Moondrop Moonriver 2 - Perfectly Good & A Bit Expensive

[@RWmHII]

You seem to be one of the only audio product reviewers willing to say that similar products sound pretty much the same. Thanks for the careful honesty.

[@johnhallkenney]

Great to see your subscriber list is growing mate. Well deserved!

[@NewDarkKnight]

Review after 2 months usage! Respect

[@Boorifee]

Another rational sensible review from u

[@stereotonic]

For anyone still curious about the power rating: the manual for my MoonRiver 2 states that it's 125mw @ 32ohms single-ended and 250mw @ 32ohms through the 4.4mm balanced I am loving mine but I would wait for it to go on sale again if you're interested

[@michaelweichhardt]

I just tried Moonriver 2 Ti and Fosi Audio DS1 - while they are vastly different in price - when driving the Austrian Audio Hx60 with it - the Fosi Audio DS1 won by far. The sound was better. For me it felt like I got more detail out of the DS1 than the Moonriver 2 Ti when both had the same volume. I noticed that the Moonriver gives more power, but Fosi will give you the better sound signature. More bass and more goose bump feeling in the mids. This may not be the same for you - since it heavily depends on what you are driving - My Hx60 from Austrian Audio are only 25 Ohms.

[@harackmw]

so early, I had to watch in 360p apparently... greatreview as per usual!

[@SmileyD1125]

I think you'll find the Luxury&Precision W2 quite interesting as it has quite a few features and very good power for a dongle. It gives you about 230mw at 32 ohms in balanced output, supports phone calls, provides numerous eq presets and filter settings, and supports spdif for audio interface users. Although it is a bit expensive coming in at about 300 dollars, I think it is worth the price and definitely worthwhile to check out.

[@In-Marty-We-Trust]

Being a Mac & iOS user (i.e limited EQ options) the Qudelix 5K is my favourite.

[@BrianVallotton]

I have had my 5K a few weeks now. I really like it, and like you am on IOS and Mac. Are you still enjoying it?

[@In-Marty-We-Trust]

@@BrianVallotton I absolutely love it. 1. It’s so small and handy as a Bluetooth device only AirPods Pro are more stable. 2. Having that PEQ with a good planar is like owning several different headphones. I just wish they included a “Siri” button

[@BrianVallotton]

@@In-Marty-We-Trust Hi Martin So glad to know you are still loving it. I feel like a found a secret and everyone else is still looking! It is an amazing device. Most of the time I have the EQ set on R&B and just enjoy the music! What do you think of the presets for the individual headphones? I have Senn 58X and Ananda’s. Both of the presets make my phones sound anemic…

[@Simon_Hawkshaw]

I believe there has been a firmware update to decouple the volume adjustment from the source and the DAC.

[@garygriffiths7353]

Great review. Matter of interest what dongles, iems, headphones, daps etc do you use personally?

[@NoThemeReviews]

Zerda ITM03, Paw S1, Paw 6000, and a whole bunch of headphones and IEMs. I have a rather unmanageable list of products that would take a very long time to cite here.

[@03e-210a]

A respectable review

[@shakenbake2k479]

About your second observation concerning the steady volume. On I think all Android devices (at least Samsung) you can disable absolute volume. This accounts for external amp's independent volume controls as well as your Bluetooth speaker's or headphone's.

[@m4nc1n1]

FYI - FiiO JadeAudio Q11 also has that chip and is $90

[@asan1050]

Thanks..

[@lantern054]

Have u tried xduoo link 2 bal? Is it better than this MR2 dac?

[@epicmike3915]

Pretty embarrassing how other reviewers continue to use dynamics to line up these companies pockets. How different is the cirrus logic chip to the ess sabre? Are they both neutral sound signatures?

[@NoThemeReviews]

Yeah, they are. The older ESS had IMO a harsh presentation in treble. Quite a few people complained about that. Maybe it’s my imagination but I stopped buying ESS dacs for a while because of that. Now, you can’t tell a difference.

[@StormyWeather21]

how in the world do I connect this to my iphone? I purchased a thunderbolt to 3.5 adapter but the moonriver is not detected with the iphone......confused.

[@StormyWeather21]

iPhone 14 pro

[@NoThemeReviews]

You need a Mifi certified cable.

