Disclaimer: I would like to formally thank John from Apos Audio for providing us with a unit in exchange for an impartial and honest review. On behalf of the team at the Headphone List, we thank him for his generosity and trust in THL.
Summary:
The Moondrop Horizon is a warm-neutral slanting headphone with an overall lower-mid front. For its price, the Horizon is a pleasantly tuned headphone that emphasises gentler note strikes and attack for a non-fatiguing and leisurely affair.
However, its distinctive lower and upper-treble roll-off, followed by a lack of sub-bass depth or mid-bass slam, makes the Horizon a peculiar headphone that’s neither correctly dark nor correctly neutral.
Pros:
+ Eye-catching ‘space-age’ design with full-aluminum and metal chassis
+ Forgiving, warmish-neutral tuning with a well-defined midrange
+ Above average staging-performance emanating from the ears
Cons:
– Lack of clamp force results in a loose and inconsistent fit
– Peculiar bass roll-off, resulting in weak macrodynamics
– Lower and upper-presence roll-off diminishes its technical performance
Introduction
Moondrop, a venerable veteran in the IEM space, replete with waifu-centric marketing material, is a household name (for audiophiles), with a spectacular success rate with their IEM releases. The Variations and Blessing 2 paved the way for many Chi-Fi counterparts to come.
However, their foray into the headphones segment of the market has seen mixed results, laden with more missteps than successes. The Para was a modest success, attracting positive impressions. The Joker, on the other hand, didn’t quite gain the headwinds they’d hoped for.
Today, we’re reviewing the Moondrop Horizon, their latest attempt at cracking the tough crowd that is the headphone world. Priced at 199 USD, the Horizon can be purchased from Apos Audio.
Technology
A New Kind of Dynamic Driver
Moondrop’s 50mm ULT driver delivers wide dynamics, low distortion, and a balanced sound with punchy bass and smooth highs, thanks to two years of tuning for linearity and bandwidth.
Powerful Magnets, Precise Motion
Dual N55 neodymium magnets create a high 1.85T flux density for precise diaphragm control and energy efficiency, resulting in clean transients and effortless sound.
Titanium Meets Liquid Silica Gel
A titanium-plated polymer dome and liquid silica gel suspension combine for rigidity, damping, and stability—preserving treble clarity and bass depth without distortion.
Unboxing
The Horizon does what Moondrop does best. Showing off cartoon children (I’m paraphrasing Resolve here).
Jokes aside, the Horizon comes shipped in an impressively sizeable box with high-quality packaging. Ignoring the ‘waifu-branding’, you’ll find the following accessories under the hood:
- Horizon headphones
- Cable (3.5mm and 4.4mm)
- Anime card
- Manual
- Certificates
- Service card
The Horizon doesn’t come with any standout accessories. However, given its open-back design, the exclusion of a carrying case is 100% to be expected.
Design and Build
The Moondrop Horizon is one of the nicest-looking set of cans, which far transcends its honest $200 price tag. The Horizon comprises a mostly aluminium construction in a Jet Black colorway, from its headband to its securely fastened yokes. Each channel is terminated with a 3.5mm TRS connector.
The open-back grill is adorned with a hexagonal motif and each yoke features the Horizon’s ‘space-age’ kitschy typeface. The Horizon’s 50mm ULT dynamic drivers are fully visible to the naked eye, a baffle with radial patterning securing them in place. The headband itself is reminiscent of rally-style watch straps, with holes punched neatly.
The stock earpads feature a felt front and a protein leather surround for a plush and sweat-resistant listen, blending the absorbent nature of felt with the luxurious feel of protein leather. They are snugly attached to the Horizon via a fixed, magnetic O-ring with a generous amount of angled foam. If I had to guess, this is Moondrop’s attempt at material damping.
The theming on the Horizon is utterly brilliant. On first glance, the Horizon could easily pass for a $1,000 headphone. This is by no means an exaggeration. This feels like a thousand bucks in hand.
Comfort and Ergonomics
My aversion to headphones starts with the generous amount of clamp force that some headphones are notoriously known for. Bizarrely, the Horizon has too little clamp. All it takes is a few head shakes and twirls for it to displace from its stationary position almost immediately. Because of this, putting them on requires a bit of finessing to achieve a secure fit.
The upside to a softer clamp is the elimination of hot spots and pain points from long-term use, but the Horizon doesn’t achieve the correct balance. It should be tight enough to inspire confidence, but not too tight to cause unnecessary pain and discomfort. However, the actual comfort of the included stock pads is fabulous. Its circumaural design is sizeable enough to wrap around my ears with no pressure build-up, comfortably.
The felt cutout, which acts as the pseudo-headband or contact point, is too susceptible to crinkling, providing negligible support at the base of my skull. It’s almost as if these headphones are ‘floating’.
In terms of isolation, this is a poor choice. As implied by its fully-exposed dynamic driver design, sound is meant to radiate freely without hindrance. The Horizon is not for outdoor use.
Cable Quality
The 3.5mm TRS L-R cables with interchangeable/swappable 4.4mm and 3.5mm connectors are sheathed in a tightly woven cloth, embellished with an all-black aluminium Y-split and choker, and a treaded lock collar to secure your termination of choice.
In the hand, it’s a strong and robustly finished cable, but it has a propensity for cable memory, causing it to be susceptible to developing annoying bends and kinks. Because this is a headphone that’s designed exclusively for home or office use, this isn’t a prescient issue, but rather a small hindrance.
There’s little to say except that the Horizon’s stock cable is rock-solid for home use, but it isn’t the star of the show here.
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