Moondrop Space Travel

Moondrop Space Travel TWS

Moondrop continues to explore different segments of the audio market. A few months ago they launched their super bargain priced TWS, the Moondrop Space Travel. While I was recently reviewing the Moondrop Golden Ages I felt I should buy the Space Travel for comparison and now having experienced the Space Travel for a few weeks I think it is time for a short review to give my impressions.

This TWS model seems to be a direct target the ultra budget-conscious audio consumer who still seeks quality sound and usability but values features like ANC. While it lacks some of the high-end features of its more expensive sibling, the Golden Ages TWS, lets see what the Space Travel TWS provides the budget conscious consumer for its price point of $24.

Retail Box and Packaging

Unboxing the Moondrop Space Travel TWS, the packaging is straightforward yet functional. I decided to buy the ‘black’ / Dark colour as I thought it looked pretty cool compared to the white version:

The back of the box provides the impressive specification of this device:

Box contents:

• Space Travel TWS earbuds
• Charging case
• USB-C charging cable
• A set of standard silicone eartips (S, M, L)

The earbuds are designed with a familiar aesthetic with an oval shape but similar to the Golden Ages you can use your own custom ear-tips, though unlike the Golden Ages I decided to use the larger size that comes with the Space Travel. For measurements presented later, I ended up using the small tips as they got a more accurate seal in my 711 ‘Clone’ coupler without ‘popping out’.

Here is a short video of how gorgeous the Space Travel looks:

Comfort and Fit

The ergonomic design of the Space Travel earbuds provides a secure and comfortable fit for most ear sizes even with my larger ear canals I found them very comfortable and lightweight.
They are designed to work for people with small ear canals, but because they can fix third party ear tips, some people will prefer using some Comply foam or SpinFit earips to provide optimum comfort and a good seal. In fact, getting a good seal for the ANC is vital as but for me the larger eartips that come with it were sufficient for casual use and provide a decent seal against ambient noise.

Design and Practicality

The Space Travel TWS earbuds offer a compact and super lightweight form factor. They are easy to handle, and the touch controls are responsive, though they offer limited customization compared to the higher-end models ANC TWS sets. The charging case is sturdy but attracts fingerprints and because of its open design will gather dust over time. Moondrop now sell a separate case to hold the Space Travel, and it might be an idea to buy this separate case depending on how you plan to use the Space Travel.

Sound Quality

At its core, the Moondrop Space Travel TWS focuses on delivering a respectable sound quality that exceeds expectations at this price point. While not as good as the Golden Ages, Moondrop did a great job in creating a TWS set with a good frequency and a few interesting alternative sound profiles at this price point. In fact, having tried many similar priced TWS sets from Amazon the Space Travel is unique at this price point by having both good sound and features like ANC.

Bass

The bass especially using the Basshead profile is surprisingly well-rounded and controlled, without the overwhelming boominess that cheaper earbuds often exhibit. The Reference profiles though lacks the depth and texture of the more sophisticated the Golden Ages which was my preference of sound profile on the Golden Ages. But the Space Travel is more than adequate for everyday listening and better than most cheaper IEM in this price range.

Midrange

The midrange is clear and present, providing a warm and enjoyable listening experience. Vocals come through naturally, though some complex tracks might not have the separation and clarity that more expensive earbuds offer.

Treble

Treble performance is modest and tends to be smoother, avoiding the harshness that can come with lower-quality audio devices. It lacks some sparkle and detail, but for casual listeners, this won’t be a major drawback.

Soundstage and Imaging

The soundstage is somewhat confined, typical for budget TWS devices especially without high-res bluetooth codec support like LDAC. Imaging is decent, with reasonable instrument placement within the stereo field, making it suitable for most genres of music.

Features and Functionality

What is exceptional about the Space Travel at this price point it that it has extensive and useful features like touch controls and multiple sound profiles and all this can be configured using the Moodrop Link Application.

Moondrop Link Application

Currently only the Android version of the Moondrop link application works, though I believe an updated version the IOS Application will be released soon.

Here are a few screenshots to illustrate how it works:

Once paired you see the Space Travel on the home screen of the application:

You have much less configuration than with the Golden Ages, but you can select one of the 3 sound profiles:

And you can configure how the touch controls work on each earbud:

Overall, at this price point it’s amazing to have both a companion application but also one that allows some DSP configuration.

Connectivity

Equipped with Bluetooth 5.3, the Space Travel TWS supports basic codecs such as SBC and AAC ensuring decent audio performance and compatibility with most smartphones. Understandable at this price point it lacks LDAC or Aptx. The pairing process is straightforward, and the connection remains stable within the typical 10-meter range as per the specification on the back of the box.

Battery Life

The earbuds themselves provided me with about 3 to 4 hours of playback and in my testing the case easily topped up the space travel earbuds so I never got near to running out of battery. The total battery life is up to 16 hours so more than enough for a long trip. Charging times are good, with the earbuds taking about 1 hour and the case about 1.5 hours to fully recharge.

Microphone and Call Quality

The microphone quality is adequate for calls in quiet environments, but it struggles to suppress background noise in busier settings. This might not satisfy users who need to make calls frequently while out and about. I found the microphone poor on both the Golden Ages and on the Space Travel and I guess it is something for Moondrop to improve on future models.

ANC and Transparency

I find it amazing the Space Travel has ANC capability at this price point, but you should not expect it to be the quality of Bose or Apple. I found it good on a recent plane trip, once I got good seal, but it was not great when out walking near a busy road as it had a tendency to break the seal easily due to the walking movement. I found the transparency mode worked pretty good but as with the Golden Ages I suspect the one microphone is tuned for far field so works well in transparency but not so much for conference calls.

Measurements

These measurements where taken with my 711 ‘Clone’ coupler using REW:

Frequency Response

You can see the 3 profiles graphed here relative to Harman. The Basshead profile is the closest, and it was my preferred profile while listening to the Space Travel, but all three profiles are great especially at this price point:

While I preferred the ‘Reference’ Profile on the Golden Ages it seemed a bit muted with the Space Travel. The better quality ‘planar’ drivers in the Golden Ages obviously help with the overall sound quality.

Distortion

The Space travel shows very little distortion even at pretty loud volumes:

Some comparisons

Because it is unique at this price point it is hard to do proper comparisons but here are a few wired IEMs with similar sound signature showing that you really are getting a great experience for very little money with the Space Travel. I think Moondrop have done a great job with both the Chu II DSP and the Space Travel in providing an almost reference level of sound at such a low price point. This is rare even for wired IEMs

Rating

I gave the Space Travel a pragmatic score of 5, for its price it is unmatched both in sound quality and features. If you have a little more money to spent, buy the Golden Ages for its better tuning and LDAC support but Moondrop have done an incredible job with the Space Travel providing a good TWS at a rock bottom price of $24.

Conclusion

The Moondrop Space Travel TWS is an impressive entry into the budget TWS market. It offers a sound quality and comfort that are rare at this price point, though it understandably cuts corners in features and build quality. If you are new to the world of TWS earbuds or need a secondary, cost-effective pair, the Moondrop Space Travel could be an excellent choice.

However, for those accustomed to higher-end features, such as advanced ANC, wide codec support, and robust build quality, looking towards more premium offerings would be advisable.