Moondrop - KATO

Moondrop kato, i had it, its V shape sound with a great bass sound. Kiwi, and KZ iems are great too However there’s many options at this price range,

I also own the Kato. If they sound boring now, might be worth trying getting new set of nozzles and replace your current ones. In my case, although the old filters looked clean, they actually muffled the sound. I just figured it's really easy to clog this filter and it won't be obvious because the change in sound will be so gradual that you wouldn't realize it's not what they should sound like. Now I try to replace the filters once every three months and store it with silica bag that I also regularly replace  If you do replace the nozzles with some new ones, do let me know what you think. In my experience, it practically made my Kato brand new again; really textured bass, sparkly treble, and warm mids.

What's your budget? I don't listen to these artists much, but similar-ish artists like Sheena Ringo, Hikura Utada. My go to pair for late 90s-00s j-pop is Moondrop Kato (which is discontinued, and replaced by extremely similar Moondrop Kadenz). These are vocal forward with some bass, but not overpowering. On upcoming sale they should be available in the $150-170 range. Moondrop Aria 2 is much cheaper, but a bit more v-shaped, but should still be a good choice. Full price is around 99usd, and should be able to get a decent discount with 11.11 sale or black friday.

Moondrop Chu, and no. The Kato is the only Moondrop iem I still have and use. I liked the Aria but gave it to a friend to try to get him into iems (I failed). The Chu was good enough to get me into iems, but not good enough to keep me listening. I don't even know where they are now, lol. Of the early iems that I bought, I only have and listen to the Truthear Hexa (lifeless but decent, with wonderful imaging) and that Truthear Harmon-tuned one that Crinacle did with the subwoofer (I forget the name). It is fatiguing, but it is exciting until it wears me down. Good for techno. I listen mostly to the Aful P5, the Chopin, the Letshour S12, and the Kato now. Sometimes at home, I listen to the P8 and the Xenn Mangrid Top (they are too expensive to lug around with me--I have a $200 limit on iems that I'm willing to take in my backpack).

How people love to talk for the sake of talking, 3 - 4 years is a huge technological difference, 4 years ago a planar was a matter of hundreds or thousands of dollars, the same thing happened in their time with the BAs, and now they come out with their "they change the drivers" man, they are selling you the same iem much cheaper, with the same tuning and with a driver that is more budget-friendly, something that even large companies do. They throw shit at KZ over and over again but they lick Moondrop's shoes with all their quality problems even on hundreds of dollar products (I bought the Kato as soon as it came out, the cable rusted in 2 months and I ended up going back to my ZAXs anyway). You can't really expect your opinion to be valid when you haven't even tried the brand's progression... Minimo argues objectively, and not with "so and so complained on facebook".

While I don't currently commute much, if I'm going somewhere on public transport, I find that I prefer a more v-shaped tuning than usual, with a strong bass especially. I think maybe it helps with background noise, but also in general I prefer a more energetic sort of sound if I'm out and about. My current go-to is the Ikko OH10. I've been looking for an endgame for this use-case and so far, the OH10 is the closest, but not quite perfect. It could do with a couple more dB of bass (without EQ) and a touch less stridency in the treble. I will say though, it's pretty easy to make the OH10 perfect with EQ, it's just something I don't like doing because I'm always listening to different stuff and it's a pain to manage profiles. Plus it encourages never-ending tinkering and tip rolling is bad enough as it is. Some things I was hoping would unseat the OH10 but have not done so include the Aful Explorer and FatFreq Deuce. Some warm/bassy IEMs that I don't like as much for travelling are the QKZ HBB and Letshuoer S08, despite being my #3 and #2 IEMs overall, respectively. The HBB is too laid back. The S08 is let down by its bass, which can be a bit boxy at the best of times, but this gets exaggerated quite a lot when travelling, especially on buses. The Timeless AE is an interesting one in that it sounds perfect for walking around, but as soon as I get on a bus, it suddenly sounds like it has no bass. Been meaning to write a separate post about that one. I think there's something about "planar bass" and acoustic impedance going on there; something to do with the engine noise/vibration from buses. The same thing does not happen with DD bass drivers, regardless of whether they are midbass or subbass focused. I haven't had a chance to compare the Timeless AE, Ikko OH10 and Moondrop Kato on a train, but for a long time the Kato was my go-to for long train journeys. I find the OH10 is a bit ahead of the Kato for bus trips, as it's more v-shaped. I think if I'm going to spend 2-4 hours on a train, I'll still prefer the Kato. I'll also mention my favourite IEM overall which is the Simgot EA1000. It works for everything including travelling, but the Kato and OH10 are both warmer/bassier so those are what I'd normally go to for travelling. If I were travelling, staying hotels, etc., and wanted to take a single IEM for everything, it would be the EA1000.

