Package & Accessories
The packaging of the Pudding is similar to other currently available models in MOONDROP’s entry-level Bluetooth series, featuring a combination of a transparent front cover and a cardboard base box. Through the cover, the colour scheme and exterior of the earbuds are clearly visible. The internal accessories are relatively simple, mainly consisting of three pairs of eartips and a USB-C to USB-A charging cable. These eartips are of standard size and relatively soft, offering a deeper insertion depth compared to the oval-shaped tips typically found in stem-style TWS earbuds. During the initial launch period, there is also a promotion at the official store that includes a clear protective case, which is quite sturdy and has a high level of initial transparency.
Design, Fit & Acoustic Structure
The Pudding is available in three colour options. The first launch model is the yellow‑dominant version we have on hand, with high saturation and brightness, which genuinely gives it a pudding‑like appearance. In addition, there are two more standard colours: black and white. The milky coffee white version is one we particularly like—it has a hint of the MOCA series feel, and this greyish‑white avoids a dull or monotonous look.
The yellow version features a colourless transparent top cover, and you can still see some design cues from the Space Travel series. The charging case shape is similar to that of the WF‑1000XM6, with a standard capsule‑shaped cross‑section, rounded corners, and the USB‑C port and pairing button neatly centred beneath the hinge on the back—very tidy. This hinge design is probably the best MOONDROP has ever done; the metal material offers sufficient durability, and the flip‑open feedback is even more pronounced than that of the Dream Back 2, making it quite satisfying to use. Inside the top cover, there is a water‑drop‑shaped retaining clip.
The earbuds are held securely in the case with sufficient magnetic force and do not wobble. However, due to the shape of the rear shell, they can feel a bit slippery when being taken out. The earbuds themselves adopt a buds‑style, stem‑less bean‑shaped form. The shell is slightly elongated vertically, but the overall size is relatively compact—only a bit larger than the LinkBuds Fit, similar to the WF‑1000XM6, but with noticeably reduced thickness. In our actual wear test, the pressure on the cymba concha and concha cavity is relatively light. Those with smaller ears may experience slight contact pressure on the upper outer edge of the ear, while users with medium to large ears are likely to feel little to no discomfort.
Control &APP
The control area of the Pudding is located on its faceplate, supporting single‑tap, double‑tap, triple‑tap, quadruple‑tap, and long‑press gestures. The default logic is: single‑tap for play/pause, double‑tap for track skipping, triple‑tap to summon the voice assistant, quadruple‑tap to enter game mode, and long‑press to toggle noise cancellation modes. You can customise these in the app, and long‑press supports two different press durations.
The audible feedback for operations is clear by default, but the response is slightly delayed—less than a second—so it is not entirely instant. Fortunately, thanks to the clear feedback tones and the well‑designed control areas, accidental operations are rarely an issue, and the default logic is fairly intuitive.
It still uses the MOONDROP app, which allows for various customisations, adjustments, and tuning. The Pudding now supports 10‑band EQ with ±3dB to ‑12dB adjustment per band, plus adjustable Q values—offering finer‑grained control compared to previous MOONDROP Bluetooth products. The tuning market and AutoEQ features are also retained.
ANC, Transparency & Call
Like the MOCA series, the Pudding employs hybrid active noise cancellation. Compared to a single feed‑forward design, this introduces some impact on the sound, but it also enables better depth coverage and wind noise resistance. This hybrid ANC system now includes adaptive capability—there is only a “Basic Noise Cancellation” mode, but it is actually a real‑time adaptive mode. We naturally tested its real‑world performance. Starting with passive isolation, compared to the Space Travel 2 Ultra and Dream Back 2, the Pudding offers noticeably better passive isolation. While it still falls short of the WF‑1000X series or the QC Ultra 2, in the budget‑oriented stem‑style TWS market, the Pudding does deliver a clear improvement in high‑frequency isolation.
With active noise cancellation enabled, its handling of low‑frequency steady‑state noise is quite pronounced. The depth is generally comparable to that of the Dream Back 2, though it does not quite reach the level of the TWS 5 or the Enco Free4. However, it is deeper than the Space Travel 2 Ultra—placing it among the top tier in the 200‑yuan price bracket for depth, and in the second tier within the sub‑500‑yuan range. Its suppression of the lower portion of the vocal frequency range is arguably the best among all current MOONDROP noise‑cancelling TWS models. The frequency coverage is also impressive, maintaining noticeable attenuation even above 3kHz, making it one of the best in the 200‑yuan class in terms of bandwidth, and still competitive in the 500‑yuan class, with no significant high‑frequency noise boost. There is still a mild sense of ear pressure in the basic noise cancellation mode.
