Moondrop Chu2 Review - Coming back stronger

 

General/Packaging/Build/Comfort

Moondrop is a company that needs no introduction within the audiophile community. Their latest budget offering, Chu2, which is the revised Chu, sporting detachable cable, removable nozzle lip for the purpose of replacing filters, and also new driver. For an IEM that’s priced at 19$, the build quality is definitely not shabby. The build quality in my opinion is similar to Aria’s. Metal build but it doesn’t feel heavy when it’s in your ear.

I wore it for several hours during my listening session and I don't feel any discomfort, do take into consideration that your experience might differ as everyone’s ear is not the same, but generally it should be fine as there’s no weird or protruding edges. The packaging is the usual Moondrop "waifu" style, it came with cable, the IEM itself, and silicon eartips, this time around, they omitted the Spring Tips, but that's understandable given the "makeover" that they did for Chu 2.

Gears used for this review

• Earmen Angel Dac/Amp

• Earmen Colibri

• Earmen CH-Amp

• Hiby RS2

• Moondrop Chu II Stock cable and Stock Eartips

Foreword

My review is solely based on what I hear via my equipment and I never consider my reviews to be objective in any way rather a subjective approach. Do take into consideration that everyone’s ear anatomy is not the same, so the psychoacoustics perception might be different as well, but i believe it will not stray too far

Sound Impression

Chu is tuned based on Moondrop’s VSDF target, which has a little mid bass hump and a rather conservative pinna gain. Chu2 is inoffensive and to my ears, several aspects has been improved compared to the OG, bass performance has been improved in terms of quantity and slightly better control, treble is smoother and not as energetic as the OG (this is not exactly a good or bad thing, but more of a preference where some prefer energetic treble while some prefers a smoother treble response). Tonality is leaning towards slight warm and timbre sounds rather natural to my ears.

Bass

• Bass has good texture and control

• Speed is good and handled Metallica’s Lux Aeterna without sounding bloated

• Bass doesn’t bleed into the mids

• Sub bass does have some rumble when the track calls for it, it doesn’t go really deep but it is good enough for EDM enjoyment

Mids

• Mids are slightly recessed

• Male’s vocal sounded a little lacking in terms of texture, overall it's not too bad

• Female vocal such as Faye Wong does sound fuller compared to male’s, very enjoyable

• Lower to upper mid range are very lush and enjoyable, even at high volume, it doesn’t get hot

Treble

• Treble is smooth and not fatiguing, some brilliance and sparkles are missing but generally, the detail retrieval capability is quite good

• Extension is slightly lacking, but this is purely nit picking considering its price

• A little lacking in terms of air and presence, but they’re not dark sounding at all

• Purely nitpicking, the treble at times can sound a little unrefined, but given the asking price, as i mentioned, this is purely nitpicking

Soundstage/Imaging

• Height and Width is average, doesn’t sound boxy nor too artificially wide

• Chu gives good enough sense of space considering its price point

• Imaging is average and nothing to shout out about, instruments can be identified properly, again, good for the price point

Driveability

• Chu2 is very easy to drive, unlike Quarks or Spaceship, you can get it to sound good even via Apple’s 3.5mm Dongle

• Amping it does exhibit slightly better bass control in terms of tightness and a little bit of refinement on the top end

• However it does scale with source, in terms of how the dac/amp affect it in terms of colorization of the sound

Comparison (7Hz Zero)

• In terms of fit and build quality, Zero has plastic build whereas Chu 2 has a metal build, Zero has shorter nozzle which might affect the fit for some people, Chu 2 on the other hand has longer nozzle compared to Zero

• Zero sounds more energetic compared to Chu 2, in terms of tonality, it is slightly bright and lean sounding, whereas Chu 2 has a bit more body and sounds warmer compared to Zero

• Technicalities is where Zero pulls itself apart from Chu 2, good technicalities and imaging, Chu 2 on the other hand does suffers a little in terms of technicalities

• Soundstage is a little 2D sounding while Chu 2 sounds wider and has a little better depth perception

• Zero has fast and tight bass, it can be perceived as “lack” of bass, energetic treble but its not harsh at all

Final Thoughts

Having reviewed the 1st gen Chu back then, comparing it with the Chu 2 today, there are certainly some upgrades in terms of sonic performance and overall usability. It has better bass response and smoother treble response, not to mention slightly better tonality. As for usability, now the cable is detachable, which makes it easy for people to cable roll, also, the nozzle’s lip is removable, that makes replacing filter a breeze, that will ensure longevity of the IEM and easily serviceable should the filter is damaged or those who like to mod will try different filters to achieve different sound tuning.

For 19$ and the features that you’re getting, I honestly think it’s a no-brainer purchase, heck you won’t even regret it if you were to blind buy it. Recommended!

If you are interested in grabbing a pair, head over to the following link in getting one:
Moondrop Chu 2 - Non affiliated

*Received the review sample from ShenzhenAudio, however, i am in no way influenced by them in producing this review, all thoughts are of my own, big thanks to them for the support as always