Moondrop Kato IEM Review

[@wavetheorysound]

Yeah...so missed the brass nozzles at first 🤦‍♂... it's been a busy spring lol. So I found them buried in the box and got some time with them today. Observations... 1) the sound does change...slightly...the brass nozzles are a little less bright overall. But, largely the treble retains the same kind of timbre. I think mid timbre improves slightly tho and things like drums sound slightly more realistic. There is a slight loss of perceived detail with the brass but I think that's mostly due to less treble energy overall. Some recordings can still get a bit fatiguing in the top end because that 10k peak remains, but the number of tracks on which that happens decreases slightly. 2) Comfort is the same as the brass nozzles appear to have the same dimensions as the aluminum (steel?). 3) The ability to tune the sound like this certainly increases the value proposition of the Kato. 4) I discovered the modular nature of the nozzle completely by accident as one of them came off in the carrying case in my gym bag...which is fortunate because that can easily get lost. This gives me pause on the longevity of this design. 5) Apologies for missing this for the review. This was a wrinkle I didn't see coming and clearly should have done more reading. Lesson learned! Will pin this comment.

[@Nightjar726]

I think you are one of the only reviewers that mentioned the treble upper mid harshness. I just returned mine. It makes the timbre sound grainy and raspy. ( I’m over 50 and listen to mostly classical , and rock). Plus I’m a violinist and guitarist. So that upper mid peak makes violins sound super raspy. This is why it’s important to put many musical genres on when evaluating gear. Someone who listens to electronic music won’t notice it. It’s refreshing to see someone at last review things honestly. Headphones and IEMs are inundated with people shilling for companies since it’s so difficult to get a few dozen subscribers and most of the custom base are younger generations. I almost hate it when looking for new headphone for this very reason. Cheers and keep it up!

[@johnsoriano3812]

This is a great review. I actually enjoy it coz of the comfort and sound is indeed quite decent :)

[@777metal]

Fantastic earphones for the price! I am sensitive to piercing upper mids and treble and find these quite smooth. Lots of clean punchy bass. I haven't felt the need to try the brass nozzles but I will at some point. I really like the medium soft foam tips, very comfortable and easy to get a good seal. Cable is nice. Paired with iFi Zen stack and go blu on the move. Highly recommended for most genre of music.

[@FabioKasper]

This is the endgame for a ton of folks I know. It's a well regarded gem.

[@Michael_mki233]

At the $200 price point, I dare say it's a good thing to be a jack-of-all. It isn't a price where most people would want 3-4 pair for different genre like they could for the sub-$50 market, and it isn't the high-end where everything is great, but different.

[@carminedesanto6746]

Good morning from my drive to work in Toronto the keto forms the midpoint of my IEM stable along with the OH 10 the midnight and the S 12 great review as always take care

[@frederf69]

what about the changeable nozzles?

[@frankprogrammer]

I normally game with my DT 900 Pro X but the Kato is a close enough alternative when I don’t want headphone hair. Installing Equalizer APO and Peace software makes a HUGE improvement for Kato with the AutoEQ settings in Peace.

[@jdd1811]

Was just wondering why you didn't receive the alternate brass nozzles, they are said to be less bright?

[@planewreck4214]

I love audio and have deep lover passion but my salary in one year it’s $1700 USD so I dream only

[@instar6427]

I'm stuck in a treeeeeeee

[@cxmxc]

When he realizes that all his expensive gear is snake oil lol never heard so much BS