In some ways, I can only think of the MOONDROP Sparks as a proof of concept for the company to introduce itself to the global TWS market, with the newer Nekocake the more settled in what MOONDROP wants to do. MOONDROP's VDSF tuning paired with good pricing worked out well in the IEM market, where the end user has different expectations and tastes. The TWS market is equally set on other features, such as battery life, controls, codec support, presence of ANC perhaps, and of course a good mobile app. When priced at $90, there are so many other competitors that it is hard to even get the word across about the brand and product. MOONDROP has the benefit in having made a name for itself already, and the different designs combined with the staggered international release somewhat worked in at least getting me interested to check them out.

My issue is that the tuning is tamer than it should be, and this is from someone who likes a warm-neutral tuning to begin with. At $90, you are playing against the likes of the Galaxy Buds Live, which gets sales purely through marketing and the attached Samsung name. If MOONDROP is targeting the more mainstream market, the tuning needs to be better, as does the app. Not having an iOS app is a huge mistake. But then I can maybe see a use case for audiophiles who prioritize certain music genres over others, and that is really where the Sparks.. spark. Pun aside, these are specific in what they do well, and unfortunately found lacking elsewhere, at least in the international version. That said, I would love to see a MOONDROP x HiBy collaboration, with the former knowing how to tune drivers nicely and the latter more aware of what it takes to operate in the TWS world.