Наушники — Moondrop DARK SABER

Moondrop, based in China, sells the DARK SABER as a hybrid reference IEM for universal fit. Each earpiece combines two dynamic drivers with eight balanced armature drivers, making ten drivers per side, and the shell is closed. It uses a detachable cable and ships with a 3.5 mm single-ended termination.

Key specs that matter

Launch pricing was USD 799. The driver complement consists of a horizontally opposed pair of 10 mm dynamic drivers, four customised balanced armatures for the midrange and four Knowles SWFK balanced armatures for the treble. Moondrop quotes impedance of 22 ohms plus or minus 15 percent and sensitivity of 128 dB per Vrms, both at 1 kHz, with total harmonic distortion at or below 1 percent at 1 kHz. The frequency response is given as 7 Hz to 41,000 Hz measured to IEC61094 in free field, while the effective response is 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz within 3 dB to IEC60318-4.

Engineering and use context

In the horizontally opposed module the two dynamic drivers face each other and work in tandem, a layout that relies on 3D-printed internal parts to hold the drivers and form their acoustic path. Splitting duties between the dynamic pair, the custom mid-range armatures and the Knowles tweeter armatures means each group covers a narrower part of the spectrum. The faceplates are built from hundreds of layers of high-strength carbon fibre, so the surface texture differs from one unit to the next. The cable connects through the 0.78 mm 2-pin standard, which lets owners swap it for any other 2-pin lead. The supplied cable uses a Litz structure of silver-plated copper, and its plug screws off and can be replaced.

Pairing

Being so efficient, the DARK SABER reaches normal listening levels from low output voltages, so a phone, a compact USB DAC or a portable player is enough to drive it. The 2-pin standard also means the earphone is not tied to one proprietary lead if the supplied cable is damaged. Because the plug is replaceable, the earphone can move between single-ended and balanced sources once a matching plug is fitted. The 2-pin sockets accept third-party cables with other terminations as well.

Alternatives

The Moondrop ILLUSTRIOUS uses one 11 mm dynamic driver per side inside a titanium alloy shell.