Very pleased with the review video, presentation at its best. Moondrop should support you on this in my opinion 😂 Love the informativity, how you compared to other devices and the blind test was very nice touch! Thank you!
Hahaha! That’s me!!! Thanks for having me in yer vid. Honestly, I thought you were using the same dac and just pumped up the volume a bit. The difference, I really cannot tell. I think the innovation of phones are not that much for the past years. What else we can improve? Ahh yes!!! Sound!! I like what moondrop did, they paved the way for better audio in a smartphone. Nothing beats a proper dac/amp but if you are on the go, this makes sense. This is a good review Andy! Thank You!
are you serious LOL Id rather just buy a pixel 7 and use that exact amp... I have the Moondrop Paras and they need an amp they sound low volume. lets see how they pair up
@@Viewer13128 Means it has 2 cs43131 DAC's so for balanced output you use 1 DAC per channel which should improve S/N and maybe resolution, I havent heard the cs43131 tho and people say it is not as good as other older CS DAC's, but it always depends, not sure what OPamps this MIAD01 uses which probably affects the sound more, but as portable player Im pretty sure it is good enough for anyone
The thing that definitely holds me back is software support/ updates. In the long run this is the most expensive aspect of a smartphone to a company (if properly done) and only the big ones can do it. Given moondrop's standing in this aspect (ie moondrop link app which is a much more basic thing) i can't say the future seems bright for buyers of this unit. This is a HUGE shift from moondrop's product line and i'll wait and see but unless there is a huge investment in software development i wouldn't trust this product very much.
After seeing what happened to it I'd suggest insert sd card on switched off device. But that issue may occur on any device to be fair. I'd say that's very unlucky coincidence.
Hey, really nice bit of information in this video. But i also have a request. The only device i can think of that serves the same purpose as this device is the LG V60 ThinQ. A lot of people, including me use that phone as a DAP because of it's ES9219 Quad DAC. It would be amazing if you could compare these two devices in a video 🙏
Thanks. I did not own a V60 because when I compare them side by side with V50, I can't tell if there's anything that V60 does better than what V50 already achieved, in fact I stuck with V50 because V50 offers better camera performance and audio wise I firmly believe it is also the best among all LG Quad DAC
After watching your review, Im convinced that this is by far the most ideal music player. At announcement, we all made fun of this for being unnecessary but after I have ran out of space as my flac library grew, Im now in need of a dedicated audio device (as I can have an sd card solely dedicated to audio instead of sharing it for photos & videos). Once someone made a config of Google Camera for this phone, the photo issues would be effectively solved as well. And thank you for the review, it is extremely detailed and in-line with the audiophile. Also, it's kinda funny at how he identified correctly a Cirrus Logic as No.2 because Moondrop is also a Cirrus. The only thing holding me back is the RM1.9K pricetag haha
That is true, all things considered, I really do believe MIAD01 is a better DAP than LG V35 and V50 which I am so very familiar with, the sound tuning of MIAD01 is natural and open sounding, in contrast the LG Quad DAC offers more of digitally enhanced sound lacking organic sense to it despite being highly analytical. With MIAD01 you get both analytical prowess and natural timbre on top of it - at least for me, that is a winning combo. And not forgetting the true value of MIAD01 is the 4 VRMS power you get from the 4.4mm BAL, which is more than double what you will ever get from any 2 VRMS LG Quad DAC. It hurts me still I lost my SDcard, but then I will not allow it to cloud my objective assessment of what MIAD01 does really well
Nice review Andy! I am not a fan of DAPS as it is very inconvenient especially I am always on the go. It is always challenging to play Tidal and Qobuz on a DAP. What I like about it is that Android is no longer limited to the compression it is now bit perfect . I can now play Tidal and Qobuz without using USB Pro player which limits its features. Thanks again for a good review
@@lordlopes2424The dongles with the pixel line not working properly because google wants to push for bluetooth earbuds since they sell bluetooth earbuds just like every phone manufacturer to make more money. Ever since the manufacturers removed the headphone jack on there phones, they are just trying to sell bluetooth earbuds and headphones as a replacement for the loss of the headphone jack to make money and use bluetooth as some kind of marketing similar to dobly atmos. Since bluetooth audio and dobly atmos are popular due to marketing that are being pushed. The majority of consumers are willing to sacrifice high quality and universal standards because of convenience that were around before bluetooth audio and dolby atmos was popularized since audiophiles and the users that stick to universal standards have become niche. The phone manufacturers are trying to lock down there bluetooth earbuds and headphones to there specific brand with there own ecosystems intentionally to make only certain features and functionality work with there brand otherwise the features and functionality does not work with certain brands. For example, for lossless audio over bluetooth requires a device to have the snapdragon 8 gen 2 and newer and there devices that use processors from a variety of manufacturers that are not compatible with lossless audio over bluetooth. For instance, samsung with exynos, mediatek and the variety of processors, huawei with kirin, qualcomm with there snapdragon devices, tsmc processors and apple processors that are manufactured by tsmc. Ever since bluetooth audio and eco systems became popular, they have become fragmented because they are following the foot steps of apple to make a quick buck. When the manufacturers stuck with universal standards like the headphone jack and now usb c, there was no proprietary way of doing things that cause compatibility issues like bluetooth audio and ecosystems since they are the main reasons why things are confusing for the average consumer and they stick to what is popular and whatever is mainstream.
The question I would have is what is the software support and firmware support update schedule Will there be one? And will they work on or do camera updates to take out some of the noise. And and what cameras are they using what type of cameras are they? the same ones in the you know Samsung camera? you know that sort of thing. What also be curious to see how many US base companies are going to do something like this. Man when I say that I mean Sony yes it's a Japanese company you know what I mean. I'm just curious how much this miad 01 is going to influence other companies to do the same thing. You
That remains to be seen. I do hope Moondrop will be diligent developing this path with proper updates when needed. And I do hope more companies and brand to take this as an initiative as well
Excellent review as always. I personally wouldn’t get this because I want a phone to last several years including OS and security updates and Moon drop don’t yet have a proven track record of doing phone updates. However, even if that was not the case I prefer the flexibility of a separate dac that I can use with multiple devices including a phone that’s better suited for my other needs. Hopefully, this will encourage Sony to go even further with top level audio with a phone-and increase their commitment to updates.
Great and in-depth review! The 4.4mm jack on a smartphone is a dream! How does the 4.4mm jack compare to a usb dac dongle like moonriver or dawn pro on the miad?
Thanks. I would rate the sound performance of MIAD 01 on par to iBasso DC04Pro, just a bit better than the DAWN Pro. Great natural/neutral transparent tuning, with no edgy sharp imaging, no offensiveness
@@donglemadness thanks, your review was the last push i needed to pull the trigger. Based on you descritpion on its soundstage, imaging and detail retrieval, it sounded perfect for gaming which is probably 50% of my use case. I also like to hear every nuances and detail on the highs in music.