I have about 50 IEMs, so it's a fairly long list. But my current favourites are: 1. Simgot EA1000 2. Letshuoer S08 -- currently tied with Ikko OH300 3. QKZ HBB 4. Moondrop Stellaris -- specifically with Dunu Candy tips^[1] 5. Moondrop Kato -- tied with Ikko OH10 (order changes if I'm inside or outside). 6. Dunu Titan S ^[1] Just because these tips work for me doesn't mean they'll work for anyone else - with other tips these are super bright and fatiguing to listen to.

It's very well regarded. Some reviewers slightly prefer the Tanchjim Origin, but I skipped that one because some other reviewers say it's more of a downgrade or sidegrade from the Oxygen, which I already have. The EA1000 is definitely in another league technically when you compare it to 1DDs like the EA500LM, Kato, Oxygen, Dunu Falcon Ultra, etc. Even the reviewers who prefer the tuning of one of the other 1DDs acknowledge that the EA1000 is ahead on technicalities. The Origin is the only one out of that list I haven't been able to hear and compare myself. I also haven't heard the stupidly high end ones like the SoftEars Twilight, but that one interests me, to hopefully try in the future. Oh also I keep forgetting that technically the EA1000 isn't actually a 1DD, it's more like a 1.5DD because it has a passive radiator. Most people group it together with the rest though and it's unclear if the passive radiator actually contributes anything. I think it *might* because the bass on the EA1000 is pretty unique too. If I had to pick from the ones that are true 1DDs, in terms of enjoyment I'd rank them OH300 > Dunu Titan S > Kato > Oxygen, but in terms of "technically-the-best" it goes Oxygen -(tiny difference)-> Kato -(big difference)-> Dunu Titan S -(big difference)-> OH300. Also worth calling out the QKZ HBB for being stupidly good for what it costs (about $15). It's roughly my #3 favourite IEM at any price, but maybe drops down to #4 because of the OH300 (I haven't decided if the OH300 completely replaces the S08 or not). The HBB is just very unique for it's super laid back, warm tuning, so I can't see it ever leaving my collection.

