Наушники — Moondrop QUARK 2

The Moondrop Quark 2 is a wired in-ear monitor whose cable ends in a USB-C plug rather than a 3.5 mm jack. Moondrop calls it a micro-dynamic-driver headphone and builds the digital conversion, amplification and signal processing into the cable, so a phone, tablet or computer without an analogue headphone output can drive it directly. The European list price is EUR 21.57 including tax, and the finish is grey.

Key specs that matter

Inside each earpiece Moondrop fits one dynamic driver with a diameter of 7.8 mm. Its diaphragm combines a dome of liquid crystal polymer with a flexible suspension, a construction Moondrop says was optimised specifically for the Quark 2 tuning. Behind it sits an N52 neodymium magnet circuit and a lightweight CCAW voice coil made of copper-clad aluminium wire. The stated frequency response runs from 20 Hz to 20 kHz, measured to IEC60318-4 within 3 dB, while distortion is quoted at a maximum of 0.05 percent at 1 kHz. The integrated decoder accepts PCM up to 32 bit and 384 kHz, and signal latency over the wired link is quoted at under 5 ms.

Engineering and use context

The front cavity of each shell is closed, and Moondrop pairs this acoustic design with DSP that can be adjusted through a graphical online interface. The USB-C plug works to the standard UAC 2.0 audio protocol, which lets it run without extra software on Windows PCs, Macs, Android phones, iPhones or iPads with a USB-C port. Inside the plug or cable sits a USB audio system on chip built on a 40 nm process, combining CPU, RAM, DSP and a decoding amplifier in one package. The cable is 1.2 m long. At the earpiece end it uses a 0.78 mm two-pin interface, although on this model it is not detachable. An in-line control module carries volume buttons and a microphone for phone calls. The box contains the earpieces with the attached cable, three pairs of ear tips (S, M, L), a manual, a certificate and a service card.

Pairing

Because conversion and amplification happen inside the cable, the Quark 2 needs no separate DAC or headphone amplifier. It connects to any source that outputs digital audio over USB-C, including laptops and phones that lack an analogue socket, and the in-line microphone lets it double as a headset for calls and voice chat.

Alternatives

The Moondrop Rays is a further Moondrop earphone with a USB-C connection, combining a 10 mm dynamic driver with a 6 mm planar magnetic driver on a removable lead.