MoondropCHU II High Performance Dynamic Driver IEMs Interchangeable Cable in-Ear Headphone

For the price, these are a great set of earphones! I’m no audiophile, but for my purposes it’s definitely more than good enough!– – –Now I’m gonna compare these with my previous set of earphones, the KZ ZSN Pro (which is in a similar price range).The biggest thing I’ve noticed so far is that Moondrop Chu II is a good bit quieter than my previous set was. Whether or not that’s a good thing is up to you; for me, that’s exactly what I wanted, but if you like pumping your volume up then maybe you’d be disappointed.To put my experience with that volume into perspective: with my KZ ZSN Pros, I’d generally keep my iPhone’s volume at one, and even wish I could lower it further sometimes. On my laptop, I’d use them at a volume of 4 (out of a 100), as opposed to my actual headphones which I’d use at 8-12. With the Moondrop Chu II, I have a lot more leeway with my phone’s volume, and I can keep the same range on my laptop as my headphones do.Aside from that however, the audio quality feels pretty similar though. As I said, I’m not a connoisseur, but they’re both good.Now, the physical stuff (build quality or etc):The KZ ZSN Pros have plastic bodies, whereas the Moondrop Chu II has metal. This makes the Moondrops feel a little heavier (and thus a bit more solid), but not by that much. They’re also smaller in “external” profile (like, the body section rather than the speaker tip) than the KZ ZSN Pros, which does feel a little different in your ear.I think I personally might honestly have slightly preferred how my KZ ZSN Pros felt to wear (well, except for when I laid on my side - the way it pressed into my ear was definitely worse with those), but I do like the Moondrop Chu IIs so it’s hard to say for sure. Plus, it could be just because I haven’t had as long to get comfortable with these newer ones.I obviously can’t give the Moondrops a longevity rating yet since I haven’t had them for that long, but the KZ ZSN Pro lasted me multiple years before one of the heads gave out, and the Moondrop Chu II’s metal feels like it could be more durable, so I suspect they’ll be just as good if not better.However, I definitely think I prefer the KZ ZSN Pro’s braided cable. There’s nothing like, actually wrong with the Moondrop Chu II’s cable (it’s certainly usable), but it’s just… not quite as nice to me.

I will be comparing these Chu 2s ($19) to the original Chu's ($20-22), the Tanchjim Zero's ($15-16), and my Gen 2 Airpod Pros ($200-250). I wouldn't call myself an audiophile, but I do enjoy hunting for great affordable sound under $40 and comparing the results. I tend to prefer headphones that have a more flat and balanced sound, in short nothing that has too much added bass.THE SOUND QUALITY:The highs and mids sound on par with the original Chu's and the Zeros (which I found traded blows in sound quality, I couldn't crown one better than the other). Vocals and instruments in that range are very clean, clear, and pleasant. Where these differentiate from its predecessors are in the bass and lows. The sound feels more impactful while not being overbearing or muddy. It has a little more flavor than a balanced flat sound signature but it doesn't overdo the lows. The original Chu's and the Zeros can feel a little lifeless on bass-heavy/prominent songs so I would tend to switch to my AirPods when listening to those types of songs. With the Chu 2s I don't feel that need. The bass feels on par with the Airpod Pros 2 (which is fairly clean) while the highs and mids sound better and clearer in my opinion. The bass sound profile isn't exactly the same as the AirPods, but the difference is too small for me to be able to put into words how they differ.Overall, if I want to use a pair of headphones with the best sound quality capable of listening to any genre of music then I would use the Chu 2s over my daily driver Airpods Pro Gen 2. Otherwise, if I specifically want to decrease the emphasis on the bass for a particular song then I may switch to the Zero's or original Chu's.THE TIPSPersonally, I prefer the white Spring Tips ($13 after market for a single size) that come with the Original Chu's. They are slightly more comfortable and way easier to remove than the ones included with the Chu 2s. The Chu 2s tips are nothing special. They are not bad, but they aren't note worthy either. The Zero's come with similar tips to the Chu 2s, but with way more options in terms of shape and size. You are pretty much guaranteed to find a size that fits well if you get the Zero's. The Zeros also have various size diameters in the hole which I assume is to achieve different sound signatures, but my ears are not sensitive enough to pick up on any changes. I included an image that showcases all the tips included with each pair.THE CABLE AND FITThe Chu 2s win this hands down in my opinion. First off its removable so its easy to replace. It also has a firm soft plastic around where it grips on your ear which makes it obvious on how these are meant to be worn and are quite comfortable. This cable helps negate the downgrade in the tips. It comes with a right angle audio jack. If that doesn't work for your device then you can always swap the cable.The original Chu's had a comfortable fit without the included rubber guide, but selecting the microphone option definitely degraded the comfort for me. The rubber used on the cable could be a little unrully at times. This also has a right angle audio jack.The Zeros are the lightest being all plastic and thus take a little longer to put on properly in a way that comfortable (they also lack an L+R indicator which doesn't help the process). This is the only option with a thin straight audio jack so it will work will if you need to plug it into a recessed port. This product definitely feels the cheapest (which it is by 20-25%) out of the three, but I wouldn't call it bad.REPAIRABLITYBoth the Chu and the Chu 2 have filters that can be replaced. You can tell they need to be replaced if the audio becomes quieter in one ear. A replacement set of filters will run you around $5. The Chu 2s also have the replaceable cable which makes them the clear winner in this category.TLDRAll the IEMs listed are excellent in this price bracket and hit well above their weight. The Chu 2s are the most versatile and sound great with any genre of music and are also the most repairable.

These are my first IEMs and was quite impressed for the price point. I also went ahead and bought Moondrop's DAC and that increased the quality by quite a lot for me!