[@shadeshotTV]

im not claiming anything but in the space of audio why do dac measurements count when literally every other measurements for things like amps/headphones/speakers/iems dont mean anything when comparing one to the other i see people all the time saying that specs/measurements/graphs don't mean a thing but when it comes to dacs its ONLY specs that mean anything

[@NoThemeReviews]

True A/B comparisons with measurements as additional information is the best methodology.

[@danielzweipunktnull2670]

Hey Buddy How do you think dose it compare to dragonfly Red? What is your recommendation for using hd 660s with some headroom in Volume? They are my Personal favorit but I have some Harder to Drive planars. Thank you for your hard Work! ✌️

[@NoThemeReviews]

If you're deciding between these two, then the Moonriver 2 is better value. The Dragonfly series have poor internal construction, specifically the board not being fully secured within the chassis. The board wobbles if you touch the 3.5mm port. Also, the form factor, replaceable cable, and overall build are superior features on the Moonriver. I've always had the impression that the Red has a marginally less clear presentation compared to most other dacs--but that could just be my imagination. Both the Red and Moonriver have plenty of power to drive the 660s. Ultimately, you get a lot more for your money with the Moonriver. And, frankly, nearly any alternative cheaper than a Dragonfly (Black, Red, or Cobalt) is a better value.

[@danielzweipunktnull2670]

@@NoThemeReviews thank you. I already Made my decision to Return the df Red. I've found my "old" USB DAC, the sharkoon gaming DAC pro and it has even more Power then df Red and was only 30€. It Sounds different, with less Bass. Some Tracks Sound better on one, some I do like more on the Other, but there is no Contest, price difference between them is 130€. Only downside on sharkoon is, it Dose nothing for streamed music from Deezer. The Vol stays Low, like it Plays directly from mobile. I tryed my 660s, some Beyer tygr and Edition XS. No soundboost with Deezer, only with the Neutron Player. :/ Whitch mobile DACs would you consider to be best value?

[@louiev.3367]

Ill just stick with my LG v60. You plan on reviewing the Fiio btr7 coming soon?

[@NoThemeReviews]

Doubtful. I’ve got the UP4, ES100, and 5K. I doubt there’s anything about the BTR7 which would make me want to buy it.

[@P1_M1ND]

BTR5 balanced output to Solaris 2020 is better than the moonriver 2 4.4 output sound. Probably will use moonriver 2 for fun every once in a while.

[@GREGBT69]

What dac has good dynamics and soundstage?

[@NoThemeReviews]

Modern dacs have dynamic range that far surpasses recordings. It makes no difference whatsoever. Dacs do not affect soundstage, especially when they are transparent or neutral. Soundstage is the perception due to the ORIGINAL recording methodology, the sound signature and tuning of your headphones or IEMs, earpads or eartips, and whether your headphones or IEMs receive sufficient power for peak performance. The audiophile community is propagating nonsense when it comes to Dac “dynamics” and “soundstage”. There are actual reputable sources online that explain this, and they’re typically outside the forum bubble.

[@juanblanco7898]

@@NoThemeReviews >especially when they are transparent and neutal I'd say only if they are transparent and neutral. If there's some kind of "coloring" or "flavouring" of the sound going on, it obviously can have an impact on perceived soundstage with the same source material. And there's no reason why it should not, as, while largely subjective, perceived soundstage is dependent on the impulse/phase/frequency response of all elements in the audio chain (audio recording, DAC, extra DSP filters such as EQ or Convolution plugins if such are employed, amplifier, speakers) as our brain interprets variations in perceived relative intensity and relative time delay of sounds across the audible FR as spatial cues. As such, different reconstruction filters set as a default (sometimes one and only) option already can result in different perceived sounstage "performance" between different devices built around different OR exactly the same DACs. If there's any inherent audible difference between different DAC chips, I bet it's quite a bit less noticable then the difference between various reconstruction filters implemented in one and the same DAC. And then there are people who can't even hear the difference between those. The main thing one should concern himself with regards to "dynamics" and soundstage is amplification stage and speakers, imo. When audiophiles talk about "dynamics" they do not refer to the available dynamic range in the sense you mentioned. Frequency response can have a great impact on these perceived dynamics by accentuating and overblowing the difference in produced SPL between various parts of the frequency range of a musical piece, not between the most/least intense parts of the music and the noise floor (typical V-shaped sound signature with it's artificially enhanced contrast vs more reference-neutral signature which may be described by some as relatively "flat" or "compressed", especially in comparison to the former), as well as an impulse response - with relation to attack-sustain-decay characteristics. But, with aforementioned things in mind, it's better to pay some degree of attention to DACs too, as long as we talk about complete desktop/portable solutions with different sets of preconfigured parameters and tweaks, options and features implented/made accessible or inaccessible by the manufacturer to distinguish their products on an oversaturated market, not about barebone chips.

