Moondrop - Chu II DSP

sub bass and punchy...out of those 3. Perhaps go with the x Crin Zero 2s. I have them and I EQ to get my desired sound There's enough rumble way down there as well as good clean hits. Chu2 is slightly V shaped...has bass, not dull or flat. But it doesn't have the rumble when I want that (EQ couldn't get it there😅) No opinions on the Wan'ers because I don't own those

I WHOLE HEARTEDLY AGREE WITH YOUR POINTS: https://preview.redd.it/vwxf7i53neye1.jpeg?width=2377&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9aafdf70e38f01e9e6e88692e4c7f79caca103d8 This is MY collection...and I'm very early in the journey. I don't have the budget, knowledge or experience to blind buy a 500USD+ set of in ears that may or may not fit my ears or my preferences. While my journey doesn't completely fit OP's blueprint...I have/had the same thought process regarding purchasing IEMs. Not pictured are the Moondrop Chu 2 and 7Hz Sonus. I started with the Chu 2, 7Hz Zero 2 and Kiwi Ears Cadenza. From listening, watching and reading reviews...I was able to learn about all the terms, labels, and vocabulary to describe what I like or don't like. I threw money at the Wyvern Abyss...I mean...LOOK AT THEM😂. The Kz Castor Bass was a curiosity buy...want to hear if a set touting bass response was really that bassy. My next steps were the NiceHCK F1 Pros, Kiwi Ears Canta and the 7Hz Sonus. The F1 Pros and the Sonu were on sale at the time of purchase...good value and able to narrow things down more for myself. I knew I liked the planar sound...I have a set of open ear planar cans. The F1s felt disappointing (until I tip rolled) The Sonus was about much for my taste (in the mids) The Cantas were quite nice for me. By this point...I had a good grasp of what I was looking for and the direction (s) I want to go in. AFUL Performer 5+2 is currently my go-to...for all around listening. Sourced from R2R DAC lined out into a desktop tube amp. It's like a warm blanket on crisp bright and snowy winter day. I picked up the Hexa because I wanted to hear the hype...and yes...they definitely fulfill the hype and then some. I've EQed my IEMs... especially the planar. They can mimic the sound...but it's only a part of the equation. I now rotate through 3-4 sets at my desktop listening station. The cheapo ones all have 3.5mm out for around the house or for bed. If they break...ill decide if I want to replace. Tip rolling is a journey of itself. Some tips can dramatically change an IEM and rescue it from the bottom of the pile. My Planars now sport foam tips...easing off the treble was huge. Anyway...long post...if you got this far thanks for sticking with my diarrhea of words. TLDR: I agree with the OP

if you can afford 2 sets...get the Salnotes zero 2 and either the Chu2 or the Wan'er. They should have different enough sound signatures that you can start making a decision which you might like. Watch the reviews for the two sets you buy. Learn the lingo...and what it is you're hearing. That knowledge will help you when you're looking for an upgrade later on

OP... don't get rid of your Astral. Someone else mentioned it already...but it's a lack.of reference that has you second guessing. EQ (parametric EQ) is a good tool. It can help you fine tune the sound of the IEM to your liking. But...the IEM should sound good to you out of the box. HD550...hmmm... just go for the legend. Save for the HD600. I wrote down my experiences and things I learned as a beginner [Posted here](https://www.reddit.com/r/iems/s/u2D7CWFQw9) Go and find all the reviews you can on the Astral. Listen to the terminologies and try to associate what you hear from the Astral. Then pick up a budget set or two (if you want to learn) watch those reviews from the same reviewer. See if you can hear what they are hearing...and establish a frame of reference. Hope that makes sense. Outside of that...you picked a really good IEM. Stick with it. HD

check the community recs for under 50...that's where I started (kiwi ears cadenza, Moondrop Chu 2, and the 7Hz Salnotes x Crinacle Zero 2) There should be enough of a difference between 2 of those sets to start getting a frame of reference. You'll likely hear the differences between those and your Astral

1. Moondrop Chu2 Chu2 DSP 2. Truthear Gate 3. Fiio JD1 4. KZ Castor Pro 5. Tangzu Wan'er SG 2 These are the most famous in the category, check out reviews to properly identify which one suits you, according to your mention it might be CHU2 DSP. Id suggest sticking to buying from Headphone Zone in India as I've found them reliable.

