Moondrop Pill Clip-On TWS Earphones REVIEW (2) – Doctor, Doctor, Please
The $49.99 Moondrop Pill were provided for my review by SHENZHENAUDIO. Thank you very much. They can be purchased here.
PROS
- Agreeable sonic presentation
- Very comfortable
- Work well with Moondrop Link 2.0 app
- Appealing design deserves award
CONS
- Limited touch functionality
- Huge charge case
Table of Contents
Introduction
Clip-ons have been considered a fringe product so far, which is evident from our web stats. Loomis and I love them, and we think they will be the next big thing, simply because they are super comfy and very good sounding without intruding one’s ear canals.
In the last few months, I have used exclusively clip-ons from TOZO, SOUNDPEATS, and MUZEN outside the house, and strictly headphones at home. No iems at all. Spoiler alert: the TOZOS are the ones to beat. Note: all the clip-on we have tested came from obscure companies nobody had ever heard of. The question arose when our familiar players would jump on the clip-on bandwagon anytime soon. And, voila, here they are, Moondrop being first.
Did I say above that clip-ons are very good sounding? Well, yes, if they are well tuned, the reason being that their drivers are circular so that the transducer is always automatically properly oriented with respect to the ear canal. In comparison, the classic earbuds is always totally misaligned, simply missing the target so that much of the sound does not enter our inner ears at all.
Comparison with the earbuds appears to be appropriate as the open ear-ring types also do not seal very well and keep the listener connected to their environment…which is useful when wearing them during work. But whereas earbuds are typically wired, the open earrings are not. They live in a charge case such as your classic TWS in-ears and also feature the same touch operating mechanisms.
Just like with earbuds, the developers are challenged with producing an impactful bass out of drivers that are not (deeply) inserted.
Clip-ons have been considered a fringe product so far, which is evident from our web stats. Loomis and I love them, and we think they will be the next big thing, simply because they are super comfy and very good sounding without intruding one’s ear canals.
So, here we are with Moondrop’s first delivery of such a design, which is actually cheaper than the no-name competition.
Specifications Moondrop Pill
| Driver | 13 mm circular low-distortion dynamic |
| Frequency Response | ??? |
| Bluetooth Version | 6.0 |
| Working Distance | 10m (Barrier Free Environment) |
| Supported Bluetooth Profiles | A2DP / AVRCP / HFP / HSP |
| Supported Bluetooth Codecs | SBC / AAC |
| Mutipoint Connection | 2 devices |
| Battery Capacity | 3.7V / 40mAh (Earbud) | 3.7V / 300mAh (Charging case) |
| Total Music Play Time | 8 h Playtime | 20 h with Charging Case |
| Charge Time | Earbuds: 0.53 h (Supporting Quick Charge) Charging Case: 1.77 h |
| Charging Input | 5V – 1A |
| Output | 5V – 0.25A |
| Total Standby Time | 35+90 80 h |
| Noise Reduction | NA |
| Game Mode | Yes |
| Water Resistance | IPX4 |
| Tested At | $49.99 USD |
| Product Page | moondroplab.com |
| PURCHASE LINK | SHENZHENAUDIO |
Physicals
Similar with the extravagant Moondrop Space Travel TWS earphones, the Pill come in a theme-design charge case that depicts a large…errr…pill, one of the kind you swallow when you are ill…though this pill is size- wise rather reminiscent of a suppository. While the case may cause “happy” misunderstandings when carrying in a trousers’ front pocket, it looks fabulous on any desk. Moondrop deserves a Red Dot design award for this.
In the box you find the charge case with the earpieces, a USB-C charge cable, and the paperwork.
The earpieces are pretty much standard to this genre, the polycarbonate is rather soft and feels pleasant between my fingers. The battery compartment is a bit larger than the standard fare likely owing to its high 8 h of play time (20 h with charge case). The earpieces feel VERY comfortable on my ears – A HUGE SELLING POINT for me – you essentially do not feel them.
These clip-ons are for people who do not want to have their ear canals penetrated by silicone eartips, who do not want to have monstrous housings with umpteen drivers sitting in their conchas, and who lose their earpieces all the time. These sit firm like a rock, the are IPX4 sweat proof, and they do not push.
The earpieces have a somewhat limited touch functionality that is supplemented by the free Moondrop Link 2.0 app.
Sound
The Pill delivers a satisfying, weighty, agreeable sound with a tad of silk that has a heft somewhere between an iem and an earbud. Important for wireless: it has a healthy enough volume. We are not talking super high-end audiophile, we are accepting a rather pragmatic marriage of comfort/fit and sound quality. Good enough for me on the road but perhaps not at home where I have the choice of headphones and desktop stacks.
The overall presentation is balanced, there is no shrillness, harshness, or anything out of the ordinary. Since such open designs are naturally not the bassiest, I max out Moondrop’s free Link 2.0 app by setting the sound to bassy. The app also has three loudness (gain) levels, and the “High” setting gives me plenty of pizazz. For example, the entire “Brothers In Arms” album by Dire Straits delivers good dynamics, good staging, and a decent attack to my ears. Heavy Metal may stretch it a bit, Classical and Jazz do not.
The Pill are ideal for me listening to podcasts while walking to the bakery. They are also great for people who complain about iems falling out of their ears.
In comparison, the SOUNDPEATS have a more robust bass but a way more recessed and leaner midrange, the MUZEN have the best touch mechanim of all but sound awful OOTB (and do not have an app for EQ-ing), and the TOZO are very similar to the Pill. The Pill are the cheapest of the lot with the best design, and on par with the TOZO sound quality wise, both leading the pack of competitors.
The TOZO have less upper mids/lower treble which gives them a perception of more bass, and a richer lower midrange resulting in fuller, more forward vocals, but also a rather narrow soundstage. The Pill are a tad brighter which gives them a wider stage, more sparkle, and the perception of a lesser bass [which is probably not true in terms of measurements, but the human ear hears the whole-frequency spectrum in context].
Concluding Remarks
I keep saying that these clip-ons are the future as they are the perfect marriage between comfort and sound, particularly for long listening sessions. They are the single cause of me walking through the neighbourhood for extended periods. The Pill are attractive looking and sounding alike and priced right. They are 100% what I had wished for at this price.
Until next time…keep on listening
