Moondrop Alice sound is disappointing

Submitted by ArkadyDarell_NA t3_z4040n in headphones

I'm returning my pair but just thought I'd leave a quick review here in case it helps anyone else.

I'm not really an audio expert but compared to the Shure SE215 I had before, the audio feels a bit tinny, weak, or washed out. Pushing the Alice into my ears pretty hard sort of gives better sound, but that doesn't last long because the part hanging out is heavy and they feel like they're drooping out all the time (they don't actually fall out, although I didn't try exercising with them, just wore them around the house). Adding on to the lower than expected sound quality, there's also a very faint buzz in the background. Not sure if that's just my pair or if other people are experiencing it.

I haven't really tried many earbuds or IEMs but to my ears, the SE215 was more "accurate" (similar to what the music should actually sound like) compared to the Alice.

Also tapping the surface of the earphones to skip music forward or back is really hit or miss, sometimes it's unresponsive and you end up tapping your ear a bunch with varying force trying to figure it out.

Bluetooth connectivity was good though, no issues there.

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SupOrSalad t1_ixolwzv wrote

The SE215 is quite bass boosted and something i consider bloated compared to most IEMs and headphones in my collection. So if that's your daily driver, it's important to remember that your brain will automatically adjust and equalize to whatever headphones you listen to on the regular. So if you're used to the 215, anything that has less bass or is more neutral will sound anemic and like the lack of bass is exaggerated. It usually takes a few days of constant listening to reset your brain.

That said, I'm not saying you need to like them. I haven't used the Alice and can't comment on how it's sounds (although usually moondrop is somewhat of s Harman sound). To be honest, for wireless not a big fan of moondrop IEMs, but for wired they're one of my favorites

If there are other issues other than sound that you don't like, absolutely those are important criticisms. But if the main complaint is just the sound signature or tonal balance, I always recommend spending a few days straight using them first.

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No-Season2-No-Life t1_ixon1i7 wrote

His bigger issue is fit and seal, as he said pushing them in makes them sound good but that doesn't last long. he's better off replacing them imo and sticking with smaller size iems as that's what worked for me when going from shure to other iems.

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ArkadyDarell_NA OP t1_ixonmpl wrote

Ah, what's worked for you after switching from Shure? I was planning to try Airpods Pro

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No-Season2-No-Life t1_iy2m6ew wrote

Sorry for the late response, I got busy. But Sennheiser ie300/600 is really nice if you like wired. However, I ended up returning them and got the Galaxy buds live instead, while they don't sound as nice, they are so comfortable! Which is exactly what I needed as I only use them when I'm outside otherwise I'd be using a nicer headphone at home.

Might not necessarily work out for you the same way it did for me, but the ie600 should be a solid choice! And I haven't tried the airpods pro, but if you're using an Iphone/Ipad they can work as well. Try them out!

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ArkadyDarell_NA OP t1_iy30aip wrote

Oh no worries, thanks so much!

I had tried the Galaxy Buds Pro 2 already before the Alice, and I spent like 4 hours trying every fix I could google to make them work with my PC. Couldn't get rid of a static buzzing no matter what. :/

Part of the reason for getting wireless earbuds was to look less nerdy in Zoom calls so that was important haha. But they were indeed comfortable! Samsung knows what it's doing in that regard.

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ArkadyDarell_NA OP t1_ixonfwc wrote

Oh, good to know about the SE215 being bass-boosted!

My daily driver is over-ear headphones though, primarily SRH1540 with Fiio Alpen 2 and occasionally HD555s. Does your advice about keeping the Alice a few days still apply in that case?

I'm still going to return them because of the ergonomics, but Amazon gives me until February to return them so might as well give them a fair chance first if it was user-error on my part.

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SupOrSalad t1_ixoo84q wrote

I do think that for your case its probably better to return the Alice. I found moondrop Bluetooth IEMs have sort of a background noise and don't sound the best on my devices. For a reliable TWS, I do prefer airpods pro or Galaxy Buds Pro.

I do like wired IEMs, but fit and convenience is really important

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Apart_Flounder702 t1_ixp0je1 wrote

>the SE215 was more "accurate" (similar to what the music should actually sound like)

no lmao

Return that, no point in keeping it when u cant even keep it to your ears. I mean w those ear tips provided and it still cant stay put, that just comes down to bad ergonomic

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ArkadyDarell_NA OP t1_ixp21vo wrote

Heh sorry, by "what music should actually sound like" I meant what it sounds like on my over-ear headphones with DAC. I can see how that was a really dumb way to phrase it ha

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Apart_Flounder702 t1_ixp2mai wrote

haha no worry i just wanna poke fun at ppl when they use the "Beats marketing phrase". I used to like a really bass-boosted audio gear until I try some warm neutral, a bit bright stuff.

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MrCatsoup t1_ixpwuer wrote

I heard a lot of qc issues with Moondrop Alice so it's better you returned them.

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