Today we review the $649 USD Yanyin Moonlight Tribrid In-Ear Monitors.
Disclaimer: Linsoul sent us the Yanyin Moonlight IEM for this review, free of charge. As always, I am here to honestly convey my thoughts about the product to you.
Yanyin
Yanyin Technology Co. Ltd. is an audio company headquartered in Fuzhou, China. It was founded by passionate audiophiles who aim to develop IEMs with competitive audio performance at affordable prices. Yanyin got off to a very fast start in the industry and quickly gained many fans around the world.
The company’s product range currently consists of 5 products in total. Today we’re going to take a look at Yanyin’s Moonlight Tribrid IEM, which is positioned at the top of Yanyin’s current line-up along with Rosemary. Let’s get to it without further ado!
Yanyin Moonlight Tribrid In-Ear Monitors
Let’s start with the configuration. The Moonlight is a tribrid monitor. Inside each shell, there are 7 drivers. The configuration is 2EST + 4BA + 1DD. Dual electrostatic drivers are from Sonion, quad balanced armature setup is from Knowles and lastly, there is an in-house developed bio-diaphragm dynamic driver that is 10mm wide. Yanyin states that they spent a lot of time with the acoustic design of the tubes and shells. Moonlights adopts Yanyin’s four-bore independent tubing design along with a four-way crossover.
Yanyin uses medical-grade resin for the shells and they aim to offer maximum comfort by shaping the inward-facing part of the shells according to a large data of the human cochlea. We have seen many companies use this reliable practice in the past. The Moonlight comes with graphene-wrapped core silver plated copper cable in a litz configuration. The unit retails for $650 USD and can be purchased with 4.4mm, 2.5mm, or 3.5mm termination.
Specifications
Driver Configuration: Tribrid – x1 DD, x4 BA, x2 EST
Socket: 0.78mm – 2Pin
Housing: Medical-Grade Resin, Custom Faceplates
Cable: 1.2m Graphene Silver Plated Copper Litz
Impedance: 8Ω
Sensitivity: 118dB
Packaging & Accessories
Yanyin Moonlight comes in a funky-designed, colorful leather carrying case. The inside of the carrying case is lined with feathers and this prevents the earphones from scratching. The compartmentalization is also well thought out. a full-fledged DAP and two in-ear monitors can easily fit inside the carrying case. In addition to the carrying case, Moonlight comes with a velvety soft drawstring pouch, an airplane adapter, a 3.5mm to 6.35mm adapter, and just 3 pairs of tips.
I really like the quality of the included accessories and the overall presentation, especially since it’s much more convenient to have a large carrying case that can hold a lot of things than a small one.
In addition to the accessories mentioned above, Moonlight comes with a graphene silver plated copper litz cable. The 4 braid construction looks pretty nice with Yanyin’s custom connectors. The cable does not have a stiff jacket and the microphonics effect is quite minimal.
The Moonlight offers a good experience, perhaps the only thing that needs improvement is the included tips. Since this is a premium IEM, Yanyin could’ve included a couple more tips. Apart from that, it is obvious that Moondrop put a lot of thought into the package. Overall, I am satisfied with the material selection and package content. Great job!
Design, Build & Fit
Yanyin Moonlight’s shells are made of high-quality medical-grade resin specifically imported from Germany. In keeping with its name, Moonlight features a starry shell design. The color of the shells is deep blue and under a direct light source, the star flakes shine and create a beautiful effect. The shell size is not large compared to tribrids and the inner side of the shell is cochlea-shaped like a custom in-ear monitor. Yanyin shapes shells utilizing large cochlea data sets for maximum comfort.
The right faceplate features Yanyin’s logo whereas the left faceplate carries the model name. I really like Yanyin’s logo, which looks like 3 squares intertwined and looks very elegant on the earphones. To me, it’s clear that Yanyin’s engineers and artists know what they’re doing, so if you ask if there are any craftsmanship issues on the monitor, no, there are not. Even the nozzle-to-shell joint is perfect, which I must say, impressed me.
The Moonlight has a huge ventilation hole on the back of the monitor, probably for the 10mm DD inside. The nozzles of the Moonlight feature 4-way sound bores and a metal mesh tip. The nozzle diameter is pretty widely used so I had no problems tip-rolling with the Moonlight. As usual, my go-to tips were the JVC Spiral Dots and Moondrop Spring Tips.
As for the removable cable socket, the Moonlight utilizes 0.78mm 2-pin connectors. Fit-wise, it is one of the most comfortable IEMs I’ve ever used. The inner part sits inside of my ear without any discomfort even after 5-6h long listening sessions. The Moonlight is very comfortable to wear for me. As for the isolation, thanks to the amazing fit and solid acrylic shell, it provides great passive isolation.
The review continues on Page Two, after the click HERE or by using the jump below.
Page 1: Yanyin, Moonlight, Packaging & Accessories, Design, Build & Fit
Page 2: Sound, Low, Mid, High, Technical Capability, Comparisons, Last Words
Slava
Thanks for your review!
Could you please recommend me the best upgrade cable for Moonlight?
Thanks again!
Yagiz
Hello Slava!
The best upgrade cable is a hard question. It requires a bit more background info about your gear, genres etc.
Price-to-performance wise: Lavricables Master Line IEM Upgrade Cable – better resolution, more spacious & airy than stock
Alternative: PW Audio No.5 – major upgrade to bass tightness, faster transient response, feels more dynamic across the spectrum
Alternative: DHC Symbiote Fusion – all-rounder cable, good for boosting technical capability while retaining the default signature
Note that if you have a bad source device, there is no point in upgrading the cables. I recommend getting a Topping G5 or Chord Mojo 2. If you go the Mojo 2 route, you’ll have the option to fine tune the IEMs using the FPGA’s PEQ.
Have a wonderful week Slava!