MIAD 01 isn't flagship phone. The Mediatek 7050 is a rebranded 1080 which is ok for the 200-300€/$ price region. It shouldn't become anywhere close to the Sony Xperia 1 IV or V in SoC (CPU+GPU) scores. The microSD card thing is weird. In the future if a microSD with data working on another phone tells you to format on insertion don't do it as it is an indicator for something wrong or not correctly detected. I also learned that with Huawei NM card the hard way. But of course I had a backup. The card I could rescue somehow under linux with an nm card reader. Not sure about your microSD but if you have still warranty on it. Replace it. Otherwise a great sound listening device. What no one showed however can it be used as audio recorder with external mics as well. Either in video recording or with a special app like Parrot. Also does it have display out? So can I attach it with a USB-C to HDMI to a monitor. Might be useful as a mediacenter replacement for example. Also did you get any updates? Their camera performance especially in video and EIS was a bit abysmal even for the entry level midrange phone.
A professionally done review, I will watch this channel. Do you know of any resources to make this and other chinese phones ready for use in the US market? I tire of paying samsungs prices.
Thanks man. Really appreciate this. I think for US consumers, you can see it in Amazon soon via HiFiGo. You can already get it internationally via HiFiGo direct site as well
Giztop Is a place where I know a lot of people import phones to the US that aren't usually available here. But I don't know if something like this would be there, you might have to go to the audio specific places
Good video, appreciate your review. Could you ellaborate on the sound quality on 3.5mm output between this and the LG V50? Does this worth the 2x cost over the LG? I only have unbalanced, low impedance gear.
Thanks. Sound quality of MIAD01 on 3.5mm especially for easy to drive stuffs is equal to what I hear from the 4.4mm BAL. And MIAD01 to me is superior than my V50 (compared both on 3.5mm), MIAD01 is more natural and realistic sounding, while V50 is crispy edged and at times sounding digital with upper frequency rendering, V50 is also more prone to Pinna Glare/Sibilance on upper Mids
Will this do Android auto? I’m looking for a DAP I can plug into my car while on long drives. My car doesn’t have an Auxiliary port and been looking for something this.
Hello Andy! Do you have any idea if the bank apps and Google Maps work correctly? I work with these applications every day and I understand that they do not work. Do you know anything about that?
MIAD01, better balanced being musical and analytical, better sound timbre. V50/V60 compared to MIAD01, V50/V60/V35 would appear digital sounding with typical ESS Sabre edgy sound, MIA01 is smoother and has more natural airy decays on the higher frequencies. MIAD01 also does not exhibit Pinna Glare on the upper Midrange
That's one isolated instance of my SD Card damaged, I haven't tried other card yet, so this issue should only be taken a precaution of not to format your SD card if the system asked to do it. Variance in SD card formatting could be an issue but until then, I would say my situation could also be just bad luck on my side
Realmente es un asesinó de tarjetas micro sd, de hecho ya existe una publicacion en reddit e incluso un canal de youtube que también tiene miad01 le paso lo mismo con la sd card, despues de haber insertado micro sd a miad01 simplemente ningún dispositivo lee la sd.
The video's audio is crap... LG still remains untouched in this regard... Sony is not doing bad but for God's sake, LG mobile has been closed for 4yrs now... The V50 is more than 5yrs old already😢 Can't believe that they still have the crown in that area. I reall had high hopes for tha MIAD... Oh well... It's still better than every other phone for enjoying audio😂 It took 4yrs but thank God LG has somewhat of a replacements
Unfortunately, you haven't mentioned that MIUI piggyback software is very BUGGY and disables some of the futures of the original Android OS as well as does things that you don't want it to do by default and you can not disable it or it is very difficult to disable. I have a Xiaomi Redmi 10 PRO phone and will never again buy another MIUI phone. The sound quality may be outstanding but MIUI software is a deal-breaker for me.
@@welehweleh-zb6jcyeah, although there will still be some interesting things that can be done for a phone with a balanced Port, potentially with third-party apps from f. Droid and the like
Thanks for an actual review of this product instead of all the negative hot takes I've been seeing in social media from people that haven't even used it 🙏 Can you please post a Some follow-up videos to let us know how Moondrop is handling updates, what has improved, long-term performance, etc.? And also, can you find out from Moondrop how long they intend to support the phone for 1. Android versions and 2. Security updates? That would be super helpful!
@@donglemadnessThanks so much, Andy. If it's quick, handles multitasking well, takes decent pics (and hopefully a GCam port), and gets a decent update commitment that'll make me feel much more confident buying one. Hearing from some US buyers about 4g/5g band support with T-Mobile would also help. It looks like it would work, but I'd want to make sure it works well on my network.
Well for a first phone is something good. Moondrop should just fix the UI stuff,the camera,the screen and the chipset in the future versions. Let's hope Fiio,Ibasso or Astell and Kern can follow this and make their own smartphone.
i really don't think they should. these companys don't have the finantial capacity to develop these kinds of product whith relation to the software front. it takes a lot of investment even after they sell the product. These companys are more worried at launching the next product, it's where they make their money so if you want the software fixed and updated for a few years, you'll probably have to buy the next one they make. I might be wrong but i think this will become a brick in a few years time, after android gets updated 1 or 2 times. A good move would have been a partnership - where the audio brand would develop/ deal with the audio front - with a bigger and established company in the smartphone world. If any of those brands or other ones are up for it, that would be something i'd be willing to give a try.
@@JoseFerreira-zb7wh Bro most of then if they try to copy Moondrop here would use oem from another brand like the ones from BBK eletronics,the rest is not hard.
@@lordlopes2424 the hardware is not my concern. keeping up with android updates requires massive investments in software development. Only huge companys can continue updating software after the product doesn't sell because at that point there is no money paying that investment. You have to sell a shitload of cellphones to pay for future updates. This is a niche product from a niche brand. I might be wrong but i predict it will become a brick sooner than later (after a couple of android updates). Moondrop link app should be the headsup. It exists for quite some time now, with a few versions and still it is buggy and clunky as hell. And it's just 1 app, a much more simple affair!
Bro despite a long length video, you manage to nail 3 in 1 into a video nicely executed keep it up, first 15 minutes I forgot it’s a audio review and keep thinking it’s a phone review. Nice 3 in 1 video, phone, blind test & audio.
Thanks man. I am always looking to present my contents better. Sometimes it require longer duration to ensure I can convey as much relevant data as possible
Andy , you certainly deliver the goods. Jam packed info. Your videos are an adventure. You saved me time and money ( saved my sd card). You do great work . Awesome ! Thank You !
Thanks for the review! Not many reviews out there for the miad-01, which is surprising given how unique of a device it is! The camera problem, I think could be solved by a gcam port developed for it.
Thanks. Yes I think with GCAM the camera could perform better. I haven't had the time to try it myself yet but hoping to do so soon and then post another video on MIAD01 after 1 month of usage
I actually ordered this, it arrives on the 17th (such a long delivery time from China to England) great review, much better than the Linus review. I already have a fiio m15s, ibasso dx180, hiby r4, Sony nw a306 Japan model, I have couple of dongles and DAC amps (fiio q11 and a kiwi ears allegro etc) but this phone really interested me and was only £370, I could have got it cheaper through other sites (£300 but would have been charged vat) so i went through EBay. I was considering the new nothing phone. But the 4.4mm balanced port on a phone was too hard to pass up.
