MOONDROP LAN

Now we get to the MOONDROP LAN, and get your local area network jokes out of the way because here it means Orchid instead. A look at the product box also shows MOONDROP decided to share some resources between the Droplet and LAN given the exact same base form factor. This box is white in color with the outer sleeve having the product name in front to go with the now-customary female artwork to showcase the orchid used for the naming. On the back is another exploded framework render of the various components that make up the LAN, a factory frequency response curve, product specifications and contact info for the company. The inner box slides out from the top and bottom and has a shiny silver finish applied to it with a geometric pattern on top. Opening it shows a very similar unboxing as with the Droplet, including the IEMs at the top and the carry case at the bottom. There is no souvenir this time though and the IEMs do not have the cable attached since it comes separately packed in a plastic pouch in the bottom layer. This is also where we find more paperwork including a QC card, a postcard, and a quick start guide. The case is the exact same as the one we get with the Droplet.


As before, the case has MOONDROP etched on the front and uses a button insert to close/open. There isn't the most space inside either so this is one of my least preferred IEM case designs. Inside is a plastic zip-lock bag that contains the included ear tips. This time round we see MOONDROP is choosing to go with only silicone ear tips and we get three pairs in sizes S/M/L as seen above. These are fairly generic ear tips at that so this will no doubt be disappointing to those who wanted to see the LAN get the MOONDROP Spring Tips we saw come with the less expensive Chu as well as the newer and also less expensive JIU.


Once more we are left with scraps when it comes to any information being provided about the cable that the MOONDROP LAN comes with. This is becoming an unwelcome trend with the company's releases in the last few months. It looks similar enough to the one from the Droplet except of course this does not have an integrated DAC and goes with a right-angled 3.5 mm TRS single-ended connector headed to your source—you will have to provide your own analog output thus. The cable feels more pliable than the Droplet one and inside the see-through sheath are two strands of different colors. It is more likely that both cables we have seen today are just copper cables but the colors do make me think the silver strand could be silver-plated copper. Not that it really matters anyway since this is a low resistance cable ultimately. The splitter is similarly round as the Droplet cable, except it has the same orchid design on it we saw on the product box. The other end has pre-formed ear hooks that terminate in two 0.78 mm 2-pin connectors that have plastic housings with a very subtle L/R marking to indicate the left and right channels, respectively. Thankfully the red ring on the right side does a better job at this. The various metal plugs are gold-plated for oxidation resistance.


The MOONDROP LAN uses larger shells than the Droplet, which makes sense owing to the use of a larger dynamic driver inside. The shells are manufactured by metal injection molding powder metallurgy of stainless steel which results in a durable finish you see here. This means that the LAN's shells are not painted on similar to the MOONDROP Aria and a few other similar IEMs, so that should be a major relief for everyone. The shells have the same orchid design on the bottom to add some flair to the otherwise clean and plain background. A look from the side reveals the two sections of the shells that are glued together with a recessed cable connector jutting out at an angle. The inner side shows both front and rear vents for the driver such that the outer shell layer is effectively the back as far as the acoustic chamber goes. The dynamic driver is placed in the middle, thicker portion of the shell feeding directly to the nozzle that is again on the longer side relative to the size of the shells. There is a retaining lip this time to help keep the ear tips in place as well as a defined end point where the ear tips stop. Here too we see a metal filter to help prevent contaminants from entering the acoustic chamber.


Do try the various sizes of the stock ear tips provided and note also that your ears are unlikely to be symmetrical and so the same size ear tips may not always work out for both ear canals. Tip-rolling is also recommended in case you do not get a decent seal with the stock tips. Regardless of which ones you pick, the next step is to connect the cable by carefully identifying the matching channels and orienting the cable around your ear when connecting the IEMs. Doing so is simple, as you just push the 2-pin connectors in place and they remain there via a friction fit. The 3.5 mm connection then goes to a source with the equivalent single-ended output and I found myself using this set on the go mostly paired with the MOONDROP MoonRiver 2 or the Qudelix-5K.


