MOONDROP as a company has always given the impression that they have retained the same sense of curiosity and wonder about the world as they did at the very beginning while building upon that foundation with growing ambition and vision Some people when they have grown a company to this stage undergo a significant shift in mindset becoming much more cautious and deliberate in their actions In a sense MOONDROP has largely remained true to its original character Whether it is headphones speakers or even smartphones if they want to make something they just go ahead and do it always striving to explore new innovations along the way This is remarkably bold and it is true that such an approach may occasionally invite setbacks but there is no denying that it is genuinely endearing
The MOONDROP Castle in the Sky as the main model in the company s second generation of planar over ear headphones incorporates what I consider to be an aggressively large amount of new technology There is no cautious incremental approach here and the flagship model Dark Side of the Moon follows the same philosophy The sheer volume of new technologies and even new concepts stacked into this headphone makes it quite difficult to review I actually started this article three times and scrapped all three drafts I have decided this time to just lay it out plainly without beating around the bush
The outer packaging is an aluminium alloy flight case with excellent build quality This kind of packaging clearly signals a significant investment and it will look better and be more practical for consumers to keep at home than a cardboard box After opening the case the headphone itself sits inside Accessories include a high purity monocrystalline copper cable with a flat construction and a 4.4mm plug along with two additional adapter cables made of the same material terminated in 6.35mm and XLR connectors Also included are the manual warranty card and postcards
The most distinctive structural feature of this generation of MOONDROP planar headphones is the use of a dry carbon fibre elastic headband for the outer arch and a flexible hollow 3D printed adjustable inner headpad Compared to the metal headbands commonly found on the market the dry carbon fibre elastic headband offers the clear advantage of reducing overall weight while providing a wide adjustment range and a more modern tech forward appearance The downside however is that while it is quite comfortable to wear for a planar headphone of this driver size there is virtually no clamping pressure though the weight itself results in a slight pressure on the top of the head The flexible hollow 3D printed adjustable headpad combined with the sheepskin stitched ear pads delivers a very satisfying wearing experience But when picking it up I found it a bit awkward unless you grip it exactly at the centre of the headband the entire unit tends to twist This is because the carbon fibre headband behaves differently from stainless steel with better elasticity and lower inward clamping force and the headphones do shift more easily when shaking your head vigorously That said these are minor points and the design and wearing comfort have improved significantly this time around
When it comes to the technical aspects related to sound there is plenty to unpack First there is MOONDROP s proprietary 100mm ultra large FDT diaphragm assembly Beyond the surrounding perimeter a very large area in the centre is active current area not only is the overall size large but the effective diaphragm area is also considerable for its size Then there is the 500 nanometre ultra thin diaphragm the TBT multi turn pure silver etched circuit diaphragm stress secondary balancing technology the FEA optimised N55 magnet array and the full aluminium alloy CNC high strength patented structural design integrated driver housing There are countless applications of technology here that differ from anything else on the market MOONDROP has a dedicated factory for their over ear headphones and they truly have been quietly pushing the boundaries with these innovations
So what does the MOONDROP Castle in the Sky actually sound like
First and foremost there is the soundstage which is quite unconventional in its presentation On one hand the completely open back design with no obstruction utilises low diffraction rounded edge structural design and suspended woven metal mesh significantly reducing sound reflections caused by the housing and decorative elements On the other hand the drivers are so large that they produce an effect where previously with some headphones the drivers on either side of the ear were the primary sound source but here the entire expanded area around the ear is contributing to the sound reproduction The combination of these two factors results in a soundstage that is not only wide in lateral spread and deep in vertical dimension but also delivers a surprisingly expansive spatial presence and a natural sense of airiness in both regards exceeding what one would expect from its price point Moreover the positioning of instruments in the listening experience takes on a more three dimensional vertical sense of height For example a piano that might subjectively be perceived as positioned slightly to the upper left at eye level on other headphones with the Castle in the Sky it feels almost up at eyebrow level It is as if Sony s 360 concept has been physically realised here The sense of instrument envelopment no longer feels like instruments laid out flat on a single plane but rather some are on the second floor and others on the third floor This almost recording reimagining approach is fascinating and distinctive and while the interplay and positioning of instruments in this new spatial order may take some getting used to it is undeniably precise and beautifully executed For many familiar recordings this approach can even deliver a refreshingly subversive listening experience