Thank you for the review! Great looking product, now the biggest question for me is, how many years of software support (security main concern) is Moondrop doing? 1-2 years? Hopefully more?
Thanks. I sincerely hope that Moondrop will be diligent with developing this path starting with consistent updates for MIAD01, that will truly determine if this will be a successful evolution
27:50 I am not sure about this. If it is anything like my LG g7 by plugging of adapter before low impedance headphone you wont achieve high output mode just aux mode. In order to achieve high output u will propably need to pluch adapter first, then headphones over 50ohm to trigger hight output, then you will unplug high impedance headphone and u will use whatever iem?headphone you want and system will remember (once it is triggered it will stay triggered until adapter is unplugged). And this way u will achieve true high output with low impedance iems or headphones.
Andy, will You review Denon Pearl Pro in the next future? Obviously using a brick Who supports aptx lossless? I would really like to know your opinion about it...
Well if I buy it I could sent it to you for a review. Obviously if you sent it to me back after 😂 I watch your videos over and over. Now I'm deciding for a 5 star dongle up to 80£ which I'm going to use with a speaker. I listen to many genres from rock, metal, alternative, punk to euro pop, rave, dubstep, alt hip hop, triphop, phonk, disco etc. What would you recommend?
I just bought a Colorfly CDA-M1P , can't wait the AKM dongle. I still use 2 smartphones, Axon 7 which features an AKM AK4490, and an Axon 10 pro which is equipped with an (AKM) AK4497EQ DAC. So I can't expect nothing less than a top gadget with a premium sound ❤ Andy for the reviews! Top man!top@@donglemadness
We live in times where $1,500 phones come with no 3.5mm jack, so this is definitely a much required evolution. Though I think for most of us the leap of faith to Moondrop 'as a phone' is too much to ask for. IMO, It's definitely better to just buy a Dongle for our existing phone. Among other benefits it also gives us flexibility to different upgrade paths for each the Phone and the Audio experience. Thanks for the review, Andy!
The whole point of this device is for convenience where you sort of get a 2-in-1 device. Buying a dongle kind of defeats the purpose of this IMO. It doesn't excel in either as a phone nor as a DAP, but it's "good" enough for both considering the convenience of this.
@@Annabelle_UwU USB Port is prone to wear and tear and I find that it is much more sensitive when it comes to audio. I'm having an issue with my phone where any slight movement on the USB Port with the dongle plugged in causes the playback to stop and also causes issues where the DAC doesn't get detected sometimes whenever it gets disconnected like that which is very annoying and the main reason why I find MIAD01 very useful. This only happens with the dongle and not when its charging which is what lead me to believe that the USB Port is a lot more sensitive with audio output.
6:50 keep in mind performance benchmark programs are not 100% reliable way to measure performance. Another way to measure is to open a certain list of apps in sequence and see how long the phone takes. Or just run Genshin Impact or any heavy game and see if the phone can reach 60 frames per second My major concern for this phone: Android security and version updates support, for how long users will have support on these? And how easy it is to repair.
Terima kasih bang. Saya tercari2 Review dari Malaysia akhirnya saya jumpa. Saya tertarik dengan telefon ini. Tapi dalam masa yang sama Saya teringin nak rasa Ibasso dx170. Abg rasa mana yang bagus samada Moondrop Miad 01 ataupun Ibasso Dx170?
Thank you for the review. Would be great if its possible to supplement comparison with the top 5 dongles on how it performs in a bit more detail to understand its sound characteristics a bit more
Thanks, at least for now I can say it is comparable to iBasso DC04Pro really, wide open sound with lots of power and good natural timbre. And would already know how I rated DC04Pro
Hopefully this influences competition for more audio-focused DAP phones from other brands with dedicated audio circuitry, different DACs & 4.4mm output. I'd like to see one with an R2R. Even better would be shrinking the modular concept of Xduoo's XD05 Pro by having a phone with swappable DAC cards. Moondrop is going to have to fix that SD card issue though. People won't buy it if it's going to potentially brick an up to 1.5Tb SD card.
Hahaha, photography and video is also about dynamic range of colors and tone, about transparency and accuracy, so yes it shares many similarities with audio 😁
Thank you for this elaborate review, I sat through the whole video without pressing any fast forward. Looking forward to another great video!! Best regards
Another great content and review Andy, maybe needed some software updates, can a user still use a dongle like the KA17 even though the PD is 2.0 Miad 01
Thanks man. Yes, I really don't know if it is PD2.0 or 3.0, I only suspect it is PD2.0 based on the voltage, but really I can run my KA17 even on the weaker Mi9T without any need for external power
Hey Andy, I think you have solved my dilema! In Australia, we are about to lose the 3G network. This didn't worry me as I have an LG V50, which is a 5G phone. But that's only for mobile data. It apparently does not use the newer protocol of Voice over LTE (VoLTE) for phonecalls, including emergency calls! As an audio engineer and HiFi enthusiast, there is not much around to upgrade to. I didn't want to carry two devices, one as a basic phone and a DAP like an Astell & Kern for music, but the pick of good audio in a phone, seems to be gaming oriented devices like the Asus ROG series. Much bigger than I wanted and even then, reviews don't highlight their use as a serious audio player. The MIAD 01 seems to be the only device that meets my requirements. I'd keep using my LG if I could as it's a pretty good phone too. Camera is a bit crap, but I have a Nikon Z6 for serious photos, so not concerned about that. Also use it ocassionally to drive my HD600s like you have. Pretty good results, but you need to push it pretty hard!
Hi Andy, great review I love it! In minute 27:55 you talk about volume loudness and show casually the headphone that I own which is HD600 which is 300Ohm and have a sensivity of 97dB at 1kHz. My question is, would the balanced output take over all the dynamics the HD600 have to offer? How do you felt it against your other dedicated desktop amps? It is the same? Or maybe with a good desktop amp it scales better? Thank you! Cheers! +1sub
Thanks. My own experience and listening, my HD600 sounded 5% better on my desktop setups (above 2500 mW DAC/Amps). That's the only difference, a meager 5% loss in overall sound performance. And practically inaudible if you are not comparing them side by side
Good video, helped me confirm that i won't be getting this (i'd rather just grab a usb dac for my current phone). Oh, and no idea if you ever fixed the microsd, but it's likely you can recover it with a specialized partition manager program (like easeus partition master), i've had good luck using those to recover "dead" cards (which are often not dead, just messed up at partition level).
I haven't tried repairing the SD card yet, too many other things to do still. And until today I am using my MIAD01 as my primary phones, just love the simplicity of directly attaching my 4.4mm BAL IEMs and headphones without the hassle of lugging dongles around, and I still get the sort of sound quality which I love
Hi Andy, did you try to insert other Micro SD Card (any cheap ones you can afford to lose) if they work or still break them? Also, for the usb performance test you did, you don't have to really look at the voltages.. What you want to read is the power draw which is Power (W) = Voltage (V) x Current (A) But even if you know the Power, their difference is not much significant.. All of them were just drawing aroung 0.5 watts (idle) and these modern smart phones will be smart enough to provide enough Power when working with load (listening to music) and will not have noticable difference. So all of them should be fine for DAC usage as long as the phone supports OTG.
could you like to review gaming phone like rog 6 or 7 sir?? A people said dac rog phone have better quality than ori android phone sir... Please salam from indonesia...
