Moondrop CHU II High Performance Dynamic Driver IEMs Interchangeable Cable in-Ear Headphone

The Moondrop Chu 2 offer incredible value for their price. The sound is clean, detailed, and very well-balanced — nothing feels overly boosted or muddy. Vocals come through clearly, and there’s just the right amount of bass to keep things fun without overwhelming the rest of the mix.The build quality is also excellent. They feel solid and comfortable in the ears, with a nice metal finish that makes them feel more premium than their price suggests. The included cable and tips are decent too, which is a bonus.

The Moondrop CHU II is a budget-friendly IEM that offers solid performance for its price. It features a 10mm dynamic driver and a metal alloy build, providing durability and a comfortable fit. The removable cable (3.5mm) is designed to loop over the ears, enhancing stability. While the sound quality is generally good, with decent bass and imaging, the midrange can feel recessed. It comes with three sizes of ear tips and a portable fake leather case. Overall, it's a great entry-level option for IEMs.The Moondrop CHU II has a balanced sound signature that can be used with a variety of musical genres.Here's my breakdown:- Bass: Tight and present, offering enough impact for genres like electronic and hip-hop without overwhelming the mix.- Mids: Clear and detailed, though vocals can feel slightly recessed in busier tracks.- Highs: Well-extended and articulate, with a touch of sparkle that avoids harshness or sibilance.This tuning makes it versatile for casual listening, gaming, and even light/portable audiophile use.

I'm not an audiophile or anything, but to me these sound pretty OK. Definitely not the best earbuds I have used in terms of sound quality but by far the best I have paid $20 for. Build quality leaves a little to be desired but its fine for the price.I tend to prefer wired earbuds for around the house and I used senheiser cx300 for a while. The sound quality on the cx300s is only marginally better than the moondrop chu II and it is over twice the price. Maybe that isn't a big problem for you but I guess I am pretty rough on my earbuds. I don't know when the last time I had a pair that lasted more than 6 months was. laying down $45+ each time for the cx300s didn't make me happy and last time I needed a replacement I figured I would try out some of the cheaper options and I had heard good things about this one.All in all its a pretty solid product but I'm not a huge fan of the around ear design and I would really prefer a braided cable. Then again, no issues with the cord getting pinched, etc. so far. I like the metal chassis but they are a bit heavy and I've had a few issues with it coming apart after I banged it on my desk etc. A few drops of super glue fixed that right up but something to keep in mind. I finally had to buy a replacement because I dropped my ipad with these plugged in and it landed right on the jack and bent it. It still kinda works but I have to jiggle it a bit to get it in the right position or the sound cuts out.Really its all about the price here. I mean $20 is $20 but I feel a lot better replacing these than some of the other earbuds I have owned and they sound... fine, which in this price bracket is an achievement.7.5/10

Somehow I stumbled upon the benefits of IEM headphones on a YouTube channel, probably dankpods or something like that. I picked up these after going down a deep rabbitthole of iem reviews on reddit, headphone forums, here on amazon, and YouTube.Which brings us to the CHU II.There's not too much I can say, that hasn't already be mentioned in other reviews here. But I'll just back up what others before me have said. These look and sound like a million bucks. I like some bass in my music and these have that without much audible distortion at all. THD is listed at ≤0.5% at 94dB. I don't have a way to test that myself, but I have found these to be plenty loud (and undistorted) with my SanDisk mp3 player at 50% volume or less.Reviewers say they these have a V-shaped, Harmon tuning curve like many modern IEMs and the CHU II sounds perfect to me without touching the equalizer on my player.IEMs are a bit more high-maintenance than over ear headphones. First, you need an ear tip that seals perfectly well when the monitor is in your ear. These come with 3 different sizes and I wear medium. The inexpensive silicone (or foam) tips should be cleaned and/or replaced at regular intervals. With all headphones, maintaining good ear hygiene is important. Personally, I don't think I'll wear these more than 2 hours/day to give my ears a little break.The soft and tangle-free cable is decent. I don't have any complaints at all. I hit the right cable with a bit of red magic marker so I can quickly identify my right headphone. All manufacturers should do a bit of red paint somewhere on the right side.As a few have pointed out, these are kind of heavy which is something you might notice after wearing for 90 minutes or more. I like the small form factor a lot, but the shell could benefit from being more rounded and lighter (carbon fiber anyone?) for ergonomics. That's my suggestion to Moondrop for the next iteration of IEMs.After these blowing my mind, I ordered a pair of Linsoul Tangzu Wan’er S.G IEMs as well. On paper, they seem very similar to the CHU II, but with a lighter, resin shell (albeit a larger form-factor). I have no regrets purchasing the CHU IIs, but will have a backup pair of IEMs that are a bit lighter to add to my headphone collection.TL;DR get these solid metal IEMs and don't look back. The sound quality is as good as I've ever heard and the cable and eartips are replaceable so I imagine you can happily run these for a long time. I'm a sucker for tech bargains, and this product falls squarely in that category.