MOONDROP MAY

Packaging & Accessories

For me I never really cared if the iem came in a brown box or some waifu box, to me Its all about how they SOUND and if they're comfortable. But...admittedly I do enjoy a nice unpacking experience

As you can see the box art is quite nice and almost looks like your buying a toy that can only be found overseas. The accessories are very nice imo, the case is of great quality and guess what the iems ACTUALLY fit in the case!! No way right ? No YES WAY!!

Sadly the eartips included were not designed (just an assumption) to accommodate these iems. The nozzle is quite wide on these and the eartips are meant for there other iems, not the may lol. So tip rolling is definitely a must with these!


Build Quality & Design/Isolation

This set is a very sharp looking iem and the photos online simply don't do it justice. The iems have a really nice mirror like finish and literally reflect anything. If you wear iems in public like myself, expect people to mindlessly stare at your ears but all jokes aside there really gorgeous IMO and will attract a lot of attention so if you're an attention seeker. Look no further

Isolation is good on this set although it won't be a kinera like Isolation. It has a semi ergo design and I found wider eartips to isolate better since these don't go as far in your ears (moondrop variations for ex they're LOOOOOOONG)


Sound Quality

Bass
Now when it comes to sound it's obviously very opiniated. Many may like these and many may not. It's the hobby in a nutshell. The bass is extremely well done and reminds me a lot like the variations woth better sub note extension compared to the variations It's articulate and is well textured. The sub can reach really low and you can hear & feel the lower sub notes in your music. All in all its not single noted sounding if that makes sense. The impact and slam is f-ing insane at this price point, I've never heard an iem under 200 that has this quality of bass I mean it punches wayyy above its asking price point and with tips that add bass these can become a mild basshead like set. My song of choice for this iem to test the bass was Drive The Boat by Pop Smoke and I can safely say they exceeded my expectations.

Midrange
The Mids remind me a lot of the variations but if I'm being honest it's better, there's no thin male vocals/lower mids, no weird S,F,P sounds when an artist is singing(to me the variations had a wonky mid range when it came to certain words in a song (ik sounds dumb but ik what I was hearing lol). The lower mids has a nice heft to male vocals although female vocals will take a slight prioritization in the midrange. But don't worry the balance is very well done and you'll be satisfied listening to either female or male vocals.

Treble
This is where moondrop kinda had to make a sacrifice. Now I don't mean to word it like that as it it's gonna make it seem like it's bad because no the Treble to me is really good on this set. It's just ONLY at very high volumes I guess maybe the DSP cable pushes the Treble forward a bit and at higher volumes it doesn't play as cleanly.

Sorry I got ahead of myself but the Treble listening at normal volumes and with a clean source is quite great to my ears. It's very clear, detailed and "airy" sounding. Just don't put the volume on 9999999999 and you'll be chilling

DSP Cable
You're probably wondering why the hell i made this part of the reivew but just hear me out real quick. Yes it can be used on other iems and some will pair well with them and some will sound worse. It's fun to experiment with a lot of different iems

Overall I think this is a fantastic iem. I'm not even someone who goes crazy for moondrop I mean I like them but I don't hold any bias or favoritism to a company just because of a waifu box or whatever gets people clinging to companies. But this set right here is truly a great set from them and I'd say this should be an instacop for any iem enthusiast out there. It's that good IMO!


just wanted to apologize if many don't like this review as it is my first time and yeah I suck

Thanks for reading!

Introduction:-


Hello guys today I am going to review the Moondrop May, its a DSP Iem from moondrop which has had a lot of buzz surrounding it.


I have also shared a video version of the review at YouTube any support there in form of a view, A like or A subscribe is greatly appreciated. But if you so wish to read the written version you can read this.





This was a review unit sent by Shenzhen audio but all the thoughts and opinions are my own.

You can buy the May here (unaffiliated Link) :-

https://shenzhenaudio.com/products/moondrop-may-dd-planar-in-ear-headphone


Also just want to say that my format for this review unlike other iem reviews will be a bit different as I will cover some other tips which generally don’t come with most iems.


