Headphones — Moondrop RAYS

The Moondrop Rays is a wired in-ear monitor aimed at gaming, belonging to the Gravity Pro Gaming series. Moondrop describes it as a USB-C DSP gaming earphone with an AI noise-cancelling microphone, and it was launched in April 2025 at a suggested price of USD 99.99. A built-in sound card means it connects to digital sources directly, including phones without a headphone jack.

Key specs that matter

Each shell holds a hybrid pair of drivers - a 10 mm dynamic driver with a sapphire-plated diaphragm and a 6 mm annular planar magnetic driver. Rated frequency response spans 7 Hz to 39 kHz, while the effective range to IEC60318-4 at -3 dB is 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Impedance is 30 ohm plus or minus 15 percent at 1 kHz, sensitivity is 120 dB per Vrms at 1 kHz, and distortion is specified as 0.05 percent or lower at 1 kHz. A removable lead connects to the shells via 0.78 mm two-pin sockets, and the other end of the stock lead carries a USB-C plug.

Engineering and use context

The integrated DSP sound card sits on a four-layer gold-plated circuit board and decodes music up to 32 bit and 384 kHz. Wired USB-C transmission keeps latency below 5 ms, against roughly 50 ms that Moondrop cites for wireless alternatives. The microphone is housed in the remote and has a dedicated NPU running AI voice processing and real-time noise suppression. Tuning follows the Moondrop VDSF target response by default, and the Moondrop app provides visual multi-point parametric EQ, one-button EQ switching and presets for more than 20 titles such as Valorant, Counter-Strike and Apex Legends. Users can build their own profiles and share them with a community. The shells are 3D printed from medical-grade resin in cooperation with HeyGears Technology, chosen for low weight and skin compatibility. The package includes the earphones, the stock lead, an extension cable that converts to USB-A for PC use, a storage bag, three pairs of ear tips, a manual and a certificate card.

Pairing

The Rays needs no external DAC or amplifier, since conversion happens in the cable. It plugs into USB-C phones, tablets and consoles, and the supplied extension adapts it to USB-A ports on desktop computers. The two-pin sockets accept any standard replacement lead.

Alternatives

The Moondrop Quark 2 is a cheaper Moondrop earphone for USB-C sources with a single 7.8 mm dynamic driver and a fixed cable.