Moondrop Stellaris IEMs – Galactic Performance
Moondrop Stellaris is a 94 USD pair of IEMs designed around a large 14.5mm planar magnetic driver, with a beautiful aesthetic, detachable cables, and they’ll be compared to other high-quality entry-level IEMs, including Tin Audio T5 (130 USD), IKKO OH1 Meteor (140 USD), and NF Audio NM2+ (170 USD)
Introduction
Moondrop is one of the bigger Chifi or Chinese companies that design high fidelity products such as IEMs and nowadays headphones and DACs. They are sold by Linsoul, and they can be found on Amazon, and virtually everywhere, but they do not offer any warranty directly, so make sure to purchase and order from a shop that offers strong warranty and support, like Linsoul, and for extra protection Amazon is the best place to order your favorite audio products from.
It should be noted that I have absolutely no affiliation with Linsoul or Moondrop, I am not receiving any incentive for this review or to sweeten things out. I’d like to thank Linsoul for providing the sample for this review. Every opinion expressed is mine and I stand by it. The purpose of this review is to help those interested in Moondrop Stellaris Planar IEMs find their next music companion.
Product Link
You can grab one from www.amazon.com here: https://amzn.to/3W0nvcq
If you’re in the UK, you can grab one from www.amazon.co.uk here: https://amzn.to/3vULvD4
And if you’re from Europe, you can grab one from www.amazon.de here: https://amzn.to/3QwwZe3
Build Quality/Aesthetics/Fit/Comfort
The design of Stellaris is stellar in looks, they are an indigo / brilliant Blue colored pair of IEMs, with superb golden inscriptions and they are made of metal. This also makes them extremely heavy, placing them second only to Hiby Seeds II, which are still the heaviest IEMs I reviewed. Weight is not such a big problem when it is supported well by the ergonomics of the IEMs, Stellaris having a rather ergonomic shape, but burrowing something from 7Hz and Eternal / Timeless IEMs in the sense that the faceplate has a different shape from the internal IEM construction. They come with super sticky tips, despite not having any bone conduction drivers. In fact, they have one of the largest 14.5mm planar magnetic drivers out there. The design is beautiful, but the resulting comfort is average, as the IEM shells are somewhat large. The cables are detachable and connect ot the IEMs with a 2-Pin connector
The company tries to take pride in the Stellaris Ultra Clear Tips, but they are really sticky and cause discomfort after even a short wearing time. Stellaris offers a good passive noise isolation, about 20 dB, and does not leak almost at all. There is no driver flex when inserting them, and they generally don’t have microphonics with the default cable.
With the cold season here, I would consider metallic IEMs an average option because they will keep your ears cold. The cables are white ish in color, but are of a good quality. They are springy though, and have a shape they always want to return to, also having a bit of microphonic noise while in usage. The shape of Stellaris is generally large, offering good comfort only for medium and large ears.
The default cable is 3.5mm single ended, with no additional options at the moment I am writing today’s review. The carrying case is nice, and offers good protection for the IEMs. It feels refreshing to review a chifi entry-level IEM that tries to go for a proprietary marketing than slapping a reviewer name on it, not because the ones made with reviewer aid are bad, but because they will be limited runs, while Moondrop IEMs like Illumination are still in production and still make it to music lovers from all over the world.
Sound Quality
Starting with the sources used for today’s review, I’ve been pairing the Stellaris with Hiby RS2, HIDIZS AP80 PRO-X, JDS Labs El AMPII+ Balanced, Mechen M30, iBasso DX170, Shanling UP5. Stellaris can eat quite a bit of power, sitting at almost 3 / 4 of the max volume with Hiby RS2. They have good rejection for background noise and hissing, so pairing is not a problem. In fact, Stellaris does not react a lot to source quality, being great with both entry-level and high-end sources. The high power eating design is something unexpected since they have a low impedance of 36 OHMs and a super high sensitivity / SPL of 117dB, being one of those things you get to know only after using a product.
The general sound is bright / V-shaped, with a bright treble, a good bass, and a somewhat recessed midrange. The midrange tends to be clean, clear, somewhat bright and thin, but they have a resolution and detail far better than the price would otherwise indicate. I would call Stellaris analytical in nature, they are not super smooth, nor super warm.