The Kadenz, like the Kato before it, is anodised, not painted, so chipping isn't an issue. I have the matte grey Kato, which is the same finish as the Kadenz. It develops a wear pattern over time. IMO it looks better as it ages, because the angled edges tend to get slightly polished and stand out more from the rest of the overall matte finish. Tuning on the Kadenz is a bit different to the Kato. I haven't heard the Kadenz myself though. Apparently the Kadenz is more vocal-oriented and very good at what it does, but it's a bit of a specialist tuning whereas the Kato is one of the best all-rounder IEMs of all time. I feel like perhaps excessive talk about the Kato being outdated towards the end of its life has added to misconceptions about how good it actually was, and still is. 1DDs can be very good. A hybrid isn't automatically better. You're mostly paying for R&D and other factors with an IEM, not the raw cost of the drivers. Unless it's something crazy like the Fiio FX17 which is $1,500, but if you bought just the EST drivers separately they'd cost about $1,600. And IDK why people are saying the Kadenz is "outdated". That's ridiculous and is probably conflating what people were saying about the Kato, which is a different IEM. It's a relatively new release. Just because there's a new FotM release every month does not mean other IEMs go out of date that quickly. TBH, the Kadenz is probably a bit overpriced if you look at it in terms of absolute value for money, given how the driver compares to the Tanchjim Origin or the Simgot EA1000 (which are both a bit more expensive than it to be fair). But, if it's the tuning you want, it's probably worth it. The Kato was a bit overpriced by the time they discontinued it, in terms of pure value for money. But at the same time, there also wasn't anything else directly competing with it as a really good all-rounder, other than the Aria 2, which isn't quite as good and doesn't have the same build quality. The Kadenz fills a slightly different niche though. If you're just looking for a good all-rounder, the Aria 2 should be a pretty safe bet as long as you're not worried about the paint. There are some good hybrid options around $100 like the Truthear Pure and the Juzear Defiant, but they're not automatically going to sound better. 1DDs tend to be more coherent. The Pure is definitely one to listen to first or get from somewhere with a good returns policy like Amazon, as around 40% of reviewers described it as muddy, while the other 60% liked it a lot. The Defiant also needs a good returns policy because about 25% of them have a QC problem with venting. Don't let people's FotM-influenced opinions sway you away from potentially good IEMs like the Aria. Until very recently it was FotM and everyone was recommending it. It didn't suddenly become a terrible IEM because people forgot about it. I would stay away from the Starfield 2 though, as those did not get any good reviews at all. I can't say much about the Kadenz myself. Maybe someone will reply who actually owns it. Long-term though, the Kato is still one of my best IEMs. If I had to have only one IEM forever, I'd have a hard time choosing between the Kato and the EA1000 (which is another 1DD btw, although technically it's more like a 1.5DD). I have several hybrids as well. They're not better, just different.

Do you have the Oxygen for comparison? I haven't heard the Origin but I have the Oxygen and am curious about how all these new ones compare to them. Also the Oxygen is about 99% identical to the Kato, with the only real difference being the O2 has a bit more sub-bass and less mid-bass, so it sounds a bit cleaner. But it's barely noticeable - there's a bigger difference between tips than between these two IEMs.

If you like the Kato you'll probably like the Oxygen. I slightly prefer how the Oxygen sounds (but only by a tiny margin). But I prefer the Kato overall because it has much better fit stability.

If you want something very neutral then the Truthear Hexa needs consideration. The main downside with it are that the nozzles are quite largev. It's not as massive as the Zero Red/Blue but if you have smaller ears I'd avoid it. Also t has a very narrow soundstage. Another IEM with a similarly neutral tuning but a bit more sub-bass is the Thieaudio Legacy 2. I prefer that one to the Hexa and it's a lot more comfortable. It's slightly more expensive, but not much. Also the L2 has a bit more high treble roll-off although I don't find that sacrifices any detail, it just makes them a bit smoother sounding than the Hexa. These also have much better soundstage than the Hexa. Also sprach Zarathustra sounds very good on these btw; I don't listen to a lot of classical but that's one of my test tracks. I haven't heard the Aria 2 but I do have the Kato which it supposedly sounds nearly identical to, and it's another warm-leaning, mild-v. I think this will tend to sound a bit muddy with classical, compared to some of the brighter or more neutral sets. I wouldn't recommend the S08 either, because it's very tip-sensitive and even if you get good tip match, it's quite a dark tuning. It's great for certain music, but I don't think it will do classical very well at all. The S12 is a better option. Just make sure you have a reasonably good DAC/amp as planars don't always sound at their best when under-powered. Another potential alternative to the S12 is the Moondrop Stellaris. I would advise some caution here, because as it comes out of the box it's really bright and fatiguing. I personally find it becomes less fatiguing than the S12 Pro with Dunu Candy tips, but I can't guarantee those will work the same in anyone else's ears. Still [at least one reviewer](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdLqjwXG7CA) recommends them for classical specifically. They do have a much flatter tuning than the S12. At least with the right tips they are a bright-neutral rather than an intense v-shape like the S12. Another non-planar option worth considering is the Simgot EA500. The original, not the LM. The LM is quite v-shaped and also sounds quite closed-in compared to the original. The downside of the EA500 again is, like several of these options can be so bright that it gets fatiguing. In fact it's probably the most fatiguing of these. It has a certain realism though and is nearly as resolving as the planars despite being a 1DD. It has a good sense of dynamics as well the largest soundstage I've heard on an IEM, with pin-sharp imaging. A much safer option is the Moondrop LAN. It's a bright-neutral tuning but regardless of eartips used it doesn't have so much treble energy for anyone to really find it fatiguing. It's also got quite a smooth treble response, and pretty decent soundstage. Short version: Moondrop LAN probably the safest option, but slightly less resolving than some of the others; Stellaris + Dunu Candy tips is a big upgrade iff your ears react to the tips the way mine do. Thieaudio Legacy 2 is another good & safe option.