Thanks. And salam to you too. I would love to try the ROG phones but they are exceedingly pricey just for me to buy and test/review. As you can see here, I already have 5 phones in my possession, lol
I hope this moondrop phone will be the catalyst for the revival of headphone jack on flagship devices. I also hope moondrop will include a free moondrop chu next time.
This is what we want,but unless some popular company does it I can't see this happen. But I hope that other audio companies try to follow Moondrop on this. I wouldn't mind to see a Fiio,Ibasso or an Astell and Kern smartphone.
@@lordlopes2424 I want to see sony pour some "walkman" magic on their sony xperia line up. I heard that their audio input through their 3.5mm jack is very satisfactory while the output is kind of entry level.
@@richardalvarado1877 It wouldn't be bad,but the Xperia line is expensive and only some countries has it. I would hope a more famous brand would get the idea to focus more on the audio side of things.
Fantastic review, Andy! This phone is absolutely amazing for the price! I still have a Fold 3 and will be changing phones and services in December. I can't wait to be out of that contract because the service is not so good in our area.
Hey Andy! Awesome review as always! Ngl, a phone like this makes sense. Performance on a phone seems to be so high now that any mid range phone can handle pretty much whatever you throw at it, and top end phones just for flair (Then again, coming from a S23 Ultra user xd). Sound tho, Moondrop definitely opened a new path on that regards. Just wanna ask, will you be reviewing the Moondrop Cosmo headphones? Red Ape sells it too. Was also wondering how it would compare to the Hifiman Arya Organic too. Don't dare to make the jump to either just yet.
Yeah, there is a notorious issue among xiaomi phones where you can't use the third party launcher with gestures. At least not reliably. Maybe this is just a norm in the Chinese market? Oh that would be a big bummer because I need gestures and I also need access to the third party launchers. Oh son of a gun, I really wanted to like this thing and I don't know if it's going to be viable for me. No way I'm switching to buttons. I guess it depends on the quality of the stock launcher, but I really value customizable gestures
To clarify, the gestures work fine especially if I use the stock launcher that comes with the unit, everything registers properly. I only had issues with multi tasking gestures when using other 3rd party launchers and there's a possibility after the 1st update which was already released, the gestures could be fixed for 3rd party launchers, I just need to try them again
Very pleased with the review video, presentation at its best. Moondrop should support you on this in my opinion 😂
Love the informativity, how you compared to other devices and the blind test was very nice touch! Thank you!
Hey hey, very much apreciated! And my pleasure and thanks!
Hey Andy,
First time I've seen one of your videos, but this format and presentation, perfect. Thanks for making this.
Glad you enjoyed it! 🙏
Hahaha! That’s me!!! Thanks for having me in yer vid. Honestly, I thought you were using the same dac and just pumped up the volume a bit. The difference, I really cannot tell.
I think the innovation of phones are not that much for the past years. What else we can improve? Ahh yes!!! Sound!! I like what moondrop did, they paved the way for better audio in a smartphone. Nothing beats a proper dac/amp but if you are on the go, this makes sense.
This is a good review Andy! Thank You!
LOL, poor Glenn....hahahaha
Sadly it'll never be in mainstream as the shift to ewaste tws
@@1995tirthankarbala1people who value high fidelity will always want wired headphones
also people who value capable products that won't end up in the trash after 2 years of use @@wahid-lg1kk
Someone in china has already tear it down. its dual cs43131. like dawn pro
Makes sense , it should have been moonriver but the cost
@@sumanthparakala2005
Maybe the Miad 02 can have better specs and the CS43198 from the Moonriver 2
are you serious LOL Id rather just buy a pixel 7 and use that exact amp... I have the Moondrop Paras and they need an amp they sound low volume. lets see how they pair up
newb here, can someone explain what does it mean it's dual cs43131? is the MIAD 01 good or bad?
@@Viewer13128 Means it has 2 cs43131 DAC's so for balanced output you use 1 DAC per channel which should improve S/N and maybe resolution, I havent heard the cs43131 tho and people say it is not as good as other older CS DAC's, but it always depends, not sure what OPamps this MIAD01 uses which probably affects the sound more, but as portable player Im pretty sure it is good enough for anyone
The thing that definitely holds me back is software support/ updates. In the long run this is the most expensive aspect of a smartphone to a company (if properly done) and only the big ones can do it. Given moondrop's standing in this aspect (ie moondrop link app which is a much more basic thing) i can't say the future seems bright for buyers of this unit. This is a HUGE shift from moondrop's product line and i'll wait and see but unless there is a huge investment in software development i wouldn't trust this product very much.
Great review, Andy. You saved me quite a bit of cash! I winced a bit at the loss of that mSD card.
Hey thanks. Yeah, I gonna miss that MicroSD
After seeing what happened to it I'd suggest insert sd card on switched off device. But that issue may occur on any device to be fair. I'd say that's very unlucky coincidence.
Hey, really nice bit of information in this video. But i also have a request.
The only device i can think of that serves the same purpose as this device is the LG V60 ThinQ.
A lot of people, including me use that phone as a DAP because of it's ES9219 Quad DAC.
It would be amazing if you could compare these two devices in a video 🙏
Thanks. I did not own a V60 because when I compare them side by side with V50, I can't tell if there's anything that V60 does better than what V50 already achieved, in fact I stuck with V50 because V50 offers better camera performance and audio wise I firmly believe it is also the best among all LG Quad DAC
Comparing this phone to an older flagship is a cleaver idea :-) Thanks for this excellent review !
My pleasure 🙏
After watching your review, Im convinced that this is by far the most ideal music player. At announcement, we all made fun of this for being unnecessary but after I have ran out of space as my flac library grew, Im now in need of a dedicated audio device (as I can have an sd card solely dedicated to audio instead of sharing it for photos & videos).
Once someone made a config of Google Camera for this phone, the photo issues would be effectively solved as well.
And thank you for the review, it is extremely detailed and in-line with the audiophile.
Also, it's kinda funny at how he identified correctly a Cirrus Logic as No.2 because Moondrop is also a Cirrus.
The only thing holding me back is the RM1.9K pricetag haha
That is true, all things considered, I really do believe MIAD01 is a better DAP than LG V35 and V50 which I am so very familiar with, the sound tuning of MIAD01 is natural and open sounding, in contrast the LG Quad DAC offers more of digitally enhanced sound lacking organic sense to it despite being highly analytical. With MIAD01 you get both analytical prowess and natural timbre on top of it - at least for me, that is a winning combo. And not forgetting the true value of MIAD01 is the 4 VRMS power you get from the 4.4mm BAL, which is more than double what you will ever get from any 2 VRMS LG Quad DAC. It hurts me still I lost my SDcard, but then I will not allow it to cloud my objective assessment of what MIAD01 does really well
much appreciated review, as a lgv50 user i was looking forward to a new "hifi" phone. Lg doesn't do them anymore and sony is way too expensive.
My pleasure. I totally feel your sentiment there
This is my new fave audio gear channel together with gadgetry tech
Thank you!
