Performance Testing

The MOONDROP DASH supports N-key rollover USB which tested successfully using Aqua's test. Switch Hitter confirmed no chatter with these keys either, and seen above are all the functions with dedicated keys on the base layer. There are 81 mechanical keys in total here as previously discussed and the base layer is, well, as basic as it gets. I can totally see people replacing Print Screen and Insert for volume up and volume down even on the base layer, let alone using QMK/VIA for additional layer support. Having Menu get a dedicated key is also an inspired choice I suppose, if not the most practical one.


Given the DASH is otherwise fairly straightforward, I am glad that the actual typing experience is anything but. I have covered the MOONDROP x G-Square Lunalight linear switches used on this keyboard sample both inside and out, including talking about the fairly unique housing that helps minimize switch wobble as well as the well-lubed stem and spring. The nylon/POM composition is also nice to see here, and the longer stem employed makes this a full-size mechanical switch that stops slightly under the typical 4.0 mm travel most such Cherry MX-style switches have. It doesn't make a significant difference in practice, as does the slightly lower actuation distance relative to the usual 2.0 mm. What matters more is knowing this is a medium-force linear switch with a rated actuation force ~50 gf and peak force at bottoming out of 60 gf meaning it's not a fatiguing switch to type on and yet you are very likely to bottom out once you actuate the switches. The extremely stable and smooth travel is a real pleasure here, and multi-strokes are no issue either considering the quick debounce on offer. The larger keycaps work out well in practice courtesy the thick PBT and screw-in stabilizers that also get lubed well to where there is no mushy feeling when pressing down on them.


As always, the sound of a keyboard is based on more than just the switch type. So when comparing sound clips, consider the keyboard as a whole. In this case, I have provided above an example sound clip of me typing on the MOONDROP DASH keyboard sample at ~105 WPM as it comes out of the box with the MOONDROP x G-Square Lunalight linear switches. For context, you can find sound clips from other keyboards here, including those with linear switches. I did bottom out constantly, which isn't surprising for the reasons mentioned above. But it's another pleasure to hear the keyboard in use as much as it is to type on it. The poron foam sheets between the plate and the PCB in addition to another under the PCB works synergistically with the tape mod applied on the PCB itself, and this is before the switches, the chassis, and the stabilizers come in the picture. It's a predominantly damped sound but in a good way, where you still hear the switches but not higher frequency pings or reverbs. I quite like it and also appreciate that the various stabilzed keycaps also mostly sound the same too.


While there are no LEDs on the keyboard itself, there's still the indicator LED from the integrated MoonRiver 2 DAC/amp here. I mentioned before how said unit defaulted to high gain each time it powered on and the keyboard version is no different, except that now you can't change it either. So we are now stuck with a DAC/amp in high gain (+6 dB compared to low gain) on the keyboard and the underside of the PCB does get that under glow after all—just not strong enough to do anything except shine out the headphone outputs in a dark environment when in use. Note that the final retail units have more foam over the daughter PCBs as seen on page six and so this light will be blocked to where you won't be left wondering what that green light is.


The good thing is the MoonRiver 2 in high gain is still a fantastic source to drive your headphones and IEMs from! It measures near flat and better so than many desktop sources even, and the Cirrus Logic DACs here present a slightly brighter tone compared to the likes of ESS and AKM DACs I've used. Don't go in expecting DAC magic of any kind though as the differences are minute at best. Still, it has impressively low THD+N numbers and a high SNR—especially off the 4.4 mm balanced connection—to where it's a clean source without any distortions to worry about in the default high gain mode. It can provide 2 Vrms off the 3.5 mm SE output and 4 Vrms from the 4.4 mm balanced connector. This translates to ~125 mW at 32 Ω impedance from the 3.5 mm port and ~500 mW under the same ideal conditions from the 4.4 mm port. MOONDROP claims the MoonRiver 2 is capable of driving even 300 Ω headphones, and the ideal scenario here would lead to ~50 mW from the balanced connection. It's plenty enough to get the vast majority of headphones, and certainly all IEMs I've tested, loud and satisfactorily driven even in a realistic scenario where the max power output would be lower than those numbers and yet still be far beyond what is necessary.


Given the DAC/amp is getting its signal from a USB hub that also has three other devices potentially connected to it, I wanted to stress things further to see how the audio output would be. First, I measured the headphone output and normalized it to the same from the standalone MoonRiver 2 unit in high gain mode to confirm there was no difference between the two implementations. I also compared the output from the keyboard DAC/amp by itself and against a scenario where I was actively typing on the keyboard to equally satisfying results. Lastly, I stressed the USB hub further by adding in a mouse and a USB drive with the former in continuous use along with the keyboard and the latter being benchmarked using Crystaldiskmark in a continuous loop. The USB signal being fed to the keyboard was still under 1 W the entire time and here too I saw no measured difference in the performance of the DAC/amp compared to before. I also did subjective listening tests under these scenarios and there's really nothing to say except that I am impressive MOONDROP managed to isolate the DAC/amp section well enough from the rest of the keyboard. Perhaps the MoonRiver 2 is simply that good and stable against any EMI, but either way you will be glad to know there is no data or power bottleneck limiting the audio experience from the keyboard.