I will be as usual following my bullet style format for better readability for those who are dyslexic and in general find it hard to read long paragraphs. I follow this guide in general from the British Dyslexia Association.


So Lets start!

---

Review:-



1. So the outside packaging of the moondrop is beautiful as usual and it looks really fabulous. They cost $65



2. Inside the box it comes with the same case as aria 2 which is really good the iem, the dsp cable, and 3 pairs of tips.



3. the tips provided are plain awful as they don’t fit the iem and I spent literally 20-30 minutes to fit them in. So I gave up the hope and I am using the TRN t tips which fits quite easily and they have more grip to than the provided tips.



4. Now as the cable supplied is the same as the cdsp but there is a chip which says that it is the may inside the app.

5. Now talking about the overall sound. I will be talking about the stock sound with the dsp cable



6. The overall bass is really good! I love the quantity of sub-bass and the punch and thump it had.



7. The mid-bass too had a great body and doesn’t bleed. The balance between the sub-bass and mid-bass is done really well.



8. The overall tone and timbre seems really good nothing off here.



9. The overall sound signature is very well done specially for rap, r&b and hip-hop



10. Now coming to mids



11. The male vocals does take a back seat but the test track of my male vocals does sound plenty good.



12. Female vocals is where it shines at imo, although for some it could get a bit spicy here and they might find it bit more shrilly here specially at higher volumes. Like when listening to idol by yoasobi at high volumes it becomes to much sometimes.



13. The high in my opinion is quite well done and the overall balance between the upper mids and treble seems to be done really well.



14. The overall technicality seems quite good for the price. Although nothing exceptional here as the ew200 (although it is a normal 3.5mm) has good technicalities. The overall technicalities is better in the ew200 than the may



15. Soundstage is quite ok and very well rounded. It has equal amounts of width and depth.



16. Imaging too is decent and the transitioning from left to right and vice versa is quite good too.



17. Now talking about the different presets. I personally prefer the stock preset which comes out of the box as that is what suites the may best in my opinion.



18. The basshead tuning gives it even more bass and it makes it sound too dark as the already meh treble gets masked by the over arching amount of bass.



19. The reference tuning sounds ok but then again the soundstage here suffers and also the bass becomes quite limp over here



20. The no bass tuning Is exactly what is and gives a flat bass



21. The harman style is something my second favourite here but it does sounds a bit wonky specially with vocals.



22. Now using the PEQ is something I stay away from as I particularly didn’t find anything enticing here except maybe boosting the treble a bit.



23. Now one good thing is all the settings you change stays inside the cable so you can use it anywhere.



24. Also there are frequent disconnects with the app that is everytime even though the may is connected I have to disconnect and connect and force close the moondrop app and then it works.



25. Also sometimes the dsp cable is working properly but if I connect it and then the app doesn’t detect the cable so I repeat the troubleshooting step I mentioned just few seconds before the previous setting vanishes and the factory setting gets apply.


26. I still think you should have a look at the may as believe it or not I have been using it the most (obviously without the app) as the usb c is very convenient.



27. I think so if you can get them in sale I think they make a great value with the usb c cable and iem. That was my review of the Moondrop may


28. You can have a listen to the mic quality on my YouTube video at the 7:21

---

If you have any questions please feel free to ask me and also if you have any issues regarding this format of review please do comment I will try to mend it. Also sorry to those who are used to reading long paragraphs of review in headfi. I hope my review was upto the mark, I appreciate any feedback.

Again a big thanks to ShenzhenAudio for making this review happen.

Have a great day ahead

Moondrop is one of the bigger players in the IEM market and May is their projection to the future in my opinion with the removable DSP cable and endless possibilities. With the 65 USD asking price, let’s see if Moondrop delivers on these promises.

Disclaimers​

Moondrop May was provided to me by Shenzhen Audio for free in exchange for a review. As I always say, everyone is biased one way or another so take everything you read with a grain of salt. Also I will try to be more concise and to the point in my reviews from now on without worrying about the word count etc. If you have any questions, please ask me in the comments and I will try to answer them to the best of my abilities.

