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Moondrop KXXS IEM
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Moondrop KXXS IEM
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Product Description
The KXXS IEM is an improved version of Moondrop’s original Kanas Pro, the company’s flagship dynamic driver IEM. Redesigned to have a more comfortable and eye-catching design than its predecessor, it features a zinc-aluminum alloy housing that's carefully polished to a satin finish Read More
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keyboard_arrow_downJJayJJ
472
Aug 6, 2019
Meh it seems Head-Fi reviews have had a direct effect on this iteration of the Moondrop over ear cable IEM's.
Everyone complained about lack of accessories, and mentioning of a long stem with the Kanas Pro. Now you have a shorter stem, and cut down retention where tips can easily slide on and off.
In an effort to provide more accessories, they've now cut back on the cable provided, it's not some tangly meh-cable with no angled relief on the connector, so less ergonomic. You do get more accessories though, like the blue case. But the problem is, KXXS's are like jewels, I can't imagine any sane person throwing them in any case without their own separate compartments as they would simply bang up against one another and you'd have a million scratches. These things are mirror polished where simply looking at them they would scratch, so who would just throw them into whatever would be a highly peculiar person.
But the worst part is, now it's performance is worse, the Total Harmonic Distortion metrics are a wash. The Moondrop were the best measured performing IEM's I've seen when taking Frequency Response + THD into account. Extremely low and consistent THD measurment. The KXXS is still somewhat okay and good compared to other IEM's, but a massive blunder if comparing it to the Kanas Pro. The KXXS THD is similar (sort of worse actually) than the $99 Sennheiser IE 40 Pro. Where the sub bass region (like on many dynamic headphones like the HD600 650 660 800) raise substantially in distortion.
Going by measurements, the cable aesthetic, the IEM dimensions/aesthetics... The Moondrop Pro's discontinuation is a massively unfortunate event considering how good of an IEM it was. But the misinformed market of consumers speaks, and their baseless hype of the latest and greatest costs us sometimes. Get the remaining second-hand Kanas Pro's while you can folks, it's looking like it's going to be a long time till you see something so nice looking and so well performing again for this price point.
(Edited)
JJayJJ
472
Aug 8, 2019
It's hard to tell in a one to one comparison.
There's no bombshell being dropped to be perfectly honest. I've noticed this throughout the headphone world (especially Chinese IEM's). They really are decent folk that do listen to their users, and try to offer as much as they can always it seems. The problem sometimes is, they miss out on the fine details that made them great, and also sometimes the customers (us mostly) have idiotic desires (like better packaging and things like presentation/accessories).
I'm not saying the KXXS is bad from a performance point of view, it's actually still a really good IEM (most others have horrendous Total Harmonic Distortion metrics, and when I say horrible, I mean atrocious reaching near the top of the graphs in the images I provided). I simply thing because people requested more things, and the fact that companies are always scared of offering the same product for too long, forces them to make changes that sometimes leads to unintended results.
The only companies that don't change much are the long established ones, or the luxury companies. This can be both a good and bad thing. Good if they have a great product (which something like the Kanas Pro is, and deserves in my opinion to be one of the finest examples of what an IEM should be like from performance, to ergonomics, to overall package), but if a company has a bad product or a mediocre one - then staying the same doesn't do them much favors. But there are enough brainless folks out there to always buy even voodoo hyped nonsense, so companies live to see another day.
My biggest personal issue with the KXXS is the cable (I simply cannot stand seeing straight cable connectors, it simply makes zero sense to me from a human anatomy perspective). And also the nozzle, while it's not too bad, it can get annoying where deeply inserted tips won't come off sometimes when taking the IEM's out of your ear, on top of the stem itself not being as long anymore. They're still better than many IEM's on the market if you ask me, and personally speaking, their sound quality and signature isn't all that different from the Kanas Pro in reality. You'd have to be concentrating to tell the difference based on the graphs I posted if you're listening to normal mainstream music. And again, Moondrop has been chasing the Harman Target for a while now so the sound signature will suit most people. Unlike other Chi-Fi IEM's that are simply a random dart throw on a wall.
