Moondrop Alice Review (2) – Swing And Amiss
At least in the IEM space, Moondrop has consistently stood out from the legion of gratuitous Chifi manufacturers, with much-loved products ranging from the $30 Crescent to the $800 Illumination. I haven’t heard their prior TWS entrants like the ($89) Sparks, but (like the rest of the gang here) I’m enough of a Moondrop acolyte to have awaited the $189 Alice with consideration anticipation. Durwood, FWIW, praised these highly.
The Alice is a very large, protruding design vaguely reminiscent of the Sony XM3, although I didn’t find them uncomfortable and fit with the included Azla tips was reasonably secure, if not gym-friendly (the unmarked R and L buds are, however, difficult to tell apart). Feature set is really sparse for the pricetag—no ANC, no multipoint, no wireless charging—but 8hr. Battery is good; passive isolation is so-so.
There’s a companion app which promises a variety of preset and parametric EQ, but despite numerous resets and reinstalls (including sideloading from the Moondrop site) I could not for the life of me get the damn thing to work—it kept terminating firmware updates and would not allow access to the EQ functions, so my sound impressions are based solely on the default tuning. Touch controls are minimal–no volume control and no customization–but fairly responsive; call quality is good.
The Alice presents a smooth, balanced signature across a wide but two-dimensional stage which has very limited depth and height; performers are well separated across a flat horizontal plane. There’s limited extension at both ends—low end is well-sculpted but doesn’t have a lot of punch or presence, while high end is rounded off and lacking in sparkle and snap, though free from shrillness and coarseness.
Mids are the strength here– full-sounding and euphonic (male voices have good body), but tonality is just okay—Moondrop seems to be going for a neutral, audiophile approach which isn’t analytical and which provides for good coherence, without sharp peaks. However everything has a slightly muted, distant quality, as if you’re too far from the stage, and some energy and drive is missing.
It’s a more analog, less aggressive tone than something like the (much cheaper) Lypertek Z3 or the Soundpeats H1, but also less full-sounding or dynamic. The recent Tin Buds 3 are similar in approach to the Alice—i.e. low-tech, warmish, balanced—but have better resolution, more energy and are the significantly better phone. Which, considering the Tin cost half as much, is not high praise for the Alice. The Sennheiser CX-400BT is another better, cheaper alternative to the usual V-shaped, ballsy consumer fare, with more bass and a rounder soundstage.
Given that the Alice have the same drivers as the much-adored KATO I’m surprised by my lack of enthusiasm for them. They aren’t by any means a bad TWS—they’re well-built and free from the hyped-up artificiality of many of its peers—but they’re certainly overpriced for what you get. Pass.
Disclaimer: borrowed from Durwood. Get it here from ShenzenAudio priced at $189 at time of publishing.
SPECIFICATIONS Moondrop Alice
- Model: ALICE True Wireless Stereo
- Driver: 10mm U.L.T super-linear dynamic driver
- Diaphragm: 3rd generation DLC composite diaphragm
- Bluetooth version: 5.2
- Bluetooth protocol: A2DP/AVRCP/HFP/HSP
- Codec protocol: AAC/SBC/aptX Adaptive
- Charging plug: Type-C
- lmpedance: 32Ω±15%@1kHz
- Working distance: about 15m (barrier-free open environment)
- Input: 5V-0.5A
- Battery Life: about 8+40hours