The bass is generally somewhat uplifted above the midrange, but it is edging on being neutral in quantity, with a low quantity of lower and sub bass, and a slightly higher quantity of mid and upper bass. There’s a certain warmth in music, but Stellaris is mostly brightly tuned, and the warmth in the bass is not quite enough to balance out the strong bright treble. This is similar to what I’ve heard with other IEMs based on planar magnetic drivers, as they all seem to have a really strong treble and a lower quantity of bass, despite headphones with planar magnetic drivers being rather smooth, full and lush.
The midrange of Stellaris is super interesting, they are extremely detailed, have superb instrument separation and outstanding resolution, especially for the money paid. The midrange has a rising slope design, it has a higher energy in the upper midrange,e and a lower amount and energy in the lower midrange. This makes violins and pianos crystal clear, female voices super pleasing and detailed, but male voices are thin and lack body, and the same can be said about most instruments with strong fundamentals in the lower frequencies. EDM and commercial music, like pop, sounds good, but Rap, Jazz and music with strong fundamentals in the bass can sound thin and even fatiguing at times.
The treble has a peak around about 10 kHz, an area around which it has a strong resonance, making all music somewhat bright, thin and regardless of volume, slightly fatiguing. This being said, the whole signature Moondrop went for is bright and analytical, so it is understandable that they’d want to go for a peak that highlights as much detail as possible. The treble has a natural presentation for the most part, and never comes through as metallic, harsh or downright too much, but it can be considered somewhat peaky.
Comparisons
Moondrop Stellaris vs Tin Audio T5 (94 USD vs 130 USD) – The overall clarity and resolution are far better on the Stellaris, which boasts better layering and instrument separation. On the other hand, the comfort is better for T5, and they offer better passive noise isolation as well. Both are good with the soundstage, but T5 sounds both wider and deeper, while Stellaris is better if you want to hear details well, especially treble, and details in the upper midrnage / treble. For male voices, T5 sounds better, while for female voices and if you want a crystalline sound with a lower amount bass-low fundamentals, Stellaris should work better.
Moondrop Stellaris vs IKKO OH1 Meteor (94 USD vs 140 USD) – The overall sonic presentation of OH1 Meteor is similar to that of Stellaris, but the comfort of OH1 Meteor is better, it is a lighter and more ergonomic IEM. The maximum resolution is higher on the Stellaris which is able to deliver better clarity and punchiness, along with better maximum resolution. Both IEMs are good options, but Stellaris has a lower price point. Meteor offers a wider and a deeper soundstage, with a better bass and sub bass presentation.
Moondrop Stellaris vs NF Audio NM2+ (94 USD vs 170 USD) – We have a good performance from both, but NM2+ is quite a bit pricier, and it has a better comfort, lower weight, lower quality for the default cables, and at the end of the day they are comparable in comfort. The sound is rolled off for NM2+. which is thick, deep, and lush with a lower resolution and clarity. Putting it like that, Stellaris is a better value, offering better detail, clarity and impact for a lower price, but at the cost of being fatiguing at times, being peaky around 10-11kHz, and at the cost of having a more intimate soundstage with lower height and depth.
Value and Conclusion
At the end of the day I can say that Moondrop Stellaris has good value, and for its entry-level price, it offers a nice aesthetic, a reliable, yet heavy build, and a super nice sonic performance, with good resolution and clarity. You pay little but get a lot for what you paid, Stellaris being at the top of my obscure but high performance chifi IEMs.
If you’re looking for utmost clarity, perfect precision and a nice cable, all at the price of about 94 USD, Moondrop Stellaris will be happy to deliver, and the same can be said about Linsoul and Amazon.
Product Link
You can grab one from www.amazon.com here: https://amzn.to/3W0nvcq
If you’re in the UK, you can grab one from www.amazon.co.uk here: https://amzn.to/3vULvD4
And if you’re from Europe, you can grab one from www.amazon.de here: https://amzn.to/3QwwZe3
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Full Playlist used for this review
We listened to more songs than those named in this playlist, but those are excellent for identifying a sonic signature. I recommend trying most of the songs from this playlist, especially if you’re searching for new music! The playlists are different for Spotify, Tidal and Youtube, and based on the songs I enjoy and are available on each!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_cjBXGmwSHSdGcwuc_bKbBDGHL4QvYBu
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5J3oloz8Riy9LxEGenOjQ0?si=979ba4f082414be7
https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/330fd544-8e5b-4839-bd35-676b2edbb3d5
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