Moondrop Nice Buds review

Coherent, cheap assembly. Average tangle resistance with soft cable. A simple stamp for the join. The wire looks cheap, a thin two‐core eight below the join. Plug is a straight steel jack. No strain relief system. The housings are smoke‐plastic and slimmer than the older stock items used elsewhere. The earphones are big, flat in shape, with the stems a little offset, come ready‐fitted with foams—they may not fit smaller ears, and one size only. If the buds fit in the ears they will likely hold, though not convincing. L/R identified by the offset stems, works for me, no marks. Nothing unexpected in the materials, plastic all the way. I’d expect these to be robust because there’s little to them and they’re constructed as a whole. The comfort seems better than the unyielding shape suggests, maybe due to secure foams—they need a wiggle to fit. I’m mixed about the looks—they’re coherent and have a concept, but look cheap in places, so I’d call them as median.

Fit to ear considered, overall volume is good, average range. Timing is controlled but feels lazy—dull attack—shows on mid strings especially. Swells are handled with a slight dulling and stumble but remain articulate. Low string sounds have the common mush, mid strings do not hold out enough and a slight spit and squawk to high brass. Some echo and distance, frequency range seems average but, modestly, they go lower than you might expect. There’s some detail, seems dulled by muddle, yet never papery. Colour is lacking throughout. especially in woodwinds, and high electric guitar can sound plastic. Scale is not wide but positioning, a little fuzzy, is stable.

Voice replay is controlled though unflattering. Salvages a remarkable amount of source from orchestral music, and can summon soundtracks with some scope. Cool but precise for minimal instrumentation. The tizz distracts and distance/slow attack don’t handle rock music, though instruments are clear. Same for pop, though some/many may prefer more colour and exaggeration—they like very processed high‐quality sources. Moondrop Nice Buds replay less edgy on cheaper phone/computer amps and lazier sources. I’ve had my say here, but the comments are absolute, these earphones are basically better replay than anything in this or similar brackets.