Within this impressive and refreshing soundstage the technical performance is also remarkably above its class In terms of full frequency range resolution and the refinement of detail delivery it would not be an exaggeration to say it offers a sound quality that is easily comparable to thousand yuan class performance on first listen The overall transparency is excellent and the capture of subtle definition of note outlines reaches a level of precision that borders on sophisticated This ability to capture the finest ripples on the surface of water and reproduce them to the smallest degree is where planar drivers truly excel and dynamic drivers simply cannot compete in this realm of fine detail articulation MOONDROP has always emphasised wide frequency coverage and the Castle in the Sky delivers bass extension that is deep and well anchored with excellent midrange density and treble and ultra high frequencies that are open and fluid in their expression It does fall short of the Dark Side of the Moon in terms of detail refinement and treble quality but that model does use a flexible pure gold etched circuit and gold is not exactly inexpensive these days as you may be aware That said the technical performance is largely what we might have expected What makes the Castle in the Sky most interesting however is its listening experience
Earlier MOONDROP had lent me an 8PB and at the exhibition he told me I thought that 8PB you have might pair really well with the Castle in the Sky I went back plugged it in and sure enough it was a perfect match in every sense Although it is a very old classic amplifier with only a 6.35mm output that would be nearly impossible to find on the second hand market today it paired beautifully with the Castle in the Sky and actually delivered a more complementary sound than some of my more modern desktop amplifiers When driven directly by a domestic DAP the performance naturally falls short of a well matched desktop setup but it is still not difficult to drive Many capable domestic DAPs in high gain mode can hold the stage and dynamics together quite convincingly do not be intimidated by the 60 ohm impedance and 96dB sensitivity as it is relatively easy to drive and does not easily produce unpleasant sound Under these conditions some more vintage sounding sources such as the E7 with dual AD1955 DAC card and the Cayin N6iii with R202 audio card in R2R mode can also deliver a very enjoyable listening experience
This means that in terms of tonality the Castle in the Sky is not what you would traditionally think of as the MOONDROP sound It is actually neutral to slightly warm with bass that delivers both quantity and impact though sub bass extension remains a priority as the emphasis on full frequency bandwidth is unchanged The midrange thickness is relatively solid and full compared to many planar headphones and the treble is not thin either maintaining a non aggressive and non fatiguing character It does not overemphasise transient response or to put it another way planar headphones already generally excel in transient performance and given the already impressive technical capability of the Castle in the Sky pushing transient response too hard would make the listening experience unbearable Under these conditions you could choose a more balanced tuning approach or you could give it a bit more thickness and musical flavour The Castle in the Sky in terms of listening experience leans towards the latter
While maintaining a neutral to slightly warm tonality it also places strong emphasis on a lively and engaging character The harmonics are not overly thick or in your face but instead adopt a refined and smooth approach with a touch of ease some elasticity and a hint of sheen The result is a sound that feels natural and effortless you know what I mean This is not the kind of headphone that delivers a stiff and formal recitation of the music Its musicality is measured and appropriate with a tempo that is relaxed unhurried and natural giving the overall presentation a high degree of listenability Unless the paired source and recording are both excessively aggressive its presentation remains composed comfortable while never losing its sharpness or power With this tuning pairing it with a warm sounding source generally makes the listening experience even more comfortable while pairing it with a technically oriented source can still bring out its dynamic character without much difficulty In practice I found that achieving its best performance does leave some room for exploration and that is precisely where the potential and versatility come into play
So just look at this beautiful flight case packaging look at this dry carbon fibre headband look at the meticulously crafted earpieces and the visually interesting cable And then listen to it it is not particularly picky about sources nor does it demand excessive power yet it delivers a soundstage that is expansive and distinctive with technical performance that punches well above its class and a listening experience that is lively and smooth With all this in mind this new MOONDROP planar headphone packed with new technologies and genuine sincerity the Castle in the Sky I am not going to overthink it So tell me are you tempted are you ready to pull the trigger
Source: Headphone Lin sir
