Moondrop MoonRiver 2 is a brand new portable Hi-Res DAC and headphone amplifier. It has both 3.5 mm single-ended and 4.4 mm balanced headphone outs and currently retails at $189. The devices features a flagship Dual DAC CS43198 from Cirrus Logic arranged in a four-channel balanced architecture. It supports high-resolution 32-Bit/384kHz PCM decoding as well as native DSD256 decoding. MoonRiver 2 has a class-leading performance, ultra-low distortion, and high SNR rating.
Disclaimer: I would like to thank Shenzhen Audio for providing the sample for this review. No one paid to make this review. I don’t offer any specific opinion and all thoughts expressed in this review are my own.
Usually products from MoonDrop come in boxes with waifu illustrations, but MoonRiver 2 packaging is a bit different. It comes in a premium white cardboard box with a transparent plastic sleeve on top. On the front of the box we have the illustration of device schematics. On the back of the box we have list of technical specification and b&w waifu illustration.
🛒 Moondrop MoonRiver 2 Ti on Amazon
Inside the box:
- MoonRiver 2 DAC/AMP
- USB C to USB C transparent cable which is 11 cm long (including connectors)
- USB C to USB A adapter
- and a manual
Design & build
Moondrop MoonRiver 2 has a quite interesting and distinguishing design. The chassis is made from a CNC machined aluminum and the size of the dongle is 55 mm long by 22 mm wide, and depending on the side of the dongle, the depth varies from 8 to 12 mm due to its original design. The body of DAC is completely made of aluminum and according to the manufacturer, no glue was used to keep the chassis together.
On top of the device, we have 2 volume buttons, which also act as gain mode switches when pressed together. There is two headphone sockets, 3.5 mm single-ended and 4.4 mm balanced one on the left side of device. On the right side we have a USB C connector. On the back of the device, there is an etched circuit layout diagram of MoonRiver 2 and it’s done with a lot of detail. The front side of the DAC is also CNC milled and has quite a unique shape.
Overall the build is very solid and MoonRiver 2 definitely stands out in a crowded portable DAC market with its outstanding design and attention to detail.
Development process
While developing MoonRiver 2, in the past two years MoonDrop tried all the flagship decoding chips separately from ESS, AKM, and Cirrus Logic before finally deciding to go with CS43198. Main reason was that it offers more powerful output performance with limited power consumption.
In theory, CS43198 has a dynamic range of 130 dB, the actual index depends on circuit of course, but still these are a very solid numbers. However, due to pandemics and a shortage of chips, there was a short supply of CS43198 at a very high cost. But as Moondrop purchased a lot of chips ahead of schedule for their development, the production of Moondrop MoonRiver 2 has seen no delays or shortages.
Also, in order to develop Moondrop MoonRiver 2, the company also purchased a world-class APX555B audio analyzer so they could measure and analyze their products more accurately. By the way, the list price for APX555B is a hefty $28,300.
Moondrop MoonRiver 2 technical specifications
- DAC : Dual CS43198 DAC chips
- Headphone Ports : 3.5mm Single-ended and 4.4mm Balanced.
- Frequency Response : 6Hz-85kHz (±1dB).
- Background Noise : 1.5uV(AES17 20K Hz) 4.4mm / 1.2uV(AES17 20K Hz 3.5mm
- THD+N (3.5mm) : 2Vrms (0.0008%@32Ω)
- THD+N (4.4mm) : 4Vrms (0.00013%@300Ω)
- SNR (3.5mm) : 123dB(A-weighted)
- SNR (4.4mm) : 131dB(A-weighted)
- Line-Out (3.5mm) : 2Vrms(High-gain), 1.4Vrms(Low-gain)
- Line-Out (4.4mm) : 4Vrms(High), 2.8Vrms(Low)
Pairing, controls, output power and my user experience
In my tests I have been using Samsung Galaxy S10 running android 12 and USB Audio Player PRO. Upon connection my phone instantly detected the Moondrop MoonRiver 2.
As a mounting option I decided to go with a piece of velcro tape to attach MoonRiver 2 to the back of my phone case. This way, the whole setup is more compact, the cable is less exposed to damage, and at the same time connecting headphones doesn’t block the cameras.
