Moondrop Star Spaceship Pulse is a budget level IEM with one dynamic driver. It is priced at 39,99$.
Sound quality for the price
Build quality
Value
Can I set it as twelve out of ten?
Packaging
Moondrop owners are big fans of anime, and we can see that even right on the box. On the top, we can see the anime girl and an SSP inscription.
Inside, you’ll find the earphone itself, the cable, three pairs of eartips, and the soft pouch made of eco-leather.
On the back of the box, you can see all the technical info with a frequency graph.
Build Quality & Comfort
Honestly, I was pretty shocked when I opened the box for the first time.
The build quality is insane in this price range. Each shell is made of two metal pieces. Both are painted in a matte, navy blue color and fixed with a golden screw. As a result, it looks terrific and makes an excellent impression in hand. It is also pretty heavy for its size, but it fits great in the ear because it doesn’t stick out.
The cable also doesn’t disappoint. It has a very slippery coating, a plastic splitter, and it is terminated with a 3,5mm jack connector that’s folded at 90 degrees. I really like this little red rubber that indicates the right channel. It’s a nice deviation from the norm. A small thing, but it makes me happy.
That cable should be an example for all cheap IEMs. If you’ve ever used the KZ earphones, you’ll know how embarrassing the cable can be. They often need the replacement for the aftermarket one. In this case, I don’t think it is necessary unless you would like to go balanced.
Sound
The sound is the best part of Moondrop SSP. This is a true value king.
It is a very highly saturated sound, with holography and soundstage similar to FiiO FH3, which costs almost four times more. Pretty impressive, huh? And that’s not the end, SSP provides some even better things, and I’ll talk about them below.
Moondrop SSP might look as easy to drive, but don’t be so sure. It likes power. Using iDSD Signature, I’m going to the end of the potentiometer on the Normal Mode and the High Sensitivity on iEmatch. I’m listening pretty loud, so keep that in mind. The regular phone won’t be enough to power SSP up, but cheap, mobile DACs provide a considerable boost.
The bass is rich and very juicy. With warmer sources, it attacks with a powerful subbass that growls all the time. Watch out for the dark sources because it can become too rumbling. The subbass takes a step back into the shadow with more technical or bright sources, so the kickbass and midbass take a front seat. It still strikes really hard, with incredible dynamic and punch. The whole bass also gains more texture and hardness.
The whole bass isn’t as messy as FiiO FH3 one. It is delicately more accurate, but of course, it isn’t the same level as the Bqeyz Spring 2. The bass is smooth. It has some texture only when the track provides a lot of character in the bass. But don’t get me wrong. This bass isn’t muddy, it is just softer than usual. It isn’t also the speed beast, but hey, the SSP costs only 40$. I think that’s still an outstanding bass in this price range, and it can be a great rival for the FiiO FH3.
The midrange is delicately recessed. It’s different compared to the bass because it has a more technical style. However, it still is punchy and juicy. The male vocals are gently brightened, but the females’ ones are warmer. Listening to them is really comfy. Billie Eilish and Dua Lipa don’t lose their voice characters, but they become more charming when they’re a little warmed. Sometimes I was just falling apart in those voices and missing my stop when I was on the bus.
In terms of the details, it rocks again. There are no skipped details, but without making them visible by unnecessary sharpness.
The treble is delicate but highly detailed, insanely clear, and extended. It has a similar charming manner as the higher midrange. Some can find the treble a little too harsh, but it bothers me only using Spinfits and a very technical source.
I consider that treble as very crispy, accurate, but not sharp or very technical. That’s totally different from the Bqeyz KB100, which is more specialized, without such a vibrant playstyle.
The soundstage is another astonishing thing. It provides an outstanding width and depth in this price range. In terms of the playstyle, it is closer to the Craft Ears Four than Bqeyz Spring 2. It’s in the middle between the magic, charming positioning and the very technical, spot-on one. The holography and depth are source dependent, it keeps a similar style, but the range is flexible. Using Shanling UA1, everything is close but goes almost around. With more technical EarMen Eagle, it goes further away and becomes a golden one with the iFi iDSD Neo.
The soundstage of Moondrop SSP is also useful in gaming. That’s another cheap earphone after the FiiO FD1 that is awesome for long gaming sessions, even if you’re a fan of competitive gaming.
Summary
That’s unbelievable how badly Moondrop priced this earphone. They could go for three, maybe four times more, and it still would be worth it.
It has an excellent, full-of-life sound signature, the bass which is a true beast, with a charming style above the midrange, and almost technical, but again lovely treble. The icing on the cake is the soundstage and the holography, which is source-dependent, but it is excellent since the beginning.
I think I’ll need to spend some time far away from the SSP because that’s my second favorite earphone right now, just after the Craft Ears Four. I forgot about the whole world too often using them.
Highly recommended. – Must buy.
If you would like to place an order – you can do it here.
Gear used during this review for the sake of comparison and as an accompanying equipment:
- Headphones – Bqeyz Spring 1, FiiO FH3, FiiO FH7, Craft Ears Four, Meze Rai Solo, Shozy Form 1.1, Bqeyz Spring 2, Bqeyz KB100
- Sources– iBasso DX160, iFi iDSD Neo, iFi iDSD Signature, EarMen TR-AMP, EarMen Eagle, Shanling UA1, DDHiFi TC25B.
I am a 22 years old audiophile, photographer, coffee lover and Star Wars fan. I love checking out new audio stuff and sharing my opinions with people not being overly bloviating. I believe that a review acts as a guide to just interest people, and then comes the most important part, which is actually testing the device by themselves.
