Moondrop Chu review: For purists, but affordable

The Moondrop-Chu is a signalling product with an audiophile-pleasing design. driver). This is not taken for granted as the silicon tip is not pre-attached.

The earhook design (you actually have to weave the cord into the silicone hook) also makes this a design that works for your active lifestyle. There’s also a microphone unit on the cord with volume controls and a play-pause button.

I’ve always seen a trade-off between price and sound quality in audio products. But every now and then a product comes along that offers a better sound signature than I expected given the price. Priced at Rs 1,999, his Moondrop-Chu made in China is many times better than the European made product in audio quality.

Priced at Rs 1,999, the Chinese-made Moondrop-Chu improves the audio quality of European-made products many times over. (Image credit: Nandagopal Rajan/Indian Express)

My FLAC playlist on Spotify started with Norah Jones’ Don’t Know Why, with Chu giving the vocals the necessary weight and sprinkled with piano notes that stepped up when needed. And when you switch to more complex songs like La Vie en Rose, the edits of her when Piaf rings her most favorite tunes, even though the recording is decades old. A trembling in the throat becomes apparent. And as the playlist ticked off acoustic guitar headphones to her test recording, something exploded around my ears, showing what Chu could do on bass.

Interestingly, I wasn’t expecting much from Moondrop Chew. Especially looking at the anime design on the cover, I got the impression that this was aimed at a much younger audience than myself. (Image credit: Nandagopal Rajan/Indian Express)

All these songs I’ve played highlight how balanced the Chu earphones are, pushing out bass only when the song calls for it. I played Big Daddy Wilson’s 10-minute Walk a Mile in My Shoes because it sounded much richer than I’d encountered the song before. Soon I was playing one favorite after another. I remembered how this experience happened when rich audio drove me on a nostalgic journey, when audio products surprised me in so many ways.Moondrop-Chu is such a product .

Interestingly, I wasn’t expecting much from Moondrop Chew. Especially looking at the anime design on the cover, I got the impression that this was aimed at a much younger listener than myself. I couldn’t be more wrong. Moondrop-Chu is a product for purists, a product that allows you to enjoy your music to the fullest without hearing hollow sounds from your bank account. A must have if you ask me.