Moondrop Starfield 2 Review (1) – Deadly Electric Boogaloo With An Old Friend

BEGINNINGS

I never thought I would see my Starfield again, but then the Universe delivers the Moondrop Starfield 2 to my doorstep. Not much of a spiritual individual, I was still thankful I get another chance to reminisce.

Truth be told, the Aria would have been more my type to boogie with, but it was released later than the Starfield. Like all impatient audio junkies, I wanted the quick fix of what was new now.

The new Moondrop Starfield 2 is better than version one where the treble brilliance took a trip to the basement and never came back. We should take hints from kids, always shine a light before embarking on a trip to the darkness.

What to expect from the new version? A more forward upper midrange paired with a less gradual decline in treble output with a topping of sparkle and tighter controlled bass.

PACKAGE CONTENTS

Borrowing 1960’s hot-rod paint jobs or old amusement park rides for the kids in us, the Moondrop Starfield 2 utilizes the familiar shell that helps to keep tooling costs down for production. The iridescent paint is beautiful on top of the cast alloy zinc shell.

I believe there were reports of the original Starfield paint had a tendency to chip off. That does not mean the Starfield 2 would suffer the same fate, but painted metal things bouncing against each other will eventually show wear, call it patina or just be warned.

Inside they have stuffed the Moondrop Starfield 2 with a new 10mm dynamic constructed of Magnesium and Lithium alloy that claims to be more rigid and lighter than pure Beryllium.

This should equate to precise and quick transients, and hopefully push the breakup mode of the driver past our threshold of hearing. That is usually the goal of extremely rigid driver materials.

The faceplates are flat vs the angled ones from the Kanas Pro and Kato designs. Moondrop chose to make the screw a decorative feature. The tips of the nozzle also unscrews to change the mesh screen.

I have taken pictures in the past of these screens, and they are rather intricate and specialized to not only keep the moisture out, but apply acoustic filtration.

Also new the Moondrop Starfield 2 are vent hole plugs, in comparison to modders using micropore tape in the past to increase bass. You need patience to attach them, but once attached they increase the bass to bass head levels in a straight liner shot to the bottom. There are also plugs with holes, but it did not seem to change anything different than just leaving them out. 

The 2 pin cable is a striking blue color of twisted silver strand wrapped in a slightly rubberized texture sheath. The brass accents standout and match the brass nozzle. It’s rather weighty at 32g while both ear pieces clock in at 22g together. Microphonics are rendered moot, but the weight of the cable puts a damper in another way.

SOUND

Tested with the Shanling UA2 Plus and SMSL DO100 with HO100, the Moondrop Starfield 2 is a lightweight with the bass, easy on the lower midrange and focused on upper mids with a sprinkle of sparkle. This is the essence of Moondrop’s VSDF target curve many of their products follow with varying degrees of refinement.

The dynamic driver feels quicker than past iterations and the sub bass rumble is adequate. The vent plug drastically changes that, so if you desire they respond well to EQ instead. Still the midbass has a soft start but a tight finish. Despite the relatively minor bass lift it rolls into the lower midrange nicely avoiding sounding too thin.

Midrange clarity is excellent for this tier of IEMs producing well rounded vocals that sound exciting and pure. Note definition has proper decay exhibiting good depth making instruments sound believable. The upper midrange lift is more than my personal preference by a few decibels, but it hangs back ever so slightly before it steps out of bounds. This pinna gain aids in the clarity perception.

The Moondrop Starfield 2 treble is in-offensive and delicate, brass never sounds honky in quieter passages and picks up the slight flutters of saxophones and flutes. A little kick in the brilliance at 10Khz adds excitement and helps to uplift the final stage keeping it from sounding too flat. Purists will probably object, but the original Starfield was too tame for me near this area. What can I say, I enjoy some spice.

Lately I have been giving the Ibasso IT01 some light of day, I felt another oldie but goodie that was frequently recommended in this price bracket deserves a chance. Some might remember the Pioneer SE-CH9T, if not no worries.

They share similarities in the bass department until the Moondrop Starfield 2 except the Pioneer goes flat before making it to the midbass, quantity and quality are equivalent. I find the Starfield 2 has more note weight when listening to stand up bass. 

The Pioneer is more balanced overall, it doesn’t quite have the sharpness at the pinna gain around 3khz. Staging sounds wider on the CH9T and some dips in the treble take the edge off and push the whole stage backwards in comparison to the Starfield 2 with its more forward nature.

I picked up some resolution improvements in the presence region on the Starfield 2. Shakers and cymbals sparkle on the Moondrop Starfield 2 and shine like watching a newer movie shot with digital cameras. The Pioneer feels more analog with a grainy quality. 

Another one of my favorite picks between the $80-100 mark depending on purchase date, the TinHifi T4 is a good match-up for the Moondrop Starfield 2. While following a more similar target to the Pioneer, the T4 has more mid-bass thump and grunt compared to the Starfield 2. Upper midrange on the T4 is a more pleasant and longer session tune for me, but the Starfield 2 has snappier snares. 

While the stage sounds wider on the T4, I do not sense as much separation when compared to the Moondrop Starfield 2. Micro detail resolution winner is the Starfield 2. I clearly pick out each instrument and place them as if listening live, the T4 otherwise sounds more like a great recording.

So what have I missed, perhaps at this point I should mention they offer between good or great isolation. While I sort of miss the sticky and unique Spring ear tips, I think the sizing on them was off and not appreciated by the masses so instead we get rather generic eartips. Storing them is easy in the flip top leather case that can also be found with the Kato.

SO WHAT NOW?

Moondrop really hangs their hat on the VSDF tuning which is more diffuse than the Harman tuning. Moondrop Starfield 2 enhances a few areas on the old Starfield while dare I say, undercutting the previously popular Kato in terms of technical abilities. It will be a shining star for those that crave sharp definition and resolution while not overdoing either in air or bass (unless you want to). 

I have personally bought my way up the Moondrop ladder with the Kanas Pro (retired), Starfield (lost), Kato and Blessing Dusk 2 still in rotation and have previously reviewed the Alice TWS.

I can say the Starfield 2 is good company however not kicking older brothers and sisters out of the house. Kato and Alice still deliver more technicalities than the Starfield 2, but the $100 buys a fantastic floor seat to a great concert anchoring itself at the gate for others to attempt to push past.

Disclaimer: I thank SHENZHENAUDIO/Moondrop for providing these at no cost. While I have purchased the original Starfield, Kanas Pro, Kato, and Blessing Dusk 2 on my own dime you could say I am a bit of a fanboy – I still keep my biases in check.

SPECIFICATIONS

GRAPHS

• Left vs Right
• Open Vent vs Plug
• Moondrop Graph Comparison of Starfield and Starfield 2

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DISCLAIMER

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Our generic standard disclaimer.

About my measurements.