Moondrop CHU II High Performance Dynamic Driver IEMs Interchangeable Cable in-Ear Headphone

I purchased these after my pair of noname IEMs died, since they're the top selling pair on amazon under $25. I use these to edit a podcast, and they work great and are pretty transparent. For the price, these things are an unbelievable deal. They sound great with both music and spoken word, they're comfortable for extended wear, and the all-metal housing is really sturdy. The cable is also really nice - it's thick and doesn't tangle easily. When these die, I'll probably just get another pair since I don't really want or need anything else. My only complaint is with static - it's winter when I'm writing this, and with the air being really dry, these have a tendency to give a very slight, occasional static shock when your ear touches the metal body. It doesn't hurt but you can hear it and it just kinda feels weird. Is it a dealbreaker though, absolutely not. Also, very minor thing, what's up with the anime girl on the packaging? It's kind of embarrassing when you just want some headphones, I get that some people like it but it's a super weird branding choice. Update after 8 months of almost-daily wear - I typically wear these in an office with only one ear in so I can hear what's going on around me, and I've noticed that the left ear (the one I would wear most often) has dropped in volume by about 80% while the right ear is perfectly fine. No idea what caused it, it just happened one day. I'm not dinging it any stars since it's still a crazy value for the quality you're getting, but don't expect too much longevity out of these if you wear them frequently. Update after over a year of near-daily use - these unfortunately died on me a couple of weeks ago. Wearing them in only one ear at a time, I noticed that the ear that I would favor would slowly diminish in volume in the last two weeks of its lifespan, and at a certain point it would fully die on that side. Then I'd switch to the other side, extending its life a few months, but the same thing eventually happened where the volume would gradually lower until it stopped working entirely. I decided to branch out and try a new set after these (the Linsoul Salnotes Zero) and the Moondrops are far and away the best build quality I've found in this price range. Sound quality is similar with decent clarity on both, but I noticed that these are tuned with a bit more bass and slightly more high end detail. So if you're using these in a studio or editing situation, I would maybe look for a pair with a flatter response. Otherwise, if you're using these for casual listening or really anything else, they'll sound great and last you a little while before you have to replace them.

TL;DR: How are these 20 bucks? They sound great and have an incredible metal build while being light and comfortable. Buy these. Wtf The Build: How are these $20… This is the most premium headphone I've ever opened and it was $20. T hey're insane. They are metal. They feel substantial in your hand, but light when you put them in they are so small and the fit is incredible, unsurprising for IEMs anyways, but I have some CCZ coffee beans that fit great but are bigger so don't enter as deeply, so these definitely take the cake. They have a leather pouch which is Primo, and not what I was expecting (I didn't see any pics beforehand). The eartips are pretty standard (no foam) and do a good job blocking out the outside world, it’s no active noise canceling and I’ve used better passive, but again they’re 20 bucks. The cable is a bit thinner than other IEM’s I have, and they don't have controls or a microphone. There is a slightly more expensive version with a thicker cable and controls and a mic, although its’ USB-C? Honestly I like the cable, it's light and more out of the way, and if nothing else I’ll just use a different cable from another set of IEM’s. The Sound: They sound excellent. I do think that the mids and highs are a little darker than I'm used to, but it's nothing that I couldn't fix myself with an EQ. They’ve very detailed, I'm running them with the BTR 5 and with Wavelet on and they sound pretty crisp. They're not the most clean I've ever heard, but definitely up there, and ESPECIALLY for $20. I do wish they were treblier, but I’m being picky at that point. I listened to a FLAC of AM by the Arctic Monkeys and they sound real good. I’m not sure what else to say about the sound, it’s dark and bassy, but it's nice and smooth; it’s unlike the bass outta some headphones I’ve tried. They do get loud. I've been listening to them at 60 percent without issue, they do get too loud at about 85 percent, if you’re into that sort of thing. The Music: FLAC - AM by Arctic Monkeys FLAC - Discovery by Daft Punk FLAC - IGOR by Tyler, The Creator Spotify - I Need to Start a Garden by Haley Heyndrickx Spotify - Locket by Crumb Spotify - Various songs by Mitski The Conclusion: I'm definitely going to be daily driving them at least for a bit, and again just an incredible package for 20 bucks (I'm excited for the leather pouch). I’m thinking these will be a great gift for friends. The Waifu: Excellent, my wife likes pandas lol