Build and Accessories of Moondrop May​

May comes in a package we became accustomed to. Personally I like the anime art style they use and providing a frequency response graph is always welcome. What comes in the packaging is a little humble however, with a very nice case, the dsp cable which is identical to their freedsp cable apart from the branding and just one set of generic tips which I didn’t even use.



Build of the earpieces is very good, almost identical to Moondrop’s own Variations with smaller shells so they are more comfortable for me than the other iems I have tried lately. Nozzles are rather thick but not very long so they aren’t intrusive. Shells are made out of semi transperent dark resin and faceplates are mirrored metal. Yes they are fingerprint magnet but the playful pattern on the shells kind of camouflages them.
Inside May uses two drivers. The 10 mm dynamic driver is a full frequency one unlike the most other hybrids and the 6 mm, what they call annular planar driver, helps with the treble frequencies.

Sound of Moondrop May​

Tonality​

Talking about the tonality of an IEM that is made to be equalized is a little stupid but still I could talk about presets here. I mostly used May on the Standard preset. In this setting, tuning was subbass focused neutral with great tactility and decent body. Mids and treble were also on point with no shout or harshness at all.



Harman preset, although looks bassier on graphs, is cleaner, clearer and vocal focused. Not that other presets are muddy, in fact, I’d argue a lot of people would find Harman preset a little lean but it sounds very good when the song is suitable.

Other settings are more or less variants of the Standard preset with different bass levels.

Lastly, setting all the filters at 0 gain manually yields the same result with using a different cable. Some of my friends prefer listening to May this way. It isn’t vastly different from similar presets so you can tell the baseline is actually pretty good. In my opinion, Standard preset has a more balanced presentation while 0 gain has more bass and body and a little more blunted treble. If you are a treble head or like a little bite, you might not like May this way.

Technicalities​

Moondrop May isn’t something that sets the world on fire with its technical capability. It is more or less on par with other good sub 100 USD IEMs. It doesn’t feel closed in, reveals good amount of details. Timbre is pretty good as it is and can be improved with EQ. Actually around 80% of technical qualities depend on the tuning in my opinion so potential is quite high.

More on the Cable and Moondrop Link 2.0 App​

Like I said earlier, in the case of May talking about the possibilities instead of Tonality of the IEMs makes more sense.



May’s cable is identical to Moondrop’s own FreeDSP cable which is sold for 30 USD. FreeDSP however, comes with different presets while the presets on May’s cable are specialized for May. Still you can download other presets from Moondrop that imitate their other IEMs or other users uploaded. You can also import EQ profiles that you created using tools like AutoEQ. Unfortunately Parametric EQ only uses peak filters so I assume the profiles you import also shouldn’t include shelf filters.



There are 9 bands of filters which should be enough for any profile. The profile you create and apply is saved in the cable so you can use the last setting you applied with any other device including your computer. The app doesn’t work as smoothly as I’d like it to but I hope it keeps improving.

Comparisons​

Truthear Hexa vs. Moondrop May (no filter applied)​

May is a product that is a whole nother level from the conventional IEMs. I could have compared it to Tanchjim's One DSP but honestly there is nothing to compare. One DSP is a cheaper alternative to May with caveats. It only has 5 adjustable filters, technically inferior and has a zinging upper treble quirk that is harder to fix with EQ.



So I decided to compare May without applying any EQ to Truthear’s Hexa which is considered a benchmark below 100 USD by.

• To be honest, they are more similar than different, neither is sibilant or harsh.
• Without the DSP cable May is richer, has a little more body, vocals are a little more forward and drums and bass guitars are highlighted more.
• Treble on May is ever so slightly more refined. Hexa’s treble although, not harsh, kind of loses its composure compared to May’s. Still without any filters, May’s treble lacks a little bite so treble heads beware.
• May feels more spacious while Hexa is more closed in. Imaging and layering on May is better. May is also slightly more resolving but neither is truly exceptional in this area.

