MOONDROP MOONRIVER 2 Portable DAC Review

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/ gizaudio Review of the Moonriver 2 Portable DAC. At $189, Moondrop's first entry into the portable DAC market is pretty impressive. But how does it stack up when compared to some of my other personal favorites?
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[@senivri]

to change the modes, you don't really need to press them both at the same time, you just neet to hold one specific button (i forgot which) and just click the other one..

[@Gizaudio]

Lol, had no idea. definitely going to give it a try. Thanks for the information!

[@DesuVR]

I didn't know there were other reviewers besides Timmy on this channel! Solid review and really good cinematography!

[@Gizaudio]

Thank you very much!

[@btfr5129]

Nice review! Your style is very informative!

[@Gizaudio]

Thanks!

[@markusschulzbro]

Intro is dope! Thanks for the review!

[@Gizaudio]

Thanks!

[@faridasyraf1612]

loved the cinematic intro 😍

[@Gizaudio]

Thanks!

[@DiegoSanchez-fi9cf]

Nice, thanks for the review guys!

[@Gizaudio]

Thanks for watching!

[@aodhanmorrissey]

Good review! Excited to see the review for the UA5 as well, thats probably the nicest looking (moon river 2 a close 2nd imo) dongle dac on the market atm.

[@Audio-In-Reviews]

Thanks! Agree, UA5 is slick looking!

[@flipninja55]

Been waiting for this review since you posted about it on IG.

[@Gizaudio]

Cool, thanks for watching!

[@UNSCPILOT]

Getting one of these to keep with my Steamdeck, great audio for good games and music

[@TOM7952]

Sounds like it's a good combo unit but the market is really competitive so the price seems a bit steep. For a bit more you can get a Cayin RU6 with built-in R2R DAC.

[@aaroncurtis7752]

Cool little DAC, but I think I will stick with my Qudelix 5k.

[@kylevanwagn3r]

Do you happen to know how the sound presentation of the Moonriver 2 compares to the Dragonfly Red or Cobalt? I like a warm sound, and the Dragonfly Red is warm compared to the Topping DX3 Pro+ that I just tried, but I don't know if the Topping just runs cold or if the Dragonfly Red is actually warm. Thanks for your review!

[@Skysams]

Hi thanks for sharing your experience and knowledge with us! Great channel! Can you recommend a good usb C to C cable for audio? Thanks in advance!

[@zhanurdos]

I like the openingof the video

[@Gizaudio]

Thank you!

[@koszor1337]

Got a used one for 130 pretty excited

[@lantern054]

Hi bro, can u please rank these dacs?Just interms of pure Audio output alone😉. Only balanced output and usb-c connection.

[@TheDeathmail]

Honestly, I prefer using my headphone jack... but I like these DAC reviews...

[@fatihtuncer7230]

Can Moonriver2 drive 50 ohm headphones?

[@GabrielHaoz]

You mentioned you changed the usb-c to usb-c cable from the original, what cable or brand you recommend to buy that don't do interferences? thanks a lot!

[@Gizaudio]

They're basically the cables that came with other dacs. Fiio, Lotoo, Shanling.... I think I got one off of Amazon. If I have a chance I'll try and get back to you with the brand. Thanks for watching!

[@sleepybeary_]

hi I wanted to ask if the Mele is suitable for listening to music like modern hip hop, K-pop, slowed music and some rap. I'm switching from cheap earphones so would it be a fine choice or should I avoid the Mele in this case?

[@Polyfusia]

Mele is a good cheap option for rap. It is a more bass heavy IEM.

[@keyonshi832]

Did you ever do a review on the Qudelix 5K? If not, I would definitely like to see your thoughts on it.

[@Gizaudio]

Not yet. Hopefully, can get my hands on one. Thanks for watching!

[@eyang7]

What are the 6 IEMs have have in this video? TIA

[@mimotojiyt]

How would this one compare to the Qudelix 5K ?

[@arie123ful]

how does this compared to E1DA 9038D?

[@williamvilarim8087]

Could you review xduoo link2 bal too? Thank you for the good content ✅👍🏻

[@puriwatw.1323]

Lot of sub bass which overshadowing the mid bass, big soundstage, I prefer KA3 over link2 bal

[@williamvilarim8087]

@@puriwatw.1323 in that case, that’s good for my preferences, i got a blessing 2 and i think it lacks that rumbling a little bit

[@Audio-In-Reviews]

Would love to if I can get my hands on one. Heard good things though. Thanks for watching!

[@agasuo2673]

im using wm1a with z1r, should i buy this and plug it to my laptop to watch movies and play games ? wondering the sound quality and of this compare to wm1a ( sorry for my bad english )

[@Gizaudio]

Sorry, not sure if it will soumd better but it will definitely sound good. I haven't heard wm1a before so cant compare. Thanks for taking the time to check out the video!

[@lazyreuvin]

I nearly bought this but the lack of reviews at the time, and some average impressions by others who had already heard it turned me away because this thing is not cheap.... I knew the ifi GoBlu already had stellar reviews, has Bluetooth and a built in battery and comes in at less than the Moondrop... Would have been nice to compare it to that little puppy as you showed it in the video. UA5 might be good but damn that price, BTR5 is a bit older now and is surpassed by the GoBlu for many, and the KA3 is definitely not on the level and gets warm in use...