I'm not an audiophile or anything, but to me these sound pretty OK. Definitely not the best earbuds I have used in terms of sound quality but by far the best I have paid $20 for. Build quality leaves a little to be desired but its fine for the price. I tend to prefer wired earbuds for around the house and I used senheiser cx300 for a while. The sound quality on the cx300s is only marginally better than the moondrop chu II and it is over twice the price. Maybe that isn't a big problem for you but I guess I am pretty rough on my earbuds. I don't know when the last time I had a pair that lasted more than 6 months was. laying down $45+ each time for the cx300s didn't make me happy and last time I needed a replacement I figured I would try out some of the cheaper options and I had heard good things about this one. All in all its a pretty solid product but I'm not a huge fan of the around ear design and I would really prefer a braided cable. Then again, no issues with the cord getting pinched, etc. so far. I like the metal chassis but they are a bit heavy and I've had a few issues with it coming apart after I banged it on my desk etc. A few drops of super glue fixed that right up but something to keep in mind. I finally had to buy a replacement because I dropped my ipad with these plugged in and it landed right on the jack and bent it. It still kinda works but I have to jiggle it a bit to get it in the right position or the sound cuts out. Really its all about the price here. I mean $20 is $20 but I feel a lot better replacing these than some of the other earbuds I have owned and they sound... fine, which in this price bracket is an achievement. 7.5/10

Le Moondrop CHU II sono cuffie in-ear di qualità sorprendente per il prezzo. L'audio è chiaro e bilanciato, con bassi presenti ma non invadenti e alti dettagliati. Perfette per ascoltare musica in modo immersivo senza spendere una fortuna. Il design è elegante e confortevole, e il cavo intercambiabile è un plus che aumenta la longevità del prodotto. Anche dopo lunghe sessioni di utilizzo, rimangono comode da indossare. Se cerchi IEMs ad alte prestazioni che offrano un audio di qualità superiore senza svuotarti il portafoglio, queste cuffie sono un'ottima scelta. Consigliate per audiofili e non solo!

You simply can not get better audio quality than this for the price. They are slightly V shape tuned with a slight lean towards treble. Super comfortable as well due to their small size. Only complaints are non-removable nozzles and they can corrode after a while. But for this price I’m just nitpicking. Great pair for daily beaters or to give to a friend who is new to IEMs.

I didn't expect much for the price, but I am pleasantly surprised by not only an insane top-notch quality in materials, but also in sounds, in comfortableness, unboxing experience, it just feels premium and that it should be higher priced, it's just perfect for the money; if you need wired sound, be it for laptop, nintendo switch, or whatever, please, go with these if you don't want to spend a lot of money. And I don't say it as a cheap option, I would gladly consider these my favorite ones over many other higher priced options on the market.