Conclusion​

I enjoyed my time with Moondrop May a lot. In fact I have already recommended it to my friends. It is not perfect, of course it isn’t, especially the app should be refined more. But at the price it was offered I’m more than happy. For quite a while I wasn’t genuinely enjoying my music with the equipment that came for a review. But with May, I often found myself forgetting that I was supposed to review it, bobbing my head, vibing to my test tracks again that started to become boring after listening to them so many times.
I know some may argue that they were already using equalizing apps on their phones but having that DSP correction in the cable itself and not using a software is a convenience by itself. If I were to leave the hobby today, May would be one of the things I would definitely keep because of this convenience, versatility and all the possibilities it brings to the table.

Introduction!
Hello friends!
I hope you are having a good time during the holidays, but of course I can’t just sit around and not release a honest review of the new hybrid headphones from the Moondrop company, this model is called May and they come in a very nicely designed rectangular box in an anime style.

Well, here at the back there is a graph of the frequency response of these headphones, which corresponds to their branded target, but we will figure out whether it corresponds to mine a little later.
And then, as usual, the technical characteristics are indicated and a dynamic driver with a sapphire coating with a diameter of 10mm is responsible for the sound, and it is complemented by a planar driver with a small diameter 6mm, and the sensitivity of the headphones is 120dB and they have a 30ohm impedance.

Let's take a look at what's included!
And first of all, we are immediately greeted by the headphones fixed here, and in my opinion they look good, very light and have a metal front panel with a quite unusual design, and personally, the first thing that comes to my mind is the Louis Vuitton brand with their signature design, I hope not only I have such associations haha.

Well, of course, there is a 2-pin connector installed here that goes exactly in line with the case and there are two compensation holes, one is located here, and the second is located on the inside of the case here, and here such matte and slightly transparent plastic is already used, and the nozzle is here not too long and quite standard and has a projection so the ear pads fit here very securely.

And personally, I didn’t have any problems with the fit here, the headphones fit almost perfectly tightly to the ear and everything is excellent with sound insulation, the only thing I advise is to put wider ear tips here, the fit will be better, I didn’t use the kit ones.
Accessories!
Well, there is also a branded leather case of excellent quality where there is, in my opinion, a truly chic cable.

It doesn’t get confused and has 2-pin connectors for connecting to headphones and this microphone with two headphone volume control buttons, by the way, it records voice quite well.

But I don’t understand why moondrop didn’t give the opportunity when ordering to choose a cable with the familiar 3.5 jack or balanced 4.4, because all audiophiles will probably use these headphones with their sources and this means that you will have to buy a cable for them separately.
Since it uses usb type-c with a built-in audio chip, but they didn’t write exactly which one, but according to measurements, by the way, it shows good results.
But on the plus side, you can connect headphones to your smartphone, download the moondrop link application from the official website, and you have a good opportunity for those who need it to use an equalizer and ready-made sound presets for these headphones, there is also a tuning option without bass at all, and bass-headed, assertive tuning at low frequencies, and everything switches very quickly, but I must say that the application is often buggy and does not display the headphones at all, you have to overload and reconnect everything again several times, in general, there are still some bugs in terms of software, I hope that someday they will fix it this!
And of course, they didn’t forget about the ear pads; they included exactly 6 completely standard ear tips of different sizes and a bunch of different cards with instructions.

How do these headphones sound?
Now let's talk about the most important thing, namely the sound of this model.
And this is what their frequency response graph looks like compared with my target!

