I would like to note that the case of the Moondrop Space Travel is quite similar to the FIIL CC PRO2 and FIIL CC NANO cases, at least the idea of not having a lid, I first saw this in FIIL’s earphones.
Let’s talk about the eartips. The kit is quite simple, like other TWS earphones. It came with 3 pairs in sizes S/M/L, and an extra pair in size L that is already installed on the earphones, which were the eartips used for the product review. What I notice is that these eartips are oval-shaped, just like the nozzle of the earphones also has an oval shape. In my opinion, both oval-shaped eartips and nozzles aren’t the best options to be put on earphones. In my experience, the cylindrical shape still manages to generate a better fit and comfort. I know this is partly subjective, but if you have tested any earphones with this oval shape and had any insertion problem, consider this a warning.
Construction. Starting with the earphones. The design is good, it has straight stems, which facilitates the touch control, even better than the FIIL earphones mentioned in the first paragraph. Now, something I found just ok was the quality of the plastic used in the earphones, it gives the feeling of being very cheap plastic, in this sense, the FIIL earphones give a more premium feeling. I also have an Anker P20i here (review coming soon), which costs in the same price range as the Space Travel, and I’m already saying that the quality of the material used in the earphone is also superior to the Space Travel. Another thing I noticed was that the company doesn’t inform the IP protection certificate of the earphones (at least I didn’t find it).
The case (charging case). Aesthetically, I found the combination of black and orange colors very cool, and the fact that the place of the earphones is transparent, gives a retro product feel (in my opinion). On the positive side, I think it’s a very compact case, good for carrying, or even for not taking up space on the desk. In the earphone’ fixation test inside the case, I think they were approved, I made this very clear in the unboxing video, the only situation in which they fell, was when I exerted a disproportionate force, but then other earphones I tested also fell when I applied the same force. On the not so positive points, I could highlight that the USB-C port is on the bottom of the case, and we have already seen that this prevents the product from being charged in the original position of the case, other companies have already corrected this detail. It’s very easy to take the earphones out of the case, but when storing them, the earphones don’t always go in correctly… The stems get caught on the side of the case, I even let this appear in the unboxing video, I found this detail a bit annoying. The transparent (orange) plastic of the case I found to be very easy to scratch, so, I foresee that in a short time the product may look damaged (it depends a lot on the use). Another issue is also the battery time indicated by Moondrop (4+12h), I honestly didn’t have a problem with this, but I think there are other earphones that offer more time.
Bluetooth signal connectivity. I liked the stability and range of the Space Travel signal, I was able to use the earphones far from my cell phone and still managed to listen to music without signal break. I was able to use it between the rooms of the house and the walls did not interfere with the signal. The signal range was very good, I went to a distance of 10 meters or more and the music kept playing. About the Touch of the earphones, I found that the touch controls are very responsive, I had no problems when I executed the commands.
Latency (delay) test. There are two modes: Music and Game. I did a test watching a video on YouTube and I found that the Music mode isn’t 100% accurate, but as the name itself says, if it’s for listening to music this doesn’t make a difference. Already with the Game mode I found that the sync had a better performance and was 100% synchronized the image with the sound.
Moondrop Link 2.0 App. The Space Travel is one of Moondrop’s products that features the smartphone app feature. As usual, I will put the screenshots and everything is already self-explanatory:
One detail I would like to inform is that the app is not available on Google Play, although the product announcement says it is. Unfortunately, I didn’t find it. It was possible to download the app from the Moondrop website and install it on my smartphone.
Another detail I also noticed was the absence of volume control on the earphones, there’s no way to increase or decrease the volume through the earphones, only through the device (smartphone, DAP, Computer, etc).
The Space Travel has the feature of Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). In addition to ANC, the earphones also have two other modes, Transparency, and Standard (no feature activated). Here we have something different, the words that indicate the modes are as follows: ANC = “Shhh”, Transparency = “Hey!”, Standard = “Hum”. I found this totally out of the standards that the market presents. Most of the time in TWSs, the voice assistant describes which mode is activated at the moment, which I think is the most convenient. In practice, the features work: I always find the Transparency to be more efficient than the ANC in these TWSs, since I think that the ANC is just a softening, and not a total blockage of external sounds (as many people think), but it’s always better to have ANC than not to have.
Microphones. I did the Mic test and found the quality to be very good, I was surprised with the result, of course, there is still a somewhat muffled sound, but you can understand everything that is said with a good definition. Then I did a test with a fan very close to my face, then the thing turned into a disaster, a lot of noise capture in the audio.
Fit & comfort. The fit was good, despite what I said at the beginning about the earphone nozzle being oval… I think it’s not a small earphone, so here’s a tip for those who have small ears. The stability was good, the earphones didn’t need adjustments (for my ears). I kind of insert it diagonally and then bring it inside (the shells). The comfort is good/ok, it’s a light earphone, which is a very positive point. I was able to watch movies and listen to music with the earphones always for about 2h without taking them out of my ears, and I had no discomfort (another positive point). I wish it was a little smaller, I think it would be even more comfortable (subjective). I found the insertion to be medium/shallow, and the isolation good/ok.
