Moondrop S8 - Audiofool Reviews

  disclaimer:   The Moondrop S8 and Blessing 2 were sent as part of a Moondrop review tour.  I have no financial interest in Moondrop, nor did I receive any remuneration for this review.   If you have an interest in Moondrop products, see their website, Facebook page, or to purchase  Moondrop products, see HiFiGo.

Unboxing / Packaging:

The S8 came as part of a tour so my unboxing experience may not parallel the retail experience.  I received the S8 in a lift-top box with the Moondrop logo on front in silver.  Lifting the top reveals a case with the earpieces in it and a cardboard box with cable, tips, and manual.   I honestly believe this is a far cry from the retail presentation based on other photos I’ve seen so think this discussion is best left at N/A (not applicable).

Build/Fit:

The S8 uses an all resin shell in the standard semi-custom shape with polished clear resin allowing for every detail inside the unit to be seen and studied.   Shells are 2 part with an inner shell and nozzle and a very shallow faceplate with a silver insert with Solution S8 in relief.  While I first thought the insert to be metal, putting a light behind it shows it to be translucent so I suspect it may be painted on the inner surface of the faceplate.    The nozzles have a pronounced forward rake and sit largely in front of the main body of the earpiece when worn.   Each nozzle has 3 sound bores, 1 lined and 2 cut directly into the resin and neither has a lip for tip retention.  Roughing the outer surface of the nozzles with a fine steel wool or file might help with tip retention although I didn’t find it an issue using spin-fits or the provided tips.   Because the body sits largely behind the nozzles, isolation is only average and some outside noise can be expected.   The shells are mid-sized as one might expect with 8 drivers per side but are shaped well and were comfortable for extended wear for me.  Those with smaller ears may wish to audition before purchase.

Internals:

The S8 gets its name from the internals which are 8 balanced armature drivers per ear.  Lows are handled by the Sonion 37 double bass driver accounting for 2 of the units, the mids are handled by a pair of Softears D-Mid-B custom dual armature packages which pushes the total to 6 and the top end is handled by the Knowles SWFK dual package.    Cabling even inside the shell is all OFC per Moondrop specs.   Nominal impedance is listed as 16Ω with a sensitivity of 122 dB/mW making the S8 extremely easy to drive but prone to some hiss with sources with a higher noise floor.  I found the S8 did its best work with high potency sources like the DTR1 set to their lowest gain mode  to mitigate the extreme sensitivity.   I found the 1st generation Cayin N3 that utilizes a lower output power standard than most was an extremely good match as well as many of the phone dongles with limited output power.    This is a case of added power actually working against the listener as hiss  picks up and distortion becomes a factor at higher volumes.

Cable:

The provided cable is 6N oxygen free copper in clear casing that exits the 90º jack as a 4 wire twist.  The jack itself is a 3.5mm TRS type in a translucent plastic housing with a good strain relief on cable exit and a velcro cable tie for storage.   The splitter is the now familiar Moondrop black coin style with the Moondrop logo on front an a plain reverse.   There is no chin slider which I would prefer and the wires exit the splitter as two wire twists up to pre-formed earhooks and .78mm bi-pin connectors.  The connectors have housings that match the jack and while labeled R/L on the housing it would be a nice touch to see a drop of red paint on the right side as clear labels on a clear background make for difficulty in finding them.   Overall the cable is a solid offering but a bit below what is likely expected at this price point and the fact that the same cable comes with the Blessing 2 speaks more to where it fits in the market.

Sound:

Bass:

Sub-bass has good emphasis with a center around 60Hz and roll-off not becoming evident until we reach the lower 20s which is quite good for BA bass.  What is even more impressive is the s8 manages enough rumble to blur the line between balanced armature and dynamic bass presentation.   While it doesn’t have the impact of something like the W9 in the EE series, it competes quite well with many models that use a dynamic for bass including the A8 which is basically the same in-ear with a 10mm dynamic substituted for the Sonion 37 twin ba of the s8.   Mid-bass has good slam as well combined with the speed we expect here on both attack and decay.  Bass is well textured and while not quite as visceral as some high end models, is better than expected in this price range and might even keep bassheads from being too discontent (which is a rarity for BA bass).

Mids:

Lower mids have good weight but are less emphasized than the bass and upper midrange but don’t really come across as recessed as the drop off is fairly mild and very gradual.   Male vocals have good timbre and tonality and are more realistic than anticipated at the price point.  Guitar growl is good with sharp edges and believable tonality as well.   Strings are well rendered but could use a touch more energy in the true mid-range to make cello and viola really spot on.  Violin on the other hand benefits from the upper-mid lift and does sound a bit more lifelike as a result and probably as good as I’ve heard at this pricepoint.   Female vocals do stand slightly in front of their lower counterparts but not far enough to feel disparate.

