Moondrop x Crinacle DUSK: An Inconvenient Truth 2024

Consumers had been requesting an IEM tuned for the Brüel and Kjaer Type 5128, and Crinacle’s new DUSK was in a special position to deliver. But this time around, “Buy DUSK” isn’t quite as simple because that want relies on the DSP cord.

Moondrop x Crinacle DUSK: An Inconvenient Truth

We should review the old Dusk before moving on to the new one.

The first partnership between Crinacle and Moondrop is likely well-known to anybody who has spent any time in internet-based IEM circles. One of the safest suggestions one could make was The Blessing 2: Dusk since it was one of the better-tuned alternatives available. For the most majority of its history, it dominated the $300 price range, and nothing has ever been able to displace it.

Additionally, Blessing 2: Dusk was the first big reviewer/brand partnership that garnered a lot of attention and sales. Blessing 2: Dusk was a great conversation starter since it gave everyone something to compare and contrast while talking about other items. The Blessing 2: Dusk, like other passive IEMs, started to reveal its age in relation to the market’s direction as we began to understand more about IEMs from measurement data from the Brüel & Kjaer 5128.

Being an innovator in the field of IEM, Crinacle decided to use his expertise in the current industry standard measurements to create Blessing 2: Dusk, the sequel to the massively popular game. As a consequence, we were able to create the DUSK, an IEM specifically designed to meet the needs of B&K 5128 users.

To be clear, I think of Crinacle as a friend, and for months before the DUSK’s debut, I’ve been receiving updates on its progress. These factors do not, however, imply that I will hold back. Regarding the release of DUSK, there were certain decisions taken that I don’t fully agree with and others that make perfect sense but might have been done better. All the same, let’s dive right into DUSK, the most anticipated IEM we’ve seen launched in a while.

• Much more ergonomic and stylish than the original Blessing 2: Dusk
• Default DSP preset is among the best tuned out-of-the-box experiences in the entire IEM market
• Subjective performance is rather well-rounded when Default EQ is applied, though not with the DSP cable

What we don’t like

Moondrop’s DSP cable is terribly executed, greatly diminishing DUSK’s overall value propositionFrequency response sans DSP cable is almost exactly the opposite of what I prefer (too much upper midrange and treble)Included accessories are scarce; included tips are not preferable

Design, Ergonomics, and Accessories

I was perplexed when Crin uploaded his initial photo of the DUSK, with its crudely imprinted logo on an austere wood-looking faceplate, but all it took was seeing it in person to completely understand.

For starters, the faceplate isn’t made of wood; instead, it’s forged carbon fibre, which is visible when it catches the light and reflects a shine that you wouldn’t expect from wood. It isn’t dazzling, but it’s not completely featureless. The faceplate provides a good contrast to the glass shell while remaining consistent with the overall design language. It adds to a well-thought-out visual design that draws your attention when you examine it, yet it isn’t quite as flashy as other IEM designs on the market.

When I opened the box, the first thing that disappointed me was the bundled accessory package. On the bright side, we receive a robust leather-wrapped zip bag for the IEM, which holds the two provided cords. The 3.5mm-terminated cable is white and resembles a somewhat squishy variant of the Moondrop Variations cable. It’s comfortable enough for extended periods of usage and isn’t notably microphonic, but I’d like something more plush in the hand.

Using Moondrop’s spring tips as the stock tip for the DUSK and the inclusion of the DSP cable (which we shall discuss) are likely to be the more contentious offers in the box. Both aesthetically and ergonomically, I find the DSP cable to be superior to the 3.5mm one; its silver hue is more “DUSK-like,” and it is softer and less “sticky” than the other. Having said that, the DSP cable exhibited much higher microphonic levels throughout my tests.

There was certain to be some backlash to the choice to use spring tips, and I’m sorry to add my voice to the chorus of detractors—I despise this tip. Consistent sitting in a rig is next to impossible due to its very flexible and foldable dome. In my ear, this feature, together with the dome’s texturing, causes an uneven seal when compared to other tips and a somewhat different treble response based on the tip’s deformation with each sitting. A firmer, more typically textured tip would have been ideal since it would have reduced inter-seating variance and leakage.

In comparison to Crin’s previous offerings, DUSK’s visual and ergonomic packaging is pleasantly unexpected. On the other hand, their handling of accessories was lacking. They should have included a different kind of eartip and a somewhat better 3.5mm cable.