Seen above is the right side of the Moondrop LAN installed in an anthropomorphic pinna that does well in showing my own experience with these. I have average-sized ears, and found the size M silicone tips to work well. The shells are fairly ergonomic, small and also not as thick compared to most IEMs on the market allowing you to easily fit these in the concha. The nozzle is ~5.9 mm at the widest point although it's only that wide for a short section so I feel it's more easily doable in the ear canals than the number suggests. The relatively tame insertion angle also helps here and I had a comfortable and deep fit with the LAN in my ears. The only thing that can be an issue is if you try to orient the shells to have the cable perfectly concealed by your ears. At this point the nozzle will fit in at a more aggressive angle that may not be comfortable or could even break the seal. The full metal construction does mean the shells are heavier than average but at ~8.5 g each, they are not heavy enough to cause physical fatigue. Inside the IEMs is a single 10 dynamic driver using a Beryllium-plated composite diaphragm that aims to increase stiffness and be more responsive to the magnetic flux generated by the N52 magnets here. The diaphragm is paired with a 30 µm thick, or rather really thin, copper-clad aluminium wire (CCAW) voice coil. It makes for a set of IEMs that is relatively easy to drive nonetheless with a rated impedance of 32 Ω (@1 kHz) and sensitivity of 120 dB/Vrms (105 dB/mW here) to where a decent dongle is enough to drive these IEMs, let alone the more powerful portable DAC/amps I mentioned above.


Testing was done similar to all other IEMs such as the recently reviewed MOONDROP Blessing 3. Seen above is the measured frequency response for both channels of the MOONDROP LAN plotted against my personal IEM target, which can be inspected further here if interested. As before, we see very good channel matching all the way up to the coupler resonance matched here at 8 kHz. Anything thereafter should be taken with a grain of salt anyway and I didn't really notice any mismatch in the higher frequencies either. This is another win for MOONDROP on the driver matching front, and knowing the LAN is relatively inexpensive just makes it better.

The sound signature of the MOONDROP LAN can be classified as neutral-bright, or at least trying to be. Without DSP to rely on, the LAN has good old fashioned acoustic engineering and tuning work that has led to this sound. Seen above is also how I generally perceived the LAN, including with a mild bass shelf and slightly recessed mids presenting a tonality that might be perceived as slightly warm for some, but ultimately nothing about this sound strikes me as challenging or too exciting. It feels more safe in that you are presented with a tonal balance that can be found amenable to many who listen to various music genres. The Be-plated dynamic driver does not feel as dynamic compared to other such implementations, of which we'll see one soon enough. There's not a lot of punch in the sub-bass or impact in the mid-bass thus, but those wanting more bass can certainly add it via EQ since the drivers are low enough in distortion and can scale well here. This can help balance out the brightness in the higher frequencies too, albeit can shift things towards a more U- or V-shaped sound with leaner lower mids that played in a role in the slightly weaker dynamics as well as less-than-prominent male vocals. On the plus side, I thought the LAN was quite good for instrumental music thereafter with excellent staging and imaging as well as a natural timbre. Female vocals can come off shouty admittedly and that 5 kHz bump makes for a discomfort for me and many others no doubt since a lot of people tend to be sensitive here. It takes away from an otherwise enjoyable jazz and pop music experience, although the LAN can do well enough for classical music too.


I do feel the LAN is a more capable set compared to the Droplet despite the stock tonality of the Droplet arguably being more appealing to the mainstream audience. The LAN would be more for audiophiles who care about the removable cable and the ability to use it with their preferred source as opposed to the forced DSP and mediocre DAC on the Droplet. The in-line mic is nice though, and the Droplet is also easier to use in the ears. Both are in a similar price range too, so understandably there is competition from either side. For example, there's the $19 Truthear HOLA which costs less than half of either the LAN or Droplet and arguably is better tuned for my tastes too. But the LAN is a more comfortable fit, has all metal shells for those who worry about longevity of resin shells, and is arguably more resolving. The HOLA has better accessories in my opinion though, which makes the LAN harder to justify. On the more expensive side you have IEMs in the $80-100 range where things are significantly more competitive. The DUNU TITAN S costs twice as much as the LAN and adopts a very similar tonality but does it much better to where you have a more dynamic and engaging set throughout. It also has better accessories and retains a metal shell too. The MOONDROP Aria has painted shells and arguably doesn't offer enough over the LAN to justify itself in 2023 anymore. Interestingly, you need to step up to the $190 KATO to get a tangible upgrade path if you want to stick with MOONDROP, so in that regard the LAN does enough to merit a spot in the company's line-up. The real challenge to both the LAN and Droplet is the Quarks DSP and the newer JIU, both offering a very similar feature set as the Droplet at significantly lower costs. The reason to go for the LAN here is simply the detachable cable, but it's a hard sale for $39.99 as it currently sells from SHENZHENAUDIO.