Brand: MOONDROP
Model: ArmatureArt Twenty Four ArmatureArt 24
Type: Wired in ear monitor
Price: 6999 RMB
Technical features: 24 balanced armature drivers per side 16 for low frequency 4 for mid high frequency and 4 for ultra high frequency Impedance 5.8 ohms Sensitivity 119dB Vrms at 1kHz
Appearance features: Highly transparent translucent 3D printed shell Gold coloured titanium alloy faceplate decorated with the arrangement of the 24 balanced armature drivers Titanium ice flower three dimensional texture
Other features: 19 core monocrystalline copper plus 19 core pure silver hybrid balanced cable Interchangeable 3.5mm and 4.4mm plugs Comes with ATF foam silicone tips UC liquid silicone tips and grey classic eartips
Sound overview: A return of the classic Moondrop tuning under a pure balanced armature framework Rich low frequency layering reverb and atmospheric presentation Highlighting an overall premium aesthetic
One sentence review: An earphone that delivers excellent sound quality across the entire frequency range while also offering great musical atmosphere and a premium sense of aesthetics
MOONDROP recently released the ArmatureArt 12 a single sided 12 balanced armature driver model which captured the hearts of many pop vocal and ACG music lovers with its sweet and dense sound signature Now just half a month later the 24 driver ArmatureArt 24 makes its dazzling debut When everyone thought the AA24 would be a comprehensive enhanced version based on the AA12 style the officially announced driver configuration surprised everyone Unlike the balanced driver distribution of the AA12 which features four low frequency four mid frequency and four high frequency drivers the AA24 s configuration uses sixteen drivers for low frequency four for mid high frequency and four for ultra high frequency When I heard the founder of MOONDROP describe the driver configuration at the exhibition I was shocked Looking at the numbers alone this seems like a bass monster However from the early engineering units to the near production version shown at the Shenzhen exhibition in May the bass of the AA24 has never been excessive So a rather surprising fact presents itself The AA24 with a total of 24 drivers 16 of which are low frequency drivers actually has less bass quantity in actual listening than the AA12 which has a total of 12 drivers with only 4 low frequency drivers Is this reasonable
To understand this issue we first need to understand the technology behind these 16 low frequency balanced armature drivers in the AA24 It is not simply a matter of all 16 drivers firing together Instead they are arranged sequentially along the sound transmission path with a uniform progressive delay time order thereby simulating the diffusion effect of sound in a real space This 16 in one driver array not only maintains the advantages of fast response and high resolution typical of balanced armature bass drivers but also uses a patented combination of quantity stacking and progressive delay to create a natural and realistic reverb and diffusion feel This is why MOONDROP has gone against conventional thinking by using 16 low frequency drivers in the AA24
This 24 driver balanced armature earphone is not a basshead earphone designed to pursue overwhelming low frequency quantity On the contrary the high quality bass it seeks places more emphasis on bass resolution layering diffusion and the musical atmosphere it creates In essence the AA24 is a comprehensively excellent high quality well balanced IEM whose low frequency features outstanding distinctive characteristics
The packaging design and internal structure of the AA24 are basically the same as the AA12 and the cover illustration follows the same style except that the drivers in the environment where MOONDROP Yuki is located have become 24 balanced armature drivers In terms of accessories as a high end model priced at 6999 RMB the AA24 comes with more refined cable and eartip configurations The stock cable is a 19 core monocrystalline copper plus 19 core pure silver hybrid balanced cable with interchangeable 3.5mm and 4.4mm plugs Based on actual listening this cable is likely the best in terms of materials and sound quality among all stock cables that come with Moondrop in ear monitors complementing the tuning of the AA24 perfectly However this cable is not very soft and is thicker than the usual cables from Moondrop The included ATF eartips appear for the first time in Moondrop s earphone accessories These are thin umbrella shaped eartips using memory foam You can squeeze them or not before inserting into the ear canal and once they expand back they provide excellent fit and comfort Compared to traditional COMPLY style foam tips this design does not create a sense of pressure from excessive expansion nor does it make the sound muddy Sony and final have similar eartip designs these types of eartips are consumables relative to traditional ones and it remains to be seen whether they will be sold separately The UC tips made of liquid silicone which offer a higher degree of fit and the classic grey long barrel eartips provide different wearing experiences and sound characteristics