Well, as you can see in the graph, the low frequencies are normally so booming, which is why the rumble and punch of the bass clearly makes itself felt here, but at least the bass is made carefully with a good approach to the middle and does not go into a fierce bassheadness, but of course, like me I expected the approach to the upper middle to be a little more than on my target, but in general it is within the normal range, but in terms of high frequencies everything is fine here; they are long lasting with small accents.
Low Frequencies:
Let's start with an analysis of the low frequencies, where the headphones demonstrate a very precise and accurate rise with a slight emphasis on the sub-bass, which has excellent weight and volume with good space filling, and I was very pleased with the super smooth and clearly controlled transition to the mid-range, due to which the bass here it is perfectly controlled and literally allows the mid frequencies to reveal themselves in all their glory without interfering with them at all.
The midbass here is presented as dense, not overly punchy, but collected and with a clearly defined attack and good textural elaboration, and it’s worth saying that at low frequencies this is certainly not a basshead model, but I was very pleased to listen to electronic music and hip-hop genres where first In turn, a good and pumping low end is required, of course, without obvious dominance over other frequencies.
Mid Frequencies:
The mids here are presented as very energetic with good weight, good airiness and separation of images, and the presentation here is not dry or monitor-like and rather a little warm with a slight emphasis on the upper middle so that the drums sound more emotional and exciting, and I know that many of you probably love this tone of delivery.
Well, the vocals here are presented cleanly with moderate but not excessive transparency with good and correct timbres, but it is worth saying that it is immediately noticeable that the vocals here are trying to take more attention to themselves and their image is brought forward along with the drum part and everything sounds quite close in location and this gives in places in many tracks a very pleasant immersion effect, and the drum part with quite confident emphasized transients simply complements the whole picture.
High Frequencies:
The high frequencies here have a little colder, but I think the right approach to tuning without excessive brightness and what I call pseudo detailing due to the enhancement of this area, there is also a very confident technicality and an excellent bias towards analytics due to which we have better plate separation and percussion in this range,and of course it’s worth saying that the headphones are quite suitable for heavy and high-speed genres that require a good dedicated attack and a slight but very pleasant to the ear emphasis on high frequencies, the only thing that I would like to get here is a little more air and transparency, this is when compared with my Letshuoer references S15, but the price category there is already very different and the tuning concept itself is different.
Stage and stereo panorama:
In Moondrop May, it may not be a record-breaking one, but the scene has quite optimal width and depth, and the images are drawn separately and exactly from each other.
My conclusion on these headphones:
Moondrop May turned out to be good inexpensive hybrid headphones with a cable that has the ability to customize the appropriate sound to suit your taste, both bassheads and lovers of smooth sound will be happy here, the tonality of the headphones is pleasantly not bright, there are no sibilants, the only thing I would like is for my taste were more neutral in the upper middle, and finally, fix your application so that it normally determines whether headphones are connected.
Link where you can buy them!
Aliexpress: https://aliexpress.ru/item/1005006327767103.html
I will be glad if you subscribe to my YouTube channel and watch this full review on MOONDROP MAY!

Introduction​

Moondrop is among the most popular Chi-Fi brands and probably among the few that reached almost every country on a worldwide basis (also through their sister brand Truthear in the entry level bracket and the Softears brand in the upper brackets).
People know their products because of their appealing design and packaging, and of course because of their value for money.

The Moondrop May is their latest release that consists of a pair of hybrid IEMs that use a standard full range dynamic driver and an annular planar magnetic driver for the treble (which is not a traditional planar driver), both combined with a two-way crossover. Plus, they get shipped with a Type-C DSP cable with 0.75mm connectors (just like the Moondrop Free DSP cable) instead of a standard 3.5mm jack cable.

Let’s see what the Moondrop May is about and how they compare with some other IEMs.

Disclaimer: the Moondrop May were sent to me by Shenzen Audio Store free of charge so that I could write an honest review. This review represents my personal opinion on the set and it is by no means a promotional or paid content.
At the time of the review, the Moondrop May were on sale for 64.99$ at Shenzen Audio Store.

Technical Specifications​

• Driver Configuration → Hybrid (1 x 10mm Dynamic Driver + 1 x 6mm Annular Planar Magnetic Driver) with two-way crossover
• Sensitivity → 120 dB/Vrms (@1kHz)
• Impedance → 30 Ω ± 15% (@1kHz)
• Effective Frequency Response Range → 20Hz-20kHz
• Cable → 1,20m silver plated cable with 0.78mm 2-PIN QDC connectors and DSP module
• Plug Type → Type-C USB connector

Packaging​

The packaging looks very good and contains:

• The Moondrop May
• The Type-C DSP cable
• A beautiful pleather carry case with zipper closure
• User manuals and instructions (why the FAQ paper card is only in Chinese? Makes no sense)

Design and Build Quality​

The Moondrop May look really good in their 3D printed opaque black resin shells, with glossy silver faceplates that are decorated with flowers. One would think it’s a very showy faceplate but in fact it looks very clean and less tawdry than it looks in the photos you can find online.
The 3D printed resin is basically the same used for products like the Truthear Hexa and the Truthear Hola, it looks good and feels good in the hands, and unlike metal shells these are very lightweight.
There is one pressure vent down below the 2-PIN connectors and one in the ear-facing side of the shell, just above the DD.