In terms of wind noise resistance, with the default basic noise cancellation mode, wind sources from the front and sides still introduce some wind noise, but the degree is not severe; wind from behind has even less impact. Fortunately, this time a mature anti‑wind noise mode has been added. Once enabled, the overall noise cancellation depth is slightly reduced, and the ear pressure sensation is noticeably alleviated. Wind from the front, sides, and rear no longer significantly interferes with listening. You could even think of it as a comfortable noise cancellation mode that balances wind noise reduction and ear pressure relief.
As for transparency mode, this is the first time in the 200‑yuan class that we have encountered a transparency performance with such high naturalness and voice usability—approaching the top tier across all price ranges. The naturalness is very high, with relatively accurate reproduction of environmental sounds across the full frequency band. The overall sound pressure is slightly lower, but there is no unnatural prominence in any particular frequency band, and no obvious artificiality. During conversations, there is only a slight sense of occlusion, which is also related to the mild attenuation in the high frequencies—this is one of the minor differences compared to the top‑tier models. In transparency mode, wind noise from the rear is somewhat more noticeable than from the front or sides.
For call quality, we conducted tests in operator network environments. The default microphone volume is decent, clarity is moderate, and the sense of occlusion is relatively low. The noise reduction intervention is quite noticeable, so in scenarios where wind hits the bottom‑mounted call microphone from the side or rear, call continuity may be affected; when facing the wind, the impact is relatively smaller.
Therefore, the overall noise cancellation performance of the Pudding is clearly quite impressive in the 200‑yuan price bracket. It has notable strengths in frequency coverage and wind noise control, and its transparency mode naturalness and voice usability are also reasonably good. However, in terms of extreme depth, it falls slightly short of the mainstream Skyline Level standard, but overall it remains very usable. We have decided to place the MOONDROP Pudding in the In‑Ear Fine Level of the TDS Noise Cancellation Capability Pyramid, ranking near the top of this tier.
One additional note: we previously placed the Dream Back 2 in the Skyline Level. However, its noise cancellation coverage is actually not as broad as that of the Pudding. The reason for its higher tier placement is that achieving that level with a single feed‑forward design is quite remarkable, and the impact of its noise cancellation on sound quality is minimal. In reality, these two earphones do not have a significant tier gap in noise cancellation performance—in fact, the Pudding even holds a slight advantage in a few aspects.
Connection & amp; Battery
As a product that supports LHDC but not LDAC, the Pudding differentiates itself somewhat from the Space Travel 2 Ultra in terms of codec support. In our tests, it was able to maintain a stable connection on both the universal LHDC One transmitter and a REDMI phone at the LHDC‑V 192kHz setting. However, our signal tests are still conducted using the more familiar AAC codec. Regardless of whether WLAN was on or off, the test results on both the Xperia 5 III and iPhone 14 were sufficiently stable, with smooth signal performance maintained within an 8‑metre distance.
It also supports dual‑device connection, though this cannot be used simultaneously with LHDC. Switching between Apple devices is relatively seamless.
In terms of latency, it features a 60ms low‑latency game mode, which is activated by a quadruple tap. Following our testing procedure, with low‑latency mode enabled and AAC connected to the standard test device (iPhone 14) for streaming video, the perceived latency is less than half a syllable of normal speech—making it usable for most video playback and gaming scenarios that do not demand extremely tight responsiveness. With low‑latency mode turned off, latency is closer to half a syllable. We also tested AAC connection on the Xperia 5 III; with low‑latency mode enabled, latency was around half a syllable, slightly higher than when connected to the iPhone.
In terms of battery life, the official rating is 12.5 hours of continuous playback on the earbuds alone, and up to 53.5 hours in total with the charging case (12.5 + 41 hours). The battery inside the case is quite large. Following our standard testing procedure, with AAC codec connected to the Xperia 5 III, noise cancellation enabled, all other settings at default, volume at 50%, and high gain, streaming Apple Music Lossless and podcasts (Xiaoyuzhou) continuously, the earbuds alone lasted 6 hours and 27 minutes (measured from a full charge state). Considering the reduction in battery life caused by noise cancellation, this result is broadly consistent with the official rating.