Frequency Response: A Tale of Two DUSKs

Because the DUSK comes with a DSP cable that already has the default setting loaded onto it, we can choose between two pre-set tunings (you don’t even need the app to access this tuning; it’s plug-and-play). Above you can see both adjustments plotted against our preference boundaries; both are displayed in two stages: raw and calibrated to the 4620 + Human DF HRTF baseline. My choice will probably not surprise anybody, but I shall compare and contrast the two.

Bass

The least annoying feature of this IEM, in my opinion, is the bass. Crin has consistently tuned his bass shelves with approximately the same frequency & elevation in the past, thus this bass shelf is likewise consistent with what we’ve grown to expect from him.

Without producing any unusual stuffiness or muddiness, DUSK’s bass shelf smoothly flows into the low mid-range. It gives kick drums the right amount of weight and “pop” to make the sound of moving air feel real, and it gives bass guitars and lower male voices the right amount of fullness and size.

To my mind, it makes perfect sense that Crin left this setting alone in the DSP cable’s default configuration. It’s practically perfect for the price and doesn’t require any changes.

In my opinion, the bass might use a notch or two lower. That’s likely due to the fact that I listen to music most of the time at home, where it isn’t often interrupted by outside sounds. This is a small complaint, especially considering how much I enjoyed the additional bass when I flew with DUSK last weekend.

Also, Crin has never been bad at bass tuning, so there’s not much to gripe about in this case. Absolutely fantastic work, Crin.

Treble

You may have noticed from my previous evaluations that the treble is usually the area where I’m let down by in-ear monitors and headphones. Regrettably, the DUSK—in both their analogue and DSP versions—continues this tendency.

The treble emphasis makes acoustic guitars sound alive, immediate, and dare I say detailed, which is something I can imagine people enjoying—even though I don’t. For anyone seeking the “plucked” quality that planar magnetic headphones are known for, DUSK undoubtedly offers it in the treble. Having said that, I will state again that I do not like this.

I find that the analogue IEM version has an excessive amount of air. By “too much,” I mean an excess of 12–14 dB at 14 kHz. In the 5-6 kHz range, which is above my taste, there is a further 4-5 dB elevation; however, the 14 kHz peak obscured this elevation, thus I was oblivious to it.

In my opinion, the analogue version of the vocals sounds really delicate and light. Not in a “sibilant” sense that emphasises the S, F, and T sounds per se, but rather in a manner that gives almost every phrase its own unique hue by bringing attention to the sound of any air that the singer lets out.

The buzz and rattle of snare drums are amplified to the exclusion of any other sound, as the chains are given more prominence than the shell resonance.

Fortunately, there are two positive moves that the Default DSP preset makes to improve DUSK’s listenability for me. The 5-6 kHz range is right about where I prefer it, and it drops into its lower treble zone, which is its strongest point.

I think most people would enjoy it because Crin also slightly reduced the 14 kHz resonance using the Default DSP preset. It improves the listenability for me, albeit it isn’t nearly cutting. The Default DSP preset still has some of my issues with the high treble from the analogue version, but they aren’t as severe.

There were probably a couple of reasons why this top treble peak was preserved. You shouldn’t lean too far in any one way because listeners’ ear canals and eardrums will vary. However, had this elevation been changed, DUSK might have appeared “low res” to those shelling out $360 for an IEM.

I was hoping for a more satisfying out-of-the-box experience, but this setting puts DUSK’s treble where some want it. Crin made the same decision as most manufacturers (too much air) to maintain a subjective feeling of clarity and emphasis to the music, but I won’t penalise them too much because I gather this is an extremely personal topic.

Midrange

As we enter the midrange, we can observe a clear separation between our analogue and DSP DUSKs.

The analogue DUSK’s midrange is reminiscent of the original Blessing 2: Dusk in many ways, including its flat bass end and early upper midrange rising, which is characterised by a 1400 Hz hump.

Vocals and stringed instruments are where the problems stand out the most. A little too euphoric, a little too shouty, and notably “clenched” are the vocals. Electric guitars have the impression of being played via an undersized speaker cabinet or, for an even more forward sound, a Tube Screamer attached to the chain.

In particular, pianos have a “toy-like” tinkly quality due to the extreme rapidity with which their midrange decays in comparison to the decay of their fundamentals. Because of this, the pianos in the mix come across as a bit fragmented. In my opinion, horns are the worst offender because they have a tendency to sound overly forceful and loud. Their primary frequency range is probably between 1 and 2 kHz anyhow, and the IEM’s midrange setting just serves to magnify that.

But as you can see in the Default DSP preset, all of these problems disappear when you apply a single negative EQ filter at a frequency of about 1400 Hz. By connecting it to the DSP cable, DUSK’s otherwise uninspiring and chilly midrange becomes one of the most organic and effortless midrange presentations available, regardless of price.