Okay let me explain to you in simple terms so that you can get a clear picture 1. what are you chasing which made you think of buying IEMs, sound quality, or ease of use / comfort / trending recently 2. If your answer is sound, spending about 1.5K any audiophile would suggest getting a DAC aswell , currently you'll find good cheap ones for sale at headphone Zone I saw one for about 800-900, Now why a DAC, imagine driving a nice sports car but you can only go upto 4th gear because 5th 6th gear is locked. That is what using an IEM without a good dac is like, it's not bad, but you'll truly appreciate your IEMs with a DAC 3. That's why I recommended the Chu 2 DSP the DSP in a way stands for DAC 4. If you can't fork out 2.5k or will think about purchasing a DAC in the future, you can consider either the Chu 2 non DSP (no mic) or others like Tangzu Wane'r SG 2, Thruthear Gate, fiio JD1 7hz x crinacle Zero, etc 5. Doubts about Chu2's being bassy, you won't have a problem, while in IEM space they may be called bassy in normal consumer earphones or headphones markets they would be called neutral or balanced, such is the depth in IEM community that some people would find even the CHu 2 bassy. Best case is to watch reviews, and honest tip, don't sweat it, most of the iEM's in 1500range are good enough and will do a great job for you I have used the Chu 2's previously before I made the expensive jump to Moondrop May's My friend owns the Tangzu Wane'r SG2 both are good options if you want our personal experience. The company to avoid for newbies is KZ as their models can be hit or miss, atleast IMO but they aren't necessarily bad.

Sound Difference between Chu 2 and Waner SG2 : Chu has slightly more bass and vocals are slightly louder, Wane'r is more neutral with slightly more treble and less bass. I found Chu to sound more fun and much easier to approach for beginners. Both are extremely comfortable, no issues on that front Between Wane'r and JD1, JD1 are slightly more similiar to chu You can check review if required

https://preview.redd.it/f2s7rppy9goe1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cd3bdc5932eff081f7dc601ebdfe609504dc18b6 I am using the moondrop chu 2 dsp since last month (my first iem). The reason behind choosing this is to listen to good quality audio and be able to take calls in between. Though the stock cables are kind of nice, I went ahead and replaced the stock cables, because on my macbook, it was only outputting 96 khz/24 bit max. Hence, I got the cheapest available audiocular cable at around $ 10-12, with mic and 3.5mm jack, along with the abigail pro dac. Now I am able to listen to 192 khz/24 bit (as supported by Apple Music). The sound now is better enough for me (not an audiophile btw). Regarding eartips, I have just ordered the moondrop silicon spring one's, even though the stock ones are not bad at all. Should be able to comment on it once it arrives. Hope this helps.

Chu 2 dsp is solid if u have small ears, I didn't like the fit so I went with the Tangzu SG 2. Been liking them a lot so far. Will prolly be upgrading to kefine delci ae next.

Best value??? Hmmm… 🤔 Well, from my relatively small sampling of IEMs between $20 and $250, I would offer two options: 1. Best value based on overall sound performance? Truthear HEXA is my personal choice. Yes, as many point out, they can be clinical sounding to some. Fair. They are not overly musical. But, put on some Acoustic tracks, Steely Dan, The Eagles and the like and you will have a helluva listening session. 2. The DSP version of the Simgot EW300 is the best value for the money in my view. They are very versatile and, if you have a USB-C device, the EW300 are plug and play easy. Those and the DSP version of the MoonDrop Chu 2 are my go to recommendation for friends and fam wanting to try IEMs for the 1st time.

My first iems were the chu 2s dsp, i love their fit but i had to eq it quite a bit to get more bass (i love bass) Then i get the t10s and omg i love those everything about these is perfect and they eq quite well (the only con for me was the plastic shell and they dont look really appealing) a great iem Recently i got the moondrop may (i might become a moondrop fan) havent had much time with them and they are the only set i havent eqed yet, but im happy with thier tuning Also i got an android mp3 player for cheap its called the "m1" with no company name but its alright I also have the kiwi ears allegro mini and dunu s&s eartips coming ! I was looking at other iems to complete my collection and have a new exprience i have 3 options in mind : The aful explorer (will push my budget a bit its around 130$) The kiwi ears quartet (for 100$) cklvx d41 (for 85$) I love bass, i listen to edm, hyperpop, hiphop, pop, shoegaze, j rock and a bit of everything I cant buy from amazon due to my country being a shithole so i need to buy locally Thanks for reading and give me your recommendations please !!

Already ordered mine Those and the 7hz zero 2 I have the chu 2 They’re amazing The wan er too And the 7hz zero (original)

I guess for music it depends on your taste Wan er have vocal focus Chu 2 is more fun well balanced and analytical Kz castor pro bass edition is for those who like a lot of bass For gaming I recommend you get the chu 2, it has better sound stage and imaging (I have all those iem btw) it’s my favorite music wise gaming wise and comfort wise (wan er is too big and kz castor doesn’t fit right on me) BUT you should see reviews for all of them and decide based on your taste I don’t recommend the wan er if you think about gaming with it, it’s uncomfortable and fatiguing after some time If you think about gaming over music pick the chu 2 If you like a lot of bass pick the castor If you think about music pick the chu 2 If you think about music but like vocal forward with a little bit extra bass, pick the wan er

Meine to 1-2 hafte pehle chu2 dsp liya hai, full maje. Can be tuned using moondrop app + wavelet pro. Got it for 2.3k from concept kart. You can get unboxed version for under 2k.