Cable​

The stock cable is very nice and it’s basically the same as the Moondrop Free DSP cable. It has a USB Type-C plug to connect it almost everywhere (PC, Mobile Phones, Notebooks) and this type of connection was also used in order to give users the freedom of applying DSP parameters and do some EQ. It also has both a chin slider and a remote control with a microphone module, so there’s literally nothing missing.

Comfort and Isolation​

Comfort is very good thanks to the small shells with no sharp edges, and isolation is decent as well.
The stock tips are nothing to write home about, and even though some users will want to do some tip rolling, I think most people will be okay with the stock ones.

The Moondrop Link 2.0 App and the DSP settings​

The Moondrop Link 2.0 app is not available for download from the Play Store, so one has to download the APK from Moondrop’s website in order to be able to use the cable at its full potential.
On my phone, the app asks for “nearby devices” permission since Moondrop Link 2.0 is also compatible with bluetooth products such as the Space Travel, the Moondrop Voyager and the Space Force. If you don’t use/own any of these bluetooth devices, you can simply decline the permission request and the app will still run fine using the USB cable with the Moondrop May.

The app has three main sections:

• “Product”: contains list of products divided by the type of connection (Wired, USB, Wireless) and so on;
• “Add device”: should be called “Devices” in my opinion, since it’s the part of the app by which the user reaches the EQ and DSP profiles. This is also where you connect and find new products around you or try to detect them when they are connected to your device.
• “About”: contains privacy and policy documentation, a form to report issues or feedbacks, a login section and some social networks’ links.

The “Add Device” section contains the DSP settings and the PEQ profiles and one can also download PEQ presets in order to tune other IEMs as well. The DSP settings, instead, are limited and they also have some gain differences that can be annoying at times (and there is no way to explore what is the DSP doing or modifying it).
Back to the PEQ settings from Moondrop, a very few sets are featured, but there are some users sharing their PEQs for other IEMs as well. Unfortunately, many descriptions or notes in the app are in chinese, and I think Moondrop seriously have to work on this as non-chinese users may find some issues at distinguishing the various PEQ presets.
The number of bands in the equalizer is limited to 9 bands, so it’s nearly impossible to do a fine tuning, but using PEQ settings or importing them is still something valuable (nothing that one cannot do with Wavelet more or less though, but with the DSP cable the settings are saved).

One thing to say, though, is that sometimes the app seems to struggle detecting the DSP cable, so the user may need to unplug the cable and then reconnect it again.

Sound​

GEAR USED FOR THE TEST

• DAC: Topping E30
• AMP: Topping L30
• Mobile phones: Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, Xiaomi Mi A3, Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
• Dongle: Apple Type-C dongle, Truthear SHIO
• Portable DAPs: Benjie S8/AGPTEK M30B
• Other sources: Presonus AudioBox iONE, Elgato Wave XLR, KZ AZ10

Do they need an amplifier?
The Moondrop May don’t strictly need an amplifier, having enough sensitivity to run properly from any device. Providing a good amplification makes them a bit more dynamic and improves the overall note weight but it’s not a night and day difference.

Sound signature
The Moondrop May is a very balanced set with some warmth and forward vocals and smooth treble. Let’s say a type of U-shaped set that works with almost every genre.

One note regarding the DSP cable and DSP settings
Using the DSP cable with DSP set to “Standard” IS NOT the same as using another cable with a 3.5mm jack. If you want to know how the May sound without DSP or EQ impact you want to head in the PEQ section, check that every gain is set to “0” and then click Apply.
The “Standard” DSP setting slightly reduces the low-end and the upper-midrange, making the central part of the midrange slightly less recessed. It’s a more neutral approach and comes down to personal preferences.
In order to write this review, I have set PEQ parameters to 0 gain and clicked apply, in order to have the same signature with or without DSP cable.