I have to be honest with my review, and first thing is to admit it's my first ever IEM that doesn't come fully assembled and I have several mostly from big audio brands such as beyerdynamic, shure, audio-technica, sennheiser, and FiiO, all IEM's I bought from them since 2021 came fully assembled, with their cables attached and ear tips installed. Even Tripowin x HBB Olina and Tripowin x HBB Mele that I bought back in 2022, came fully assembled(Tips and cable installed). I just got my Moondrop Chu II today, just to realized I have to assemble ear tips and cable by manually installing supplied foam tips which proved to be an impossible task trying fit into Chu II nozzles, instead of returning the product, decided to spend $28 on quality silicone tips(Spinfit W1) in addition to a high quality 16 core replacement cable which set me back another $30 extra because the supplied cable is very thin and basic one that I'm pretty sure won't last long or take any abuse, same for the supplied foam ear tips are very feeble and extremely hard to put into it. With the money already spent on this, I could've got the much better TRUTHEAR x Crinacle Zero: RED which sells for $93 or the TRUTHEAR Hexa which sells for $125 or the highly praised Moondrop Aria 2 at amazon. I already spent $140 on the Chu II, because the 2 Pin 16 core high quality cable I ordered, is not compatible with Chu II, so decided to order also Moondrop MC1 replacement cable which is guaranteed to work with Chu II and MoonDrop Spring tips for the wide Chu II nozzles. Out of rage, I also ordered a Dunu Kima 2 IEM for less price that I paid for my Chu II + replacement cables + 2x Ear tips. This is not a seller's fault, this an entry level IEM that is an excellent product and has to have some shortcomings, in this case, the cable which is usable but is not durable and the cheap foam tips that came with. When you spend a minimum of $100 for IEM's, you get also included a nice quality cable and quality silicone ear tips. Just something to keep in mind when you order an IEM under $50. I wanted to order a much better Moondrop MC2 replacement cable but it was going to be sacrilege to spend $41 for a replacement cable, which was more than I paid for my Chu II. Now let's review Moondrop Chu II audio quality which is impressive for the price, soundstage is limited, but highs, meds and lows were crystal clear. I used it with a Moondrop Dawn Pro 2 and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Highly recommended IEM if you're looking for a great audio quality IEM on a budget. Moondrop App has an excellent EQ with preset modes for the Chu II if you're a bass head or use the Chu II DSP version. Update on 2026-01-19: Seller has been very understanding and totally professional since I was confused with different cables and ear tips combination and I wanted to upgrade my Chu II right off the bat, he allowed me to upgrade from Moondrop MC1 cable, I was going to purchase initially for the more expensive Moondrop MC2. I tried 2 different after market 2 pin cables from Kbear and Tripowin that didn't work on Chu II before. Reason is because Moondrop Chu II uses a "recessed 2 pin connector" instead of a "regular 2 pin connector". Upgrading stock cable changed a lot Chu II sonic capabilities, and this is not a placebo effect, it's real because different cables also have different impedances, which can cause some differences with frequency responses. To be honest, after switching to MC2 from basic stock cable, I didn't like sound quality not because wasn't better or worse, it was different, too bassy for my taste using same EQ settings from before and using exactly same 3rd party custom silicone tips, nothing a moondrop EQ can't fix it. I won't be swapping cables back and forth because is not recommended, you will only make your pins to get eventually weaker and to lose contact. MC2 cable does make Chu II sound differently compared to stock Chu II cable. Brass, percussion and string instruments are more vivid and detailed. Even the soundstage has been slightly improved or at least that's the impression I'm getting from. I will be buying other Moondrop IEM's and trying other Moondrop cables they have as well like: Moondrop LINE T 6N OCC Single Crystal Copper and Moondrop Line K Upgrade Cable High Purity Copper Silver and IEM's like Moondrop LAN and Moondrop Aria 2. I will be trying Moondrop spring tips and Pentaconn Bass Tips as well. Welcome to the world of IEM's. Advise to those who are just as impulsive as myself: - Current Best IEM's from entry level price ranges such as Moondrop Chu II, Truthear Gate , 7HZ x Crinacle Zero: 2, TANGZU Wan'er S.G II, Kiwi Ears Cadenza or Tanchjim Bunny, already have everything you need to start enjoying your IEM's right of the batt, because they've been already strongly tuning from factory, so there's no need on extra spending unless you wanna get your hands dirty meaning doing DIY hardware combinations, spending money and doing some trial and error playing with different combos, EQ and frequencies. - A high quality IEM cable it does change/improve sound quality on over your IEM with stock for better or worse, a good silicone tip can make also a huge difference how you perceive sound, each ear canal is different and music preference varies, so you have to find yours by yourself. I can mention a few good tips I already tried on such as: Dunu S&S, TANGZU Sancai, Spinfit W1, and Kbear 07 or you can just use the basic foam tips come with entry level IEM's. - You really need any form de DAC/AMP w/ DSP even like the low priced Jcally JM12 or JM6 pro USB to 3.5mm adapters or FiiO JA11 or any brand that uses Dual Chip CX31993 MAX97220 than ca be found around $23 on amazon. I use Moondrop Dawn Pro 2 which is excellent but I also tested with my other DAC/AMP's: Qudelix 5k and Qudelix T71.

Summary Review: Sound Quality is great for the price. Sonic signature is best described as neutral, balanced and detailed. Versatile and solid for music & movies without having any "wow factor" or V shaped equalisation; shines in particular with online gaming due to spacious and detailed nature. Build quality is questionable. My first pair lasted 6 months and failed due to one of the most tangle-happy cables I have ever seen. The seller, ShenzenAudio AU, provided excellent support and communication when contacted regarding the issue with the item. For this pair I will try to find some sort of way to re-enforce or otherwise prevent the cable from twisting as I do enjoy these little phones and think they are excellent value for money at $30 (if they can last!).