Closer Examination: DAC/Amp

Before we take apart the switches and the keyboard itself, the MOONDROP DASH has the enviable position of being the first keyboard to merit a whole new page to talk about its unique audio features. While the company has not publicly announced it yet as of the time I write this review, it's a logical conclusion that the DASH is using the MOONDROP MoonRiver 2 portable DAC/amp inside. I have had one of these here but did not get a chance to cover it separately, so this was an opportune time to do a 2-in-1. The MoonRiver 2 was announced earlier this year and was MOONDROP's first global foray into the headphones/earphones source market after the limited release of the MoonRiver 1 in the Chinese domestic market. Note the specifications on the back, as these will mostly hold true for what you can expect from the MOONDROP DASH too. I will also draw your attention to that custom Type-C to Type-C cable that MOONDROP proudly markets as using a silver-plated copper cores in a parallel arrangement for ultra-low impedance, resistance, and interference too. The clear sleeving allows a closer look at this ribbon-style cable which we will get back to shortly.


Seen above is the MoonRiver 2 with its CNC machined aluminium alloy casing and another example of an industrial design that then gets customized for aesthetics. It's a wired-only unit that weighs 17 g and measures in at 57 x 19.5 x 12.5 mm making it quite portable although the form factor can make for it getting caught in pocket fabric threads in the absence of a case. I like the PCB layout etched on the back for multiple reasons, but the MoonRiver 2 standalone unit is otherwise hard to disassemble given the use of fixed screws. It takes Type-C input on one side and provides both a 3.5 mm single-ended output as well as a 4.4 mm balanced output to use with wired headphones and earphones alike. There are side buttons for volume control and pressing both buttons toggles between low gain (indicator LED lights up red) and high gain (indicator LED turns green) modes. The indicator LED is hilariously bright, to where it can be a distraction at night, although it also indicates playback rate/type in use. Another caveat to note is the MoonRiver 2 doesn't retain volume/gain memory to where it goes to high gain by default when powered on each time. The MoonRiver 2 also runs warm to the touch, especially off the balanced output, so the svelte chassis used is perhaps less then ideal for heat transfer.


Putting the MoonRiver 2 next to the audio outputs on the DASH basically shows you how MOONDROP has just placed in the MoonRiver 2 PCB inside the keyboard. There was certainly a possibility to have a modular keyboard + DAC/amp configuration here whereby you would have a slot the MoonRiver 2 goes into on machined rails and mates with a male Type-C connector, thus allowing those with the MoonRiver 2 to simply purchase the DASH at a lower cost, or even allow those buying the two together to use them separately. This would also have solved the issue of having no gain/volume controls on the keyboard, although in a less-than-elegant manner. The outputs are also not angled in line with the keyboard chassis but I don't really mind, even though it may not please the eye as much. Regardless, now you can see why I was so excited about this keyboard which allows you to directly connect your favorite pair of headphones—such as the short-lived pre-launch version of the MOONDROP Void—or IEMs—such as the MOONDROP Aria Snow Edition—to it without worrying about how the DAC/amp in your PC/laptop would be. It's effectively a one-stop shop for your typing and audio needs while still providing spare USB ports for a mouse and even a USB microphone, to get you away from gaming headsets that typically offer poor value for money.