[@Enhanz]

Thoughts on sxfi amp?

[@NoThemeReviews]

It’s fine, but if you’re not going to use the headphone presets and ear mapping, then it doesn’t really stand out.

[@Ravenblues]

The balenced output changes things a bit tbh

[@mattriarchal]

The actual reason the moonriver 2 doesnt have any performance or audible differences over other DAC-amps is because they didnt design a waifu for this one 😒

[@Reeeepicheep]

This guy really can't hear differences between dacs. That's kind of sad.

[@NoThemeReviews]

What’s worse is that you’re happily delusional that you can.

[@Reeeepicheep]

​@@NoThemeReviews Most people can tell the difference unless your headphones aren't that revealing or your hearing is damaged. I've returned so many dongle daps that didn't fit my sound preference, even ones that I fully expected to love that were super expensive. For example, I returned the Cayin RU6 R2R dap and I returned the iFi Go Blu and the iFi Hip Dac (iFis had good imaging but too smooth sounding, not enough detail). I learned that I prefer sabre ESS dacs by and large for their incisive technical detail (though the implementation is most important). For standalone dacs, I use the Bifrost 2 with my kef LS50w speaker setup and returned the topping D30 Pro in favor of it bc the Bifrost 2 has a thick warm lifelike sound and thunderous punch/slam that you can feel on certain tracks and works well with the speakers for the music I most enjoy compared to the d30 pro. Sabre dacs, cirrus logic dacs, akm dacs, r2r, multibit, burr brown, they all sound different and discovering what you like and what works best with your gear and your music is part of the fun of audio, but by all means be reductive and cynical.

[@NoThemeReviews]

@@Reeeepicheep Wrong. Most people cannot hear any differences because there aren’t any. You Dac fanboys have no clue how to do real A/B tests, aren’t remotely interested on how dacs actually work, don’t comprehend the basic measurements that the companies themselves provide, don’t want to consider your own listening biases, and aren’t at all curious about all the far more rational explanations about what you think you heard. You blockheads harp the same bullshit-dynamics and slam and velvety goodness. You bitch to others not having “the right gear” or suffering from “hearing loss” when it’s you numbskulls propagating complete nonsense. It’s all in your head. You are wasting time and money on products that have little to no actual influence on the sound. If you’re happy living in your fantasy world, go right ahead. But don’t you dare peddle your religious dogma to the rest of us. We are not interested in your pretended exemplary hearing. Go whine about dacs some place else.

[@Reeeepicheep]

@@NoThemeReviews The Bifrost 2 is an absurdly warm-sounding dac. Read any review of it. Have you heard Schiit's multibit dacs? I have them and they are warm. Is that in my head and in the head of all the reviewers who agree? Do you dispute that these dacs have a specific flavor?

[@NoThemeReviews]

@@Reeeepicheep Why is this so difficult for you to accept? Yes, I have Schiit’s multibit dacs. I also have iFi’s Pro gear, several R2R dacs, many Topping and SMSL stuff, dozens of DAPs, and a lot more gear than any other reviewer short of Zeos. And yes I dispute that multibit dacs sound “warm”. They don’t. You clearly haven’t done true A/B tests, which would show you that. This is the same issue all the other reviewers have. You guys simply refuse to do meaningful tests and then demand that the rest of us who do should just accept your claims. You people are wrong. You’ve been wrong from the beginning. Finding a Dac with an audible difference is exceedingly rare. Do real A/B tests, learn how dacs work and what their measurements are. Until you do this, don’t bitch about how amazing your ears and gear are. You aren’t any more special than anyone else, and your gear I guarantee is nothing exceptional.

[@dmitriydudarev2649]

32 ohm at 2 Vrms = 125 mW; 32 ohm at 4 Vrms = 500 mW (in theory).

[@digitalnation2876]

Xduoo link2 bal, Cheaper better,