Click to expand...

Lows
The sub-bass has very good extension and kicks in in a very controlled yet engaging way. The bass is of moderate speed, it's slightly elevated and has good textures. Those who seek for more neutrality (or those who are used to VDSF tuned sets) will find the bass on the boomier side, but the truth is that the May sound good also because of this bass boost that brings a lot of warmth to the overall mix. It's not the most accurate and tight bass around but it certainly leads to a very enjoyable low-end that will appeal to most listeners.
Even though the low-end is slightly emphasized, the May are far from being a basshead’s set, so beware of this unless you go with more aggressive PEQ options or bassier DSP settings (still, if I was a basshead I wouldn’t buy these).

Mids
The lower midrange is slightly warmer than average with nice male vocals, also thanks to the emphasized bass, and female vocals are forward and intimate at the same time without becoming annoying or sibilant. In fact, it’s very easy to make the upper midrange shouty or annoying in general, but Moondrop has really done a great job with the May, no doubts, giving both female vocals and instruments like Cello, Sax, Violins, and also higher bass notes, a detailed yet engaging presentation. Despite the fact that the tuning is good, sometimes female vocals lack that kind of bite that they usually have on IEMs with more treble sparkle, so those who are used to that kind of presentation may feel female vocals lacking a bit of "bite".

Highs
The keyword for the treble is “smoothness”. The details are good although not excellent, there’s enough sparkle, they don’t sound claustrophobic by any means and there's enough air between instruments and vocals. Trebleheads or those who seek for the best treble extension should probably look elsewhere as the May are tuned to reach a sweet spot between smoothness and sparkle.
Treble sensitive people should still give these a try because even though the treble is not noticeably rolled-off, it’s well done and could probably be satisfying and not as fatiguing as on other sets.

Soundstage is well rounded, and there’s no direction or dimension that is better than the other. Depth, width and height strike good balance and it’s a very natural (yet not out-of-your-head still) stage presentation.
The imaging is ok and even though it’s not the most precise IEM available in the sub-100$ bracket the May do their job in this regard as well.

How do they change with different DSP settings?​

• “Standard” setting: makes them more natural with less low-end, a slightly more relaxed upper midrange and a leaner treble with a tad more extended upper treble.
• “Basshead” setting: same as Standard setting with a low-end boost. It’s called Anti-Herbert probably because Moondrop’s CEO doesn’t like boosted bass (maybe that’s one of the reason why Moondrop products are not extremely bassy).
• “Reference” setting: equalizes the May towards VDSF target. It’s more or less like the “Standard” setting but the low-end is even less present.
• “No bass” setting: even less bass than the Reference setting.
• “Harman” style: the equalization title says it all. It makes the May more forward in vocals and adds proper sub-bass and bass. It’s a slightly more V-shaped approach than the May with PEQ=0, with a slightly less forward upper midrange.

Some comparisons (DSP cable with PEQ=0 or 3.5mm cable):​

Moondrop May vs Truthear HEXA​

This is probably the comparison that everyone looks for since both are in the same price range and target a similar audience.
The first thing that pops up while listening to both is that they have a very different approach to music: the HEXA sound more neutral, precise, sterile and clinical, the May sound less neutral and are more engaging and fun-oriented.
The sub-bass and bass are slightly more emphasized and impactful on the May. The lower midrange is neutral on the HEXA and just a tad less present on the May. Going up towards the upper midrange reveals both sets’ nature, with the May taking the lead for engagement and forwardness in vocals while the HEXA remain more controlled and neutral. The treble is more extended, more sterile and also more detailed on the HEXA, whereas the May have a smoother and more natural upper range.
The soundstage is a little bit wider on the May but the HEXA have more depth and slightly better imaging.
Build quality is great on both sets and design-wise it all comes down to personal preferences.
Both are comfortable but the May have no sharp edges on the shell so they’ll likely be more comfortable to those who have smaller ears. Isolation is good with both sets in the ears but the HEXA insulate a tad better.
Overall, the May are much more musical and less “boring” than the HEXA, but the HEXA are more detailed, more resolving and with superior technical performance. In the end, all comes down to personal preferences (both in terms of signature and accessories).

