HIFI Diary: MOODNROP ILLUSTRIOUS Flagship In-ear Monitor Review

I. Preface

Thanks to a friend for sending over the Moondrop ILLUSTRIOUS earphones. As a single dynamic driver in-ear priced at $899, it inevitably reminds the BLOG author of the HIFIMAN Svanar earphones, which were also positioned as a flagship single dynamic driver model tested last year. In reality, in the year 2025 where multi-driver earphones are everywhere, launching a flagship-priced single dynamic driver model requires a fair bit of courage. The BLOG author knows that Moondrop has its own R&D and production lines and doesn’t doubt their determination and capability in developing their own drivers. However, there remains a significant question as to whether Moondrop can truly compete in the high-end market and properly tune a single dynamic driver in-ear.

II. Preparation for the Review

The earphones reviewed this time are the Moondrop ILLUSTRIOUS. The testing setup consists of an iPad Air 5 + LBZ-04 + WAGNUS Omni Sheep USB cable + QQ Music. The earphones use the original 4.4mm balanced connector, and the included ear tips were used. During testing, the blogger found that the ILLUSTRIOUS is quite sensitive to the source equipment, especially when paired with a smartphone + QQ Music, where the sound quality becomes difficult to listen to. Switching to a PC + HQPlayer or a smartphone + Poweramp results in a noticeable improvement. Compared to many mid-to-low-end earphones tested before, the ILLUSTRIOUS demonstrates significantly better resolution.

III. Assessment Tracks/Scoring Method

The track selection is based on the blogger's usual listening preferences, which are about 70% Japanese music and 30% large-scale orchestral works. Therefore, the selection leans heavily towards Japanese music. The scoring criteria are derived from a simplified version of Liu Hansheng's "Twenty Essentials for Audio," with a maximum score of 10, though generally, the highest score given is 9. A score of 8 indicates a clear advantage in the scoring category, 7 signifies excellence, 6 means it can be normally appreciated, 5 means it can be normally listened to, and scores below 5 are not commented on. For a more detailed evaluation plan, please refer to here.

IV. Testing Begins

	HIFIMAN Svanar	Moondrop ILLUSTRIOUS	Moondrop LAN	Moondrop ARIA2
Integrity	7.5/10	7.5/10	6.5/10	7.5/10
High frequency	7/10	7/10	6/10	7/10
Medium frequency	7/10	7.5/10	6/10	6.5/10
Low frequency	7/10	7/10	5/10	7/10
Analysis, separation	7.5/10	7.5/10	6/10	7/10
Sound field, density	8.5/10	7.5/10	6/10	6/10
Drive, dynamic	7.5/10	7.5/10	5.5/10	7/10
Total score	7.4/10	7.4/10	5.9/10	6.9/10

1、Song: Even If No Matter What…, Singer: Kana Nishino (Nishino Kana)

As the title track of the 2011 album of the same name, "Tatoe Donna ni…" is one of the representative songs that fully embodies the essence of 2010s J-Pop. The song blends R&B and pop rhythms and melodies, featuring a slightly melancholic tune, drum beats, and bassline that run throughout, giving it a strong musical identity. Nishino Kana's vocals also perfectly match the modern yet tender atmosphere the song creates. Commercially, the song achieved outstanding results after its release, peaking at No. 5 on the Oricon charts and remaining on the chart for 23 weeks. For a long time, J-Pop has been regarded as music that emphasizes melody and refined production. The creation of "Tatoe Donna ni…" skillfully combined popular elements of the time (R&B) with the delicate emotional expression that the Japanese excel at, showcasing the mature level of Japan's J-Pop industry at the time. Although such "industrial sugar" inevitably faces criticisms like stylistic similarity, rigid creative patterns, and lack of innovation, at its core, the song still captivates with its smooth melody and chorus. Nishino Kana's lyrics, delivered in a voice close to her natural tone, easily resonate with the persistence and deep emotions of young women in love, striking a wide chord.

たとえどんなにどんなに強く / Even though I prayed so, so strongly
願ったってもう戻れないけど / I can no longer return to the past
遠い君を見えない君を / But I will still continue to long for
想い続けて / That distant, unseen you

Alright, back to the Moondrop ILLUSTRIOUS headphones. Right off the bat, they're really enjoyable to listen to, with vocals that are smooth, full-bodied, and have great texture. They sound quite intimate (up-close), making them perfect for modern pop, especially tracks with immersive or binaural recordings. The overall sound has good density and leans towards the warmer side; while the mid-range decay (reverb) feels a bit long, the transient response is still pretty decent. After listening closely, however, you might notice the vocals are a bit too prominent, and even though the ILLUSTRIOUS has decent resolution, background details in many songs tend to get masked or drowned out by them. The bass quantity is slightly boosted – just a touch more than neutral – but the sub-bass extension doesn't really pull ahead of Moondrop's own ARIA2 model, which is slightly disappointing. Furthermore, because of that slightly long mid-range decay, this decent-but-not-amazing bass can end up sounding amplified or muddied, which isn't a huge issue for vocal-focused tracks but could definitely be problematic for instrumental music.

2、Song：The Sounds of Silence，Singer：Simon & Garfunkel

Original Acoustic Version（1964）

folk-rock Version（1966）

The Concert in Central Park Version（1981）

YOUTUBE视频

Disturbed's cover version（2015）

Few songs truly earn the title "legendary." Most fade away after a decade, forgotten across oceans and mountains. But some tracks only grow richer with time, their journeys across borders adding to their story. That's the song we're talking about today, one of pop music history's most iconic and influential anthems: The Sounds of Silence.