I say Moondrop CHU 2’s, either DSP (USB-C version) or the analog version. They are tuned to a light V-shape to which they have impactful bass over other IEMs like Tanchjim Bunny’s which are more vocal-focused and bass-lean The shell is small as well, I have small ears, it fits me wonderfully. EDIT: if you plan to get analog, I would pick up a dongle like the Apple USB-C to 3.5 mm dongle that’s 10$. Ignore this recommendation if you live in the EU as that has less power than the US version

Add the delci, T10, zero 2, zero red, S08, chu 2, gate. I haven't heard it but the hexa is "light on bass," but I heard they're excellent otherwise. Personally I would get the T10 or S08 because they're planars. I have a zero red, gate, chu 2, zero 2. In terms of out of the box sound I find the Chu 2 to be the most exciting and lush and the most comfortable (it's absolutely TINY). I found gate too bright and the zero 2 kinda weak in note-weight but all of these things are "well tuned". If bass is your thing the zero red with some mucking around with PeaceAPO on PC (like matched to a singularity) absolutely *delivers.*

I have the space travel and just got another space travel for my gf and a chu 2 despite people saying it's bright, because it squigs nearly the same as the zero red just with more bass everywhere. I think the metal shell is a nice touch.  At first i didnt like the space travels sound. It has a Bluetoothy poor resolution. After grocery shopping with it for 2 hours i was left impressed. It is tuned very well and I dont get a harsh or metallic sound, theyre smooth everywhere and have good bass. The only down side for the price is my dunu tips dont fit in the charging case and the OEM tips suck. ANC and transparent modes work well enough but the voiced translation between them is off with "hmm", "hey", and "sleep". Highly worth the price. 

Chu 2 competes with my mp145 if youre not paying attention to the lushness. The T10 is probably better but for the $20 bracket the chu 2 is an easy win because its so tiny itll fit in anybodies ears. 

I think there's better options than all of those for gaming specifically but gaming/music it will be the same thing, there's not really a specific "for gaming" IEM, they can be used for anything, the biggest factor you'd want to consider is probably if there's an optional mic and whether the soundstage and imaging are decent... which is hit or miss. Less bass, $80ish Truthear Hexa. It's the only one I'll mention that I haven't heard. Neutral with slight bass lift, Truthear Zero Red but it has a huge nozzle that many find uncomfortable, these are large IEMs. I use these for gaming with a different cable that has a mic. When using the 10-ohm adapter it takes away the shrill from gun shots in video games that plagues all of my budget IEMs. You think you don't want bass - but I'm telling you that if you listen to sharp sounds like gun shots you DO want bass, just not a crazy amount of it (Blon BL03). Truthear Gate I found bright. Couldn't stand it at high volume. Has an optional mic. Feels cheap and plasticky but I trust Truthears build quality. Safe picks: 7hz zero 2 (optional mic) and Moondrop Chu 2 (doesn't come with a mic, fit is excellent because they're tiny). Cables with mics are $1-$10 from aliexpress. Get a zero 2. However, I think the Chu 2 sounds better overall and is a little more V-shaped and it has a metal shell which for me means it'd be pretty durable. Very lush and inoffensive sound that borders between engaging, little bit bassy but fairly "neutral". It sounds more exciting than my zero red, less exciting than my Gate. KZ has a terrible reputation here lol. They were caught silently revising IEMs and paying people for reviews. For a market that is so word-of-mouth based they really fucked up. Literally all of these are good picks with KZ being at the bottom. Someone mentioned "I find the Zero 2 muddier in the mids...and treble is a bit dark." and I would agree. While it's tuned very safely I found it less transparent/lush than things like the Chu 2 which are slightly more exciting while avoiding sibilance and boringness. If your version of "too bassy" is Beats By Dre or Skull Candy, none of these will even come close to bass like that (maybe the castor pro) so don't worry about it. Worry about how bright they are and how well people say they fit.

Get the chu 2. 

The fit. In order of brightness on the highs: zero 2 - chu 2 - gate. Chu 2 is sparkly where the zero 2 is darker and i found the gate overly bright. Chu 2 seems to have more bass impact. I have all of these. Zero 2 for gaming, chu 2 for music. 

I stopped looking at iems after my chu 2 blew me away. I have a $260 set i never use even tho it sounds better. I just never use them analytically. 

Honestly sitting around and gloating over how good your IEMs sound gets old real fast and that search is exhaustive, it never ends, but when you throw on a good $20 set and disappear into your music, new or old, that's where it's at. I have the chu 2, and use them 90% of the time, when I have $250 sets. I can't say they're uncomfortable at all because they're so tiny. That being said, yes, a $250-$1000 set will be very noticeable in sound quality, but if you're not sitting there and actively paying attention to that sound you may not even notice it.

I use my chu2 more than my mp145. It obv doesnt have as exciting of mids but the fit is too good.

I think it's the $150 planar range. It'd be a good long term set. Even the $20-$30 chu2 would be enough for 90% of people. Value, not performance.

Chu 2 bright not overly, bassy Gate even brighter, bassy Waner good vocals Zero 2 balanced and bassy

Between my zero red, zero 2, gate, chu 2, im picking the chu 2 with the mic from the gate.