Nice review Andy! I am not a fan of DAPS as it is very inconvenient especially I am always on the go. It is always challenging to play Tidal and Qobuz on a DAP. What I like about it is that Android is no longer limited to the compression it is now bit perfect . I can now play Tidal and Qobuz without using USB Pro player which limits its features. Thanks again for a good review
No worries man. And thanks. I am really digging this new direction Moondrop doing
Oh yeah now with Android 14 is like this
Sad that Google's own Pixel line is not working well with dongles.
@@lordlopes2424The dongles with the pixel line not working properly because google wants to push for bluetooth earbuds since they sell bluetooth earbuds just like every phone manufacturer to make more money. Ever since the manufacturers removed the headphone jack on there phones, they are just trying to sell bluetooth earbuds and headphones as a replacement for the loss of the headphone jack to make money and use bluetooth as some kind of marketing similar to dobly atmos. Since bluetooth audio and dobly atmos are popular due to marketing that are being pushed. The majority of consumers are willing to sacrifice high quality and universal standards because of convenience that were around before bluetooth audio and dolby atmos was popularized since audiophiles and the users that stick to universal standards have become niche. The phone manufacturers are trying to lock down there bluetooth earbuds and headphones to there specific brand with there own ecosystems intentionally to make only certain features and functionality work with there brand otherwise the features and functionality does not work with certain brands. For example, for lossless audio over bluetooth requires a device to have the snapdragon 8 gen 2 and newer and there devices that use processors from a variety of manufacturers that are not compatible with lossless audio over bluetooth. For instance, samsung with exynos, mediatek and the variety of processors, huawei with kirin, qualcomm with there snapdragon devices, tsmc processors and apple processors that are manufactured by tsmc. Ever since bluetooth audio and eco systems became popular, they have become fragmented because they are following the foot steps of apple to make a quick buck. When the manufacturers stuck with universal standards like the headphone jack and now usb c, there was no proprietary way of doing things that cause compatibility issues like bluetooth audio and ecosystems since they are the main reasons why things are confusing for the average consumer and they stick to what is popular and whatever is mainstream.
@@lordlopes2424wdym, my pixel 5 work fine
The question I would have is what is the software support and firmware support update schedule Will there be one? And will they work on or do camera updates to take out some of the noise. And and what cameras are they using what type of cameras are they? the same ones in the you know Samsung camera? you know that sort of thing.
What also be curious to see how many US base companies are going to do something like this. Man when I say that I mean Sony yes it's a Japanese company you know what I mean. I'm just curious how much this miad 01 is going to influence other companies to do the same thing. You
That remains to be seen. I do hope Moondrop will be diligent developing this path with proper updates when needed. And I do hope more companies and brand to take this as an initiative as well
this is what Im looking for a certain phone review
Mine is on the way to montreal,i buy at hifigo!!!! Best musicphone i will beside my xperia Pro-I
Congratulations, best purchase for 2024 yet for me for sure :D
Excellent review as always.
I personally wouldn’t get this because I want a phone to last several years including OS and security updates and Moon drop don’t yet have a proven track record of doing phone updates.
However, even if that was not the case I prefer the flexibility of a separate dac that I can use with multiple devices including a phone that’s better suited for my other needs.
Hopefully, this will encourage Sony to go even further with top level audio with a phone-and increase their commitment to updates.
Thank you
Great and in-depth review!
The 4.4mm jack on a smartphone is a dream!
How does the 4.4mm jack compare to a usb dac dongle like moonriver or dawn pro on the miad?
Thanks. I would rate the sound performance of MIAD 01 on par to iBasso DC04Pro, just a bit better than the DAWN Pro. Great natural/neutral transparent tuning, with no edgy sharp imaging, no offensiveness
@@donglemadness Thank you for the info!
Looking forward to see review after 1 month use😁
I could do that
Ordered the fiio ka17 based on your review. Should arrive next week with the lestshuor s12 pro.
Congrats on your KA17 purchase!
@@donglemadness thanks, your review was the last push i needed to pull the trigger. Based on you descritpion on its soundstage, imaging and detail retrieval, it sounded perfect for gaming which is probably 50% of my use case. I also like to hear every nuances and detail on the highs in music.
@@jigsomyoca5377
Be careful with this combo,the S12 is easy to drive and if you put a lot of power you can burn the driver.
Excellently done.
Thank you! Cheers!
MIAD 01 isn't flagship phone. The Mediatek 7050 is a rebranded 1080 which is ok for the 200-300€/$ price region. It shouldn't become anywhere close to the Sony Xperia 1 IV or V in SoC (CPU+GPU) scores. The microSD card thing is weird. In the future if a microSD with data working on another phone tells you to format on insertion don't do it as it is an indicator for something wrong or not correctly detected.
I also learned that with Huawei NM card the hard way. But of course I had a backup. The card I could rescue somehow under linux with an nm card reader.
Not sure about your microSD but if you have still warranty on it. Replace it.
Otherwise a great sound listening device. What no one showed however can it be used as audio recorder with external mics as well. Either in video recording or with a special app like Parrot.
Also does it have display out? So can I attach it with a USB-C to HDMI to a monitor. Might be useful as a mediacenter replacement for example.
Also did you get any updates? Their camera performance especially in video and EIS was a bit abysmal even for the entry level midrange phone.
Do I wait for a "Fiio Fone" but I love this idea.
A professionally done review, I will watch this channel. Do you know of any resources to make this and other chinese phones ready for use in the US market? I tire of paying samsungs prices.
Thanks man. Really appreciate this. I think for US consumers, you can see it in Amazon soon via HiFiGo. You can already get it internationally via HiFiGo direct site as well
Giztop Is a place where I know a lot of people import phones to the US that aren't usually available here. But I don't know if something like this would be there, you might have to go to the audio specific places
Good video, appreciate your review. Could you ellaborate on the sound quality on 3.5mm output between this and the LG V50? Does this worth the 2x cost over the LG? I only have unbalanced, low impedance gear.
Thanks. Sound quality of MIAD01 on 3.5mm especially for easy to drive stuffs is equal to what I hear from the 4.4mm BAL. And MIAD01 to me is superior than my V50 (compared both on 3.5mm), MIAD01 is more natural and realistic sounding, while V50 is crispy edged and at times sounding digital with upper frequency rendering, V50 is also more prone to Pinna Glare/Sibilance on upper Mids
@@donglemadnessThank you, much appreciated!
by the way- it is a hell of a matchmaker between my shure se in ear and pixel 7...
27:36 I think you should compare with the same output will all use 3,5mm, not 4,4mm and 3,5mm on MIAD 01, it will be fair comparison
Amazing review!!!!!! I'm debating on this or Hiby R4 🤔🤔🤔.
Thanks! 😁
Will this do Android auto? I’m looking for a DAP I can plug into my car while on long drives. My car doesn’t have an Auxiliary port and been looking for something this.
I am not sure about that as I don't use Android Auto on cars. Hopefully someone can help you with this, someone who has tried MIAD01 with Android Auto
What model of reliable charger do you use? I'm wondering because one doesn't come standard and could damage the battery.