Treble:

The lower treble continues the climb of the upper-mids but then drops back just about as quickly as it arrives so there is a bit of extra energy from about 2.5k-4.5kHz which translates into enough to push vocals forward and give most instruments the needed 1st harmonic to sound natural without adding too much energy and sounding hot.   Strings benefit here as getting the harmonics correct on strings is what differentiates the good from the great in this market.   Detail levels are quite good without being aggressive or over-stated and snare rattle retains a sharp attack and good texture. Cymbals fall a hair short of real as the drop above 4.5kHz hurts them mildly but does keep the S8 from getting harsh or sibilant.   There is some energy added back into the mix between 12kHz and 14kHz that helps keep the s8 open and gives it needed top end air.  Final roll-off is somewhere above my limit (14kHz or so).

Soundstage / Imaging:

Stage is very good on the s8 and while width is slightly greater than depth, it does not feel out of proportion.  The S8 manages enough height to give the stage a 3d feel but stops short of the holography of some of the top end flagships.   Seating the orchestra is easy with no misplacements, gaps, or overlaps to speak of and the orchestra even comes out seeming nearly exactly  as they would on a live stage instead of seeming like the stage was stretched to time and a half its normal width and only two rows deep.    Layering is quite good as well with busy passages still cleanly rendered and little to no compression evident even with super complex material.    Imaging is also above average with movements being easily tracked and pinpointed in space.

Comparisons:

Moondrop A8 –   The fraternal twin of the s8, the A8 is basically the same in-ear with a  Knowles CI drivers substituted for the Sonion 37 bass armature.    They share very similar shells and very similar tunings.   To my ear, the S has a bit more sub-bass fullness and a bit more slam and thump compared to the A which is a perhaps a very small bit cleaner in the low end, but less visceral.   Attack and decay speed on the low end are faster (particularly decay) on the A series and that detracts a bit from the weight and tonality of the low-end as it is too fast to be natural sounding.

 Dunu Sa6  –  Another custom tuned all BA design with similar shell materials and tunings.   The Sa6 is prettier with its wood face for those interested in the aesthetic and these two are close signature wise.  The S8 has more low end punch and a bit more note weight while the Sa6 has spectacular mids and a bit more energy in the treble that makes strings really stand out.   The two are examples of Chinese Hifi learning to tune like western makers and both serve to put the big names on notice.   For <$1000 USD both of these come too close to rivaling those kilo-buck flagships of the big names that they make one question the value gotten by spending more.   These two are both great and choosing one will likely come down to personal preference and fit.

LZ Big Dipper – Arguably the progenitor of these models is the LZ big Dipper that has been out for a couple of years, gave the user tuning options in the form of switches on the rear face, and proved that the Chinese makers could compete with the big boys.  The name was unfortunate as many latched onto it being a comment about the mids in its default tuning as it did have a nearly 15 dB drop from peak to trough and was generally more V-shaped even with the tuning switches adjusted to the shallowest version of its tuning.    The LZ is less expensive than the S8 but is starting to show its age as both the S8 and Sa6 now surpass it in my opinion.

HifiMan Re2000 Silver – So, throwing a curve ball in, what about a single dynamic at roughly the same price point – is multi-ba really a better bet or does a single dynamic driver still control the keys to the gates of heaven?    I prefer the build on the S8 by more than a slight margin as even though the Re is made entirely of metal and arguably more sturdy, its also uncomfortable and I have debated taking mine down to the shop and grinding the excess off the faceplate so it doesn’t overhang the shell and poke my ear.   On the sound front, the Re wins on bass quantity as it is capable of really thumping when called upon, but surprisingly the margin of victory here is narrowing.  Layering is better on the Sa8 as the Re does tend to start compressing a bit when tracks get particularly busy.  Also worth noting, one of the big arguments for single dynamics is the lack of phase issues that so commonly plague the multi-ba models.  The S8 was very well behaved in this respect and if there were any phasing issues, I was unable to pick them out.   For my spend, the S8 delivers more.

Thoughts / Conclusion:

The S8 may well represent the most detailed performer available on a price/performance basis.  It comes dangerously close to things costing a lot more from some of the big name houses and should be on your short list of iems to check out before spending more.    The things that might hold it back are the Sonion 37 as good as it is, doesn’t have the visceral thump of the better dynamics and still leaves the S8 in territory that will not please those looking for an exaggerated bass, and the fact that even with the tuning switches, changes are small so if you don’t like the base signature, flipping switches isn’t likely to win you over to it either.    The S8 is priced at $699 which puts it in the cross-hairs of some pretty tough competition but it may just be Moondrop’s  best yet.

7.3

Build Quality

7.5/10

Accessories

6.5/10

Sound Quality

7.9/10

• 8/10 Bass - 8/10
• 8.5/10 Mids - 8.5/10
• 8/10 Treble - 8/10
• 7.5/10 Soundstage - 7.5/10
• 7.5/10 Imaging - 7.5/10

7.9/10