Review: Moondrop Para – Eight Ohm Wonder

The Moondrop Para are a technical excursion de drive and a viable choice regardless of minor missteps.

The Para aren’t Moondrop’s first foray into full-size headphones. Whilst we at Headphonesty weren’t inspired with their Void and Joker dynamic headphones, the Venus have been beautiful nice.

In idea, the Para must have trickle-down tech from Venus. Judged through simply the appearance, there’s a sure resemblance. In the most productive case state of affairs, they could be offering one thing completely new as Moondrop RnD other folks can have cooked up one thing recent.

So learn on whether or not Moondrop Para have what it takes to problem others within the quite crowded, sub-USD $400 value vary!

Unboxing and First Affect

Design and Construct

In relation to design, the granddaddy of contemporary orthodynamic headphones, the Audeze LCD-2, will all the time have a unique position in my center. They’re large, loud, and unabashedly American. The Moondrop Para are the other – grey, understated, but actual and virtually Bauhaus.

The humongous earcups are plastic with metallic-looking paint on most sensible. In the event you don’t chew into them, you may think they’re aluminum. I do know I did. The holes glance exactly machined, even though they’re most probably molded.

My handiest gripe build-wise is the rivets that hang the earcup yokes to the scarf. I favor bolts for higher serviceability. The whole lot else feels strong in hand, and I will be able to’t actually see any issues the place early failure may creep up.

It’s no longer Audeze high quality, however no longer Hifiman both.

Cable

The cable, whilst purposeful sufficient, seems like an afterthought. Whilst I don’t thoughts the twin 3.5mm TRS connectors going within the earcups, the opposite finish having a three.5mm is obvious peculiar. I will be able to inform you instantly that the Para are desktop queens, and having to make use of an adaptor always is a little bit clunky.

Rather then that, the cable has a 1.5m duration, which is ok for desktop listening. The fabric duvet works positive to stop over the top tangling, but it will select up mud greater than having naked twine isolation.

I don’t actually lament the omission of a balanced connection answer.

Convenience

Like with many different orthodynamic headphones, the primary factor with the Moondrop Para is weight. They weigh a whopping 530g! My neck muscle groups had been conditioned through proudly owning the Audeze LCD-2, which can be even heavier at 590g, however others may get started feeling them after a couple of hours.

The hammock headscarf suspension does a very good process conserving any force issues from digging into my cranium. There may be sufficient adjustment for the hammock to house maximum head sizes.

Like with maximum headphones bundled with two kinds of pads, I caught with the default pleather-velour ones, and so they are compatible me rather well.

Swapping the pads is slightly an endeavor.

The pads are saved in position through a steel grill that sticks to the magnet construction. Getting the grilles off is simple, and stretching the pads is possible if a bit finicky.

The actual bother got here after I learned the pads may freely rotate at the earcup. They’re no longer symmetrical, so getting them aligned is tremendous difficult. Thankfully, a seam can also be aligned with a rivet that holds the earcups to the scarf.

Beneath the Hood

Just like the Moondrop Venus, Para makes use of a double-sided magnet construction whole with a sliver etched diaphragm. Whilst you take away the earpads, the entire driving force sandwich seems to be interestingly skinny but very strong. Plastic earcup halves hang the N52 neodymium magnets to deal with their alignment.

As all the time, earlier than plugging any new headphones in, I seemed on the spec sheet, and one quantity had me carry a forehead. The Para have an 8 ohm load impedance. It’s a commonplace fantasy that lower-impedance headphones are more uncomplicated to power when in fact impedance handiest describes the instances wherein energy must be delivered.

Moondrops specifications the Para as 101dB/V delicate, which seems like a smart quantity. But it’s a little bit deceptive as a result of with voltage sensitivity, we all the time need to imagine the impedance. If we calculate the ability sensitivity, the Para is just a hair over 80dB/mW!

The issue is that just a few headphone amps are designed to paintings with 8 ohm quite a bit.

Riding 8 ohms is extra of a speaker amp factor that may supply the wanted present and deal with composure whilst doing so. As an example, a 120dB/SPL height at the Para ask the amp to supply about 1 ampere!

How Do the Para Sound?

It took me a couple of minute after urgent “play” to comprehend how resolving the Moondrop Para are. In the beginning, I blamed a treble emphasis that exaggerates element. Alternatively, there’s no such factor with the Para. It’s all truthful, high-performance driving force design with exact answer around the audible vary.

The following marvel got here how without difficulty the Para put across the recording scale and atmosphere. It’s no longer slightly as much as the extent of electrostatics, however there’s something about having a diaphragm with 5 occasions the piston space of maximum dynamic drivers.

The Para are resolving sufficient to focus on variations between DACs, and I’m positive they’ll scale with higher amps as properly – so long as the amps can care for the difficult electrical load.

Bass

The Para have sufficient extension for many of the low-end, however it slowly tapers down as you move into sub-bass.

As with many open-back headphones, the low-end is extra introspective than downright a laugh with the Para. It’s speedy and dynamic however lacks amount if one comes from the IEM global, the place bass steadily will get shelved up.

It’s additionally very a lot obvious that the Para have exceedingly low distortion within the lows, as is the case with maximum planar magnetic headphones. Even if requested to play loud, the bass by no means has any doubling, noise, or resonance from the headphones’ construction.

Midrange

The mids are exceedingly blank but by no means medical.

The ones on the lookout for lush mids must glance in other places; the Para handiest serve what’s at the recording and regardless of the playback chain omits or provides in. Fan the flames of Rainbow Demon through Uriah Heep and rediscover the layers of this recording.

After paying attention to many alternative sorts of track, handiest two slight objections seemed – round -3dB dip targeted at 2kHz adopted through a +3dB hump at 3 to three.5kHz. I didn’t in finding them too disturbing – simply one thing to remember.

Treble

In spite of the slight height at 8kHz, there’s lots of extension and element.

Orthodynamic headphones steadily combat with treble. The reason being that the diaphragm has to radiate during the magnet construction. Audeze, for instance, has attempted to optimize the form of its magnets to struggle this.

The Para are strangely competent within the higher registers. Whilst some peaking is provide, it’s well-controlled and doesn’t reason over the top ear fatigue. As with the remainder of the frequency vary, highs additionally retain the similar spectacular answer. In case your DAC or amp has treble problems, you’ll pay attention them during the Para.

Comparisons

I latterly reviewed some other Beast from the East – the FiiO FT3. Strangely, the FT3 did a couple of issues higher than the mythical brainchild of Axel Grell, the Sennheiser HD650.

In comparison to the FT3, the primary factor that stands proud is the Para’s total tuning. The FT3 are extra bassy and a little bit hotter sounding. General, the FT3 are a extra a laugh listening enjoy; on the other hand, the Para outclass them with regards to total answer and realism.

On the subject of the soundstage, the FT3 appear a little bit wider, but the phantom photographs are beautiful diffuse. Imaging at the Para is far more actual; due to this fact, sound assets are more uncomplicated to spot at the phantom degree.

The place to Purchase

Who Will have to Purchase This?

It’s extra a query of whether or not your amp will power those headphones than whether or not you must purchase them. The 8 ohm load makes those sneaky as you’ll get sufficient quantity, however for the time being, your amp will prepare dinner. I’m afraid that many opamp-based amplifiers will hate the Para as they aren’t rated for the low impedance load.

Excluding the steep electronics necessities, the Moondrop Para are a very easy advice for nearly any listener. Handiest bassheads must glance in other places, as they’ll require EQ to sculpt the Para to their liking.

Ultimate Ideas

Relying on what your necessities are, the Moondrop Para can also be each an ideal first planar and even an endgame pair of headphones if the USD $1000+ value vary turns out too loopy. The whole tuning at the Para is difficult to fault, with handiest slight mistakes within the higher mids.

The exceptional answer and imaging functionality make the Para a standout within the under USD $500 value bracket.

So what’s there to not love? The amplification necessities are strangely brutal and require speaker amp-like electronics. My Jotunheim 2 fared positive (if a little bit toasty), however I be expecting maximum opamps will cry uncle.

What’s within the Field?

• Moondrop Para headphones
• Exchange pleather earpads
• 1.5m unbalanced cable
• 6.35mm adaptor
• Consumer guide
• Logo card

Technical Specs

• Shape: Open-back over-ear headphones
• Motive force: Planar Magnetic
• Impedance (Ohm): 8 ohms
• Sensitivity (dB): 80dB/mW
• Weight (g): 530g
• Frequency Reaction (Hz): 15Hz – 53kHz
• Detachable Cable: Y
• Supply Jack: 3.5mm
• Cup/Shell Jack: 2×3.5mm