Moondrop Kato was my first IEM and I just couldn't get over how shrill the high end was. Hurt my ears. Now I'm using the Theiaudio Hype 4's and I love them. I don't have a fancy DAC, I have the Beacn Mic which basically has the same chip as an AudioQuest Dragonfly Red but it works for my needs.

Commuting: Samsung Buds 2 Pro Home: Moondrop Kato IEMs

I tried KZ AS10 and DQ6, Blon BL-Mini and A8 Prometheus, Moondrop Kato, B2, B2 Dusk and S8, Softears Studio 4 and TinHiFi T2 Plus. Tin were trash. KZ AS10 was okayish but not really. DQ6 super comfortable, lightweight decent SQ for the price and comfort but nothing crazy. From Kato to B2/Dusk there's a significant step up in SQ. From B2/Dusk to S8 there's an improvement but it's not something crazy. The Blons sound OK, BL-Mini is quite decent in terms of price to performance, A8 are overpriced in terms of SQ but they look amazing. Both are lower in SQ than the Kato. Studio 4 sounds amazing to me, it's a more mid centric sound signature. The S8 has a more spacious sound and has more perceived space between instruments but the S4 is just godly in terms of it's timbre, everything's sounds just right, notes are weighty of I had to describe it somehow, and vocals are on another level altogether. I'll soon hear the RSV MKI. Thus far from this lineup I'd say diminishing returns start at the Blessings, now... The S4 I think is a justifiable step up, the S8 if you have the disposable income yeah, otherwise you spend more and you get more but not that much more. The S4 is cheaper than the S8 and I'd surely recommend the former. I guess it boils down to how much you are willing to spend. There is an improvement in SQ but it's definitely not a linear function, it's evidently logarithmic, just like horsepower in cars. I'm sure though there's plenty of snake oil sets out there. I'm sure if you bought the Hexa or the Nova and compare them with the Kato the latter would feel like a scam. That being said SQ is not the only factor, I have the Blons almost exclusively for how they look. I've met people that were like meh they all sound the same. I think I trust myself as I found the S8 underwhelming compared to the cheaper S4, and I really wanted to like the S8 as they look gorgeous, but I truly believe the S4 are the better pair. And bro, damn... those TinHiFi T2 Plus, 60 bucks? I wouldn't take them for free... Everything sounds like an out of tune banjo with only two strings left played by a crackhead that lost half his fingers.