I use two Xiaomi original 33W and 66W chargers, perfect for any phone
Great review Andy. It’s really tempting me to moving away from Apple.
Thanks 😁🙏
aiyooo Andy need to pujuk my wifey la macam ni 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Hahahaha
Welcome to the club😂😂😂
Большое спасибо за обзор. Хочу купить себе такой телефон. Нужна глобальная версия. Я из России. Спасибо.
My pleasure and thanks
The important thing is that smartphone can skip android src? Like any other DAP like hiby r6iii etc
That's what's it was designed to be, behaving like an Android DAP without SRC constraints
@@donglemadness very nice.... Thanks a lot...
Sorry for ask u sir, because Im in middle watching your video 🙏
Hello Andy! Do you have any idea if the bank apps and Google Maps work correctly? I work with these applications every day and I understand that they do not work. Do you know anything about that?
Yes I was already using my bank apps even on the first day, also Google Maps work perfectly
@@donglemadness Thank you andy! :D
@@donglemadness What about whatsapp? any problem with that app?
Support 2 TB micro sd.
According to the spec, yes
@@donglemadness I like this smartphone. Will there be material about unique smartphones from 2022-2024?
Do apple music play bit perfect and lossless on this phone?
Yes
@@donglemadness damn! Thats crazy. No stupid iphone needed for apple music needs.
How much is cs43131 better compared to cx31993?
CX31993 seems to be limited to ultra compact dongles. But really how they are implemented matters more, and CS43131 offers wider range of tuning
rosak ke sdcard tu bro? kadang2 boleh try recover pakai linux tools
Takde masa nak try recover lagi. Banyak mende lain nak kena buat dulu
which sounds better , miad01 vs LG v60
MIAD01, better balanced being musical and analytical, better sound timbre. V50/V60 compared to MIAD01, V50/V60/V35 would appear digital sounding with typical ESS Sabre edgy sound, MIA01 is smoother and has more natural airy decays on the higher frequencies. MIAD01 also does not exhibit Pinna Glare on the upper Midrange
Bathory \m/
Nak kene simpan duit nampaknya dh nampak dh bakal peneman lg v60 😂
is your friend a filipino? he sounds like filipino too lol
Yes, haha
@@donglemadness i knew it. nice video by the way. keep it up 👍🏻
SD card killer?
That's one isolated instance of my SD Card damaged, I haven't tried other card yet, so this issue should only be taken a precaution of not to format your SD card if the system asked to do it. Variance in SD card formatting could be an issue but until then, I would say my situation could also be just bad luck on my side
Realmente es un asesinó de tarjetas micro sd, de hecho ya existe una publicacion en reddit e incluso un canal de youtube que también tiene miad01 le paso lo mismo con la sd card, despues de haber insertado micro sd a miad01 simplemente ningún dispositivo lee la sd.
You don't look like a typical Bathory fan.... Hairs is too short, no long beard and you don't look like you've not showered in 12 months....
LOL, but what would you say if I listen to Hades/Necromancy and A Fine Day To Die daily, does that make me a legit Bathory fan?
I wish they just omitted the cameras and cellular antennas and made it a dap
You can already have that from tons of other options in the market now
The video's audio is crap... LG still remains untouched in this regard... Sony is not doing bad but for God's sake, LG mobile has been closed for 4yrs now... The V50 is more than 5yrs old already😢 Can't believe that they still have the crown in that area. I reall had high hopes for tha MIAD... Oh well... It's still better than every other phone for enjoying audio😂 It took 4yrs but thank God LG has somewhat of a replacements
Unfortunately, you haven't mentioned that MIUI piggyback software is very BUGGY and disables some of the futures of the original Android OS as well as does things that you don't want it to do by default and you can not disable it or it is very difficult to disable. I have a Xiaomi Redmi 10 PRO phone and will never again buy another MIUI phone. The sound quality may be outstanding but MIUI software is a deal-breaker for me.
This is not a Xiaomi phone and it does use stock android software with some minor customization to it
@@UCFBBkUO6w1WQDifdb7CQufg I know but my grudge is with MIUI, not necessarily with the hardware.
Eh? Is Moondrop a Xiaomi? am I missing anything?
This software is not blocking or changing anything. It is stock
This is the best review for the Moondrop MIAD 01mobile phone across the TH-cam period.
Thank You!
If the Open Source community takes on this device it will be an interesting phone to own…
it will be hard tho. mediatek is a closed source soc. very little to none will interested with it😅
@@welehweleh-zb6jcyeah, although there will still be some interesting things that can be done for a phone with a balanced Port, potentially with third-party apps from f. Droid and the like
Thanks for an actual review of this product instead of all the negative hot takes I've been seeing in social media from people that haven't even used it 🙏
Can you please post a
Some follow-up videos to let us know how Moondrop is handling updates, what has improved, long-term performance, etc.?
And also, can you find out from Moondrop how long they intend to support the phone for 1. Android versions and 2. Security updates? That would be super helpful!
Thanks, I intend to post some updates after using it for substantial amount of time regularly, and after some updates hopefully
@@donglemadnessThanks so much, Andy. If it's quick, handles multitasking well, takes decent pics (and hopefully a GCam port), and gets a decent update commitment that'll make me feel much more confident buying one. Hearing from some US buyers about 4g/5g band support with T-Mobile would also help. It looks like it would work, but I'd want to make sure it works well on my network.
Missed opportunity to call the segment "Bathory performance" 🤣
Well for a first phone is something good.
Moondrop should just fix the UI stuff,the camera,the screen and the chipset in the future versions.
Let's hope Fiio,Ibasso or Astell and Kern can follow this and make their own smartphone.
i really don't think they should. these companys don't have the finantial capacity to develop these kinds of product whith relation to the software front. it takes a lot of investment even after they sell the product. These companys are more worried at launching the next product, it's where they make their money so if you want the software fixed and updated for a few years, you'll probably have to buy the next one they make. I might be wrong but i think this will become a brick in a few years time, after android gets updated 1 or 2 times. A good move would have been a partnership - where the audio brand would develop/ deal with the audio front - with a bigger and established company in the smartphone world. If any of those brands or other ones are up for it, that would be something i'd be willing to give a try.
@@JoseFerreira-zb7wh
Bro most of then if they try to copy Moondrop here would use oem from another brand like the ones from BBK eletronics,the rest is not hard.
@@lordlopes2424 the hardware is not my concern. keeping up with android updates requires massive investments in software development. Only huge companys can continue updating software after the product doesn't sell because at that point there is no money paying that investment. You have to sell a shitload of cellphones to pay for future updates. This is a niche product from a niche brand. I might be wrong but i predict it will become a brick sooner than later (after a couple of android updates). Moondrop link app should be the headsup. It exists for quite some time now, with a few versions and still it is buggy and clunky as hell. And it's just 1 app, a much more simple affair!
Thank you fellow Malaysian man. Now I can think about buying this to make daily phone in Malaysia
Sama sama 🙏
It is definitely better sounding than my Xperia 5 V phone, but nothing amazing though. Phone feels unbalanced in my hands being top-heavy.
will you cover Hiby R4 in the near future?