LordSmashington
91
Oct 11, 2019
JJayJJThey don't scratch that easy my dude. Also, neat trick. If you do scratch them, rub them a little with some cardboard and it will shine like new.
dailyherold
3
Aug 8, 2019
I got these through amazon before they were on prime and have really been enjoying them. By time I found out about Moondrop the KPE were no longer available and KXXS my only option. So although I hear some people saying they like the KPE better, my ears (along with BGGAR and some other reviewers I follow) are fans of the KXXS sound. I like some bass and these definitely get nice and low yet stay controlled.
JJayJJ
472
Aug 8, 2019
dailyheroldI was one of those folks. But not for sound quality reasons that I preferred the KPE, I just preferred everything else with it, the shape, the cable connector shape, and the look of the KPE.
Sound wise, the KXXS are still one of the top tier IEM's for folks that enjoy the Harman Target. I've never heard of a better single-dynamic driver IEM, nor have I seen many with such consistent measurements and such adhering to such target. Going single-driver has it's benefits and drawbacks, especially with dynamic you would think the bass and especially sub-bass wouldn't be there, but it is, and in abundance (I EQ the bass down somewhat depending on genre and time of day).
BGGAR could do with doing something about his microphone, it feels like I'm listening to audio out of phase and I can't tell what direction the sound is coming from... So his preferences are just that - his preferences. Dont put much weight into what he says as half the time it's non-scripted stuff that is simply long-winded and just long for no reason.
I tell folks, there is no such thing as a reviewer that will be able to tell you anything objectively on how you will be experiencing your new device subjectively. The trick to finding a reviewer you can trust is find one with the same biases and preferences as close to yours. That way if they enjoy something (even if it's objectively undesirable) you can at least stand in high probability that you would as well.
(Edited)
rawrus
74
Aug 15, 2019
Good thing you went through amazon. I picked up my kxxs secondhand.
at first it sounded congested but I was basically on holiday in Auckland and because my city is small picking up niche things is hard due to there being less people.
I can really hear your sentiment with the kxxs. I don’t have to words to say right now because I tried them before buying and everything was bearable. I was looking for a v shape type sound comparable to the dt 990 as I didn’t like the HD 6xx. But I hadn’t gotten my ears washed and now the 990s sound like treble cannons.
Good thing amazon returns are in your reach. Shipping Cost is unfeasable for me.
and yes p1 hits the right points but sometimes I really do feel bass is lacking but the bass is clear and defined. So I do put up with it and don’t use eq. The main takeaway is kxxs can use spinfit tips and p1 has a bad seal.
I have no idea what 3rd Iem to aim for now. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Aphova
6
Aug 16, 2019
rawrusIt's interesting that you don't like the 6XX because they're near perfect to me. Maybe a touch more bass and a tiny bit more energy if anything would be nice but really only a touch. I don't have 990s but I had X2s and got rid of them because of sharp treble which became sibilant. It seems like personal preference really does play a huge role. There's no such thing as "the ideal frequency response". Maybe that's why so many people love the KXXS but I don't.
I'm sure you'll find something soon enough. That's how this hobby works, always something new to buy :) Good luck.
PopZeus
386
Jul 14, 2019
I bet this is a great sounding IEM. I have the regular Kanas, which is tuned similarly to the Kxxs, at least in the bass region. And it’s pretty fantastic. I’d imagine that the Kxxs, with improvements to the technicalities, would be even better (ever so slightly perhaps).
I’m a bit leery of the lack of lip on the nozzle though. It looks like eartips could slide off easily on the Kxxs if you have a tight seal. Getting eartips stuck on the reg can’t be a good thing.
PopZeus
386
Aug 6, 2019
Because the bass levels are pretty close between the regular Kanas and the Kxxs, the perception of bass might differ on other factors. For example, the boosted mid response on the Kxxs could mitigate any bass bleed you might perceive with the Kanas. Now, I picked up my set for around $40 less than this Kxxs drop. If that added level of refinement and tuning adjustments is important to you, go for it knowing you got the best version in this family of IEMs.
(Edited)
LordSmashington
91
Oct 11, 2019
PopZeusThe tips arent going anywhere on these. I have to light 6 candles and summon a demon to get my Dekoni tips off.
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