It’s hard for me to rank because I use my headphones for different things. HD 6xx: my daily driver for music. ATH R70x: my pc gaming headphones. Kato: on the go IEMs and when I’m playing VR games. Quietcomfort Ultra: for when I want noise cancelling on planes and shit. AirPod Pro 2: general purpose IEMs, usually for YouTube or when I want to listen to music around the house but not break out wired headphones

My first proper IEM, the KATO got it at pre-order launch at $140 and as a pre-order it also bundled with the KATO arcylic stand and their Line-K Cable. Man even now I can't forget how ecstatic I was when I recieved the set and even now I rarely use them (as I often now use the Truthear NOVA) I still appreciate them everytime I gotta use them. With the DAC, I just go with the JM6 Pro, cheap, reliable, portable, very versatile and matches well the IEMs I have,

Moondrop KATO, always returning to it after these years

Funny I come across this post as I'm on my way home from an audiophile store after trying their entire price range of IEMs, as well as their expensive DACs and DAPs. Like from $20 IEMs all the way to a $4000 Forte Ears Macbeth they had. Here's what I concluded as a non-audiophile just gaining interest in this hobby. Diminishing returns for IEMs kicks in hard after $300. Sweet spot seems to be around $200-$250. I really liked the Moondrop Kato and a lot of the Ziigaat IEMs they had. Fit and sound quality felt much better than the Zero Reds I currently have. I feel like once you go above into the upper hundreds into thousands USD range it's more personal preference tbh. Favourite one I tried today was a Campfire Audio Clara. With DACs I felt that as long as it could sufficiently power the IEM, it really didn't make a noticeable difference. Couldn't notice a real difference between my JM6 Pro dongle and their $200 ifi DACs, even on the expensive IEMs. And the Apple dongle is pretty bad. It couldn't drive most of the IEMs I tried. Even the ones it could drive they didn't sound good. Just use a JM6 Pro it's even cheaper than the Apple dongle (at least it is in my country). I did notice a quality difference with DAPs though only with the expensive IEMs. It sounded kind of cleaner but honestly not too big from my perspective. For most people you could probably just go up to around the $200-$300 range with an IEM that fits you comfortably with a preferable sound signature, and get an entry level DAC-AMP dongle and just leave and save the rest of your wallet.

if you got the budget, Softears Twilight is the best natural vocal set imo. it feels like the singer singing beside you. but if its too pricey kato will do the job

I have the kato, but bit pricey compared to the others

for me it was the aria snow when i started. now its either kato or variations. hexa is good but idk why i didn't feel comfortable wearing it.

try filtering only 2023 to 2024, i'm still quite surprised my kato is still in these list. i'm still using my kato outside home/carry. dusk and variations stays at home. still blue kato is an eye catcher when wearing outside. brass nozzle, Divinus Velvet Silicone Eartips For 3-5mm Nozzle S, Venture Electronics Odo, Stock Kato Cables. poweramp bass at 35, stereo expand 20%

try filtering only 2023 to 2024, i'm still quite surprised my kato is still in these list. i'm still using my kato outside home/carry. dusk and variations stays at home. still blue kato is an eye catcher when wearing outside. brass nozzle, Divinus Velvet Silicone Eartips For 3-5mm Nozzle S, Venture Electronics Odo, Stock Kato Cables. poweramp bass at 35, stereo expand 20%

Moondrop Kato, still use it for banging around outside.

I’m surprised the Katos are on here. I got them and was very unimpressed for the price. I actually use much cheaper iems over them

For a warm, full-bodied sound without overpowering bass, check out the Sennheiser IE 200 or the Moondrop KATO—both are solid picks for live pop/rock with great clarity for vocals and guitar!

Sounds like you're ready for an upgrade, and the FatFreq x HBB Deuce is a great choice! It's got that V-shaped sound with a solid bass boost, perfect for genres like Dubstep, Metal, and Rap. If you're looking for alternatives in that price range, you might also want to check out the Moondrop Kato for a more neutral sound or the Tangzu Wu Zetian for a bass-forward experience. But honestly, the Deuce really nails the balance of fun, impactful bass and clarity. You won’t be disappointed!