Moondrop May vs Simgot EW200​

The EW200 were the among the most endorsed sets in 2023 and comparing it to the May could be useful for many.
Sub-bass and bass are more emphasized on the May but the EW200 have a faster and tighter bass. The lower midrange is perceived as warmer on the May, with slightly warmer male vocals, whereas the EW200 have more energetic female vocals and more forward cellos, violins and electric guitars. The highs are brighter and more detailed on the EW200 but the May are smoother and less fatiguing over time.
When it comes to soundstage the May play in a slightly wider sound field, but the EW200 have superior imaging. Even though the May are warmer and more relaxed, it’s really hard for them to compete with the EW200 in terms of details, resolution and overall technical performance.
Build quality is good on both sets: the EW200 are made by metal, the May come instead from a 3D resin production process. Both are very comfortable but the May insulate a tad better. The May come with a DSP cable while the EW200 come with a very nice 3.5mm cable.
Summing up, the May are more relaxed, more musical, smoother and more versatile thanks to the DSP type-c cable included. The EW200, on the other hand, have more details and superior resolution, along with a superior imaging, and since they are cheaper one could buy them and save some money to spend on a cheaper type-c dongle and a set of spare tips.

Moondrop May vs Moondrop LAN​

The Moondrop LAN aren’t one of the most successful products from Moondrop, but they were praised by those who were seeking for good vocals and a cohesive neutral-bright sound.
The sub-bass and bass are a lot less impactful and full bodied than the May, thus making the latter much more engaging and versatile, and also giving lower notes more body. The midrange is tuned very similarly, but the more forward low-end on the May makes them warmer, richer and more exciting. Female vocals sound slightly more forward on the LAN due to them having less bass, but it’s mostly a difference that depends on the overall signature rather than the midrange tuning itself. The treble is not annoying on both sets but the May are smoother and more musical, even though the detail retrieval is very similar and just marginally better on the May.
Soundstage and imaging are better on the May.
Build quality is great on both sets, even though the LAN feel a bit sturdier. The May come with DSP cable that is also better looking and more comfortable than the one provided with the LAN. May have smoother shells and they also insulate slightly better than LAN.
Overall, the May are a superior and more versatile set, no doubts.

Moondrop May vs Simgot EM6L
The low-end feels a bit more weightier on the EM6L due the less emphasized upper treble and the smoother upper-midrange. The lower midrange is slightly warmer on the EM6L whereas the upper midrange is more emphasized on the May with a more energy in female vocals, cellos and electric guitars. The lower treble is slightly more pronounced on the EM6L with a bit more details whereas the May sound more open and airy thanks to the fact that they have a more extended upper treble (still very smooth).
Soundstage is slightly wider on the EM6L and imaging is a notch superior on the EM6L.
Build quality is great on both sets, they are both extremely comfortable and with similar isolation.
It’s a very tough choice since both are excellent. The EM6L sound slightly more laidback and safe whereas the May sound a tiny bit more forward and energetic. It all comes down to personal preferences, but the Moondrop May cost a lot less money and it’s a more versatile set so they might be a smarter choice for those with a tighter budget, even though the EM6L are more refined and technically superior.

Final Thoughts​

Moondrop couldn’t have closed this very interesting year in a better way: the May are well tuned, very musical, super comfortable, versatile and come for an affordable price. But this also comes at the cost of less impressive technical performance, even though I still think it’s more than adequate for the overall price of the set.
The DSP cable included in the box makes them usable with a smartphone and the app has some useful presets and EQ settings that make up for a versatile and enjoyable experience. The app itself still needs some work, especially considering that many things are still in Chinese only (with no translation) and that sometimes the DSP cable struggles to be detected. Moondrop has to work on this aspect for sure, even though it’s not something that happens every time, but the overall product is a complete and versatile package.

If you are in the market for an all-rounder, smooth and musical set under 100$, look no further and grab these. If you instead search for a more technical and resolving set, then the Truthear HEXA or the Simgot EW200 provide better technical performance and resolution, even though their tuning is not as cohesive and smooth as on the May.