Наушники — Moondrop THE DROPLET

THE DROPLET is a wired earphone from Moondrop that was announced at the end of January 2023 with a launch price of USD 49.99, while the current retail figure is USD 57.99. It combines two ideas that are unusual together at this price - a single balanced armature driver in place of the dynamic drivers found in most budget earphones, and a fixed cable ending in a USB-C plug with its own digital audio chip. The drop-shaped shells take their inspiration from the science fiction novel The Three-Body Problem, and the packaging carries the same theme with cards that refer to the book.

Key specs that matter

Each shell holds one customised full-range balanced armature unit, with no crossover and no second driver. The housings are machined from solid brass on CNC equipment and then chrome plated. Moondrop specifies a frequency response of 20 Hz to 20 kHz within 3 dB, measured on an IEC 60318-4 ear simulator, and total harmonic distortion of no more than 1 percent at 1 kHz. The cable cannot be detached, and it carries an in-line remote with a MEMS microphone. Warranty is one year for the earpieces and three months for the cable.

Engineering and use context

A balanced armature is a tiny sealed motor in which a reed, balanced between magnets, moves a small diaphragm, and it is normally used as one of several drivers in multi-way earphones. Here one armature covers the full band, which keeps the shell very small. The design is nozzle-less, so the armature outlet opens straight into the tip without a protruding tube, and Moondrop states that this layout greatly reduces external noise. Frequency shaping happens in the USB-C plug, where an audio SoC combines decoding, amplification and a DSP stage. Moondrop tunes the DSP towards its VDSF target response. The microphone and remote make the earphone usable for calls, video meetings and gaming. The box includes three pairs of foam tips, a small leather pouch and a decorative dog tag with the brand logo.

Pairing

Any phone, tablet or laptop with a USB-C port that supports USB audio can drive THE DROPLET, and the DAC and amplifier in the plug replace the headphone output of the device. Phones with a Lightning port need an adapter. Headphone amplifiers and players with only analogue outputs cannot be used with it.

Alternatives

The Moondrop JIU is the USB-C model with a built-in DAC and DSP built around a 10mm moving-coil unit whose diaphragm is titanium-plated.