Thats a pretty big price difference between the EW300 and Supermix 4. While I do love the SM4, I think its only worth if your budget comfortably fits the SM4. Yes for me the SM4 was just straight up better but was it worth 2x the price of the EW300? Depends on you. I think for value, the EW300 is insane and one of the best. You could also look at the EA500LM if you like a slightly brighter tone or DUNU Kima 2 if you listen to very vocal songs. I still think Moondrop Kato on sale for like $110-130 is a great buy too.

Moondrop Kato since 2022. I still use them today since it was my only pair up until last week when I bought the EW200 to use for working out

Even though the sm4 graph shows alot of sub bass the dip in the mid bass makes it sound faint. The lower midrange pretty important if you want more like "presence" and "weight" to the vocals/instruments. I always felt like sm4 was close to great but its held back by the pzt implementation. Sometimes you get a strong sting of it and it can be good/bad depending on song quality. It can get very fatiguing if you're not used to pzt/planar zing in the higher regions. I think if you like the single dd sound and want to refine it get the fd15. Its a vast improvement over salnotes zero. It sounds more tighter and defined/punchy in the bass. Vocals sounds extremely vivid and musical. The treble is my favorite part of it because it sound airy and sparkly yet non harsh. I would of recommended original moondrop kato (if you can find it 2nd hand or used market) but It might lack some of that treble energy from salnotes zero in exchange for better weight and mid clarity.

I gwt what you're saying. But the presentation on my ety ER2XRs definitely feels a ton more intimate than my Moondrop Katos. So how does that work ?

To each their own, of course - but I can relate to your reaction. When I tried my first IEM, I honestly thought it was the worst purchase I’d ever made. My first set was the Moondrop Kato, and at first, it felt like a complete waste of money. I shared my “terrible” experience with Claude AI, and it suggested I give it at least a week. So I did. For three days straight, I forced myself to listen only with the Kato. Then I switched back to my old Bluetooth gear (Galaxy Buds 2 Pro and Sony XM4), and suddenly they sounded muddy and veiled in comparison. That’s when I started to understand why people hype IEMs so much. My old Bluetooth favorites just didn’t hold up anymore, and over time (I’m about 10 months in now), IEMs have become my go-to. It wasn’t instant though — it took patience and a bit of “ear adjustment” before I really appreciated what they offered. I know we’re coming from different places: I had no EQ background, just consumer gear before my first “audiophile” device. But from my experience, I’d suggest giving the Hexa a little more time. Some of what people call “brain burn-in” is really just your ears adapting to a new sound. I truly hope your first IEM experience doesn’t put you off from trying other sets in the future. The first step into this hobby can be jarring, but it often gets better with time and exploration.

I used to use razer headphones until a few years back, then switched to my Moondorp KATO for gaming. Right off the bat directions sounds are coming from are harder to tell and soundstage is quite a bit smaller. But after a few years I play apex with it just fine and never looked back to headphones. They're hot and hurts my ears.

IMO no, not anymore. Most people who have tried both seem to say the Tanchjim Origin is the better single DD set. And the Kadenz/Kato is now outperformed by hybrid sets in its price range. One note though, the finish on the Kadenz is bead blasted metal, so there is no paint.

The fr you show is similar to Moondrop VDSF or Woodenears target, which has a very natural timbre in my opinion. But the main problem in flat and neutral bass are the seal. Depending on the shape of the ear, tips and IEM the quantity varies. And the most used scenario are noisier enviroments (in a house is better a open-back over ear), when you need to compensate lower frequencies. There are two solutions: add a dip in mid-bass like a Harman tuning, or use a low shell filter in lower frequency (90 Hz or less, which uses new Crin target). The 2nd solution change less the timber of male voices and guitars.

VDSF Moondrop is my favorite budget tuning. Gets me just as happy as thieaudios monarch line!

I haven't branched out too much into IEM's but I've had a few of MoonDrops's and I absolutely LOVE how good the quality is.