I am not too sure
I think I'll wait for the MIAD 02. If there's any.
You are doing the good thing.
The first phone is always a test and not the best thing,just like what happen to the Nothing Phone 1.
Me too
Bro despite a long length video, you manage to nail 3 in 1 into a video nicely executed keep it up, first 15 minutes I forgot it’s a audio review and keep thinking it’s a phone review.
Nice 3 in 1 video, phone, blind test & audio.
Thanks man. I am always looking to present my contents better. Sometimes it require longer duration to ensure I can convey as much relevant data as possible
@@donglemadnessI doubt I’m the only one, I want a 2 hour breakdown…..
for me, a closed source soc like mediatek is a big no for this type of device.
agreed! once the dev decided to stop updating. it will stuck in the past😅
Andy , you certainly deliver the goods. Jam packed info. Your videos are an adventure. You saved me time and money ( saved my sd card). You do great work . Awesome ! Thank You !
No worries. And thanks!!
>not calling it MAID 01
It's over. The opportunity isn't coming back.😅
😂
OK, easy to understand presentation, ❤it. Kipidap. Respect from Pahang👍
TQTQ 😁
Thanks for the review! Not many reviews out there for the miad-01, which is surprising given how unique of a device it is! The camera problem, I think could be solved by a gcam port developed for it.
Thanks. Yes I think with GCAM the camera could perform better. I haven't had the time to try it myself yet but hoping to do so soon and then post another video on MIAD01 after 1 month of usage
I actually ordered this, it arrives on the 17th (such a long delivery time from China to England) great review, much better than the Linus review. I already have a fiio m15s, ibasso dx180, hiby r4, Sony nw a306 Japan model, I have couple of dongles and DAC amps (fiio q11 and a kiwi ears allegro etc) but this phone really interested me and was only £370, I could have got it cheaper through other sites (£300 but would have been charged vat) so i went through EBay. I was considering the new nothing phone. But the 4.4mm balanced port on a phone was too hard to pass up.
Kesini gara" David gadgetin
Terima kasih!
Audio lovers time to choose the comeback 😂😂😂
Thank you for the review! Great looking product, now the biggest question for me is, how many years of software support (security main concern) is Moondrop doing? 1-2 years? Hopefully more?
Thanks. I sincerely hope that Moondrop will be diligent with developing this path starting with consistent updates for MIAD01, that will truly determine if this will be a successful evolution
27:50 I am not sure about this. If it is anything like my LG g7 by plugging of adapter before low impedance headphone you wont achieve high output mode just aux mode. In order to achieve high output u will propably need to pluch adapter first, then headphones over 50ohm to trigger hight output, then you will unplug high impedance headphone and u will use whatever iem?headphone you want and system will remember (once it is triggered it will stay triggered until adapter is unplugged). And this way u will achieve true high output with low impedance iems or headphones.
Also, maybe someone will make a GCam port for this which will make the pics much more competitive 🤞
My lg v30plus still doing great till now. Miad 01 maybe the next😅. Aamiin
Thanks
Wohooo😁😁😁
Andy, will You review Denon Pearl Pro in the next future? Obviously using a brick Who supports aptx lossless? I would really like to know your opinion about it...
It's unlikely that will happen anytime soon. If I can get hold of it, yes
Well if I buy it I could sent it to you for a review. Obviously if you sent it to me back after 😂 I watch your videos over and over. Now I'm deciding for a 5 star dongle up to 80£ which I'm going to use with a speaker. I listen to many genres from rock, metal, alternative, punk to euro pop, rave, dubstep, alt hip hop, triphop, phonk, disco etc. What would you recommend?
I just bought a Colorfly CDA-M1P , can't wait the AKM dongle. I still use 2 smartphones, Axon 7 which features an AKM AK4490, and an Axon 10 pro which is equipped with an (AKM) AK4497EQ DAC. So I can't expect nothing less than a top gadget with a premium sound ❤ Andy for the reviews! Top man!top@@donglemadness
We live in times where $1,500 phones come with no 3.5mm jack, so this is definitely a much required evolution.
Though I think for most of us the leap of faith to Moondrop 'as a phone' is too much to ask for.
IMO, It's definitely better to just buy a Dongle for our existing phone. Among other benefits it also gives us flexibility to different upgrade paths for each the Phone and the Audio experience.
Thanks for the review, Andy!
No worries. And thanks!
The whole point of this device is for convenience where you sort of get a 2-in-1 device. Buying a dongle kind of defeats the purpose of this IMO. It doesn't excel in either as a phone nor as a DAP, but it's "good" enough for both considering the convenience of this.
@@Annabelle_UwU USB Port is prone to wear and tear and I find that it is much more sensitive when it comes to audio.
I'm having an issue with my phone where any slight movement on the USB Port with the dongle plugged in causes the playback to stop and also causes issues where the DAC doesn't get detected sometimes whenever it gets disconnected like that which is very annoying and the main reason why I find MIAD01 very useful.
This only happens with the dongle and not when its charging which is what lead me to believe that the USB Port is a lot more sensitive with audio output.
nooo the micro sd card
6:50 keep in mind performance benchmark programs are not 100% reliable way to measure performance. Another way to measure is to open a certain list of apps in sequence and see how long the phone takes. Or just run Genshin Impact or any heavy game and see if the phone can reach 60 frames per second
My major concern for this phone: Android security and version updates support, for how long users will have support on these? And how easy it is to repair.
It s yet to be seen how Moondrop will handle updates, since this is their first time doing stuff like this
Terima kasih bang. Saya tercari2 Review dari Malaysia akhirnya saya jumpa. Saya tertarik dengan telefon ini. Tapi dalam masa yang sama Saya teringin nak rasa Ibasso dx170. Abg rasa mana yang bagus samada Moondrop Miad 01 ataupun Ibasso Dx170?
Tak pasti la pulak, sebab tak test lagi DX170, so tak tau nak compare camna
Thank you for the review. Would be great if its possible to supplement comparison with the top 5 dongles on how it performs in a bit more detail to understand its sound characteristics a bit more
Thanks, at least for now I can say it is comparable to iBasso DC04Pro really, wide open sound with lots of power and good natural timbre. And would already know how I rated DC04Pro
Thank you for this video and showcasing the true intent of the device rather than just mundane stuff in it.
Very welcome
Hopefully this influences competition for more audio-focused DAP phones from other brands with dedicated audio circuitry, different DACs & 4.4mm output. I'd like to see one with an R2R. Even better would be shrinking the modular concept of Xduoo's XD05 Pro by having a phone with swappable DAC cards. Moondrop is going to have to fix that SD card issue though. People won't buy it if it's going to potentially brick an up to 1.5Tb SD card.
That's my wish too
Now I imagine a Hiby Smartphone with the FC6 build in but with more power and a 4.4mm balanced jack.
As always, a simply amazing review.
Thanks! appreciate that!
i like it how you described those photo samples. it’s like you’re describing iem 🤭
Hahaha, photography and video is also about dynamic range of colors and tone, about transparency and accuracy, so yes it shares many similarities with audio 😁
I got one of these. I sounds way better than my hibi r6 and my sony NWWM1A....Can't believe it!