In charging tests, the Pudding charges stably at approximately 1.9W, and PD support works without any issues.
Driver, Sound Modes & Codec
The Pudding is equipped with a 10mm dynamic driver, featuring a nano‑titanium‑crystal dome and a non‑uniform damping diaphragm. The current firmware includes only one preset tuning. Supported codecs are SBC, AAC, and LHDC‑V. In indoor environments, the medium gain setting already provides sufficient loudness and fullness. However, in noisier outdoor environments or during subway commutes, combined with noise cancellation, it may be necessary to switch to the high gain setting. The new STI — Sound Target ID — is also supported, which allows users to quickly match their preferred tuning preset when upgrading or switching devices.
Sound Description
With noise cancellation enabled, AAC codec, default standard sound mode, connected to iPhone 14, high gain setting.
Bass quantity is moderate, with sufficient thickness and controlled fullness. Elasticity is good, and sub-bass extension is decent. Attack and decay are moderate, with a slight amount of lingering reverb. The sense of bloom and richness in atmospheric rendering are both subtle. The low-frequency performance of the Pudding is relatively relaxed—somewhat similar to that of the Space Travel 2 Ultra, but with slightly less detail in presentation. It sounds fuller than the default tuning of the Space Travel 2 and Dream Back 2, making it more appealing to traditional pop music enthusiasts. Instruments with fundamentals in the lower midrange do not exhibit noticeable forward projection.
In the midrange, vocal positioning is moderate, with generally standard mouth size and a level of refinement that is not overly emphasised. The presentation prioritises vocal texture over definition of note outlines, with the definition of note outlines being soft and not particularly prominent. There is no strong bias toward male or female vocals; it suits voices that are not overly thick or coarse. Grain is relatively fine, and overall smoothness is fairly good. Tonal colouration is minimal, though there is a slight warmth. Laryngeal placement is somewhat low, and breath sounds are slightly elevated in proportion. Mouth sounds are mildly forward, and sibilance is perceptible to a certain degree. The vocal frequency range is reasonably transparent overall, without any unnatural artificial brightening.
For instruments, most still prioritise texture over definition of note outlines. Among string instruments, the violin, guitar, and viola are presented in a relatively relaxed manner without emphasising engagement. The level of detail in bowing and plucking is relatively high for the 200‑yuan price point, but not as abundant as on the Space Travel 2 Ultra. The cello has a relatively full body, with a proportionate presence in the soundstage. Brass instruments have a decent sense of presence, and instruments like trumpets that require brightness have a fitting amount of brilliance. Woodwinds have good airiness, and naturalness is not an issue. Instrumental harmonics are relatively abundant. Among percussion, the kick drum has a relatively high presence, and the snare decays at a moderate pace. Cymbals have a certain brightness, but the sense of harshness and metallic character is kept in check.
Overall treble brightness is moderate, with good smoothness, though you can still perceive a mild peak (around 12kHz). Treble extension is decent; for a 200‑yuan product, the extension at both ends of this driver is relatively impressive. Roll‑off is slightly fast but not prematurely cut (it’s unavoidable that AAC on Android does have some high‑frequency roll‑off).
The soundstage is not particularly large, but there is a sense of distance in both width and depth, relatively well‑defined, with clear boundaries. Combined with a moderate sense of “height,” the Pudding presents a relatively regular, slightly oblate spherical space. The separation between vocals and instruments is fairly good, and overall coherence is not an issue. Resolution is excellent for the 200‑yuan price point. We compared the Pudding under LHDC with the Space Travel 2 Ultra under LDAC; the latter still has better driver performance, and neither exhibits any excessive “analyticalness.” Dynamics are good, and transient response is moderate.
Overall Impression
Compared to the Space Travel 2 Ultra, the Pudding is positioned more similarly to the earlier MOCA approach—that is, it leans closer to the demands of the digital consumer market, offering more comprehensive noise cancellation, while the new tooling and form factor also bring in a new pool of users. The sound quality still maintains MOONDROP’s consistent standard, but it does not stand out as much as the Space Travel 2 Ultra in terms of sheer driver performance, and the default tuning leans slightly more towards a pop‑friendly character. We believe the Pudding is well‑suited for readers in the lower price bracket who want a balance between noise cancellation and sound quality, while also preferring a buds‑style form factor. These days, there are plenty of good pods out there, but genuinely good buds are becoming increasingly rare.
Source: TDS Audio Experience
