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Moondrop Stellaris Planar Magnetic IEM

$79

~~$110~~

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Moondrop Stellaris Planar Magnetic IEM

Name: Moondrop Stellaris Planar Magnetic IEM
Brand: Moondrop
SKU: moondrop-stellaris-planar-magnetic-iems
Price: 79 USD
Availability: PreOrder
Rating: 3.875 (8 reviews)

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Product Description

Moondrop is a name that carries quite a bit of gravity amongst audiophiles—and now the Stellaris Planar Magnetic IEM launches that reputation to the stars. Thanks to 14.5-millimeter planar magnetic drivers in each earphone, the Stellaris provides a undeniably stellar level of detail and power, without muddying up the lower frequencies Read More

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Customer Reviews

3.9

(8 reviews)

(1)

(5)

(2)

(0)

75% would recommend to a friend

By Feature

Build Quality

4.5

(4)

Sound

4.5

(4)

Comfort

2.5

(4)

Music GenresPopular among reviewers

ActivitiesPopular among reviewers

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EdinNJ

271

Jun 19, 2024

Activities:Casual Listening, Critical Listening

Music Genres:Classical, Country, Electronic, Jazz, R&B, Rock, World

Verified Buyer

Really like the sound, but the fit... oy...

First, I plugged them in to a computer and let them play non-stop for a couple days because in my experience, burn in is real with drivers (speakers, BAs, any dynamic drivers, etc.) Since then I've listened to them from my laptop; from an external USB DAC (iFi Gryphon); with an external Bluetooth receiver (also from iFi); from an iPad. BLUF: I like the sound a lot, especially at the current price, but oy, the fit... These aren't bass head IEMs but there's plenty of bass there; the touch of boost from the iFi players was all that was needed. The sound signature seems pretty well balanced, nothing's overcooked or exaggerated, so easy to listen to. I was surprised that the imaging was a touch larger than most IEMs, maybe that's because of characteristics of planar magnetic drivers. Not room size like open back headphones, but definitely bigger than the typical "it's all in your head" IEM presentation. Listened to jazz, reggae, chamber music, Afro-beat, and some 60s through 80s alternative rock. All very enjoyable, full sounding. However. These seem want to go in deeper to the ear canal than many IEMs (as several others have noted) but the tips that come with it just don't work that well. A shallow insertion was the only way to get a seal good enough for them to sound their best, but so shallow that I'd have one come out just from normal head movement. Time for some post-purchase engineering, which for an $80 IEM probably isn't something to whine about too much. The basic sound quality is really quite good, punches above its weight as the saying goes, so worth some effort to get a better fit. I may also try a cable swap, I've got a couple cables that cost much more than this IEM that I suspect would tweak the sound even better, and provide better ear holding than the stock cable.

Recommends this product? Yes

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MonetsChemist

Jun 13, 2024

Activities:Casual Listening, Critical Listening

Music Genres:Classical, Electronic, Pop, Rock, World

Verified Buyer

Beautiful; tough to fit; emphasized highs

Background - I have two other IEMs that I use regularly and a love/hate relationship with both: Shure SE-215 and Etymotic ER3-SE. I have several other over ear headphones, two of which I use regularly: HE 5xx and Sennheiser 6xx. I decided to give these Moondrop Stellaris IEMs a go because of the love/hate relationship with the Shure and Etymotic IEMS and at the current sale price of USD79 it wouldn't be too painful if they weren't the right thing. I've had them for about 3 hours now so this is my reaction to them out of the box:

Wow these are pretty. I feel like I should give them to my dear wife as an anniversary present. Material seems good under the finish too.
Very difficult to fit in my ear. At first I was following the comments about deep insertion but I couldn't get them to stay deep no matter the tip (unlike the Etymotics which make me feel like I'm doing brain surgery on myself). I ended up with the biggest foam tips provided and with those they sit fairly far out in the ear, roughly where my Shures end up. There I seem to get a decent seal and the bass confirms it. I might do some tip rolling at some point.
Sound is tipped up (bear in mind my comment about where the units sit in my ear; this could have an effect).
So far they are more comfortable than either the Etymotics or the Shures. The Etymotics are fine until they aren't, usually about 30 minutes into an album, but then I feel like my ear canals are getting itchy and I want to yank them out. The Shures sit in such a way that their housing puts a bit of pressure on my concha and antitragus, so after a few hours that starts to get sore.