Thank you for this elaborate review, I sat through the whole video without pressing any fast forward. Looking forward to another great video!! Best regards
Glad you enjoyed it!
Best review EVER !
Thank you 🙏😁
Excellent review.
Thank you kindly!
Another great content and review Andy, maybe needed some software updates, can a user still use a dongle like the KA17 even though the PD is 2.0 Miad 01
Thanks man. Yes, I really don't know if it is PD2.0 or 3.0, I only suspect it is PD2.0 based on the voltage, but really I can run my KA17 even on the weaker Mi9T without any need for external power
Hey Andy, I think you have solved my dilema! In Australia, we are about to lose the 3G network. This didn't worry me as I have an LG V50, which is a 5G phone. But that's only for mobile data. It apparently does not use the newer protocol of Voice over LTE (VoLTE) for phonecalls, including emergency calls! As an audio engineer and HiFi enthusiast, there is not much around to upgrade to. I didn't want to carry two devices, one as a basic phone and a DAP like an Astell & Kern for music, but the pick of good audio in a phone, seems to be gaming oriented devices like the Asus ROG series. Much bigger than I wanted and even then, reviews don't highlight their use as a serious audio player. The MIAD 01 seems to be the only device that meets my requirements. I'd keep using my LG if I could as it's a pretty good phone too. Camera is a bit crap, but I have a Nikon Z6 for serious photos, so not concerned about that. Also use it ocassionally to drive my HD600s like you have. Pretty good results, but you need to push it pretty hard!
Precisely. Just make sure you gonna use that 4.4mm BAL side to get the best of what MIAD01 capable of
Hi Andy, great review I love it! In minute 27:55 you talk about volume loudness and show casually the headphone that I own which is HD600 which is 300Ohm and have a sensivity of 97dB at 1kHz. My question is, would the balanced output take over all the dynamics the HD600 have to offer? How do you felt it against your other dedicated desktop amps? It is the same? Or maybe with a good desktop amp it scales better? Thank you! Cheers! +1sub
Thanks. My own experience and listening, my HD600 sounded 5% better on my desktop setups (above 2500 mW DAC/Amps). That's the only difference, a meager 5% loss in overall sound performance. And practically inaudible if you are not comparing them side by side
@@donglemadness thanks!! I appreciate it a lot
Good video, helped me confirm that i won't be getting this (i'd rather just grab a usb dac for my current phone). Oh, and no idea if you ever fixed the microsd, but it's likely you can recover it with a specialized partition manager program (like easeus partition master), i've had good luck using those to recover "dead" cards (which are often not dead, just messed up at partition level).
I haven't tried repairing the SD card yet, too many other things to do still. And until today I am using my MIAD01 as my primary phones, just love the simplicity of directly attaching my 4.4mm BAL IEMs and headphones without the hassle of lugging dongles around, and I still get the sort of sound quality which I love
Hi Andy, very good video! May i ask if you will ever compare this with DAP? Namely SP2k, SP3K, Fiio m23, so in and so forth?
I can only compare what is available to me, and I don't have access to those expensive DAPs
@@donglemadness understand. What about other range of dap such as shanling, hiby or fiio?
@@MirrorMan90 MIAD01 is comparable to iBasso DC04Pro, so you have an idea where it stands, and you would probably know how I rated iBasso DC04Pro
Hi Andy, did you try to insert other Micro SD Card (any cheap ones you can afford to lose) if they work or still break them?
Also, for the usb performance test you did, you don't have to really look at the voltages.. What you want to read is the power draw which is Power (W) = Voltage (V) x Current (A)
But even if you know the Power, their difference is not much significant.. All of them were just drawing aroung 0.5 watts (idle) and these modern smart phones will be smart enough to provide enough Power when working with load (listening to music) and will not have noticable difference. So all of them should be fine for DAC usage as long as the phone supports OTG.
Thanks. No I haven't tried with other MicroSD card yet. And thanks as well for the heads up on Volt/mW info
Bro Andy,
Which DAC Dongle has better sound quality and power between JCally JM7 and KZ AM 01?
Thank you Brother
🙏👍
AM01 just a bit better
@@donglemadness Thank you Bro Andy 🙏👍
could you like to review gaming phone like rog 6 or 7 sir?? A people said dac rog phone have better quality than ori android phone sir... Please salam from indonesia...
Thanks. And salam to you too. I would love to try the ROG phones but they are exceedingly pricey just for me to buy and test/review. As you can see here, I already have 5 phones in my possession, lol
I hope this moondrop phone will be the catalyst for the revival of headphone jack on flagship devices.
I also hope moondrop will include a free moondrop chu next time.
Me too
This is what we want,but unless some popular company does it I can't see this happen.
But I hope that other audio companies try to follow Moondrop on this.
I wouldn't mind to see a Fiio,Ibasso or an Astell and Kern smartphone.
@@lordlopes2424 I want to see sony pour some "walkman" magic on their sony xperia line up. I heard that their audio input through their 3.5mm jack is very satisfactory while the output is kind of entry level.
@@richardalvarado1877
It wouldn't be bad,but the Xperia line is expensive and only some countries has it.
I would hope a more famous brand would get the idea to focus more on the audio side of things.
@@richardalvarado1877100% on this comment. I would also want Sony to implement a 4.4 balanced as well
Thanks for the in-depth review and comparison, the phone looks really impressive.
My pleasure!
Fantastic review, Andy! This phone is absolutely amazing for the price! I still have a Fold 3 and will be changing phones and services in December. I can't wait to be out of that contract because the service is not so good in our area.
My pleasure 😁🙏
How many phones are you allowed to have?
I hope it will come out snapdragon version 😊
Hey Andy! Awesome review as always! Ngl, a phone like this makes sense. Performance on a phone seems to be so high now that any mid range phone can handle pretty much whatever you throw at it, and top end phones just for flair (Then again, coming from a S23 Ultra user xd). Sound tho, Moondrop definitely opened a new path on that regards.
Just wanna ask, will you be reviewing the Moondrop Cosmo headphones? Red Ape sells it too.
Was also wondering how it would compare to the Hifiman Arya Organic too. Don't dare to make the jump to either just yet.
Thanks. Perhaps one of these days I will visit Red Ape and try some Moondrop headphones 😁
Do you think that the moondrop maid01 is better from hiby r4/cayin n3 ultra/hiby r6 gen III?
Unfortunately no, R4 is slightly better as a DAP
Yeah, there is a notorious issue among xiaomi phones where you can't use the third party launcher with gestures. At least not reliably. Maybe this is just a norm in the Chinese market? Oh that would be a big bummer because I need gestures and I also need access to the third party launchers.
Oh son of a gun, I really wanted to like this thing and I don't know if it's going to be viable for me. No way I'm switching to buttons. I guess it depends on the quality of the stock launcher, but I really value customizable gestures
To clarify, the gestures work fine especially if I use the stock launcher that comes with the unit, everything registers properly. I only had issues with multi tasking gestures when using other 3rd party launchers and there's a possibility after the 1st update which was already released, the gestures could be fixed for 3rd party launchers, I just need to try them again
Andy why did you let your friend give his impressions with the blindfold still on lmao poor guy
LOL