The exterior contour of the AA24 is largely consistent with the AA12 The faceplate has been changed to a titanium alloy material and the gold coloured faceplate features a layout diagram of the 24 balanced armature drivers along with a beautiful Titanium Ice Flower three dimensional texture giving it a strong sense of visual premium quality Inside the transparent translucent 3D printed resin shell you can clearly see the densely packed 24 balanced armature drivers of which 16 are partially covered and their sound is transmitted to the earphone nozzle through a pipe Due to the large number of drivers the nozzle of the AA24 is thicker than that of typical in ear monitors making it somewhat more difficult to install eartips Fortunately this does not affect wearing comfort Coupled with the well controlled weight of the earphone 7.5g per side and the good fit of the shell even prolonged wear of over two hours does not create any sense of pressure
The impedance of the AA24 is only 5.8 ohms and the sensitivity is 119dB Vrms at 1kHz This means that the AA24 despite having 24 drivers is not difficult to drive Although using a three to four hundred yuan dongle DAC to drive a 7000 yuan IEM is somewhat of an innovative playful approach the sound from such a combination turns out to be quite good This proves two things first this IEM is indeed not hard to drive and second it reflects that the AA24 s inherent technical performance relies more on the drivers themselves and is not overly sensitive to the driving power and quality of the source device Even after trying several flagship DAPs one by one the improvement in sound quality is limited and does not significantly elevate the overall sound framework or fullness
The low frequency is clearly a major highlight of the AA24 This IEM might be the best interpretation of what clear bass actually means Compared to the simple and crude boom boom bam that blindly emphasises aggressive slam and sub bass depth the bass of the AA24 is far more gentlemanly First the bass quantity of the AA24 is very restrained yet it places great emphasis on the sense of bass surface area When a drum hit lands it triggers an audible vibration throughout the entire sound space rather than being confined to a single point or a small area Second the low frequency of the AA24 has rich layering Although I have emphasised the concept of bass layering in some of my previous earphone reviews I have only seen the kind of calm and rhythmic progressive propagation of low frequency energy that the AA24 achieves on some high end dynamic driver earphones at the 20000 RMB level and above This bass does not shove the soundwave of the bass guitar directly at you all at once but rather delivers it to your ears in batches at extremely short consecutive time points For example at the beginning of my commonly used test track A Man Should Strengthen Himself theme music the diffusion and just the right amount of reverb after the drum hits are far superior to the forced and overwhelming listening experience of traditional basshead earphones Based on these characteristics I believe that even without aggressive slam or prominent quantity expression the AA24 is a rightful champion in the low frequency battle
The high frequency reproduction of the AA24 is also very advanced Building on a clear and neutral foundation it establishes a highly defined treble presentation with strong definition of note outlines Its treble resolution and tonal brilliance clearly surpass that of the AA12 and it has few rivals among multi driver IEMs at the 7k price point For example with multiple violins in an orchestra the AA24 can reproduce them in a clear and layered manner rather than sounding like a single block even in large scale symphonic works On the other hand the AA24 retains a certain amount of treble harshness This mild level of harshness which is within the tolerance range of most listeners actually reveals the dynamism of a high technical performance earphone The extension of the AA24 is excellent and while being clear and smooth the definition of note outlines fully keeps up I have no trouble using it daily for classical music
The midrange is the only area where the AA24 subjectively may not match the AA12 Not in terms of sound quality but rather in terms of presentation style similar to the low frequency The AA12 has a thick full and sweet midrange whereas the midrange of the AA24 emphasises neutral accuracy and higher density with somewhat more restrained thickness and less coloration The midrange imaging of the AA24 feels more true to life and beyond the equally abundant detail it presents a more scientific and appropriate size relative to the expansive soundstage giving it an advantage when reproducing live recordings this is particularly noticeable when listening to Mai Kuraki s Symphonic Collection in Moscow That said the midrange of the AA24 is not lacking in thickness or smoothness Especially after switching to the ATF eartips even when listening to works by vocalists with excellent singing skills and rich nuanced recordings such as Jacky Cheung and Eason Chan it fully reproduces the grain of the voice and the musical atmosphere without easily thinning out the sound Coupled with outstanding separation the midrange of the AA24 can also be described as clear yet full of charm
The MOONDROP AA24 is an earphone that pursues high technical performance and accuracy as a whole with a sound aesthetic that leans towards the premium side Although the specification of 16 low frequency drivers is quite eye catching I recommend paying more attention to its overall sound performance and stylistic characteristics A multi balanced armature earphone with such strong overall depiction expansive soundstage outstanding information quantity and dynamic performance while also fully ensuring the atmosphere required for various music genres in terms of reverb and harmonics this is perhaps the true charm of this 24 driver balanced armature in ear monitor
Source：巡洋艦3rd