"The Sounds of Silence" was written by Paul Simon, one half of the duo, between 1963 and 1964. In a February 1984 Playboy interview, Simon mentioned a core theme is "man's inability to communicate with man." Many also link this to the societal shock and reflection after President Kennedy's assassination in 1963. There's also a popular story that Simon liked writing songs on his guitar in a dark bathroom, and this feeling inspired the opening line: "Hello darkness, my old friend..."

In March 1964, Simon & Garfunkel recorded the original version – just their vocals and an acoustic guitar. It landed on their debut album, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., released in October 1964. This is often called the "Original Acoustic Version." But the duo wasn't famous, the album bombed, and the group quickly broke up, going their separate ways.

Then, something dramatic happened. The song started getting airplay on East Coast radio stations (especially in Boston and Florida), and requests grew. Producer Tom Wilson noticed this trend. Without contacting Simon or Garfunkel, he decided to remix the track. On June 15, 1965, Wilson overdubbed electric guitar, bass, and drums onto the original acoustic recording, creating a more contemporary "folk-rock" version. This was released as a single in September 1965, retitled "The Sound of Silence" (singular).

This version took off. Fueled by the 1960s folk-rock wave, the song became a massive hit – all while Simon and Garfunkel had no idea. By January 1, 1966, it topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This surprise success brought Simon & Garfunkel back together. They quickly recorded more songs and included the hit version on their second album, Sounds of Silence (plural), released in January 1966. This remixed "The Sound of Silence" helped define an era and became a cornerstone of American music history.

Later, Simon & Garfunkel often performed their breakthrough song, releasing live versions over the years. As they aged, the lyrics seemed to gain even more depth with each performance. Notably, their favorite way to perform it remained the simple, acoustic style of the original. Countless artists have covered the song. In 2015, the band Disturbed released a powerful heavy metal cover that also became a huge hit, proving the song's unique, timeless appeal across genres and cultures.

"The Sound of Silence" is a masterpiece blending poetic lyrics, a beautiful melody, the spirit of its time, and a legendary backstory. It went from an almost-forgotten folk tune to a global classic via an unauthorized but incredibly successful remix. It cemented Simon & Garfunkel's legacy, profoundly influenced pop music, and continues to resonate across generations and cultures. It also stands as a testament to the duo's legendary partnership, witnessed by millions worldwide, even today.

Getting back to the headphones, the male vocal tone on the Moondrop ILLUSTRIOUS is still excellent, with stable breath control, a full-bodied sound, and intimate vocals. But compared to the modern female vocals mentioned earlier, with this older folk recording, the ILLUSTRIOUS sounds warmer and a bit muddy, with significant reverb, and the vocal imaging isn't ideal. While the recording quality itself is largely to blame, when the blogger (I) used some flagship headphones for playback, they actually handled it better. This brings me to what I consider a more serious issue with the ILLUSTRIOUS: with poorly recorded tracks, its playback reveals noticeable flaws. Perhaps, just as its product description suggests, this is a 'reference-grade' headphone that emphasizes flaws rather than smoothing them over.

V. Summary

The review process itself wasn't complicated, but figuring out how to actually start writing was a bit tricky. I'm certainly familiar with Moondrop, having reviewed many of their products before. They have quite a few highly competitive products in the low-to-mid range; I've always considered the ARIA2 the most balanced headphone under $150. However, Moondrop's attempts at pushing into the high-end market have never left a deep impression on me. Firstly, I lack long-term experience with them, and in various brief auditions, they always felt rather ordinary. Secondly, their pricing is very ambitious, seemingly disconnected from their mid/low-end lineup, more like filling a price bracket than anything else. After testing the ILLUSTRIOUS, I won't deny it has decent fundamental performance and sounds quite smooth, making it a good headphone in that regard. But if you ask me if it's truly flagship-level, capable of handling most music genres, I'd have to pause and then tell you... it's best suited for modern vocals. That's why, after listening for two weeks, I decided against specifically testing large or small ensemble pieces. It's not that they can't play them, but they're just okay, which doesn't justify its premium $899 price tag.

Honestly, considering the diminishing returns often seen with headphone pricing, the ILLUSTRIOUS's $899 price feels more like something from a traditional HiFi company, stubbornly clinging to high premiums just to project brand value, rather than a pricing strategy from a fresh, emerging HiFi company. Looking at the headphone itself, the single dynamic driver design inherently means it has limitations at the frequency extremes – lacking significant extension in the highest treble and lowest sub-bass, leaving you with just very forward, emphasized mids pushed right up to your ears. Whether this intense focus on vocals compromises other details seems entirely outside the ILLUSTRIOUS's design considerations. Anyway, I seem to have received this headphone just a few days after its release, listened on and off for about two weeks, and then checked second-hand marketplaces to see it going for $535... This price fluctuation seems to reflect the market's level of acceptance to some extent. My long-held view is that an in-ear monitor priced at $899 should rightfully be excellent across all three frequency ranges (bass, mids, treble), especially for a newer company without historical baggage. Higher prices should justify added value, falling into categories like unique tuning, experiments with new materials, premium design and materials, or brand narrative. Ultimately, hasn't the perennially overpriced HiFi IEM market been waiting for a 'Xiaomi-style' disruptor (a company known for aggressively competitive pricing) to finally bring prices down? Could Moondrop be that company? Perhaps. But the Moondrop ILLUSTRIOUS, at least, isn't that product.