I think most readers will be familiar with Moondrop, the company has made some hit products such as the Starfield and Blessing 2. What underpins them is a winning combination of reasonable pricing and a very balanced tuning based off Moondrop VDSF curve – a take on the renowned Harman curve. The company is back at it again with a new flagship IEM, the Illumination. This earphone sports a titanium alloy housing, 11mm high-performance driver and SPC cable out of the box.
The housings receive special mention as they have been constructed using a 5-axis CNC process from titanium alloy. In response to complaints about their painted designs in the past, Moondrop has added a tin plating that the company promises is nigh scratch-proof. The driver as well has been the subject of much development, implementing Japanese Daikoku CCAW voice coil and high-flux N52 neodymium magnets; the strongest currently available. Moondrop promises a reference-grade sound and super-wide extension at the bottom and top.
The acoustic chamber design is another focal point, the front is designed to suppress treble resonances with pressure-relieving structures to control transient response and bass. The earphone also features constant phase across the entire frequency range.
The Moondrop Illumination is available for preorder on HiFiGO for $799 USD. First units will ship out on the 26th of this month.