The previously honky and clenched vocals have been replaced with much more reasonable ones. Guitars have a better perceived size and more decay, sounding warmer and more balanced in their overtones. The “bark” of the snare drums is significantly reduced, and the sound is considerably more “phat” and balanced. I find that the Default preset enhances the sound of all midrange instruments, including horns, pianos, strings, and more.

DUSK’s midrange with the Default preset is incredibly hard to fault, such that I think it alone justifies the DSP cable’s inclusion in the package… or it would, if the DSP cable wasn’t this IEM’s “Achilles Heel”.

Moondrop’s FreeDSP Sucks

When I learned that Crin was throwing in a FreeDSP cable with an EQ already programmed in for DUSK, I couldn’t contain my excitement. He may have ushered in a new age in which passive IEMs can compete with TWS IEMs that have long made use of DSP tuning with the help of DSP cables.

Having said that, that was not precisely what we received. That has nothing to do with Crin, but it does significantly reduce the value that DUSK offers.

Even though I’ve been really effusive about the Default preset’s enhanced sound quality, I fear that many readers will disregard my words of love after they experience the FreeDSP cable’s notoriously terrible packaging in DUSK. I cannot stress this point enough.

Since Cameron (GoldenSound) has previously provided insightful written and video evaluations of the FreeDSP, I will do my best to limit my analysis to aspects that directly pertain to my use of it with the DUSK.

First, a small issue: there is no official guidance or compatibility with iOS or PC/Mac apps.
Unfortunately, the DSP cable is USB-C only and will not work with apps on iOS or PC/Mac. For the cable to work, I had to enlist a friend’s help in installing the program onto his Android phone.

I had to physically install the software from Moondrop’s website as an APK because it isn’t available on the Android market. Nothing on the box indicates where to get the right software, so I probably wouldn’t have found it if I wasn’t involved in specific communities. However, we encountered a new issue after agreeing.

Minor Problem #2: Any Parametric EQ change you make does not stack on top of the default—or any—preset

If you enjoy an included preset for the most part, but want to make a small adjustment to make it more preferable, you can’t just add a single filter on top of said preset, you need to rebuild the entire preset manually and then make adjustments on top of that.

Admittedly, this isn’t a huge issue for me. The fact that the cable stores the EQ on it for use across devices means I’d only need to set it once, and I’m fine with that.

In fact, if the “EQ stacking” issue and OS incompatibility were the only problems, I think I’d still be okay with the DUSK’s reliance on the FreeDSP cable for its intended sound. It would take a little planning and a few minutes of time with a friend’s Android phone, but once I got everything sorted it’d be smooth sailing from there… right?

Big Problem: FreeDSP has an audible, signal-dependent digital noise issue

This is a major disappointment, therefore I have to come to terms with the fact that I probably won’t use the DSP cable that came with it ever again and won’t receive the advantages of DUSK that I had been so enthusiastic about before it was released.

There is an audible noise problem with the FreeDSP cable, which is particularly obvious with non-continuous transmissions.

It was while listening to “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi” by Radiohead that I initially became aware of this sound. Prior to the drum kit kicking in, the song starts with a 4-count of stick clicks, each of which featured an odd “squelchy” digital artifact that lingered for around 1/4 of a second.

After inquiring around, several people had discovered that this issue was present with both FreeDSP and the DUSK-SP cable; Andrew from Resolve was also able to confirm this on their “DUSK-SP” cable. He also used his own FreeDSP cable, which he had received and studied months ago, to confirm that it was happening.

I believe there are two reasons why Moondrop and Cameron missed this problem when they first measured the FreeDSP:

1 . At signal levels below 0 dBfs (full loudness), the noise appears to grow louder. In order to demonstrate the best-case scenario of signal-to-noise ratio and other characteristics, digital-to-analog converters and amplifiers are typically tested with signals at 0dBfs.

Since it is a time-variant flaw, conventional steady-state signals, such as a continuous sine wave, would not reveal the problem during testing.After inquiring around, several people had discovered that this issue was present with both FreeDSP and the DUSK-SP cable; Andrew from Resolve was also able to confirm this on their “DUSK-SP” cable.

2 .I believe there are two reasons why Moondrop and Cameron missed this problem when they first measured the FreeDSP:

Recordings with a greater dynamic range may show more of the spurious noise introduced by the FreeDSP cable. This renders the DSP cable a very defective apparatus for anything approaching high-fidelity reproduction, as someone who enjoys listening to a good deal of jazz, classical, or any music with a high dynamic range would attest.