The DAC has a light indicator with 4 states:
- Red – device is playing PCM and is in low-gain mode
- Yellow – device is playing PCM and is in hi-gain mode
- Blue – device is playing DSD and is in low-gain mode
- Purple – device is playing DSD and is in hi-gain mode
Usability wise the only thing downside was the volume buttons. Out of the box they were a bit stiff so I had to apply additional pressure. But after couple weeks of usage, they became more responsive and easy to navigate. Still I’d still prefer the volume buttons to be a bit larger
I live in a hot climate, for example today we had +32 celsius (90 Fahrenheit for my friends in the US) and the unit runs quite hot. I also came across some information that running the device with a different cable can affect this fact. But I did’t have a short USB C to USB C cable at hand when i was recoding this review so I can’t comment on that. Overall usability wise this device is pretty straight forward, I absolutely love the form factor of this device which attacts a lot of attention, especially when I’m speaking on the phone and I have it attached to my phone case.
Power rating
Regarding the power rating, the Moonriver 2 has driven everything I tested it with. For the testings, I have used a dozen IEMs and full-size headphones and MoonRiver 2 was able to drive everything I connected to it to my comfort level of listening including Sennheiser HD 6XX, Beyerdynamic DT 990 Edition 250ohm, and HIFIMAN HE400SE.
In Hi-gain mode MoonRiver 2 has just enough power to drive my full size cans via single-ended connector to my preffered levels of volume. With 4.4 balanced you go beyond that as you get more power, which was in my case was not necessary. But in case I come across even more power hungry cans, I know Moondrop MoonRiver 2 is ready for the challenge.
Comparing Moondrop MoonRiver 2 to my desktop stacks which are Topping D10s+Schiit Magni Heresy and SMSL SU-6 with xDuoo MT-602 I’d say that MoonRiver 2 performs close in terms of volume, details, and presentation, but of course, it doesn’t have so much headroom left
Both headphone outputs are consistent but of course, there is a difference between 3.5mm single-ended and 4.4mm BAL, which will become noticeable for pairs of headphones that truly benefit from additional power.
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Moondrop MoonRiver 2 sound signature
Moondrop MoonRiver 2 sounds natural, resolving, very clean, and transparent. The overall sound signature to me is quite balanced just with a little pinch of brightness which is actually a good thing. I also didn’t notice any audible noise even in high gain mode. And this is exactly what you should expect from a high quality DAC/AMP
The MoonRiver 2 also provides excellent detail-retrieval, resolution and natural timbre. Low frequencies are well extended, the bass is fast, detailed, and thick. The DAC handles the low frequencies really well and the bass also has a nice amount of details. Impact and slam factor was varying depending on the pair of headphones, but overall MoonRiver2 is capable of producing a nice oomph.
The midrange has a perfect note weight and body and this region sound really natural. There is enough clarity in the mid-range, especially in the upper mid-range. Instruments are well defined, full of details and the whole mid-range sounds really clean.The treble is balanced, with just a pinch of brightness which results in a clean presentation, full of details and micro-details. At the same time I wouldn’t call treble bright, as even with brighter sounding headphones, the region was well controlled and is never sibilant, harsh, or fatiguing.
🛒 Moondrop MoonRiver 2 Ti on Amazon
Conclusions
Moondrop MoonRiver 2 is another very solid product from Moondrop. I love the form factor, build, technical ability and transparent sound of this little, yet very powerful DAC/AMP.
I even purchased another case for my Galaxy S10 and used velcrotape to attach MoonRiver 2 to the case. This way, I’m always prepared to take the powerful and clean sound with me on a road.
Pros:
- Excellent design & build
- Dual CS43198 DACs
- Single ended & 4.4 balanced output
- Enough power to drive a lot of power hungry cans
- Well balanced and natural sound signature
- Excellent technical abilities
Cons:
- The unit could benefit from a larger volume buttons
- Unit getting hot, especially in hot climate
- No memory of last gain settings you have used
Overall I can absolutely recommend Moondrop MoonRiver 2 to those who want to use their smartphone as the centrepiece of their mobile setup as MoonRiver 2 has a well balanced, neutral and natural sound and is currently among the best-sounding portable DAC/Amps on the market.
And that concludes my review for today. If you want to see more content like this consider subscribing to my YouTube channel for future updates. Thank you for joining me, and until next time, goodbye!
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