Review: Moondrop A8 – Otherness

Sound

First of all, the Moondrop A8 is not just another Chi-Fi IEM that you’re used to seeing nowadays. Surely the price indicates that as well. I don’t think it would be a good idea to have a prejudice against this IEM, just because it comes from the Far-East. It’s actually quite impressive.

Overall the A8 sounds very very clean with great transparency and resolution. It has a very impressive sound stage and imaging together with great separation.

Bass

As always let’s start with the lows. This part I think is the only part that the A8 doesn’t fully shine at. The bass overall is quite flat and the subbass part is somewhat missing on many occasions. The focus here is on the mid bass area, and even that one is not emphasized too much.

So despite having two large BA drivers for bass, it’s not as impactful as I expected. The rumble is pretty subtle even though the kicks are quite nice. The overall resolution of the bass is not bad, but there’s a certain lack of depth and layering in the bass department. However this can be regarded as a complementary bass presentation, when I think about the overall sound of the IEM. Nevertheless, bass lovers probably won’t be satisfied with the A8.

Mids

From top to bottom, the A8 has very transparent mids with good definition and emphasis. This section is quite resolving as a whole, and instrument separation is nicely done as well. Another positive side are the dynamics and tonality. The mids sound very life-like, lively and vibrant. Brilliant.

This crisp and clean approach in mids works wonders for many genres, and it creates a nice atmosphere and energy in live recordings. The most impressive part of the A8 is the overall transparency level. Considering this IEMs price and the cheap cable that it comes with, I did not expect this kind of a success in terms of transparency. It sounds perfectly crisp, and the separation of the instruments is so good.

Moondrop A8

On the tonality side things aren’t perfect, but that was expected. Still, the A8 provides very nice and musical tones despite having a very crisp and resolving character. So there’s a slight musicality in there, which completes the overall sound nicely.

Treble

Once again, the treble section sounds very clean and energetic here. This is also the impressive part of the A8 together with the mids and the treble which has great articulation. The resolution in this part is great as well. The treble is very transparent and vibrant just like the mid section, and they’re quite emphasized. Don’t imagine a very aggressive treble monster, but a controlled approach with vivid highs.

It copes with fast cymbals very well so don’t be shy to play some fast music. The extension in the highs is not the best I’ve heard of course, but it’s fairly good for the money. With treble oriented tracks, highs take over and take the spotlight with the A8, which you can definitely appreciate. And, they’re pretty much under control at all times and this is a very important aspect in a monitor. There’s no sibilance or piercing cymbals with the A8, which is impressive considering its overall presentation.

Technical Performance

The A8 also impresses in terms of technicalities and the biggest one I think is the sound stage. The width in particular is very impressive and also surprising to hear. The sense of space is there, and despite the flat and somewhat impactless nature of the bass, the depth is very good as well. Moondrop has done a great job to give this IEM a great 3D feeling, especially the wideness.

Stereo image can rival many IEMs above its price point, so I suggest you not to take this IEM lightly in any way. It has great resolution and transparency with a black background. Merge those qualities with a great sound stage magnitude and you certainly have a high performer, almost at flagship level.

The timbre side in my opinion can be improved with a little more midbass body. I think this is the only area in which this IEM lacks for its price. Next to that I can also bring up the slight lack of extension of the treble.

The review continues on PAGE 3 with cables and comparisons.