Let's get into the sound a bit more. I like Satori's "The Gin Song" for a demo because it has lots of nice bass and the rest is clear and present and does a good job of providing a broad range of content, so if anything is over or underemphasized it stands out right away. I don't feel bass is missing and the entire frequency range sounds quite smooth. There is definitely more emphasis up top than both HE 5xx and Senn 6xx as well as the Etymotic. The extra highs aren't spitty or sharp but they are definitely present. The highs on the Shure are also quite forward, but they have always seemed to be a bit "crunchy" to me; a bit of an edge to them not present on the Moondrops, which are "hot but smoother". Listening to Newen Afrobeat's take on Fela Kuti's "Opposite People" to get some actual drum kit in here, again the sense of being closer to the cymbals, drumsticks, snare. Trying Les Negresses Vertes' "Leila", which is a bit rolled off in the top end (lo-fi before lo-fi existed?) - more detail evident than I'm used to. I could see that, with the upper-frequency emphasis, listeners might be tempted to turn the level down, which would reduce the bass and midrange. Maybe a "loudness" control or some more precise EQ would be worth trying. I'm going to leave it there for now. I'll leave the phones plugged in and running over the weekend and check back on Monday to see if anything's changed. Meanwhile, on the comfort end of things, very happy so far. No urge to yank them out and no tender spots. I agree with the comments about needing some juice to drive these babies - my little xDuoo needs the gain on high and the volume cranked up to around 25 to get decent sound out of them, quite a bit higher than either the Shure or the Etymotics. I'm saying "not recommended" because I think any recommendation would have to come with caveats about fit and emphasized highs. If anyone has some advice regarding ear-tips, please come forward.

Recommends this product? No

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GodHatesFacts

Jun 3, 2024

Verified Buyer

Ooh ahh ouch

They sound wonderful and feel horrible. I really enjoyed the sound of them personally, they just get so uncomfortable in my ear canals.

Recommends this product? No

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Arleigh

Aug 9, 2023

Verified Buyer

Pretty good IEMS

Love the build and the paint scheme on them, but you can feel the weight of them after an extremely long flight. The ear tips that come with it do not do the IEMs justice for me and i ended up swapping them out with a pair of Final Audio type E ear tips and been loving it ever since. Just be very careful with the paint as i have chipped mine (my fault mainly) but luckily the chips are not on the face of them.

Recommends this product? Yes

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Grebosaurus

Jul 1, 2023

Activities:Casual Listening, Critical Listening

Music Genres:Classical, Jazz, Pop, R&B, Rock, World

Verified Buyer

Very good sound, poor ergonomics

They are beautiful in-ears, and the have excellent sound when used with memory foam ear buds … alas it is actually impossible to get the provided memory foam buds onto the armature. The fit is too tight. I had to use foam buds from another IEM I have. Silicon buds fit, but they make for a rather bass shy sound, particularly around 80 to 120 hz, were most of the bass action in (just about any genre) is. … and I am no bass fiend. The mids and treble are very good, but the lame bass is a deal breaker for use with silicon buds (which the manufacturer recommends … probably because they couldn’t get the memory foam ones on ;-). With foam buds that are actually usable, the sound is great. Some might still want more bass, but for me it is near perfect sound for my taste. As to other ergonomic issues, The phones are awkward to fit poperly, and they are quite heavy. Suboptimal. I will keep them, but it is a marginal call.

Recommends this product? Yes

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richardvrusso

Jul 21, 2023

GrebosaurusHey Grebo, I'm thinking of getting on these. I was curious what other IEM foam tips fit on these (comply/westone)? I've been a IEM fan since 2001 when I discovered Shure's brand. I can never get the silicone tips to seal well for that great bass response. So it's foam tips for me FTW. Not to mention the sound isolation is awesome! I have comply's in my SE535's currently. Thanks, Rick

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Grebosaurus

Jul 23, 2023

richardvrussoUE foam tips fit I have not tried any other

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ken.trueba

Mar 29, 2023

Verified Buyer

I thought these were wireless...

I thought these were wireless... I didn't look close enough at the specs and thought the wires were for charging. Sound is quite good and the headphone wires do help hold the buds in place.

Recommends this product? Yes

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SamadAhlHyade

Mar 25, 2023

Verified Buyer

Build is amazing, sound is mostly incredible.

For the price, these really can't be beat. Build quality is absolutely stunning, and comes with the the best cable I've seen on an IEM. Super detailed on the mids and highs, with just the right amount of low end to keep listening enjoyable. Might want to give them a burn in period however, because without it the high end creates quite a bit of sibilance.

Recommends this product? Yes

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fpastorini

Jul 21, 2023

Hi, according to your opinion which of the two has better sound definition, the Stellaris or the Starfields, thanks

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ErickMuller

Jul 21, 2023

fpastoriniFor me, at least, the sound was way better than the starfields, more definition, better base, it was basically a starfield on steroids and the mid range was a lot clearer to my ears, you don't perceive a veil specially with vocals or spoken word. Unfortunately, very recently one of my stellaris earphones died recently and I suspect it might have been responsible in shorting my magni heresy, sooooo, proceed with caution. Also the starfields II just launch yesterday I think, I saw that on Apos, so you might want to check those out, seems on first glance that it's basically a moondroop kato but cheaper, waiting for reviews on these new IEMs to see if they're worth it.

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Mrudy

Mar 8, 2023

Verified Buyer

Great highs, meh bass

Theses iems definitely have a good sound signature but are lacking somewhat on the lows. I would recommend them for live music, jazz or classic rock. Not so much for hip hop or edm.