Recently, Moondrop created a fever in the audio world by launching Lan – an upgraded version of Chu. Using the same design language as Chu, Moondrop Lan is given a new, more beautiful coat, the cable is detachable and the sound quality becomes more attractive due to a slight change in the timbre part.
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Packaging and accessories
Moondrop Lan and its accessories are carefully packaged in a relatively large cardboard box. The cardboard box is rectangular and much larger in size than Chu’s cardboard box. While Chu’s cardboard box is black, Lan’s cardboard box is white.
On the front of the cardboard box, in addition to the brand logo, there will be an image of a waifu symbolizing Lan. This detail is also the most notable highlight on the packaging of Moondrop Orchid. The entire technical specification table, audio frequency chart and detailed structure of the headset will be clearly printed on the back.
As usual, to unbox the product, you will gently slide the outer box and then lift the inner box lid. In addition to the Moondrop Lan headphones, users will receive an additional set of accessories including:
- 1 cable
- 3 pairs of silicone eartips size S/M/L
- 1 bag made of soft leather
- Detailed instructions for use
- Warranty card with a postcard printed with a waifu image representing Lan
Obviously, compared to Chu, Moondrop Lan has a much nicer set of accessories. But it’s a pity that Lan does not come with Spring Tips – one of Moondrop’s highest quality accessories.
Design and wearing experience
Moondrop products always receive a lot of love from music lovers thanks to their beautiful design and excellent finishing. Moondrop Lan is no exception. Lan’s housing continues to be inspired by her predecessor Chu. With a neat design and soft curved lines, Lan fits perfectly in the listener’s ear and brings an extremely comfortable wearing feeling.
Lan’s entire housing is made of stainless steel so it has very good durability. To increase strength and wear resistance, the housing part will undergo a MIM metal injection molding process and sintering at high temperatures. The outer surface of the housing is covered with a smooth layer of paint in a delicate silver gray color. On the faceplate on each ear will be printed a 6-petal flower. Near the sound duct, there are 2 small vents to help regulate the air flow in and out of the headphone’s sound cavity.
Lan is called an upgraded version of Chu because the cable on Moondrop Lan is detachable. With this design, upgrading cables or replacing cables when damaged has become easier. The cable uses standard 2-pin 0.78mm connector and 3.5mm jack. Users should pay attention to the color on the connector when connecting to the headset. White will correspond to the left ear and red will correspond to the right ear.
Integrating an Anti-Blocking filter into the nozzle tube prevents water stagnation while also limiting small dust particles or earwax from getting inside the headset.
Driver configuration and sound quality
Between Moondrop Lan and Moondrop Chu there will be a slight difference in the driver configuration. Lan is equipped by Moondrop with a dual cavity dynamic driver cluster with a diameter of 10mm. The driver has a composite speaker membrane and is coated with a layer of beryllium on the surface to increase hardness. In order to increase the detail of the sound as well as create more emotion for the sound bands, Moondrop has integrated the dynamic driver cluster with the N52 neodymium magnet system and the CCAW voice coil with an ultra-thin thickness (only 0.03mm). In terms of parameters, Lan has a sensitivity of 120dB, operates at an impedance of 32Ohm and a frequency response range ranging from 15Hz – 37kHz.
Just like Chu, Moondrop Lan has a sound graph adjusted according to the VDSF Target Response curve. The effect of fine-tuning according to the VDSF curve is that the sound quality becomes more natural and clearer, especially in the mid/treble range. Accompanied by that, the soundstage is expanded, creating openness for the sound stage.
Practical experience shows that Moondrop Lan has quite balanced sound quality, the timbre sounds very natural, the sound bands have a slightly better thickness than Chu and the performance in the bass range has been more or less improved.
Moondrop LAN HiFi Earphone Wired Earbuds IEM with 0.78mm 2Pin Detachable Cable Earbuds: Buy it now
Unlike Chu, Lan’s ability to respond in the bass range has become better. Both the amount of bass and bass quality are at a good level and just enough to use instead of being lacking like in Chu. Good response and decay rates allow Lan to perfectly handle fast-paced music like “Lux Aeterna” performed by Metallica. The bass has a relatively good texture. The subbass has a fairly average level of rumble and does not extend too deep. The midbass is a bit thicker than the Chu and does not overwhelm the low mids.
The mid range is slightly backward. Compared to Chu, Lan’s male vocal part sounds deeper, while the female vocal part will move forward more than the male vocal part. The upper mid part continues to be emphasized carefully and safely. This approach helps minimize the appearance of harsh sib sounds.
Like Chu, Moondrop Lan has a very smooth treble range, good amount of detail and no harshness. You can absolutely listen to music for 2 or 3 hours continuously without getting tired of your ears.
Technically, Lan has a quite airy soundstage with openness focusing more on height and width instead of depth. The sound stage that Lan brings is highly vivid not only thanks to the well-open soundstage but also because of the sharp sound imaging. Both vocals and instruments are positioned precisely on the sound stage. That’s why Lan is very suitable for acoustic and orchestral music.
It’s not too difficult to find combinations for Moondrop Lan. You can use Lane with compact dongle models such as Moondrop Click, apple dongle, Avani or Abigail Pro. At a higher price range, you can choose iKKO Zerda ITM02, iBasso DC03 Pro or Tanchjim Space.
With a slight change in sound quality and a breakthrough in design when the cable is detachable, it is clear that the launch of Moondrop Lan has helped audiophiles have another good choice in the low-cost segment.