But, I could imagine the DSP cable’s problems not being fatal if a prospective customer exclusively listens to low dynamic range music (metal, pop, and hip hop are frequent examples) or only uses the IEM in settings where background noise would conceal the artifact.

This implies that I don’t think I can accurately assess the IEM’s subjective performance with the DSP cable that comes with it. I am unable to accurately assess dynamics with it because it audibly alters perceived dynamic range.

Subjective Impressions

With the possible exception of sub-bass dynamics and tactility, I’m afraid DUSK’s subjective performance in the analog mode isn’t all that exceptional.

Bass instruments of all kinds sound fantastic even in analog mode, even though the upper midrange is a little too aggressive and tilts things toward a somewhat faster decline. Either way, the pleasant “pumping” one gets from a well-sidechained techno or house mix was particularly enjoyable on DUSK.

I thought that DUSK’s midrange dynamics were about the same as those of the first Blessing 2: Dusk, meaning that they were neither exceptionally good nor awful.

The modest dynamics shortfall in the mids is mitigated by the Default preset, which also helps things decay more naturally and reduces homogeneity of transient attack. The thinness of transients was not entirely resolved, though, probably because my ear was still overly exposed to treble.

Regarding what some refer to as the “soundstage,” I thought the analog mode of the DUSK was especially subpar in this regard. For me, it’s about 12–14 dB north of neutral, so acoustic guitars and drums are pushed to the center of the mix and seem to be quite close. I’ll attempt to explain why treble peaks actually make it difficult for me to visualize things clearly.

A cymbal will sound skewed to the right if there is 3 dB more energy in the mix on the right channel than the left channel. But it could be challenging to hear a 3 dB difference between the channels if the transducer has a large enough treble peak. Since panning is a volume differential, it disappears along with the perceived difference. For this reason, DUSK sometimes seems virtually monophonic to me when it’s in analog mode.

Once again, the Default preset virtually completely resolves this; in fact, I’d venture to suggest that it improves the soundstage more than the dynamics. The midrange and lower treble filters do a great job of helping the midrange elements not be as cloyingly close and sound more spaced out.

Comparisons

Since I don’t currently have a lot of comparable IEMs on hand, I’ve purposefully avoided drawing too many parallels between other IEMs and this review. Watch for Caleb’s upcoming comparative review of the Blessing 2: Dusk and Blessing 3 if you’d prefer a review that focuses more on comparisons.

Conclusion

I’ve written extensively about the precise path I believe IEMs should take and why. To put it plainly, I don’t believe the Analog version of DUSK closes any significant gaps in the available market. It is generally consistent with the types of content that we have been receiving, whether from Crin or not, for the past few years.

But just because the analog tuning aligns quite well with the previous tuning paradigm doesn’t mean it’s not tuned well. The majority of Crin’s IEMs tuned in this manner fall into the category of “reasonable enough” so that many people are willing to suggest them.

But when it comes to IEMs above 500Hz, I find that the Analog version of DUSK is nearly exactly the opposite of what I like. I find it difficult to fully recommend it because of this, with the exception of people who preferred the sound of the previous tuning paradigm but also required more “treble extension” than many of those sets offered.

This is where my personal enjoyment and evaluation of the product would have greatly benefited from the DSP cable. Give Crin full credit; he obviously understood what fans like me wanted because the Default preset’s tuning adjustments turned DUSK into one of the best-tuned IEMs available. For this reason, the DSP cable’s long list of problems is extremely frustrating.

Moondrop’s DSP cables have only been included with cheaper IEMs until now, like the Chu DSP and May.

However, DUSK is not cheap. And the inconvenient truth is: by including FreeDSP, and relying on it to hit a specific tuning out of the box, they have effectively given DUSK cheap IEM problems.

I will reiterate that listeners don’t need to interface with the app to get the benefits of the Default tuning. For that reason, I could see many casual/on-the-go listeners not having any issues with the DSP cable due to the digital noise artifact being masked for one reason or another.

I would love nothing more than to close this review by playing into the meme and signing off with a “Buy DUSK,” but this time it’s actually not that simple.

If and when the noise issue with the FreeDSP cable is fixed, I will be editing this review in order to better reflect my opinion of what the DUSK would’ve been without the cable problems (and it would’ve been one of the greatest IEMs of the year.

But today, it’s much to my dismay that I personally cannot suggest the DUSK until the noise issue with the FreeDSP cable is fixed, except to the type of listener who will love Crin’s 2020 target + more air in Analog mode, or not mind the digital noise with the DSP connection.