Accessories. In addition to the mentioned eartips, it comes with a USB-A to USB-C cable to charge the earphones. Separately you can buy a synthetic leather case made for the Space Travel. Here’s the links:
https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DkOyEKH
SOUND ASPECTS:
I understand the sound of the Moondrop Space Travel as a neutral with a bass boost. We know that Moondrop has its own target curve, the VDSF, which is a tuning that seeks neutrality with a slight increase in the bass region. In my opinion, the tuning of the earphone is interesting, but it falls short in technical performance. Maybe I think this way because I have been evaluating wired IEMs with more sophisticated acoustic designs and components, or also because maybe I enjoy a more vivid and energetic sound, and from that, I think the Space Travel doesn’t come close.
The earphone was evaluated in “Reference” mode. It has 3 equalization modes available in the App: “Monitor”, “Reference”, and “Basshead”. The Basshead mode has nothing of Basshead, the difference to the Reference mode was minimal, all I noticed was a small boost between the subs and the mid-bass, the difference was so small that I preferred to stick with the Reference mode. The Monitor mode has a bigger difference, when applied, the earphone kind of loses the bass and enters a “flat” sound. The sound of the earphone in this Monitor mode becomes completely “pale”, soulless, I don’t recommend it even to my worst enemy!
Bass:
Quantitative: I understand the level of the bass as moderate. It’s that ok amount to play the songs. If you are a basshead, then you will be missing bass. I say this because I enjoy some genres that ask for a little more bass, and I found that the Space Travel left something to be desired… but it’s a matter of subjectivity, I can also listen with a little less bass. The main focus of the bass is in the sub-bass region. I didn’t feel roll-off, it has good extension.
Qualitative: They are more versatile, controlled bass, they don’t invade the mids. The impact is average, neither something so present, nor something so weak. The bass of this earphone is the opposite of the bass of the Samsung Galaxy Buds2, where the latter gushes texture, weight, body and definition, the Space Travel ends up lacking all this… Ok the Space Travel seeks a more “natural” sound line, but the technicality was neglected. It’s okay the Space Travel is today the cheapest TWS I’ve ever evaluated, so I won’t demand much from it, but I’m going to start evaluating other TWSs in this price range, and then I can be more critical.
Mids:
Quantitative and Qualitative: The mids of the Space Travel are neither recessed nor “forward”, I say this because I don’t feel that they are distant or too frontal. Honestly, this is the best region of the earphone, but I confess that it is far from having a high-quality performance, I found something just good/ok. I listened to some songs that I am used to evaluating earphones, and some information was hidden in the presentation, so I think there is a lack of more detail and resolution here.
Voices: I think there was a technical tie, that is, for both types of voices – high or low – the Space Travel achieved an ok result, but in this case, it also cannot have an excellent performance for either type.
Treble:
Quantitative: The amount of treble of the Space Travel I found to be moderate to low. Here really is a region that doesn’t stand out in the earphone. I noticed the presence of roll-off, and the extension was also impaired. Even with this lower presence of the treble, the earphone doesn’t enter the hall of dark earphones.
Qualitative: Not only was the quantitative low, but the qualitative as well… Yes, unfortunately in this case I found that the qualitative aspects of the treble suffered from a low technical performance. Lack of airy, definition, detail… These were the impressions I had. What I could say about positive points is that the treble don’t present sibilance, they aren’t colored, nor do they cause fatigue. As they are in smaller quantity, you will hardly hear any harshness, peaks, or stridency. For example, a Hi-Hats sound, I feel that it has little detail, little resolution in the sound of the instrument.
Soundstage: The sense of spatiality I found to be average. The earphone has an average performance in the three dimensions: height, width, and depth. Now, it also doesn’t offer a completely closed sound, the good part is that, it has a minimum so that the presentation doesn’t become claustrophobic.
Imaging: I found the instrumental separation to be from average to low. Here I really found that the earphone struggles a bit to create a separation between the instruments. It’s possible to hear the instruments, of course, but it doesn’t seem that they are far apart from each other, although the final result I don’t consider chaotic. I am also taking into account wired earphones with multiple drivers, etc. (remembering that the separation can also vary according to the recording and other processes during musical production).
Driver Flex Test: The conclusion is that during all the time I spent evaluating the earphone, it didn’t present the noise of driver flex.
Amplification: We know that Bluetooth earphones don’t need analysis about this part of amplification, so here I always comment on the part of the earphone volume. I found that the Space Travel has a good/average level of volume, testing on the smartphone I left it at 80%, which is equivalent to volume 12 of the 15 available by Android. It was possible to reach the max volume without feeling discomfort (and I have the habit of listening to music at a more pleasant volume).
Music is subjective, so below is the list of some musical genres that I personally think that was better with this IEM. Remember that were only few genres and few artists tested. If I describe that one genre was better and the other don’t, it doesn’t mean that you can’t listen to your favorite music genre with this IEM and love it. So, here goes:
Better:
Hip Hop
Reggae
EDM
POP
Rock
Blues
Metal
*Brazilian musical genres.
Not so much:
Classical
Jazz
MPB*
Samba*
Bossa Nova*
Link da Playlist:
Graphs by VSG:
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