MOONDROP VENUS: The Best in the $600 Range So Far

The video is in Arabic.

Hey everyone,

The Moondrop Venus is Moondrop’s first planar magnetic headphone, and the only alternative to the HIFIMAN Edition XS. A huge 100 mm planar driver with dual N52 magnets, 18 ohm and 100 dB/V sensitivity according to the company, and about 600 grams. Open back, made of aluminum, and it comes with two cables (3.5 and 4.4). It came out in August 2022. The official price at the time of the review was $600.

Who is it for?

• Anyone who loves a fully neutral sound, for any use: fun, movies, monitoring and gaming.

Strengths

• The second most neutral headphone I’ve tried after the HIFIMAN Susvara, and it gives you 60 to 70% of its sound.
• Clarity is one of the cleanest I’ve heard, and detail clarity is 10 plus.
• Separation and layering are among the best under $1000.
• The soundstage is excellent in width and height.
• The bass is fast with ideal control, and I reached 17 Hz with no roll-off.
• The treble is neutral and airy with no harshness or sibilance, even with bells and hi-hats.
• The pads are huge, the build quality is second to none, and the cables don’t need replacing.

Weaknesses

• It’s heavy (about 615 grams), and the huge cups don’t suit small heads.
• The connector placement makes the cable rub on your shoulder, and an L adapter fixes it.
• It changes a lot with the source.
• It needs at least 100 hours of burn-in (200 is better), and you need to get a proper seal with the pads or the bass disappears.
• A bit more sub-bass would make it ideal, and there’s slight brightness between 6000 and 8000 Hz for sensitive ears.

Verdict

One of my favorite headphones I’ve had. I strongly recommend it if you want a planar between $500 and $600, especially with the issues in the latest Edition XS batches, as long as you’re fine with the weight and size and you like a neutral signature.

Note: this review is from 2023, so the price may have changed.

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