[@Gizaudio]

The GoBlu has great features and is arguably the better value of the two but it has noticeable hiss from 4.4 with iems (especially my Andros). Not a huge deal but it can be a little distracting and I'm willing to sacrifice some features for blacker background. That being said the GoBlu is great and is still one of my favorites. The reality is these are all great dacs so my rankings are literally based on nitpicks and personal preferences of course.

[@lazyreuvin]

@@Gizaudio Thanks for sharing a little more insight to your thoughts... Ultimately the value of the GoBlu and the Bluetooth/ features won me over for this purchase, but if the Moondrop goes on sale and I feel like exploring other options, it's definitely got enough potential by the sound of it to turn my head. I don't have any super sensitive iems yet, but maybe in the future. Hope you check out some of the earmen units and the ddhifi TC44C. Great review as always, keep em coming =)

[@Audio-In-Reviews]

@@lazyreuvin thank you!

[@avijitdas2294]

Shanking Q1 dap vs moonriver 2 who is the better sound ?

[@Gizaudio]

Haven't heard the Q1. Thanks for checking out the video!

[@lantern054]

Bro try xduoo link2 bal👍

[@kyron42]

Qudelix-5K is much better because it has Bluetooth and a very good parametric equaliser and much cheaper and more power output.

[@wadec6799]

Know the 5k sure powers my olinas nice!!!

[@oliverpls]

I can't say which is better because I only own the 5K but most folks seem to prefer it over the BTR5 so I was very surprised to not see it mentioned in this video.

[@wadec6799]

@@oliverpls no doubt about it vs btr5. Man I watched a ton of reviews and read up on these big time and just got my 5k like 3 weeks ago. I absolutely love it!!!!

[@yellowcone1]

5k sounds better then btr5, but battery life is a better on btr5.

[@Gizaudio]

I try to avoid comparing or mentioning devices I haven't heard and unfortunately, I haven't gotten my hands on that one yet. Would love to though. Seems like a solid device!

[@theodorezurla496]

Cayin ru6 review please and Um mest mk 2 if u can lol

[@ferfernando]

Cayin ru6 x2 pls! 👍

[@Gizaudio]

Would love to get my hands on the Cayin ru6. Timmy will be covering all of the iems on this channel. However, I will say I like the Mest MK2 a lot!

[@lancewood1410]

Will this drive a Sundara with enough headroom?

[@mangehd6262]

With regards to straight up power yes it should drive sundaras fine as the impedance curve for those isn't especially strange on top of just being rather easy to drive as far as planars go, you can also go and pull up the online headphone power calculator and use the values he mentioned. hope this helps!

[@kooshi8388]

top tier user manual i see

[@prantareturns1796]

Which DAC should I use with Tanchjim Ola to get good neutral sound?

[@arghadeepmisra7865]

Watch Crinacle's Amp vider (This is fine)

[@nureinmenschlein]

Would recommend the tempotec sonata hd pro. It provides a modular and therefore durable build and delivers perfect sound and amp-power.

[@josephchamberlain3681]

Whoa... who is this person?

[@Gizaudio]

I'm Dave! I will be covering DACs/sources and Timmy will be covering iems. Thanks for checking out the video!

[@eyang7]

Thought he had a total transformation lol

[@Criiies]

It makes no sense for a DAC to have a sound signature. They're literally designed to NOT distort the signal in any way. If your DAC is leaning towards warm or bright it is defective or of bad quality.

[@adamnesbitt11]

Portable DACs generally are also amps.

[@PantsaBear]

I mean, you can just not enjoy it and call it a day. You're objectively wrong about calling a DAC bad quality when some purposely color the sound a specific way, even at several hundred / over $1k

[@ryanreviews8566]

wtf moondrop has other products?

[@carminedesanto6746]

Great review.. 1: way too smol👻 2:needs Bluetooth 🎵

[@villageroma]

You have a funny way to pronunce the word "aluminium".. Are you from kentuky?

[@Gizaudio]

Lol, it's definitely not the queens English. It's pronounced that way in most US states my friend. The "I" is silent. I'm on the West Coast and my accent reflects that. Love Kentucky btw.....beautiful state and beautiful people. Many Americans are fleeing states like mine and moving to states like that for those reasons. Thanks for checking out my video!

[@slygg]

You can't hear any kind of static or interference because of USB. USB is a digital protocol, not analogue. Meaning that it either works 100% or the interference is too much and it just errors out and doesn't work at all. Because it's digital there are computers on both sides making sure that all packets are received and in good condition. With analogue there is no such protection. It's very black and white really, no middle ground. So I'm pretty sure that it's not the included USB cable that was causing you problems. I have however had a few cases where the actual USB drivers were acting up and causing static noise. So obviously if one of the computers isn't doing it's job correctly there will be problems.

[@kyron42]

Musical natural organic. Snake oil snake oil snake oil.

[@rustya81l1fysessions5]

Who is this? I feel like I am on the wrong channel?...

[@Gizaudio]

I'm Dave! I will be covering DACs/sources and Timmy will be covering iems. Thanks for checking out the video!

[@hughsmaes6683]

Snake oil...ordered one, compared to apple dongle, it's absolutely the same

[@athathsonty2925]

I am a traditional single ended 3.5 ep guy and this balanced BS DAC is not to my taste.

[@kyron42]

What are hopeless review. No mention of how much power at various impedances.

[@Gizaudio]

Will try and keep that in mind for next review. Thanks for watching!