Moondrop Space Travel 2
Hey you! Check out the YouTube review where I compare them to the CMF Buds 2 - link at the bottom of this post!
There are officially too many choices in the Bluetooth earbud/headphone space. There are options at every price point, and more often than not, the options are decent even at the low range. The Moondrop Space Travel 2 are a prime example of how paying less doesn't always mean you need to give up everything you may care about. The Space Travel 2 (henceforth deemed the ST2) cost less than $30, but the offer a package that is pretty unique and compelling despite its price.
The worst part by far of the ST2 is its charging case. It's open at the top and there are slits on the sides where the stems rest in the case. The buds are difficult to get out of the case, and they don't immediately pop out when you turn the case upside down and attempt to shake them out. I was able to pull them out with my fingernails, but for anyone without fingernails, getting them out might be a challenge. And because the case is open at the top, you may find that you need/want to buy an additional case to keep them safe if you take them out on the go. You can buy such a case on Amazon. In fact, you can buy both the inner and outer case in a bundle if you so desire. This will raise the price a little bit. At the time of publishing, a clear plastic case cost about $9.
I won't make you read a lot more without telling you about the headline feature of this product. The ST2 sound really good out of the box; they have a fairly neutral (compared to the mass market standard) sound profile with very solid detail and separation. The soundstage isn't particularly big, but the full spectrum of sound is presented in a well-rounded and satisfying way. But you don't have to settle with the out of the box sound. There are 3 EQ profiles - Reference, Bass+, and Bass-. These are very light-touch EQ presets. The Bass+ profile won't blow you away with a Sony Mega Bass style bump. It just adds a bit more low-end for a bit more oomph. The real intrigue is in the Online DSP options. With this option, you can load EQ presets that are aimed at a specific sound, whether it be one of Moondrop's other audio products or other audio products on the market. This means that in theory, you can try out the tuning of another product to see what it might sound like. I have to couch this with "in theory" and "might sound" because it's not as simple as picking an EQ curve and suddenly your $30 Bluetooth earbuds sound like $1000 earbuds or headphones. You are limited by the hardware. These little drivers will not sound like big planar magnetic drivers, big dynamic drivers, or even tiny high-quality balanced armature or xMEMS drivers. The idea is that you get a sense of the EQ curve so you can see if you like the tuning of another product. It's a fascinating idea and I think this could be a good entry point for people who have never mucked about with EQ settings in their audio products but in the backs of their minds wondered what al the fuss was about. I think this could be even more compelling than the QR code approach Nothing uses because you don't have to hunt down QR codes as the profiles are available right there in the app and all you need to do is download and apply them to hear the differences.
I did most of my testing using the Bass+ EQ profile, but I did play around with a few of the DSP profiles uploaded by Moondrop. The changes can be subtle and require mindful listening. That said, this whole concept is best for people who are willing to sit down and intentionally listen. If the audio is just serving as background noise, none of the potential value of this feature will be realized. Nevertheless, when you do take the time to listen, you can hear the differences between the different curves and this could – again, in theory — be a good tool for someone who wants to understand and learn what EQ effects matter the most to them.
Moondrop is an odd brand; they lean into anime and a certain vibe that is most certainly not my vibe, but at this price and with this sound quality, I can forgive it. The audio cues are tied into their overall aesthetic. When it goes into Bluetooth pairing mode, a high-pitched voice sings "doo-doo-doo". When you're connected, it joyously cries out "Connected!". When you go into noise cancelling mode, it does a strange "sssh" sound. When it goes into transparency it asks "Heh?". It's all a little disconcerting the first time and a little annoying thereafter, but again, I can forgive it for being a bit quirky.
Case and weird cues aside, there isn't much I can say against the ST2. They are inexpensive enough that I think more people who have an interest in going deeper in audio should buy them and play around with them. But they are also inexpensive enough that you can buy them as a backup pair or something to keep in your bag (in that extra case, of course) or maybe at work to have an option for those times when you forget to pack or charge your primary audio product. They are good out of the box, and they are fun for experimentation.
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YouTube review:
