"Flat", heavy, expensive. - Moondrop Skyland

Quick Overview

The Moondrop Skyland planar magnetic headphones, priced at $799.99, deliver great sound reproduction with an impressively flat frequency response well within the average listener preference range, especially in the mids, but their heavy weight (0.5kg/1.1lbs) and loose clamping force lead to poor comfort, making them potentially unsuitable for long listening sessions despite their technical merits.

Key Points: The Moondrop Skyland headphones cost $799.99 and feature an open-back planar magnetic driver design. The measured frequency response is impressively flat across the spectrum, closely tracking the average listener preference curve, especially in the midrange (200Hz to 2kHz). Bass response drops off significantly below 100Hz compared to average preference, and the treble region shows significant variation, though still largely within the preference window. The headphones are heavy, weighing 0.5kg (1.1lbs), and the presenter found them to have very loose clamping force, causing them to wobble when shaking their head. The carbon fiber elastic headband uses a dry-process hot pressing technique, and the earcups feature a circular cross-section woven metal protective grille. The overall sound signature, despite the fit issues, is described as not having scooped mids, offering great reproduction for genres like rock and metal, but lacking warmth.

Context: The video reviews the Moondrop Skyland, a pair of open-back, planar magnetic headphones marketed with premium features like a 500nm ultra-thin diaphragm and a carbon fiber headband. The presenter, likely from ShortCircuit, unboxes the headphones, examines their construction, tests the fit and comfort, and then presents objective frequency response measurements taken in the lab, comparing them against average listener preference targets.

Detailed Analysis

The video provides a review of the Moondrop Skyland headphones, which come packaged in a large, metallic-looking briefcase (though the presenter notes it is mostly plastic) and are priced at $799.99. The presenter immediately notes the headphones are very heavy, weighing 0.5kg (1.1lbs), and upon trying them on, finds the clamping force to be very loose, causing them to wobble easily. The construction features aluminum alloy on the earcups, a 3D-printed carbon fiber elastic headband, and lambskin leather earpads. The drivers are planar magnetic, utilizing thin 500nm diaphragms. Lab measurements show an impressively flat frequency response across the mids and treble, staying very close to the average listener preference curve, though the bass response drops off significantly compared to preference. The presenter suggests that while the sound quality is good (especially for rock/metal due to minimal scoop), the lack of warmth and the poor fit/heaviness might be drawbacks for some users, particularly those who prefer closed-back headphones for better seal/clamping.