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harrisonjr98
171
Nov 28, 2019
checkVerified Buyer
Just arrived! First impressions...
Ah, the novel "Bluetooth IEM cable." It sounds like such a simple and practical idea, the kind of thing that you may not have even thought about but want badly when you discover it's existence. It should be a slam dunk, right? Most cheaper IEMs that would be good candidates for use with a cable like this are already driven just fine from a mobile phone, so it should be a matter of just picking one based on features and price- right? Wrong.
For whatever reason, almost every single bluetooth IEM cable that has flooded the market over the past 24 months or so (and there have been many) has been met with less than stellar reviews- tales aplenty of high noise floors, pairing problems, shoddy build quality, and many even reporting products dead right from the doorstep. I've kept one eye open for some brand - any brand - to break the mold here. I'm sure that there have been decent products amid the bunch, but it's quite disheartening to witness faceplants from the likes of Shure and UE all the way down to the fan-favorite brands like Mee.
Some have praised a few "diamonds in the rough" among the scores of super cheap AliExpress options, and some have claimed that the expensive multi-hundred dollar handmade options are the way to go. If you're reading this and you're like me, though, that's not why you want a Bluetooth cable. If you're like me, it's about a cable to pair with budget IEMs for a commuter/cubicle option that allows the freedom of not being tethered to a phone without sacrificing sound quality to such a degree as the majority of Bluetooth options on the market do at this point.
In most cases with a new offering in this rapidly expanding product category, I would be very wary until reviews surfaced. I chose to take the chance on this Moondrop offering after a great experience with the company's IEMs in order to pair with my KZ ZSX (or Kanas Pro, depending on my mood.) It was also just shy of $36(!) shipped to my door, which definitely swayed me to give it a shot in the dark. I had an "AirPods killer" combo in mind after trying both the normal AirPods and the new Pros, which both felt uncomfortable in my ears and were unable to properly seal for an extended length of time. Aside from the fitment dealbreaker, I was never very impressed with their sound - especially given the price - but that's beating a dead horse around these parts, so I'll shut up about that. I'm aware that any comparison at all to the AirPods is moot to a degree- they're clearly targeting a very different audience- but I have been determined to find a similarly priced option that prioritizes sound above almost all else. Above convenience, above "true wireless," above sweat-proofing, above novel charging cases. Give me a reliable Bluetooth cable with passable battery life and build quality and I'll be happy.
I just unboxed this cable an hour ago, and I would prefer not to jinx myself by praising it to the high heavens before even exhausting a single battery cycle. First impressions, however, often end up lasting when I get my hands on a new product, and they're very positive here. Make no mistake, the construction of this cable is very simple and function-over-form. This is a positive in my eyes- it is no fancier than the cable of a sub-$100 pair of Bluetooth earbuds, won't draw a lot of attention, and (at least initially) appears durable enough to do it's job for a long while if cared for properly. Out of the box, there is a strong rubbery smell but nothing out of the ordinary and this was before I turned it on so I don't believe it to be heating up too much or anything like that. "littleblack" is printed on the battery side of the cable, which inspires a bit of confidence that you're not just receiving a brown box AliExpress-special. If anyone manages to find a different cable that strongly resembles this one's appearance, I'd be very curious to take a look at it and compare. I imagine it can't be cheap to design and produce your own physical design for something like this in a quantity appropriate for such a niche market like us, so I wouldn't necessarily deduct points if it were exposed that this was some sort of rebadge- I am certainly curious, though!
The button controls are simple but tactile and responsive. Pairing was instant, volume control on the cable responded on the device's volume level (there was no independent "volume" of just the cable's amplifier, like some of them have, which leads to a weird balancing act of matching the volume on the cable to your device's volume readout.) The specs claim support for all the goodies like Bluetooth 5.0 and aptX, but I have not had time to verify any of this independently yet. Claimed battery life is a respectable 7-8 hours with 1.5 hours of charging time, but I have not yet killed the juice that they had out of the box. I will report back if I notice a significant discrepancy between Moondrop's claims and my real world experience in the coming days and weeks. Charging occurs over micro-usb, which sucks but is forgivable at this price point.
After connecting my ZSXs, I did detect an audible but very quiet noise floor. It's quiet to the point where it's not a nuisance when listening to music (even at a low volume.) It appears to be an unavoidable truth among all of these cables, so it's not a specific issue with this Moondrop offering. It doesn't bother me personally, but it may be of note to you if you plan to use this cable with more sensitive IEMs (or more sensitive ears- heh). I don't ever see myself going out and about roughing it at work with a setup worth more than $3-400 at the max. After all, this is a Bluetooth cable. It's a product unusual in the audiophile world- one designed to afford you a small convenience at the price of a small audio quality concession that will not be noticeable with most of the IEMs that make any sort of sense to use with a <$40 Bluetooth cable. The sound itself outside of the slightly audible hiss is nearly indistinguishable from a wired connection with both ZSX and Kanas Pro. This is just using Bluetooth with my iPhone X and Lenovo laptop, no aptX or 5.0 or anything fancy. It's more than passable for the kind of customer who would be looking at this kind of thing.
I, for one, take it as a testament to our incredibly competitive and globalized economy that you can get such a specific and seemingly complex product built and shipped across the world for this price. It seems unsustainable. Maybe it is, and this capitalist fever dream will circle the drain within my lifetime.
Jokes aside, first impressions of the Moondrop Littleblack have been surprisingly positive. This was among the fastest I've ever had something shipped from Drop - a blistering 17 days from drunk impulse buy to half-forgotten Thanksgiving week delivery. A turtle's pace by most accounts, but almost overnight by Drop standards. I will continue to update if anything extreme happens in the near future, but I'm content with this purchase and can recommend it with two thumbs up for now!
Recommends this product? Yes
Over-Consumer
145
Jan 22, 2020
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harrisonjr98Was wondering if this BT cable is still working well for you. You may have an update somewhere in your novel, I just don’t have time in this life to read it 🤨
harrisonjr98
171
Jan 22, 2020
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Over-Consumerlol totally understood. Yes, it is still holding up well as of now - I don't use it daily but the battery seems to be about on par or a little under the claimed spec, and nothing else bad has developed about the cable over time.
Over-Consumer
145
Jan 22, 2020
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harrisonjr98Great, thanks for the response! I think I may give this a shot, it's been surprisingly difficult to find a quality Bluetooth cable for semi-highend IEMs. Wish they made it with other connection types. Seems to be a glairing whole in the marketplace.
harrisonjr98
171
Jan 22, 2020
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Over-ConsumerIf, when you say "semi-high-end," you mean more than a couple hundred bucks, I believe you will be disappointed by the fit and finish of this cable regardless of it's functional adequacy. I've seen a couple of boutique braided custom wireless cables come and go on here that would be better suited to nicer gear. Personally I've just been using the Moondrop cable to convert soup-du-jour Chi-fi into gym gear.
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